Asst. Prof. Dr. Barış Yener — Director of the Colossae Excavations
Dr. Yener is a faculty member at Pamukkale University and the Director of the Colossae Excavations. His research focuses on the archaeology of the Lycus Valley, Late Antique sacred landscapes, and the settlement history of Phrygia. He oversees the project’s overall scientific, administrative, and conservation strategy, coordinating interdisciplinary teams and guiding long-term site management planning.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Umay Oğuzhanoğlu Akay — Deputy Director (Protohistory)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akay specialises in Anatolia’s protohistoric cultural networks and material-culture dynamics from the Chalcolithic through the Bronze Age. Within the Colossae project, she oversees protohistoric research, ceramic analyses, and contextual interpretation.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Meliha Melis Koruyucu Şimşek — Team Member (Anthropology)
Dr. Koruyucu Şimşek works in the fields of human osteology and mortuary archaeology. She is responsible for the documentation, analysis, and interpretation of human remains recovered from the necropoleis of Colossae.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Oruç Baykara — Team Member (Geology and Geography)
Dr. Baykara provides the geological and geomorphological data required to understand Colossae’s landscape history, sedimentation processes, and environmental dynamics. His work contributes to assessing site formation processes and to long-term environmental reconstruction.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Ömer Tatar — Team Member (Numismatics)
Dr. Tatar specialises in ancient coin circulation and monetary systems in Anatolia. He conducts the scholarly study of the coins recovered from the excavation area, contributing to chronological assessment and to the reconstruction of regional economic networks.
Dr. Şeniz Yener — Team Member (Byzantine Iconography)
Dr. Yener specialises in Byzantine iconography and Late Antique visual culture. Within the Colossae project, she contributes to the analysis and interpretation of iconographic materials, including small finds, seal impressions, and visual representations associated with the Late Antique and Byzantine periods.
Deniz Etik — Team Member (Ceramics and Illustration, M.A.)
Etik conducts ceramic analyses and prepares technical drawings of the finds, contributing to the production of scholarly documentation required for publication, typological assessment, and conservation workflows.
Muhammed Ergenç — Team Member (Field Operations, M.A. Student)
Ergenç supports the coordination of field operations and contributes to on-site documentation and logistical organisation. His work assists in the systematic execution of survey and excavation activities, as well as in the preparation of field records.
Tolga Abalı — Team Member (Field Operations, M.A. Student)
Abalı supports the coordination of field operations and contributes to on-site documentation and logistical organisation. He assists in the systematic implementation of survey and excavation activities, as well as in the preparation and standardisation of field records.
Beste Özçiftçi — Architect (Architectural Documentation)
Özçiftçi is responsible for architectural documentation within the Colossae project. Her work includes the measured recording of structural remains, preparation of plans and elevation drawings, and the production of technical documentation necessary for analysis, conservation planning, and publication.
The Colossae Excavations also include a dynamic group of undergraduate and graduate students who actively contribute to excavation, artefact processing, and documentation workflows. This participation constitutes a central component of the project’s educational mission, integrating field training with methodological and analytical practice.
Gamze Kargın Akkoç — Student, Department of Archaeology, Pamukkale University
Tuğba Gürcan — Student, Department of Archaeology, Pamukkale University
Fatma Süleç — Student, Department of Archaeology, Pamukkale University
Berke Aslan — Student, Department of Archaeology, Pamukkale University
Sevcan Yüksel —Student, Department of Archaeology, Pamukkale University
Kadir Yıldırım — Student, Department of Archaeology, Pamukkale University
Ayşe İlayda Emeksiz — Student, Department of Archaeology, Pamukkale University
Abdurrahman Ergül — Student, Department of Archaeology, Pamukkale University
Zehra Birgi — Student, Department of Archaeology, Pamukkale University
Tuğba Abalı — Student, Department of History, Aydın Adnan Menderes University