About this project
What does the project involve?
The Maeander River, now known as the Büyük Menderes, flows through southwestern Turkey, connecting the ancient cultures of Anatolia with the Aegean, its twists and turns documented by Strabo and Ovid.
This summer, a team of archaeologists, bloggers and photographers will explore this relatively under-researched region, providing a real-time, multimedia experience to connect the public to this ancient landscape. The project will highlight archaeology as an art and a science, conducted by individuals who seek to understand the past and present of an idyllic landscape.
Where is the project study region?
The Maeander Project is focused in the Dinar Basin in southwestern Turkey. The Dinar Basin is a gorgeous, rural, primarily agricultural area surrounded by mountains.
What will you use the money for?
Funding archaeological projects in the 21st century is very difficult, and this difficulty is compounded when the project involves a blending of boundaries between art and science. The support you provide will help cover:
* A project vehicle rental to transport team members to survey sites.
* Field Equipment such as bags and tags to collect artifacts.
* Expenses associated with processing and cataloging artifacts collected while out on survey.
* Archival of all media and artifacts associated with the project.
An in-progress drawing of a rock wall elevation produced by team member Colleen Morgan.
Who are you people, anyway?
We have members from the United Kingdom, the USA, and Turkey, including 4 Ph.D.s, 2 M.A.s, and a former Olympian/Grammy winner on our side. The project is based out of the Archaeological Research Facility at the University of California, Berkeley.
What can I do?
The support you provide will 'kickstart' a new generation of archaeological exploration--one that uses digital technology to remix and reinvent interpretation with transparency and immediacy.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
58
Backers
$5,328
pledged of $5,000 goal
Funding Canceled
Funding for this project was canceled by the project creator on July 11, 2011.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
You will receive a digital copy of the E-book that we compile at the end of the project including all of the photographs, blog entries, videos, and archaeological information that we obtain during our time in the Dinar Basin.
Pledge $15 or more Pledge $15 or more
Ever want a telephone call from Istanbul? We will do the next best thing--a postcard from Turkey with a personalized message from the Team.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
You will receive an archive-quality print of your choice: a page of archaeological field notes OR a print of a drawing of an actual artifact collected by the team.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
The cream of the crop, the very best five 4" x 6"photographs taken during the season will be yours, on archival-quality photo paper. These will be a mix of site shots, archaeologists in action, local folks, and the gorgeous scenery of the Maeander River.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
A lovely 8" x 10" print on archival paper of the very best photograph from the season, signed by all of the members of the team.
Pledge $150 or more Pledge $150 or more
Your very own Maeander Project 2011 team t-shirt! Most archaeologists collect shirts from the various projects they've been on throughout the years--get a little piece of history yourself! The shirts will be available in most sizes.
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
Get your very own Maeander Project engraved team trowel. We will send you your very own WHS pointing trowel, the blade engraved to forever document your contribution to archaeological research.
Pledge $300 or more Pledge $300 or more
Get the very stuff of history--your own original drawing of an artifact or a site recovered by the Maeander Project team. Archaeologists pride themselves on their illustration skills and each drawing will also include notes regarding the region the artifact was found in, as well as information about how the artifact was made, and what period it was from. Byzantine, Islamic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic...even Paleolithic artifacts have been found in the region.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
A digital copy not enough? Get each of the mentioned awards AND a nicely printed copy of the E-book we will generate, signed by each member of the team.
Project By
Connected
Colleen Morgan is an archaeology Ph.D. candidate in the Anthropology Department at the University of California, Berkeley. After receiving her B.A. in Anthropology/Asian Studies in 2004 at the University of Texas, Colleen worked as a professional archaeologist. Since that time, she has worked in Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, Greece, Texas, Hawaii and California, excavating sites 100 years old and 9,000 years old and anything in-between. Her dissertation is based on building archaeological narratives with New Media, using digital photography, video, mobile and locative devices. She is deeply interested in excavation methodology, high falutin’ theory, interstitial spaces, skeuomorphs and good bourbon.
