Assistant Professor of Archaeology

Halil Mert Erdoğan

Exploring the human past through archaeology.

Field Archaeology · Ancient Architecture · Ancient Religion · Cultural Heritage

Latest Writing

Perspective 004 — Geç de Olsa: The Odyssey – Güçlü Bir Batı Eleştirisi Perspective 003 — Reşit Mazhar Ertüzün: Yok Edilirken Bile Gülümseyen Heykeller Pazar Okumaları 005 — Kaya Resimlerini Kanla mı Boyadılar? Pazar Okumaları 004 — Ahşap Bir Seks Oyuncağı? Vindolanda’nın Ahşap Fallusu Pazar Okumaları 003 — The Dog We Thought Was a Cat: A Misreading of the Bordeaux Stele Perspective 002 — When I Saw the Asclepius of Aspendos... Pazar Okumaları 002 — The Gods Demand a Sacrifice... But What Do We Do with All That Blood? Perspective 001 — Can't You Just Stay in the Office? Pazar Okumaları 001 — Senet: The Ritual of Passage Perspective 004 — Geç de Olsa: The Odyssey – Güçlü Bir Batı Eleştirisi Perspective 003 — Reşit Mazhar Ertüzün: Yok Edilirken Bile Gülümseyen Heykeller Pazar Okumaları 005 — Kaya Resimlerini Kanla mı Boyadılar? Pazar Okumaları 004 — Ahşap Bir Seks Oyuncağı? Vindolanda’nın Ahşap Fallusu Pazar Okumaları 003 — The Dog We Thought Was a Cat: A Misreading of the Bordeaux Stele Perspective 002 — When I Saw the Asclepius of Aspendos... Pazar Okumaları 002 — The Gods Demand a Sacrifice... But What Do We Do with All That Blood? Perspective 001 — Can't You Just Stay in the Office? Pazar Okumaları 001 — Senet: The Ritual of Passage

Black and white portrait of Halil Mert Erdoğan

Latest Writing

Recent essays and readings

Perspectives → Pazar Okumaları →

Perspective · P004

Geç de Olsa: The Odyssey – Güçlü Bir Batı Eleştirisi

Nolan’ın The Odyssey filmi üzerinden savaş, sömürgecilik, Deniz Kavimleri ve Batı’nın kendi geçmişiyle yüzleşmesi üzerine bir değerlendirme.

Perspective · P003

Reşit Mazhar Ertüzün: Yok Edilirken Bile Gülümseyen Heykeller

Kyzikos’un eserlerinin yok edilmesine kayıtsız kalmayan genç bir kaymakamın, kültür mirasını korumaya adadığı olağanüstü mücadelesi.

Pazar Okumaları · SR-005

Kaya Resimlerini Kanla mı Boyadılar?

Yaklaşık iki bin yıldır canlılığını koruyan Huashan kaya resimlerinin boyasında kireç, pigment ve kan kullanılmış olabilir.

Biography

Formal black and white portrait of Halil Mert Erdoğan

Exploring the human past through archaeology, architecture and material culture.

Halil Mert Erdoğan is an Assistant Professor of Archaeology and Deputy Director of the Olympos Excavations. For the past nine years, he has taught archaeology and architectural documentation at university level while actively participating in archaeological fieldwork across Türkiye.

His field experience includes four excavation seasons at Rhodiapolis, three years with the Beydağları Survey Project, eight years as a member of the scientific committee of the Xanthos Excavations, and ongoing survey research at Prokonnesos. He currently continues his work as Deputy Director of the Olympos Excavations, where his research focuses on ancient architecture, sculpture, religious practices and the interpretation of archaeological evidence.

His academic interests centre on the archaeology of Lycia and Anatolia, with particular emphasis on architectural documentation, material culture, archaeological interpretation and cultural heritage. His research combines long-term fieldwork with architectural analysis, digital documentation and scholarly publication.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork at Xanthos

Close observation, architectural recording and interpretation begin at the monument itself. Fieldwork remains central to the way archaeological questions are formed and tested.

Olympos

Landscape, settlement and the archaeology of place.

Research

Selected research themes and archaeological materials

Seated Hephaistos sculpture from Olympos

Ancient Sculpture · Olympos

Hephaistos and the religious landscape of Olympos

A study of a seated male cult image identified through sculptural fragments, iconography and the wider religious setting of the city.

Multiple views of a reconstructed Zeus head

Cult Image · Architectural Context

Reconstructing Zeus Olympios

Fragment-based reconstruction brings together sculpture, temple architecture and archaeological context to reconsider the monumental cult image of Olympos.