Thematic Session | Across Anatolia

Archaeological research in Anatolia (present-day Türkiye) continues to yield new insights into the origins of farming, animal husbandry, and early complex societies that shaped developments across several continents. Bronze Age trade networks further facilitated the large-scale exchange of raw materials, technologies, and goods, while the Iron Age brought about additional technological and social transformations. For decades, scholars from the Czech Academy of Sciences and Charles University have been actively involved in archaeological research in Türkiye, in partnership with numerous institutions across the country. This thematic session highlights the contribution of long-term Czech–Turkish collaboration to the study of key historical periods, from the Stone Age to the Iron Age (12,000–330 BCE).

The opening lecture by Professor Necmi Karul of Istanbul University presents the latest research on the Neolithic ritual stone monuments—Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, and related sites in the Upper Euphrates and Tigris region.