DO WE NEED A NEW ASSESMENT ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF MODERN WORLD

Since the beginning of known written history, from generation to generation, the development of the modern world has been forced to be linked to the origins of ancient Greek civilization, where this teaching is bound with the most stringent conservative conditions to be the main topic. This position is so strong that it has a general acceptance of the entire world for ages. The historical wheel of development turns from the ancient Greek, Rome, and Renaissance Europe to modern age. Ancient Greek civilization, all of a sudden, appears in a crossroad point of the history, from which the previous details are not known. But this civilization is pure European. Its language is from Indo-European family. The founders of this culture are from white race. The history goes back down to 1500-1600 B.C. So old, but magnificent artifacts are found from these dates, Mycenaean art. These are the evidences for so great culture that to be the ancestors of the modern world necessitates such dazzling civilization. Above all, it is in Europe. Written documents are found, but not deciphered yet despite of endless efforts. How come so many documents are still not readable! World does not know what these documents tell us. It is so confusing if such a great civilization had not left any thing from former foundations to their followers. Today’s scholars force to find something that can be dated to 3000 B.C. in order to have an evidence to support their position, but it is unfortunate. Therefore, they do not wish to discuss the issue as it is so touchy. The adventure starts with coming of Myceneans to mother land around 2000 B.C. Everything seems all right except an explanation about previous civilization from where Myceneans came there. Even the root of the language they had spoken was left unknown as a secret. Not to make it clear, the scientific unknowns are drawn forward, with scientific termination they say Linear A, Linear B, etc. They can talk for hours and hours and even write books and books about weak links with Greek language, but other major questions are left answerless. Crete plays a key role for whereabouts of the origin of the Mycenaean indeed. Around 2000 B.C. the Minoan civilization had prevailed in Crete. Although the language they had spoken was not Indo-European, the Princess Aerope who had given her name to today’s Europe was the daughter of a Minoan king. May be we owe too much to the Greek historians who lived later, as they created the mythology by shuffling the reality and unreality without putting them in order when transferring them to following generations. The same thing happens for Crete as well, we find the reality and unreality together. We should accept that auricular communication makes it easy to create the legends around the real stories, but a bit difficult to understand why the modern historians hide the reality today. This is the question I wish to raise today.

It is remarkable that scholastic branches that need guess and assessment about the subject, like history, are deeply dependent on honesty of the researcher/writer in order to reach a graceful study while positive science does it without a need of guess and/or assessment. It goes this way since ages as a result of hegemony established over history. The reality can be hidden, even can be distorted intentionally. Think that, if corner points are held by the senior scholars and the steps to be taken by a junior one are under control by the board established among the senior ones, it is very easy then to shape the world as you wish. A candidate for the degree of PhD is obliged to proceed as their thesis leader’s advice. Otherwise it is not likely to get the degree. This is an unfair teaching method which results in the goal intended. This system that is still valid on a large scale, but closed to general knowledge of the public within the scholastic world, obstructs independent and dependable scholastic studies. Since the Middle Age we observe the differentiation in teaching schools, which mostly causes to defend the different views among the scholars. This is not harmful as such behavior brings the matter forward without any hidden intention. Unfortunately, among the honest ones, the intentionally deviated publications are many in historical studies. Sometimes the national histories are modified as the policies of those countries are so established. Sometimes the world history is under control of hegemonic view that shapes the way of teaching. Under these circumstances established since ages, the following question is in the agenda of some researchers and historians: “Have the historians, who they call themselves to belong to the western civilization, and their servants from other wings that not belong to the same society, been manipulating the history of the past of modern world under their hegemonic structure?”

Yes, nowadays some scholars and researchers can ask this question, even they put forward their challenging counter views to the attention of the entire world. As no scholastic teaching established yet, the classical teaching is still currently taught to new generations. Thus, these counter views stay silently as an allegation only. According to classical teaching, the root of Greek civilization goes to Pelasgians who are the indigenous people of the peninsula. Who are they? Unfortunately there is no net answer in classical history under teaching currently. If they existed in Greek Peninsula since the deep past of the history, why can not we find any artifact proving that they were there before 3000 B.C.? If they had come from any other else where, then where had they come from? If the roots of Pelasgians were somewhere in today’s Europe, no doubt this would be the crown subject of the classical teaching. Then, who were they? For a while, some courageous voices are being heard among the history world, which say the Pelasgians were Phoenicians settled in Crete first, then in Greek Peninsula. This anti-thesis is not bad as it answers some questions. First of all, if no trace of any previous civilization before the Mycenaean is seen in Greek, then the roots of this culture should be searched outside of this region. Since European man around 3000 B.C. had been in the period of Neolithic age yet, hunting and collecting, no farming nomads, then we need to look at other civilized peoples of the period. From this angle, living the Bronze Age and sailing in the Mediterranean waters with their simple boats, Phoenicians are strong candidates. In parallel, some linguists see some links between the languages Minoans and Phoenicians had spoken, saying Minoan does never belong to Indo-European family, but shows Semitic similarities. If the fact that the first unoccupied stop was Crete at this age when Phoenicians sailed from their country toward west is considered, this reinforces the possibility of likely relation between Phoenicians and Minoans. Among the other candidates to be ancestors of ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, an element of the region where great civilizations have been observed like Sumerians, are very strong.

After the African Americans got their freedom in USA, although the equality yet to be reinforced, they headed for finding their roots. This search later, continued among the historians as well, resulted in two groups of scholars: Euro-centered scholars found Afro-centered development supporters recently as the counter parts. Nowadays, some researchers from the Afro-centered group are saying that the element that created the Greek civilization is ancient Egyptians, namely Hyksos who were exiled from Egypt (Black Athena by Bernal). According to this hypothesis, the Hyksos upon their exile moved to Crete and Aegean islands and founded the Minoan civilization there. This hypothesis accepts the Pelasgians as the classical teaching defines, that is indigenous people. Another group on the contrary, highlighting the errors in this hypothesis, alleges that Pelasgians were African-rooted, supporting their allegation with some passages in ancient Greek documents. According to this group, Garamentians had founded the civilization in Crete and spread to Aegean Sea and Thrace. This thesis as well, may answer the questions that the hegemonic teaching is far from answering. Seaman Egypt and/or Libyan peoples of this age may take with them to Crete the advanced culture just nearby in ancient Egypt. If we add that this saying is also filling the gaps from linguistics point of view, then it becomes clearer that the thesis is worthy enough to pay attention. Thus, I hope, one day we will find the true answer for the question, “who were the Mycenaean people?” as they can not be a people dropped from the sky all of a sudden.

Finally, I would like to mention about the Turkish scholars who are unmindful of such important issue apart from the others who confine themselves to follow counter parts. As stands there nearby and here in our country, the Turkish scholastic members can not stay regardless about the past of this civilization. If the entire world is taught with a history that contains mistakes and/or intentional errors, then rectification of such errors is among the responsibilities of today’s scholars including Turkish guys. It is so important to find the true past of Ionia, ancient Greek cities within our country’s boundary and inter-relations with other cultures and especially with hegemonic Athena in Greek peninsula, as well as publication of the facts. This is the responsibility of the historians, especially Turkish historians, to be achieved with the support of archaeologists. If the truth is brought to day light by finding the correct answers to the questions, supported with the concrete evidences, the entire world can learn how a culture come from Phoenicia or Egypt had glorified in Greek. Above all, a hegemony prevailing since the ages can be ended. If such hegemony exists and makes their supporters enthroned while the resistors terminated, it is a shame of such modern world.

As the historians and archaeologists of the future, all candidates have right to ask their teachers what the truth is. Besides, as researchers they are obliged to clarify and correct the errors.

Ali Çitci
September-2007

References :

1) Black Athena: Afro-Asiatic Roots of Classical Civilization by Martin Bernal

2) Egyptian Influence on Ionic Temple Architecture by Lucas Livingstone

3) The Black Greeks by Prof. Clyde Ahmad Winters

BATI KÜLTÜRÜ OLUŞUMUNA YENİ BİR YORUM GEREKİYOR MU?

Uzun yıllardır batı kültürünün ortaya çıkışı ve oluşumu antik Yunan kültürüne bağlananan bir öğreti ile nesilden nesile aktarılır durur. Genel kabul görmüş bu teze göre, modern tarzda gelişmiş herşeyin başlangıcı antik Yunan medeniyetindedir. Antik Yunan, Roma, Helenistik, Rönesans Avrupası dönemleri olarak özetlenebilir bu gelişim. Antik Yunan, tarihin bir dönemecinde başlar, öncesi bilinmez, neredeyse birden bire ortaya çıkar. Ama Avrupalıdır. Dili Hint-Avrupa kökenlidir. Kültürü yaratanlar en baştan beri beyaz ırktandır. Geriye M.Ö. 1500-1600’lere gidilir. Bu kadar geriye tarihlenebilen, ama nefes kesen eserler vardır ortada. Miken eserleri. Öyle büyük bir medeniyetin kanıtlarıdır ki onlar, bugünkü modern dünyanın atası da ancak öyle olabilir. Hem de Avrupa kıtasında bulunmaktadırlar. Yazılı belgeler vardır. Ama bir türlü tam olarak sökülemezler, ne anlatırlar onlar dünya bilmez. Ama böyle bir kültür daha gerilerden hiç mi bir şey bırakmaz kendilerinden daha sonra gelenlere? Üç binlere gitsin diye zorlarlar, ama istedikleri gibi gitmez. Oralara pek dokunulmaz onun için. M.Ö.2000’lerde Mikenlerin ana kıtaya gelişleri ile başlar serüven. İyi de nereden gelmişlerdir Mikenler? Konuşulan dilin kökeni bile ortaya çıkartılmaz, sır gibi kalır. Anlaşılmasın diye bilimsel bilinmeyenleri ileri sürülür, Lineer A denir, Lineer B denir. Yunanca ile olan kısır bağlar konuşulur da, diğer yönleri çözülemez. Aslında Girit Adası kilit rol oynar bilinmeyenlerde. Minoan medeniyeti izlenmektedir orada o sıralar. Dilleri Hint-Avrupa ailesinden olmayan bir medeniyet. Avrupa’ya adını veren Aerope da bir Giritli kralın kızıdır. Çok sonraki Yunanlı tarihçiler eskileri mitoloji yaparlar, gerçek ve gerçek dışı birbirine karışarak karşımıza gelir. Girit için de aynı şeyler olur. Bilgi kulaktan kulağa geçtiğinden destanlar kaçınılmazdır aslında. Ama daha sonra modern çağda, tarihçiler neden gerçekleri ortaya koyamaz? Sormak istediğimiz soru işte budur.

Pozitif bilimler hiç bir yoruma gerek bırakmadan sonuç verebilirken, tahmin ve yoruma dayalı ilim ise insafa kalmaktadır, bu çağlar boyu böyle olmuştur. İlim üzerinde hegemonya kurulabilmektedir. Bilinenlerin saklanması ve hatta çarpıtılması olabilmektedir. Düşünün, bilim adamı olmanın geçtiği yolların kilit noktaları önceki bilim adamları tarafından tutulmuşsa ve bir araştırmacının bilim yolunda atacağı adımlar bu kişilerin oluşturduğu bilim kurullarının elindeyse, bu son derece kolaylaşmaktadır. Bir doktora talebesi tezinden geçerek bu ünvana ulaşmak isterken tezi veren hocalarının gösterdiği yolda ilerlemek zorundadır. Yoksa o dereceyi alması pek olası değildir. Bu bir öğreti yoludur, kendi öğretmek istediğini geçerli tutmanın yolu. Bilim çevrelerinde kapalı bir şekilde halen devam etmekte olan bu sistem, ne yazık ki bağımsız araştırma ve bilimsel ürün yaratmanın önünü tıkamaktadır. Orta Çağ’dan bu yana ekoller olarak karşımıza çıkan bu olgu, tarih yazmada çok belirgin bir hal almaktadır. Ülkelerin tarihlerinde milli yönler ön planda tutulurken, dünya tarihinde bazı ülkelerin/ırkların hegemonyası herşeyi kontrol eder olabilmektedir. Bu şartların asırlardır oluşmuş olduğu bir ortamda, aşağıdaki soru bazı araştırmacıların ve tarihçilerin gündemine girmiş bulunmaktadır:

“ Kendilerini batı medeniyeti olarak niteleyen uluslar topluluğuna mensup tarihçiler ve onların hizmetkarlığını yapan diğerleri, asırlardır oluşturdukları hegomonik bir yapıda, modern dünyanın geçmişini anlatırken gerçekleri manipule mi etmişlerdir?”

Evet, zamanımızda bazı araştırmacılar bu ve benzer soruları sorabilmekte, hatta genel kabul görmese de kendi görüşlerini ileri sürmektedirler. Ama henüz bir ekol oluşmadığından yeni nesillere hala eski öğreti devamede gelmektedir. Tüm bunlar bir iddia olarak sessizce kalakalmaktadır. Klasik öğretiye göre, Yunan medeniyetinin kökleri Pelasglar’a gider, Pelasgian kabileler Yunan yarımadasının yerlileridir. Kimdir bu Pelasglar? Buna net cevap verilmez klasik öğretide. Yunan yarımadasında tarihin derinliklerinden beri bulunuyorlarsa, neden M.Ö. üçüncü milenyuma ve öncesine ait kalıntı bulunmamaktadır? Eğer başka yerlerden geldilerse, nereden? Eğer Pelasgların kökü Avrupa içlerinde bir yerde olsaydı, hiç şüphesiz bu klasik öğretinin baş tacı edilirdi. O zaman kim bunlar? Uzun süredir, bazı cesur sesler Pelasgların önce Girit adasında, daha sonra Ege adalarında yerleşmiş Fenikeliler olduğunu söylemekteydiler. Bu karşı tez aslında pek çok yönden yabana atılır türden değil. Bir kere, Ege ve Yunan yarımadasında Mikenler’den önce bir medeniyet izine rastlanamıyorsa, o zaman bu kültür dışardan gelmiş olmalıdır. Avrupa’da o tarihlerde yaşayan insanlar yontma taş devrini yaşamakta, tarıma geçememiş avcılık-toplamacılıkla meşgul göçebeler olduğuna göre, zamanın ileri kavimlerine bakmak gerek. Bu açıdan bakıldığında, tüm Akdeniz’de basit tekneleriyle dolaşan ve bronz çağını yaşayan Fenikeliler iyi bir aday olarak durmakta ortalıkta. Buna paralel olarak bazı linguistler de eski Minoanların konuştukları lisanın kesinlikle Hint-Avrupa ailesinden değil, semitik bağlar gördüklerini söyleyegelmektedirler. Akdeniz’de dolaşan Fenikeli denizcilerin önüne ilk çıkanın Girit adası olması, Minoan-Fenike bağını güçlü kılmaktadır. Sümerlerin büyük bir medeniyet kurdukları toprakların bir ögesi olarak Fenikeliler eski Yunanlıların atası olacak adaylar arasında en kuvvetlilerindendir. ABD’deki siyahların özgürlüklerine büyük oranda kavuşmuş olmaları, kendi köklerini araştırmaya yönelmelerine neden olmuştur. Bu arayış, daha sonraları, tarihçiler arasında da devam ederek, neredeyse iki ayrı ilim adamı/araştırmacı sınıfı ortaya çıkartmaktadır: Avrupa merkezli gelişim taraftarları karşılarında Afrika merkezli gelişim grubunu buldular yakın geçmişte. Şimdi aynı akıma mensub bazı araştırmacı ve bilim adamı, Yunan medeniyetini oluşturan unsurun Mısır kökenli olduğunu söylemekte (Black Athena by Bernal). Hiksosların Mısır’dan sürülmesiyle Girit’e ve Ege adalarına yerleştikleri savını öne sürmektedir bazıları. Ama Pelasgları da klasik öğretide olduğu gibi kabul etmektedir. Bir başka grup ise bu savdaki yanlışları ortaya koyarak, Pelasgların Afrika kökenli olduğunu ileri sürmekte ve antik Yunan eserlerinden bazı pasajlarda bu savı destekleyen ögeleri ispatta kullanmaktadırlar. Bu gruba göre Libya kökenli Garamentler Girit’teki medeniyeti kurmuşlar, ve Yunan adası ve Trakya’ya yayılmışlardır. Bu tezler de, hegemonik öğretinin cevapsız kalan sorularına yanıt verebilmektedir. O devrin denizci Mısır ve Fizan kavimleri kendilerine ait ve yanıbaşlarındaki üstün kültürü Ege’ye devşirmiş olabilirler. Buna bugüne kadar cevapsız kalmış olan linguistik soruların da yanıt bulabildiğini ilave edersek, tezin kayda değer olduğunu söyleyebiliriz. Gökten zembille inemeyeceğine göre, Mikenler kimdir sorusu da bir gün cevap bulacak umarım.

Bu noktada, Türk ilim ve araştırma dünyasının sessizliğine veya dümen suyu tercihlerine değinmek istiyorum. Hemen yanı başımızda duran bir medeniyetin geçmişine kayıtsız kalamayız. Eğer tüm dünyaya kabul ettirilmiş olan tarih yanlışlar içeriyorsa bunları ortaya koymak günümüz bilim adamlarının sorumlulukları arasındadır. İyonya olarak ülkemiz sınırları içindeki eski Yunan kentlerinin geçmişi, diğer kavim ve kültürlerle ve özellikle Yunan yarımadasındaki hegemonist Atina ile olan etkileşimlerindeki gerçekler bir bir ortaya çıkartılmalıdır, bu bence en başta Türk tarihçilerine düşmektedir, arkeologların da destek vererek yardımcı olması kaçınılmazdır. Eğer tezler ispatlanırsa ve açıktaki sorulara doğru cevaplar bulunabilirse, Fenike veya Mısır üzerinden gelmiş bir kültürün, nasıl Yunan yarımadasında doruklara çıkmış olduğu tüm dünyanın bilgisine sunularak, asırlardır devam ettirilen hegemonyaya son verilebilir. Eğer böyle bir hegemonya varsa ve kendi söylemine uygun kişileri baş tacı ederken, ters düşenleri de yok ediyorsa çok yazıktır.

Geleceğin tarih yazarları veya arkeologları olacak tüm genç adayların, okullarında hocalarına gerçek nedir sorusunu sorma hakkı vardır. Araştırmacı olup gerçekleri ortaya koyma borçları da vardır, unutulmasın.

Ali Çitci
Eylül-2007

Kaynakça :

1) Black Athena: Afro-Asiatic Roots of Classical Civilization by Martin Bernal
2) Egyptian Influence on Ionic Temple Architecture by Lucas Livingstone
3) The Black Greeks by Prof. Clyde Ahmad Winters

KALKAN NOTES - September 2007

Kalkan is getting larger every year. The picture taken from the harbor pier is the simple evidence of this growth. If a guess is needed for the split, I am sure at least fifty percent of this growth is out of the town municipality borders. It is not a good face of this lovely small town as outside the municipality borders, during the construction of new houses, neither the local authority enforces the urbanization rule to be followed strictly, nor is sought by the land owners. Today, there is an ongoing irregularity that can never be rectified later. In long term, it is sure that the value of the fixed asset in such an ill-fated district of the town will be much behind the value it should have had. Unfortunately, the irregularity takes place at the hills above the harbor, where we can say that these lands are the visible face of Kalkan. Consequently, Kalkan as a whole gets damages due to the irregularities. Any paralyzed structure will be likely to be permanent. However, despite the illicit behavior outside the municipality, within the borders it seems everything is perfectly in order. These parts of the town possess every characteristics of a well structurized modern city. While everything is all right within municipality border, outside, the municipality management washes hand. They may be right according to the law, thus the municipality is not ruling authority. Who is then? The ruling authority within the town is the governmental official, namely so called Kaymakam. This authority can not be impassive while there is an illegal growth in the skirts of such beautiful town for which he is responsible. As an inhabitant of this town, where and when necessary, I will direct the attentions to the irregularities.

Kalkan municipality has been achieving a target well before planned: sewage system. I could not pass without mentioning this happy improvement. Congratulations.

Another good improvement is the town video monitoring system under construction, pushed by Kalkander. I also congratulate our association, although small but becoming more powerful everyday.

You will find more news from Kalkan in next articles. Stay tuned till then and goodbye.

INVALUABLE HISTORICAL SITES NEED GOVERNMENTAL ATTENTION

I decided to write this article bilingual as it addresses to our (Turkish) authorities. In the majority of the historical Lycian sites, whether excavation, restoration, or similar works continue or not, at first glance you feel immediately the lack of protection and insufficient attention against the potential damages that may be caused by the visitors reluctantly, or the nearby inhabitants intentionally or not, or uncontrolled visitor traffic, and so on. The archaeological teams work in general, June and July, two months a year. During the rest of the year, the site is left uncontrolled.

The ancient Lycia is at south-west of Turkey where is favored by international tourism. In the past, the unbelievable sun and sea of the area was sufficient to attract the people who favored sunny countries with a dark blue sea. As the investments were sophisticated and expensive understructure were completed the investors needed to attract more tourists who can pay more. As the natural beauty of the land is completed with the existence of ancient historical sites, it was ready to modify the tourist profile from sun lovers to history tracers. As a general acceptance, sun and sea are never enough to gain back the heavy tourism investments unless reinforced with historical sightseeing programs. As a result, the value of the historical sightseeing places is automatically at the right place.

As so valuable, why do not we pay sufficient attention to our historical sites, and properly protect them? This September (2007), I was again in Xanthos, Patara, Pinara, Tlos, and Letoon. The conditions of the sites were almost identical, and can be summarized as “ownerless”. They are world heritage, and owned by Turkish State. In each of them, I tried to see the owner, but they are like no man’s land. Some of them are still under recovery. Foreign and Turkish archaeology teams have been excavating and renovating in Tlos, Patara, and Xanthos. The archaeologist is not the owner of the historical place. They are temporarily responsible from this value until they complete their works. Besides, I do not believe that they are properly budgeted to carry out their works. Therefore no body can expect any additional responsibility from the archaeologist. According to their annual program, they completed 2007 works as most of them are students and left in August. I wished to see the state authorities and the precautions taken consciously.

The first picture is the entrance to Xanthos theatre and famous Harpy’s monument area. The area is fenced. When we completed our walk and turned back from Necropolis, one guy was leading his goats to this fenced area, the most ancient sheep pen of the world.

The second picture is taken in Tlos. A blanket was the evidence that this rock tomb has been inhabited by one of our villagers.

There are many similar examples. It is so obvious that an immediate action is needed in every historical place. The damage should be stopped. When you read the excavation reports of Patara, you recognize at once that Prof.Dr. Işık has been struggling with the local people as well, as the site is so close to some dwelling units. Sometimes, we read the actions of some persons with bad intentions. Who must be the authority there against the thefts? Dr. Işık, or the state authorities? When I say state authorities, I do not mean the official security (police or gendarmerie). The site should be under control of a state organization, from the gate up to the single stone. The place should be operated as a commercial entity with a proper organization. Solutions should be appropriate and not shameful as it is now. Scientific studies and investigations can be under partial responsibility of the archaeologists.

I expect our new Cultural and Tourism Minister, Mr. Ertuğrul Günay will initiate a solution to this vital problem of our ancient places.





PAHA BİÇİLMEZ TARİHİ ÖREN YERLERİMİZ DEVLET İLGİSİ BEKLİYOR

Yazının asıl muhatablarının devlet otoriteleri olmasından dolayı, Türkçe ve İngilizce yazmaya karar verdim. Kazı, restorasyon veya benzer çalışmalar yapılıyor olsun olmasın, Likya ören yerlerinin çoğunda, hemen ilk bakışta, ziyaretçilerin kayıtsız davranışlarından, veya yakında yaşamakta olan insanların bilmeyerek veya bilinçli amaçlarından, veya kontrolsuz ziyaretçi trafiğinden, ve benzer nedenlerden kaynaklanabilecek zararlara karşı koruma eksikliği ve dikkat yetersizliği göze çarpmaktadır. Arkeoloji ekipleri genelde yılda iki ay, Haziran ve Temmuz aylarında çalışma yapmaktalar, yılın kalan kısmında ören yeri kontrolsuz kalmaktadır.

Tarihi Likya, uluslararası turizmin gözdesi olan Türkiye’nin güney batı kısmında kalmaktadır. Geçmişte, ülkemizin inanılmaz güzellikteki güneş ve denizi bundan hoşlanan turisti çekmeye yetiyordu. Devam eden yıllarda, daha karmaşık yatırımlarla, tamamlanan pahalı alt yapı maliyetleri yatırımcıları daha fazla para bırakacak turisti cezbetmeyi mecbur etti. Bölgenin tabii güzelliklerinin yanı sıra, tarih yönünden zenginlikleri eklenince, turist profilini güneş-deniz turistinden tarih gezen turiste değiştirmeye yetmektedir. Genel olrak kabul görmektedir ki, tarihi gezi programları ile desteklenmedikçe sadece güneş-deniz turizmi ağır yatırımları geri döndürecek güce sahip değildir. Sonuç olarak, tarihi görülecek yerlerin önemi böylece doğru yere konulabilmektedir.

Bu kadar değerli olan tarihi yerlerimize neden gereken önemi vermemekteyiz, ve neden yeterince korumamaktayız? 2007 Eylül’ünde Ksantos, Patara, Tlos, Letoon, ve Pınara ören yerlerini tekrar gezme fırsatı buldum. Ören yerlerinin hepsinin de genel görünüşü aynıydı ve tamamını “sahipsiz” olarak niteleyebilirim. Onlar birer dünya mirası olarak devletimizin malıdır. Her birinde asıl sahibi görmeye çalıştım, ama ne yazık ki sahipsiz topraklara benziyorlardı. Bazılarında geri kazanım çalışmaları devam etmekte. Ama arkeologlar bu yerlerin gerçek sahibi değildir. Çalışmaları devam ederken geçici bir sorumluluk üstlenirler. Kaldı ki, kendi çalışmaları için bile yeterli bütçeyi bulabildiklerinden şüpheliyim. Onun için hiç kimse arkeologdan ilave bir sorumluluk bekleyemez. Zaten hepsi de, çoğu öğrenci olarak 2007 çalışmalarını bitirmişler ve Ağustos ayında kazı yerlerini terk etmişlerdi. Ben asıl devlet otoritesini ve bilinçli olarak alınmış tedbirleri görmek istedim.

Birinci resim, Ksantos’da tiyatro ve meşhur Harpi Anıtı’nın olduğu bölgeye girişten çekilmiştir. Alan çitle çevrilidir. Diğer bölümleri dolaşıp Nekropol tarafından döndüğümüzde adamın bir tanesi keçilerini çitle çevrili alana sokmakla meşguldu. Dünyanın en tarihi koyun ağılına.

Diğer resim Tlos’ta çekildi. Kaya mezarı içindeki battaniye, burayı mesken tutmuş bir köylümüzün kanıtıydı.

Pek çok benzer örnekle karşılaştım. Çok açık olan bir gerçek var ki, her tarihi yerde acil önlem alma ihtiyacı bulunmakta. Tahribat durdurulmalıdır. Patara’nın kazı raporlarını okuduğunuzda, tarihi bölgenin yerleşim yerlerine çok yakın olması nedeniyle, Prof. Dr. Işık’ın bir yandan da yerel halkla uğraşmakta olduğunu anlıyorsunuz. Kötü niyetli bazı kişilerin amaçlarını okuyorsunuz. Hırsızlığa karşı duracak ilk otorite kim olmalıdır? Devlet otoritesi mi, yoksa Dr. Işık mı? Devlet otoritesi derken güvenlik güçlerini kast etmiyorum. Giriş kapısından her bir taşına kadar sorumlu olacak devlet organizasyonunu kast ediyorum. Tarihi yerler iyi düşünülmüş bir organizasyonla ticari bir kuruluş olarak işletilmelidir. Geliştirilecek çözümler uygun olmalı, ve bugünkü gibi utanç verici olmamalıdır. Bilimsel çalışmalar arkeologlara verilecek kısmi sorumlulukla devam ettirilmelidir.

Yeni Kültür ve Turizm Bakanı Ertuğrul Günay Bey’in tarihi yerlerimizin bu hayati problemine bir çözüm başlatacağı ümidini taşımaktayım.

Ali Çitci
Kalkan Eylül 2007

CULTURAL INTERACTIONS

In ancient ages, when the life was primitive but mankind had started to think what all these were around, who they were, and answers to similar questions, let us imagine a man to predict its dominant life synergy and intellectual activities. First of all, they had totally different modes sensually during day and night. Day, their sight ability was comparably perfect with respect to night, thus they controlled easily the territory they lived. Night was potential danger, as the sense ability of man was not as developed as many dangerous animals might have. Their night activities were limited in a controlled space, first in caves later in houses. Main activities of the day, hunting and collecting were not easy in night. Thus, resting and house activities were organized for night. Day was more than enough for daily works.

During the day, they were under the light of sun. Sun was giving life to every thing in nature. What was sun? Even they could not look at the sun, they could not see it. It was the greatest power. They feared it and had worshiped it. They were on the earth. Similarly, they were far away from understanding what the earth was. In different regions of the earth, more or less, different communities were similarly in the same struggling. They were observing the same sun and standing on the same earth. We can say that main unknowns driving man to think were identical to all of them.

Total thinking time is one of the parameters in finding the answers in societies. In ancient time, as the main activities were hunting and collecting, any community that managed the main activities in shorter times had spared their times to think and discuss. When they settled leaving the nomadic life, they gained more power to understand the events, yet the main unknowns were still to be understood. The different regions of the earth gave different degree of advantages to them, to achieve more in their daily life and prosperity subsequent to this achievement. Life style and beliefs were different then when they started to live in antique ages. Nile valley, Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor were more prosperous regions when the societies had started to settled life. As a result of this, the men lived in these regions were lucky than the others, thus they reached more reasonable answers to the unknowns of the past before the others did.

As the different communities had created their own beliefs, were there interactions among them? I believe there was. In addition to wars and invasions, trading were the main channels of interactions. Invaded cultures were under influence of the invaders. If invasion was long lasted and injuries were forgotten, then cultural interaction was unavoidable. Trading was also a powerful way of interaction as it was peaceful and joyful. Let us imagine again, a world that no powerful communication was possible. The traders were availing the news from the other communities and countries as they were selling their goods. To be interesting, I believe the antique time traders were exaggerating the news to level of story, thus more success in their business since story telling was a kind of attraction for the local public. New deities, kings, queens, power of them, new arms, all were in the stories. The public had spread such information quickly among the individuals by their auricular tradition; in each step the stories had been changed.

A typical example for cultural interaction in antique time is Chimera Myth that we trace in different cultures as variances. I preferred this example as Chimera is characterized to Lycia, my favorite. Chimera is a beast of mixture of three animals: lion, goat, and serpent in Greek mythology, where this myth had been adopted from Lycians, I believe, similar to importation of main deities of ancient Greek from Lycia (then Lukka). The interaction of Greek and Lukka cultures in this example is not a complete adaptation of the myth, but a composition of different aspects from both cultures. In the myth, the Chimera was slain by Bellerophon who was Greek originated. The location of the myth, however, was Lycia. Then we need to ask what the origin of it was. Indeed, at the same times, the Hittites had a myth similar to Chimera, Illuyanka. In Sumerian history we observe it as variant, Asag and Ninurta.

One of the antique Greek myths is Lamia who was a serpent. In Greek mythology, Typhon who was slain by Zeus was the father of Chimera. No need to say it is too complicated. If we continue with more comprehensive stories, we need to mention about Shahmeran, which is perceptibly a Persian version of Chimera, meaning queen of serpents. Lycia was occupied by Persians for a long time during which Lycia adopted Persian clothing into their daily life. In one of the Roman ground mosaics found in Palymyra in Syria, Bellerophone is depicted with Persian cloths. Besides, Chimera and Shahmeran are phonetically similar. Then, who originated this Chimera myth? Sumerians, Assyrians, Hittites, Lycians, or Persians? Or Greeks, although unlikely?

I suggest the originator was Sumerians with Asag. All others are the variants of it. As Sumerians had a considerable influence on today’s major religions, more recent stories like 1001 Nights had religious traces in them. Regarding the name Chimera, the origin is Persian since Shahmeran has a meaning in Persian language, king of serpents, which was believed to live under ground, with flames from its mouth. That is why Chimera was believed by Lycians to live in depths of Olympos, today’s Cirali in Turkey, where natural gas flames still fire.

Ali Citci - August 2007

Stolen Antiquity : Xanthos

Stolen Antiquity : Xanthos

Archaeological art has always been subject to theft and smuggling at all times of the history. We see the destroyed graves everywhere, where the thieves aimed to steal valuable things buried with the deceased. It was so in the past, as well as now. Why? The answer is so simple: they are rare, they are attractive, they are beautiful, they are the traces of ancient times, they are….

But, the most important one over these facts is that they are great if they stay in the original place as the creator wished then thousands years ago. They are fantastic if they are still under the same sky of their construction years. Yet the message conveyed over thousands of years is limited, the ambiance makes you feel the life of the past if they are still in original position.

Until 19th Century, treasury search was very common among the folks in many countries of the world, as was in Turkey. Only precious metals and stones were thought as treasury, else was rubbish. Breaking the stone graves, or digging in the historical areas were not under strict control as it is now. Although stricter, the officials believe the robbery and smuggling rate has been more ascending in trend every year.

I believe, the 20th Century was a milestone in a worldwide consciousness in cultural heritage. Even a ruler, Abdulmecid Khan of Ottoman Empire had not cared when Charles Fellows asked permission to move some stones (not precious, just engraved ordinary stones!) to his country, England. The permission had been issued to this archaeologist who discovered the Lycian ancient cities and famous Xanthos. The deal was good to both of them. Abdulmecid Khan would gain admire of the English Government, while Fellows was knighted as an acknowledgement of his success in bringing the invaluable Lycian antiquity to British Museum. I believe, Abdulmecid Khan was not conscious when he stamped this firman that allowed the English guys to move a treasury to England. Its permission to do this was equal to betrayal to the past. Beyond this, I also believe that Charles Fellows and his government was so conscious what they would do if they were allowed by The Ottoman Sultan. The principal supporter of Fellows in this operation was English Government that instructed the war ship HMS Beacon under the command of Lieutenant Spratt, to be in service of Fellows in this critical operation. A Journal Written During An Excursion in Asia Minor printed in London in 1839, richen with hand sketches by George Scharf played a good role in convincing the officials. The second print was “ An Account of the Discoveries in Lycia”, the popularity of which was tremendous in London public. When introduced to public by Fellows, via a series of seminars, the saloons had been cheering him with enthusiasm. The British Government did not delay to recognize the importance of the ancient matters, as those days, the British Museum had been attracting a tremendous number of guests, thus ad ups on the revenue was not so inconsiderable. When the war ship anchored against Patara shores, the boxes were ready to load on the ship. Seventy huge boxes carried the pieces from Patara sands to ship. From their own places where they stood since the time their constructors created them, they were forced to go to a place unknown to them since ever, even to their creators.

Gouged out their eyes, the remaining items are still in Xanthos. Some conscientious persons recently put some artificial faces on the Harpies Monument to sooth it, although it had not calmed down the Lycian souls there.

Yes, the Xanthos was subjected to a semi conscious destruction in 1842 by Charles Fellows with support of his government. This is unique in known archaeology. Nowadays, many English people visit Lycia, knowing that some beautiful parts were broken with hammers, chisels, and force in the past by one of their citizens to exhibit them in his country. I ask our lovely English guests, “Is there any difference between what Charles Fellows did to invaluable parts of Xanthos and a forest man put in a box by its hunters and brought to London to exhibit to public?” Is world heritage so simple and inexpensive? Is it so abundant all over the world that you can find a Nereid Monument, a Pajava Grave, or a Harpies Monument everywhere?

I say the shame of the past should be rectified at the soonest. Since 1842, Xanthos Art serves in British Museum. The income of the museum has been partly due to Xanthos antiques that naturally belong to its original location. Since 165 years, these Xanthos beauties, forcedly in exile, caused the British Museum gain with their exhibition to public. The British Museum can easily estimate how much has been accumulated since 165 years on behalf of Xanthos. The accumulated money should be returned to Xanthos as a fund for reconstruction of this ancient Lycia city, under the control of an international well known community.

Message to Future

Message to Future

Since the ancient times, human being has been sending messages to the next generations, on purpose or without. The ancient age hieroglyphs on the monuments or cuneiform written clay tablets are messages from the past. The tablets sometimes are records about daily operations, whereas engraved on the strongest stone blocks hieroglyphs are messages for the future generations. Sometimes they give information about the person buried in the grave, sometimes a record for a historical event.

Today, we continue to keep records in mass compared with the records of the past. A compact disc is capable to pass enormous amount of information to others. Are these records strong enough to carry the information up-loaded on them to the years over millenniums? I do not think so. The ancient messages have succeeded to live our time, yet they continue to pass it for many ages. What made them to achieve to be alive over thousands of years? First, they are strong enough to stand against the natural adverse effects, second no awesome event, such as a nuclear destruction, occurred. As the man-kind has now a power that may destroy the world, from now on, nobody can assure that the future generations would receive enormous amount of information regarding their ancestors.

With the technology of today, we are able to send messages from our world to other worlds. This means, our borders are now broader. Not limited to our world only, but also other civilizations in the space that we do not know now. The technology is so far so developed that a tiny computer chip may store all the information we have received from our ancestors until now. This is an incredible improvement. The same science has been increasing the risks too, for us. Today, we may say that we are at the borders of thought, as did our ancestors years and years ago. But imagine our grand-children, or grand-grand-grand children would have a capability to live in the past with all trueness by inserting a chip to a PC controlled environment. Now imagine again that would not it be good if we could live with Lycians as if someone from their community for a period in order to understand their life? I hear you say “yes, it would”. May be we do not have a powerful tool, as our grandchildren would have, but we can inhale the same air and feel as they did, if we keep the historical heritage protected.

When you are in ancient place, I believe the following questions whirls up in your mind:

· Who were they?
· How was their daily life?
· What did they wear?
· How did they prepare their meals?
· What did they eat?

Similar many other questions go back and forth in your brain. Unfortunately, the majority of these questions have no answer. You just feel. Better these places are reconstructed, you feel better. We need to reconstruct our lovely historical places diligently as they had been worth much. As Turkey, we owe this not only to our ancestors, but also to our future.

Many of such historical areas are still without a proper protection against damaging effects. Our values may get damaged due to many reasons, such as uneducated inhabitants of a nearby village, foreign or Turkish thieves, fires; floods should be under control with proper precautions taken by authorities. Legal basis for such precautions has to be reinforced without delay, implying hurting penalties. All foreign guests should be warned legally at the entrance ports.

Further to the recent foreigner flow to west and south parts of Turkey, we have now a considerable number of foreign inhabitants in Kalkan, Fethiye, Bodrum, Didim, and Antalya. I believe, as much as we Turkish citizens do, our foreign neighborhoods have also similar responsibility to educate their own citizens visiting our country. They must not come to Turkey with misdeed, as all these remained from the past are heritage to be transferred to future best protected.

An Anatolian Community : Lycians

Were the roots of Lycians in Anatolia ? The answer of this question was not firm until recent findings, yet to be confirmed by the majority of the archeology society. Under the complicated layers of the history, and with limited information from the findings, it is rather difficult to answer the question firmly. As a usual habit, civilizations had settled on the remains of previous civilizations. Thus, successors, successors of successors, had always claimed the civilization belonged to them.

As the archeology advances with new findings and decipherment of ancient texts, we now know more. As the Hittite texts holds light on the facts of ancient Anatolia, the thick cloud over Lycia has been removed partly, yet we need more evidences. These texts riveted a fact to the pages of history: in 2000 B.C. a folk called Lukka lived in south-west Anatolia, where Lycians lived, where we live now. They called themselves Trmmi and the land Trmmili. Today we still have a village in the same area, called Dirmil, on the route as suggested by the ancient road inscription found during Patara excavations. Lycians are the successors of Lukka people, pure Anatolian according to Prof.Dr. Fahri Isık. Furthermore, he suggests Lycians were inhabitants in this area much earlier than Achaeans came there. Their language was Luwian spoken at early second millennium B.C. Their goddess Kybele was not anything else but Kubaba that survived over millenniums in Anatolia, originally Sumerians adored.

A Hittite inscription found in Yalburt near Ilgın-Konya has been deciphered recently. This inscription is actually a spring worship place constructed following the instruction Tuthaliya IV who campaigned against Lukka.

“I made vows against Patar Mountain,
Gave gifts, built steles, constructed worship places”

The statement inscribed makes us guess that Tuthaliya IV gave his instruction to construct the spring worship place on the way back his home. In Patara, Doğucaasarı is a mountain just east of Patara. The acropolis on this mountain possesses a control over the town, sea, and Xanthus valley. It can be alleged that King Tuthaliya points out Doğucasarı when it says Patar Mountain. If it is correct, Doğucasarı Acropolis extends to Bronze Age on the time scale. In this age, it is well known that mountain worship was popular. Besides, the defense wall, where today a small part remains only, is similar to the walls in Hattusa.

Found in Patara excavations, Bronze Age pottery pieces and a stone axle are some other evidences for the oldness of the Lukka country.
Similarly, Xanthos is mentioned as Awarna in Hittite texts. This fact groves hopes that the Xanthos excavations, carried out by French teams, will relieve important evidences regarding pre-iron age of Lycia.

As no findings had been discovered up to date of his early studies, relating to earlier ages than Iron Age, Prof. Dr. Akurgal suggests the period between 1200 B.C and 700 B.C to be called Dark Period. New findings have already dispersed the clouds of this suggestion by Mr. Akurgal who linked the Lycian art to Greek art. Unfortunately, such claims without firm basis had not serviced the history, but caused imperfections in the written literature, which I believe the best way is to correct the pages of history with new publications.

Lycians were habited in south-west Anatolia with their deities until the first believers arrived at their land, when christianism had spread. In middle age, Lycians settled the waves in their beliefs, adopting themselves with the serenity of their new religion to be Moslem.

Cybele of Lycia

The Goddess Kubaba

- Kubaba, Kubabaaa; where are youuuu?
- ............
- Kubaba, Kubabaaaaa
- ............
- Kubaba, where are you? I feel you; you’re here, very close to me.
- ............
- Kubaba? Kubaba?
- ............
- Kubaba, is it you?
- ............
- ............
- ............
- I feel you’re surrounding me with your shining. I feel as if I am in a big turbulence of illumination. Yes, you are here. You are glaring at me. Why, are you so angry?
- ............
- Kubaba, you stopped turning around, but glaring at me.
- What is your name, little girl?
- Yes, yes. I knew you are here. I’m Sound.
- I listen to you, Sound.
- Yesterday, when I was in Patara, I tried to find Kybele to give her a vital message. Neither Kybele was there, nor did anybody know where she was. I got the message from a graybeard who said me the majority decided on her deicide. It’s so important that I need to find her immediately. I thought you may know where she is. Can you help me, Kubaba?
- Lovely little girl. I can not. A deicide takes place in the minds of man kinds. A god or goddess may enter the mind easily, but never when these men think a deicide.
- But, but,..you are her mother. How come, you will let her be alone when she needs you so much?
- Yes, you’re right. Unfortunately, I have no further choice. Listen to me, I will tell you what happened five thousand years ago on the lands where I was born. It was a lovely land, most civilized place on the earth. Sumerian Country, Mesopotamia. My people had come to this lovely land from unknown places, very far from Mesopotamia. From north-east, where ancestors of my people had believed in Mother Nature who gave soul to lifeless stone and wood. Air and water. Bugs and birds. And men.
- Did you see Mother Nature, Kubaba?
- My lovely daughter, you see her everywhere. Look around. This flower once in a while was only a germ. A powerful packed material, but no soul. Mother Nature let everything know how to pack a power in germs. Soul to this pack can only be given by Mother Nature, when the germ falls on the earth. She so taught every living being to create the power except the soul that she gives. I do know Mother Nature is my lovely mother. She is everywhere. I see her at all times.
- Kubaba, your mother Mother Nature is everywhere, we feel her, and we love her. I feel you too as you’re the mother of our lovely Kybele. Once you were in the hearts of your people. They shaped the stone and the wood as if they could give soul to these statues. They imagined you as they feel in their hearts to remember your power at all times. But they failed to give soul to your icons because they are not god.
- Yes, my little girl. I was telling the whole story, let me continue. As you say, they felt my mother everywhere. Sometimes giving power and souls to births, sometimes horrifying with her lightening. Sometimes as rains to their crops, sometimes floods penalizing. They tried to shape wood, stone, and ivory into goodness of Mother Nature. This was only a half of my mother; it was me, resembling the good half of my mother. They called me Kubaba. Indeed I have no name, being partial Mother Nature. Nevertheless, my people loved me. After thousands of years I was known on the lands, very far away, in the country of Hattie too. Kubaba is Mother Nature indeed. Nowadays, my people changed my name to Artemis in Apas, and Kybele here. Kybele is me. I am Mother Nature.
- Kubaba, I now understand everything, thank you very much. But I need to ask this question; what did graybeard mean then saying Kybele’s deicide is decided?
- My lovely girl, that is correct. Kubaba’s deicide had taken place years and years ago. Now Kybele, later Artemis. But Mother Nature never, because Mother Nature is eternal. Kubaba, Kybele, and Artemis all are symbols only. People for ages kept their beliefs alive with their Kubaba and Kybele in order to carry Mother Nature’s goodness with them.
- I love Mother Nature.
- I love you too, my little girl.

MYSTERIOUS KALKAN

How different sunsets are, dawns too...Clouds rush, going home in the valley...in Kalkan
Do not you see the tears of flowers, on the leaves of poppies?
Take the narrow road there...Find the small cloud giving hand..
Yes, poppies cheer..thrill as well, welcoming the guest waited there, since when..?
When the moon fell in love with the Poppy Gelincik..
Brilliants, the tears you see in the shadow of full moon..
In Kalkan.