The Türkiye Arkeolojik Yerleşmeleri (TAY) project has just launched an updated online database and searchable map of archaeological sites, TAY GIS. The launch is reported in the Turkish Daily News.
The register allows searches of sites from the Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age across Turkey. There are also other search options, including a facility to look up destroyed or damaged archaeological sites (tick the ‘tahribat türü’ or ‘destruction type’ tab). The type of destruction is described for each site – agriculture, looting (illicit digging), contemporary settlements and road building.
I’ve previously had my doubts about the TAY project’s aim of recording “all” archaeological sites in Turkey. But the enthusiasm and prolific output of the project team and the way that information is made so widely accessible makes this an invaluable resource – and makes my theoretical quibbles sound quite trivial!
Tags: heritage destruction, looting, TAY project, Turkey archaeology
