Excavation Directors

Prof. Dr. Halet Çambel, one of the founding figures of prehistoric archaeology in Turkey, left a lasting mark on Turkish archaeology not only through her scientific work, but also through her pioneering approach to cultural heritage preservation, relations with local communities, and the social responsibility of archaeology.

Born in Berlin on August 27, 1916, Çambel studied archaeology at the Sorbonne University after graduating from Istanbul Arnavutköy American College for Girls. By representing Turkey in fencing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, she became one of the first Turkish female athletes to compete in the Olympic Games. Starting in the 1940s, through her academic work at Istanbul University, she spearheaded the institutionalization of prehistory research in Turkey, played a decisive role in founding the Department of Prehistory at Istanbul University, and contributed to training numerous young scientists. Halet Çambel passed away in Istanbul on January 12, 2014.

One of the major milestones in Halet Çambel's scientific career was the Karatepe-Aslantaş excavations. The work she conducted there not only yielded significant scientific results for Anatolian archaeology, but also enabled the development of a pioneering model in Turkey for preserving archaeological sites, displaying them in situ, and sustaining them alongside the local community. For Çambel, archaeology was not merely about uncovering data from the past. Excavation sites were living cultural spaces that needed to be preserved, shared with society, and passed down to future generations alongside scientific research.

One of the most important research areas for this scientific and social approach was Çayönü Tepesi. In 1963, together with Prof. Dr. Robert J. Braidwood, Halet Çambel introduced Çayönü Tepesi to the scientific world during field surveys around Ergani, laying the foundation for a long-term research process at the settlement with systematic excavations starting in 1964.

The work conducted at Çayönü soon began to shed light on one of the most critical transformations in human history. Core dynamics of Neolithic life - such as the development of settled life, the evolution of architecture, the emergence of agriculture and animal husbandry, production technologies, and social organization - were investigated through Çayönü's rich archaeological record. Bringing together researchers from various disciplines, these studies established Çayönü early on as a pioneering center for interdisciplinary archaeological research.

One of the most significant legacies Halet Çambel bestowed upon Çayönü was this scientific environment. Under her guidance, Çayönü was not merely an excavated archaeological site, but assumed the character of "a laboratory functioning like a school," where researchers were trained, various specialties convened, and new research methods were developed. This approach laid the groundwork for the Çayönü scientific tradition that would be carried forward by subsequent generations.

Honored with numerous national and international awards for her lifelong contributions to cultural heritage preservation alongside her scientific work, Halet Çambel was awarded the Prince Claus Award in 2004 and the Republic of Turkey Grand Award for Culture and Arts in 2010.

Today, every new study conducted at Çayönü Tepesi builds upon the scientific foundations laid by Halet Çambel and her colleagues in 1964. Spanning over sixty years, Çayönü's research tradition stands as a living legacy of the scientific approach, preservation mindset, and school of archaeology that she initiated and passed down through generations.

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özdoğan, one of the leading figures in prehistoric archaeology and particularly Neolithic Period research in Turkey, has made significant contributions to the international recognition of Turkish archaeology through his studies on the emergence of settled life in Anatolia and the Near East, the transition to food production, cultural interactions, and the spread of the Neolithic way of life to Europe.

Born in Istanbul on May 30, 1943, Mehmet Özdoğan began his studies at the Istanbul University Faculty of Letters in 1963. Trained under Prof. Dr. Halet Çambel at the Department of Prehistory at Istanbul University, he had the opportunity to work alongside leading prehistoric archaeologists of the era within the same scientific circle, most notably Robert J. Braidwood. Completing his undergraduate studies in 1970, Özdoğan earned his doctorate in 1979 with a thesis on the Fikirtepe culture. Continuing his academic career at Istanbul University for many years, he played a decisive role in the development of prehistoric research in Turkey and in mentoring new generations of researchers.

Çayönü Tepesi holds a special place in Mehmet Özdoğan's scientific life. Participating in Çayönü research within the scientific environment established by Halet Çambel since his student years, Özdoğan took responsibility for the settlement's fieldwork and scientific evaluation processes over many years. Thus, his relationship with Çayönü transcended a researcher's participation in a specific excavation, evolving into one of the foundational scientific research areas he would pursue throughout his life.

By the mid-1980s, the first major stage of intergenerational scientific transmission took place in Çayönü research. Assuming the deputy director position of the excavation in 1985, Mehmet Özdoğan took over the excavation directorship of Çayönü Tepesi from Halet Çambel in 1987. In doing so, a researcher trained during Çayönü's initial phase took on the scientific responsibility for the subsequent period, continuing the settlement's tradition of research.

During Mehmet Özdoğan's directorship, the systematic evaluation of the vast archaeological data gathered from Çayönü, a more detailed definition of stratigraphic relationships, and the interpretation of the settlement's architectural development within a holistic framework gained importance. Data regarding various building phases, private and public spaces, production areas, technological advancements, and social organization were addressed within a broader theoretical framework aimed at understanding the transformation of the Neolithic way of life over time.

One of Özdoğan's most significant contributions to Çayönü research was that he did not evaluate the data obtained from the site solely on the scale of Çayönü itself, but linked them to the core issues of the Neolithization process across Southeastern Anatolia, Northern Mesopotamia, and the broader Near East. Findings related to Çayönü's architecture, modes of production, technological innovations, and social structure became one of the primary datasets for broader discussions concerning the emergence and development of settled life.

Thanks to this approach and a body of scientific publications spanning many years, Çayönü Tepesi reinforced its position as one of the principal reference sites in international archaeological literature for understanding the Neolithic transformation. Mehmet Özdoğan's work plays a crucial role in interpreting Çayönü's distinct architectural phases and long stratigraphic sequence not merely as a chronological sequence, but as an indicator of profound shifts in the human lifestyle.

His approach at Çayönü was not limited to excavation and scientific publication alone. The Open-Air Museum Project initiated in 1989 was a major effort aimed at preserving the uncovered architectural remains, displaying them in situ, and bringing Çayönü to the public. Thus, the ethos established during Halet Çambel's era—combining archaeological research with preservation and public engagement—was sustained into this new period.

Mehmet Özdoğan's scientific work extends far beyond Çayönü. His endeavors in diverse regions—ranging from rescue archaeology projects to long-term research in Thrace and Southeastern Anatolia—contributed to the development of new models concerning Anatolia's Neolithization process and the transmission of this lifestyle into the Balkans and Europe. Research at sites such as Aşağı Pınar, Hoca Çeşme, and Mezraa-Teleilat stands among the key examples of his broad-scale archaeological approach, which interprets different regions through shared cultural processes.

Another key characteristic of the Mehmet Özdoğan era regarding Çayönü's scientific tradition was the continuation of intergenerational transfer. During the Çayönü work led by Mehmet Özdoğan—who had trained under Halet Çambel before taking over the directorship—Aslı Erim-Özdoğan assumed major responsibilities in field management and later became the third-period excavation director of Çayönü Tepesi. Thus, the unique research tradition based on passing down scientific knowledge and fieldwork experience from one generation to the next persisted at Çayönü.

The legacy Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özdoğan left to Çayönü is, beyond the data uncovered by excavation, an intellectual tradition that transforms this data into scientific questions explaining the great transformations of human history. Çayönü's prominent standing in global Neolithic research today is a major outcome of this scientific legacy, which began with Halet Çambel and gained new theoretical depth during Mehmet Özdoğan's era.

Prof. Dr. Aslı Erim-Özdoğan, one of the leading scholars of prehistoric archaeology and particularly Neolithic Period research in Turkey, has made significant contributions to Turkish archaeology through her field studies spanning many years, her research focused on the relationship between material culture and space, and the scholars she has mentored.

Born in Istanbul in 1956, Aslı Erim-Özdoğan completed her undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies at the Department of Prehistory in the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul University. Trained within the Istanbul University Prehistory tradition, one of the most important research areas of Erim-Özdoğan's scientific life was Çayönü Tepesi, which she was involved with starting from her student years.

Aslı Erim-Özdoğan's association with Çayönü began in 1978 when she joined the excavation team. In the following years, her responsibilities within the team steadily grew; in the second half of the 1980s, she managed field and workshop operations, later assuming the position of associate director of the excavation. Thus, raised directly within the Çayönü research tradition that began under Halet Çambel and continued under Mehmet Özdoğan, she acquired comprehensive scientific expertise based on many years of work on the settlement's stratigraphy, architecture, and material culture.

The pause in field operations at Çayönü in 1992 due to security conditions did not sever her scientific bond with the settlement. She continued her work evaluating excavated materials, analyzing distinct artifact assemblages, and contextualizing Çayönü's place within the Neolithic Period. Thus, during the long period when field operations could not be conducted, she played a vital role in preserving Çayönü's scientific memory and research continuity.

The year 2015 marked a new turning point both in Aslı Erim-Özdoğan's scientific life and in the research history of Çayönü Tepesi. With the resumption of systematic fieldwork at Çayönü Tepesi after an interruption of nearly twenty-four years, Erim-Özdoğan assumed the excavation directorship, initiating the third scientific era in the exploration and preservation of the settlement.

The work conducted between 2015 and 2023 focused not only on excavating new areas, but also on re-evaluating the vast pool of data inherited from past periods, documenting previously opened trenches, resolving stratigraphic questions, and developing conservation practices. This approach allowed scientific questions stemming from Çayönü's long research history to be revisited and re-examined.

During this period, the scope of research at Çayönü was no longer limited to Neolithic strata. Through investigations into questions surrounding the settlement's later uses, systematic excavation of Early Bronze Age cultural deposits commenced. Consequently, a new field of research was established to understand the post-Neolithic stages of Çayönü's multi-millennial occupational history.

Aslı Erim-Özdoğan's scientific endeavors extend beyond Çayönü Tepesi to various prehistoric settlements across Anatolia and Upper Mesopotamia. Her roles in various surface surveys, long-term archaeological projects, and salvage excavations at sites such as Akarçay Tepe, Menekşe Çatağı, Kerküşti Höyük, Sumaki Höyük, and Çemialo Sırtı enabled her to develop a broad scientific perspective focused on the comparative evaluation of regional cultural interactions, Neolithic lifestyles, and material culture.

One of her major contributions to Çayönü was the transmission of this scientific tradition to new generations. Having developed her expertise by taking on key field management responsibilities during Mehmet Özdoğan's directorship, Aslı Erim-Özdoğan similarly spearheaded opportunities for young scholars to gain field experience and specialize during her own tenure. Among these researchers, Savaş Sarıaltun served as field manager for many years and later as First Deputy Director of Çayönü Tepesi, eventually taking over the excavation directorship in 2024.

Thus, Çayönü's distinct chain of scientific transmission continued once more: Mehmet Özdoğan, trained under Halet Çambel, became excavation director; Aslı Erim-Özdoğan, who developed under Mehmet Özdoğan in field management, assumed the directorship; and Savaş Sarıaltun, who held field management responsibilities during Aslı Erim-Özdoğan's tenure, became the excavation director for the subsequent era. This sequence created a unique scientific continuity spanning over sixty years of research history at Çayönü.

The legacy Prof. Dr. Aslı Erim-Özdoğan left at Çayönü is not limited to resuming research after a long hiatus. Her era served as a vital bridge where the scientific memory inherited from the past reconnected with fieldwork, where Çayönü was addressed with fresh research questions, and where scientific knowledge was passed on to the next generation.

Among the new generation of representatives of Turkish archaeology, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dr. Savaş Sarıaltun is known for his interdisciplinary studies combining prehistoric archaeology, Neolithic Period architecture, settlement and landscape archaeology, archaeometry, physical geography, and cultural heritage management. Integrating his long-standing fieldwork experience with education across various scientific fields, Sarıaltun's research focuses particularly on the prehistoric cultures of Upper Mesopotamia, the South Caucasus, and Eastern Anatolia.

Born in Batman in 1979, Savaş Sarıaltun completed his secondary education at İzmir Karşıyaka Anatolian High School. He then graduated from the Department of Classical Archaeology in the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul University. During his undergraduate studies, he served as a student assistant at the university's Prehistory Laboratory. Thus, even during his student years, he became directly involved in prehistoric archaeology, artifact evaluation, and laboratory work. Beginning with his training in Classical Archaeology, this path proved decisive in directing him toward Near Eastern prehistoric archaeology and Neolithic Period studies, which would eventually become the centerpiece of his research.

Following his undergraduate degree, Sarıaltun completed his master's degree at the Department of Archaeology at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, writing his master's thesis titled "Halaf Period Architecture and Pottery at Kerküşti Höyük." Jointly evaluating the Halaf Period architecture and ceramic repertoire through the data from Kerküşti Höyük, this study established the scientific foundation for his subsequent research into the prehistoric cultures, settlement systems, and material culture traditions of Upper Mesopotamia.

Continuing his academic specialization in France, Sarıaltun completed his doctorate in Prehistory at Paris Nanterre University within the Préhistoire et Technologie Laboratory (CNRS–UMR 7055) with his dissertation titled "The Neolithic Architectural Structures and Cultural Landscape of Sumaki Höyük." In this research, he addressed Neolithic architecture not only through building typologies, but also in the context of production technologies, spatial organization, cultural landscape, and microarchaeology.

Grounded in the principle that archaeological settlements must be evaluated not only through cultural processes but also alongside the natural environment in which they developed, Sarıaltun extended his studies into physical geography, earning a second doctorate—this time in Geography—at the Department of Geography at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University with his dissertation titled "The Impact of Geomorphological Features on Archaeological Settlements in the Lower Garzan Basin." Thus, he expanded his interdisciplinary research framework, which evaluates archaeological data alongside geomorphology, landscape, and environmental processes, onto a broader scientific foundation.

A key characteristic of Savaş Sarıaltun's scientific identity is his approach of bridging diverse disciplines around shared archaeological questions. His work across prehistory, Neolithic architecture, archaeometry, settlement and landscape archaeology, cultural heritage management, physical geography, and GIS relies on evaluating prehistoric communities not just through their material culture, but in conjunction with their living environments, technologies, and spatial systems.

Throughout his years of fieldwork across various regions of Turkey, Sarıaltun has participated in numerous archaeological projects, working at sites such as Menekşe Çatağı, Akarçay Tepe, Ege Gübre, Kerküşti Höyük, Akziyaret Tepe, Sumaki Höyük, and Çemialo Sırtı. Within the scope of the Ilısu Dam Project, he took on roles as coordinator and field manager, particularly at Sumaki Höyük and Çemialo Sırtı, acquiring extensive field experience regarding the architecture, stratigraphy, and spatial organization of prehistoric settlements.

Extending his research beyond the borders of Turkey, Sarıaltun served as Responsable des Opérations in the French-Azerbaijani joint initiative Mission Archéologique du Bassin de l’Araxe in Nakhchivan, directing field operations for the excavations at Şorsu Tepe, Çayağzı, and Başyurt. He worked as an architectural specialist at Ovçular Tepe and contributed archaeo-sedimentological evaluations to research at Kültepe. These projects allowed him to evaluate prehistoric cultural connections among Anatolia, Upper Mesopotamia, and the South Caucasus from a comparative perspective.

Savaş Sarıaltun's connection to Çayönü Tepesi began long before he assumed the excavation directorship in 2024. His initial encounter with Çayönü Tepesi was during site landscaping works in 2001. Serving for many years as field manager at Çayönü Tepesi during the resumed research led by Prof. Dr. Aslı Erim-Özdoğan, Sarıaltun took direct responsibility for the site's stratigraphy, architectural phases, excavation methodology, and field organization. The fieldwork experience he gained during this period formed a crucial foundation for bridging new research questions with the scientific legacy inherited from Çayönü's long history of investigation.

With his assumption of the Directorship of the Çayönü Tepesi Excavation and Research Project in 2024, the fourth research era commenced in Çayönü's scientific history spanning over sixty years. Thus, Çayönü's distinct tradition of scientific succession continued once more: Mehmet Özdoğan, trained under Halet Çambel; Aslı Erim-Özdoğan, who managed field operations during Mehmet Özdoğan's directorship; and Savaş Sarıaltun, who served as field manager during Aslı Erim-Özdoğan's directorship, each eventually taking over as excavation director. This sequence stands as a defining feature that makes Çayönü a unique school of archaeology where knowledge and field experience are directly handed down across generations.

In this new period, Çayönü research is being restructured around problem-oriented archaeological excavations, interdisciplinary analyses, and digital documentation methods, while preserving the scientific heritage inherited from past eras. Geophysical surveys, photogrammetry, 3D documentation and reconstruction, archaeometric analyses, bioarchaeology, geoarchaeology, and environmental studies are among the primary research tools utilized to holistically evaluate Çayönü's multi-layered archaeological record.

One of the key goals of this new era under Sarıaltun's leadership is developing Çayönü not merely as an excavation site where scientific research is conducted, but as a protected, vibrant, educational, and publicly shared cultural heritage site. Accordingly, excavations and research are carried out alongside conservation practices, digital documentation, educational programs, local community engagement, cultural heritage management, and the enhancement of visitor infrastructure.

Enhancing the public visibility of Çayönü Tepesi, developing its institutional identity, and raising cultural heritage awareness at the local level are also among the primary components of this period. Transforming Çayönü into an official Archaeological Site featuring modern conservation and visitor infrastructure, and in the long term, preparing it for the UNESCO World Heritage nomination process by preserving its scientific and cultural values, represent the primary goals of the new era's cultural heritage vision.

The period led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dr. Savaş Sarıaltun at Çayönü aims to preserve this scientific legacy of over sixty years and carry it into the future using new research methods. In this framework, Çayönü is treated not just as an archaeological settlement where the past is investigated, but as a living research center where scientific production, education, cultural heritage conservation, and public sharing flourish together.