Observing Movement on Abraded Stones:

Interdisciplinary Approaches from Ancient Pedestrian Traffic to Cultural Heritage Conservation

This workshop presents the results of Testimony of Stones: A New Method in Ancient Traffic Analysis (TAS), a research project supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fund.

As the project’s final dissemination meeting, the workshop evaluates the findings of this multidisciplinary research, which investigates ancient traffic, mobility, and movement patterns through the combined perspectives of archaeology, digital humanities, architectural analysis, cultural heritage studies, and rock mechanics.

Bringing together experts from diverse scientific fields, the workshop explores topics ranging from urban movement networks, pedestrian transportation modelling, and the spatial organization of public spaces to the characterization of Ephesian marbles, digital infrastructures for traffic research, and the long-term transformation of architectural environments. It also provides an opportunity to discuss how FAIR principles can be applied to specific research domains, including ancient mobility studies.

Finally, the workshop addresses contemporary dimensions of tourism and mobility, examining their effects on archaeological sites and the challenges they pose for heritage management in Türkiye and beyond.

List of Presentations:

Project Presentation / Testimony of Stones: A New Method in Ancient Traffic Analysis (TAS)

Dr. Murat Dirican

Marie Curie Fellow, Faculty of Archeology, Leiden University.

Dr. Mustafa Erkayaoğlu / Project Advisor at the Secondment Institute

Associate Professor, Department of Mining Engineering, Middle East Technical University.

Dr. Tuna Kalaycı / Project Advisor

Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeological Sciences, Faculty of Archeology, Leiden University.

Exploring the Relationship Between Architectural Orientation and Urban Movement Networks at Ancient Kerkenes / Yozgat – Türkiye

PhD Candidate Atakan Atabaş

Department of Anthropology, University of Central Florida

Pedestrian Transportation Analysis at Ancient Kerkenes / Yozgat – Türkiye

Dr. Scott Branting

Associate Professor, Anthropology and the Florida Space Institute, Director of the Kerkenes Project, University of Central Florida.

The Marble Landscape of Ancient Ephesus through Quarrying, Provenance and Distribution

Dr. Vasiliki Anevlavi

H.F.R.I. Fellow National Hellenic Research Foundation / Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Prof. Dr. Walter Prochaska

Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Traces of Change: Architectural Alterations as a Prerequisite for the Continued Use of the Ephesian Theater into the Byzantine Period

Dr. Gudrun Styhler-Aydın

Group Leader, Research Group Bauforschung, Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Commercial and Public Spaces in Ephesus: Functions, Spatial Distribution, and Patterns of Pedestrian Movement

Dr. Lilli Zabrana

Department of Historical Archaeology, Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Archaeological Site Monitoring with Non-Destructive Physico-Mechanical Testing Methods: Long-Term Performance Assessment in the Zelve Valley

Dr. Nazlı Tunar Özcan

Associate Professor, Department of Geological Engineering, Division of Applied Geology, Hacettepe University

Visiting the Past: Archaeological Heritage and Tourism in Türkiye

Dr. Gül Pulhan

Honorary Research Fellow, The British Institute at Ankara

Open Access and FAIR Data for Digital Archaeology

Dr. Nurdan Atalan Çayırezmez 

The British Institute at Ankara