Tarsus - Gözlükkule Excavations

The prehistoric mound of Gözlükule is located in the Northeastern Mediterranean coastal plain of Çukurova (andent Cilicia) at the southern end of the principal pass (Cilician Gates) through the Taurus Mountain range. Today the site is part of the modern town of Tarsus in the province of Mersin. The site was investigated in the 1930's-1940's by an American team led by Hetty Goldman under the auspices of Bryn Mawr College, PA. Excavations revealed that the settlement was founded in the course of the Neolithic Period and continued without major lacunae into the Early Islamic Period. The results were published as of the 1950's in three volumes by Princeton University Press and remain one of the cornerstones of Anatolian archaeology.

In 2001, Boğaziçi University initiated a new research project in cooperation with Bryn Mawr College, preparing to resume excavations and investigations on and around the mound. The first season of excavation took place in 2007.

Since 2007 excavation and study seasons are carried out to evaluate the recent finds and data. Excavations on the Tarsus- Gözlükule mound in the Early Islamic, Classical and Late Bronze Age levels continued  during the 2017 season.

3rd Cilician Chronology Workshop took place at the Boğaziçi University Tarsus-Gözlükule Archaeology and Research Center, on May 30th-June 1st, 2017.

In 2018, Boğaziçi University Tarsus-Gözlükule Archaeology and Research Center Lecture Series has started with the support of Tarsus Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Emeritus Professor Selçuk Esenbel gave the first lecture, on March 22, Thursday, to an audience from Tarsus, Mersin and Adana, with the title, "Japan on the Silk Road."

Photos