Presentation of the Team

Since its creation in 1930, the IFEA has quickly become an indispensable tool for French archaeology in Turkey. A research center and support network for French (and European) archaeological stakeholders in Turkey, the IFEA has placed archaeology at the heart of its research activities, returning to the center of the French archaeological research system in Turkey.

The activities of the Archaeology Department are coordinated by Maria Gorea, contact: maria.gorea@ifea-istanbul.net

The mission of the Archaeology Department within the IFEA is to develop research areas to stimulate Franco-Turkish research, to welcome our colleagues—students and faculty/researchers alike—through grants (short-term, doctoral, etc.), to support archaeologists in their scientific and administrative procedures, to compile and disseminate the results of their work in Turkey, and finally, to inform our colleagues about changes in archaeological procedures. Our objectives are to develop Franco-Turkish collaborations, to foster relationships between our local and international colleagues, and to showcase the skills of French archaeologists by giving them the visibility they deserve. Seminars, training workshops, research programs, publications, and open archives are all activities we undertake at the IFEA and with our scientific partners, with the aim of acting as a bridge facilitating both the dissemination of knowledge and human exchange. Our range of scientific activities also responds to the Turkish academic community’s desire to see research institutes offer training and specialization opportunities to local students and young researchers, while simultaneously fostering exchanges between researchers and research institutions. The IFEA is a hub for synergy, enabling:

• The organization of training workshops by developing practical approaches while strengthening our bibliographic resources in the IFEA library.
• Research conducted by our researchers, doctoral candidates, and students in Turkey in line with our scientific program. Researchers and associate researchers are heavily involved in Franco-Turkish archaeological missions and Turkish and international archaeological programs. The IFEA library is also an important research tool.
• Regional expertise: knowledge of Turkish institutions and administrations and the regional context allows for the provision of technical expertise, the optimization of partnerships according to programs, and risk assessment.
  Partnership and sponsorship support: the IFEA provides French institutional guarantees in Turkey, as well as logistical support for partnerships between Turkish and French research institutions and for securing sponsorships. The IFEA is a project leader for European projects.
• Networking of researchers and research institutions: the Archaeology Department, through the organization of conferences, symposia, and workshops in Istanbul and throughout France, maintains and expands institutional relationships with Turkish universities and its network of archaeologists, which has been constantly growing in recent years.

These activities are supported by a policy of visibility and dissemination:

Holding the annual IFEA Archaeology Conference, the proceedings of which are available online.
Anatolia Antiqua and the Varia Anatolica collection are available online on the Persée and revues.org portals, while the Patrimoines au présent series of the IFEA Dossiers is published on the Open Edition Books platform.
Publication of reflections on the Dipnot blog.

The IFEA collaborates with or organizes conferences with Turkish and French partners, as well as with foreign institutions. It also organizes exhibitions showcasing parts of its documentary and cartographic archives, as well as its research, and participates in museum events.

The IFEA library has a significant archaeological collection, regularly enriched, which is occasionally highlighted by a selection of books on a specific theme (whether it be cities, pressing issues, problems related to our scientific program, or the promotion of emblematic authors in our disciplines or those who have left their mark on the institution’s history).