{"id":13,"date":"2026-06-27T13:27:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T13:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.metu.edu.tr\/mdirican\/?page_id=13"},"modified":"2026-07-11T10:33:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T10:33:48","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.metu.edu.tr\/mdirican\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Testimony of Stones: A New Method in Ancient Traffic Analysis<\/h4>\n
\n
Duration<\/dt>\n
2025\u00a0–\u00a02026<\/dd>\n
Contact<\/dt>\n
Murat Dirican<\/a><\/dd>\n
Funding<\/dt>\n
\"MarieMarie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)-PF<\/a><\/dd>\n
Partners<\/dt>\n
Ephesos Excavation –\u00a0The Austrian Archaeological Institute<\/a>
\nKerkenes Excavation –\u00a0University of Central Florida USA<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Middle East Technical University Turkey<\/a>
\nLeiden University Faculty of Archaeology \u2013 Host Institution |\u00a0Department of Archaeological Science – Computational Archaeology<\/a>
\nMiddle East Technical University \u2013 Secondment Institution |\u00a0Mining Engineering Department- Rock Mechanics Laboratory<\/a><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

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Scientific Relevance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Archaeologists can often identify routes and spaces used in the past, but rarely can they empirically estimate how intensively those spaces were used. This project addresses that gap by introducing a new methodology that combines rock mechanics, tribology, use-wear analysis, and computational modelling.<\/p>\n

By transforming abrasion traces into measurable archaeological data, the project aims to establish a quantitative approach to movement studies. The research will also expand the scope of use-wear analysis beyond traditional artefacts such as tools and grinding stones to include architectural elements, potentially opening entirely new directions for archaeological interpretation.<\/p>\n

Social Relevance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every city tells a story through its streets, buildings, and monuments. Yet one of the most fundamental aspects of urban life\u2014the intensity of human movement\u2014remains largely invisible in the archaeological record. This project seeks to reveal how people moved through ancient cities by studying the wear preserved on stone pavements and thresholds.<\/p>\n

The research has implications far beyond archaeology. Understanding long-term patterns of movement can contribute to modern discussions on urban design, crowd management, and heritage conservation. The project can also provide new tools for predicting and mitigating visitor-related wear at archaeological sites, helping heritage managers protect vulnerable monuments for future generations.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Testimony of Stones: A New Method in Ancient Traffic Analysis Duration 2025\u00a0–\u00a02026 Contact Murat Dirican Funding Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)-PF Partners Ephesos Excavation –\u00a0The Austrian Archaeological Institute Kerkenes Excavation –\u00a0University of Central Florida USA\u00a0|\u00a0Middle East Technical University Turkey Leiden University Faculty of Archaeology \u2013 Host Institution |\u00a0Department of Archaeological Science – Computational Archaeology Middle East […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9599,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-13","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.metu.edu.tr\/mdirican\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.metu.edu.tr\/mdirican\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.metu.edu.tr\/mdirican\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.metu.edu.tr\/mdirican\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.metu.edu.tr\/mdirican\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.metu.edu.tr\/mdirican\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.metu.edu.tr\/mdirican\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}