The advanced infrastructure of Bilkent University National Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM) is bringing a new dimension to the excavation efforts of the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (JIAA) in Kırşehir, specifically at Kaman-Kalehöyük and Yassıhöyük. For over 38 years, the institute has been conducting excavations under the direction of Dr. Sachihiro Omura and has uncovered more than 2,000 artifacts to date. The collaboration between JIAA and the Chiba Institute of Technology will now begin leveraging the cutting-edge technologies available at Bilkent University UNAM to enable a more comprehensive analysis of these discoveries. The research team, which includes Department of Archaeology graduate Nurcan Küçükarslan, will conduct a deeper scientific examination of Anatolia’s rich historical heritage. With its multidisciplinary approach, UNAM will provide significant scientific contributions to the excavation efforts.
As part of the project, advanced equipment such as UNAM’s Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM), X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a Multi-Purpose X-ray Diffractometer (MPD) will be utilized to analyze the artifacts unearthed from the excavations. These analyses, focusing on early iron metallurgy, are expected to reveal the history of ironworking in central Anatolia and provide a more comprehensive archaeological evaluation of the findings.
