In spring of 2019, the large international research project TransPergMikro, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), was launched in Bergama/Pergamon. Just a few months later, we started a ten-week field work season with our mainly German-Turkish team in and around the ancient metropolis. This was the first time that the newly organized interdisciplinary teams worked together on site – a great adventure for everyone: Would the project work and produce the results we had hoped for? The numerous blog posts you can read on this website are already a good proof for a successful first season. In the first year, we were able to gain many new insights into various parts of the project such as the Amphitheater, the Asklepieion, Pitane or the surrounding area of Pergamon.
We´re very grateful to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey and the City Council of Bergama – among many others – for the permits granted and for their support during the fieldwork!
But even after the field season, the work of the various subprojects continues in laboratories, libraries and archives. The data collected is evaluated and discussed, and preliminary results are exchanged.
In the previous weeks we have already presented the work of 2019 at various events:
10.-11.11. Workshop “Joint Heritage of the Maritime Micro-Region of Lesbos and Pergamon” in Ayvalık (Turkey). Lectures by S. Tezer Altay, M. Tozan and B. Ludwig, co-organized by F. Pirson and U. Mania
29.11. Lecture at the “38th International Mediterranean Survey Workshop” in Groningen (Netherlands). B. Ludwig: “New Field Survey in the Surroundings of Pergamon”
04.12. Winckelmann Lecture at the Madrid Department of the German Archaeological Institute (Spain). F. Pirson: “Pergamon: Stadt, Mensch und Umwelt im Hellenismus”
09.12. Lectures of the excavation directors team in Bergama. G. Ateş, U. Mania and F. Pirson: “Bergama Kazıları. Güncel Araştırmalar ve Gelecek Perspektifleri”
19.12. Lecture and visit to our colleagues and partners at Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Manisa (Turkey) and the President of the University Prof. Dr. Yüksel Abalı. F. Pirson: “Bergama Kazıları. Güncel Araştırmalar ve Gelecek Perspektifleri”
29.01.2020 (upcoming) Guest lecture at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. B. Ludwig: “Die Mikroregion Pergamon – Aktuelle Forschungen im Umland der antiken Metropole”
At the same time, we are happy to welcome Mehmet Doğan (Physical Geography at the University of Izmir) and Julia Meister (Physical Geography at the University of Würzburg) as new cooperation partners who will join the team in summer 2020.
The preparations for the 2020 field season are in progress and the applications for excavation and survey work for next year have already been submitted to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
We look back on a successful first year and look forward to the upcoming years of TransPergMikro.
On behalf of the Principal Investigators Felix Pirson, Güler Ateş, Ulrich Mania, Brigitta Schütt, Daniel Knitter and Thekla Schulz-Brize we would like to thank all the people who support the project!
Bernhard Ludwig – Ihsan Yeneroğlu
