Research teams from Korea and Türkiye announced the results of their joint excavation work to the international academic community.
The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, affiliated with the Korea Heritage Service, announced on 5 August that it would be jointly organising the "7th KültepeInternational Conference" with the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ankara University at the Kültepe archaeological site in Kayseri, Türkiye, between 31 July and 3 August.
The Kültepe excavation site contains the remains of an ancient city that developed from around 3000 B.C. through the Roman period. It is known as the capital of the Kingdom of Kanesh (Nesha), which predated the Hittite Empire, and as the birthplace of Hittite culture. It is also called the "Archaeological Site of Kültepe-Kanesh."
With a focus on the Kültepe excavation site, this conference was held to share research findings in various fields, including archaeology, philology, archaeobotany, and zooarchaeology, and to expand academic exchange and cooperation among participating countries.
A total of 31 research institutions and universities from 11 countries, including Korea and Türkiye as well as the U.S., Germany, and France, participated in the conference. Through two keynote speeches and presentations in seven sessions, participants shared 32 research findings.
In particular, the joint research team of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Ankara University presented a talk titled "Recent Excavation Results in the Eastern Area of the Kültepe Archaeological Site: Focusing on the Hellenistic Cultural Layers" on 1 August, sharing the latest research findings of the ongoing joint excavation with the international academic community. The conference also included a field trip to the Kültepe excavation site.
An official from the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage said, "We plan to use this joint initiative as an opportunity to widely share the findings of our joint research results at Kültepe with the international community and expand our network of humanitarian and academic cooperation with research institutions at home and abroad, especially the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ankara University."