Soldiers, Scholars, and the Public: Archaeology During the First World War in the Ottoman Empire

Year 2021, Issue: 1, 173 - 197, 30.12.2021

Ceren Abi

https://doi.org/10.54930/TARE.2021.6

Abstract

This article will discuss the opportunities that the First World War created for scholars and soldiers to conduct archaeological excavations and protect cultural artifacts in Ottoman lands, their motivations for doing so, and the reception of these actions by the public. When the war broke out, excavation sites were initially abandoned, scholars on all sides joined the war efforts, and public interest in antiquities waned as the brutality of the conflict grew. However, the war created many new opportunities for all the belligerents to engage in archaeology. At the same time, the aspects of the protection and appreciation of cultural heritage, including archaeology, became tools of war, wielded on the battleground of public opinion.

Keywords

Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, World War I, Protection, Soldiers

Askerler, Bilim İnsanları ve Toplum: Birinci Dünya Savaşı Sırasında Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nda Arkeoloji Faaliyetleri

Abstract

Bu makalede, Birinci Dünya Savaşı’nın Osmanlı topraklarında arkeolojik araştırmalar yapma ve kültürel varlıkları koruma konularında araştırmacı ve askerler için doğurduğu fırsatlar, bu çalışmaları gerçekleştirme sebepleri ve toplumun bunları nasıl karşıladığı konuları ele alınmaktadır. Savaşın ilk aylarında kazı alanları terk edilirken tüm taraflardaki bilim insanları seferberliğe katılmış, çatışmalar şiddet kazandıkça halkın kazılara ilgisi azalmıştı. Bununla birlikte savaş, tüm muhariplerin arkeolojiye ilgi duyması için çok sayıda yeni fırsat yaratmıştı. Aynı zamanda, arkeolojik faaliyetler de dahil olmak üzere kültürel mirasın korunması ve değer kazanması, savaşın birer unsurları haline gelip kamuoyu düşüncesinin şekillendirilmesinde yol oynamıştır.

Keywords

Arkeoloji, Kültürel Miras, Birinci Dünya Savaşı, Koruma, Askerler

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