An Inside Story of the German Excavations at Babylon (1899-1906): The Accounts of Robert Koldewey and Walter Andrae and Turkish Perceptions

Öz

The excavations the Germans launched in 1899 in Hillah should be of great use to the scholarship on the late Ottoman archaeology/museology, its perceptions of antiquities, and the missionary undertakings of European archaeologists across the Empire domains. Indeed, the accounts of Robert Koldewey, the excavation leader, and Walter Andrae, his assistant, as well as of several other members of the team, are bursting with details, so to speak, of a kind that is perspective-shifting and have yet to be appreciated in any reception work to date. Blending these with the relevant records from the Ottoman Imperial Archives, we acquire a uniquely complementary Babylon Case, of which this essay aims to provide an in-depth presentation. Key to such an effort will be four main aspects, namely the performance of Ottoman supervision, what became of the artefacts unearthed, the Germans’ perceptions of Ottoman institutions and locals and vice-versa, and finally, the role Turkish-German politics played in shaping the course of the excavations.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• German Excavations at Babylon
• German Oriental Society
• Robert Koldewey
• Walter Andrae
• European Missionaries in the Late Ottoman Empire
• Ottoman Perceptions of Antiquities
• Ottoman Archaeology
• Archaeology of Babylon

Teşekkür

The early version of this essay was submitted to the University of Exeter as an assignment for an MA module titled “Themes in Archaeological Theory and Practice” in 2023. I am grateful to Professor Timothy Insoll for reading it through and sharing his invaluable insights. Also, many thanks to a dear friend and colleague, Yunus Yiğit, for helping me with the transliteration of the texts from the Ottoman Imperial Archives (BOA).

Almanların Bâbil Kazılarının Bir İçyüzü (1899-1906): Robert Koldewey ve Walter Andrae’nin Tanıklıkları, Türklerin Kazıya ve Almanlara Yönelik Algıları

Öz

Almanların bugünkü Irak/Hillah’ta 1899 yılında başlattıkları kazıların, bilhassa geç Osmanlı arkeolojisinin/müzeciliğinin ve antik eser algısının gelişimi ve Avrupalı araştırmacıların İmparatorluk topraklarındaki misyonerlik faaliyetleri sahalarında yürütülen çalışmalar için oldukça besleyici bir doğası olmalıdır. Zira kazıların liderliğini üstlenen Alman arkeolog Robert Koldewey, yardımcısı Walter Andrae ve kazı ekibindeki birçok diğer araştırmacının bizzat kaleme almış olduğu tanıklıklar, bugüne dek herhangi bir alımlama çalışmasına konu olmamış, perspektif kazandırıcı cinsten pek çok detay barındırmaktadır. Bu detaylar, sürece dair Osmanlı Arşivleri’nin bize sunduğu belgeler ile birleştirildiğinde, yukarıda sayılan sahalardaki güncel bilgimize hatırı sayılır bir katkı sunacak, oldukça tamamlayıcı bir Bâbil Örneği ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu çalışma işte bu Bâbil Örneğinin detaylı bir sunumundan ibaret olup, Bâbil kazıları boyunca Osmanlı denetiminin performansı, ortaya çıkan eski eserlerin akıbeti, Almanların Osmanlı kurumlarına ve yerel halka yönelik, Osmanlıların ise Almanlara yönelik izlenimleri ve nihayet dönemin Türk-Alman siyasi ilişkilerinin kazının gidişatına etkileri olmak üzere dört temel noktaya odaklanacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Almanların Babil Kazıları
• Alman Şarkiyat Cemiyeti
• Robert Koldewey
• Walter Andrae
• Geç Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda Avrupalı Misyonerler
• Osmanlıların Eski Eser Algısı
• Osmanlı Arkeolojisi
• Babil Arkeolojisi.

Kaynakça

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