Mehmet Celal Özdogan - Biography#

Mehmet Ozdogan was born İstanbul 1943. He graduated from the Istanbul University, Dept of Prehistory, and obtained his Ph.D. there in 1979 studying with K.Bittel, R.J.Braidwood and H.Çambel. He then launched into his academic career at the Istanbul University and currently continues to teach at the as emeritus professor.

Ozdogan's main focus of interest is the emergence and expansion of early village farming economies, working both in the formation zone of Neolithic cultures as well as in its contact zone with South-Eastern Europe. Since 1964 participated over 25 excavations and surface surveys all over Turkey, including Çayönü, Mezraa Teleilat, Yarimburgaz and Hoca Çeşme excavations. Current field projects are in Eastern Thrace, at Kırklareli, the main contact zone of Anatolia with Southeastern Europe focusing on the initial stages of sedentary food producing communities in Southeastern Europe, their interaction with contemporary Anatolian communities and the impact of environmental changes in this process.

Geoarchaeologly, history of archaeology and management of cultural heritage are among his other fields of interest. Concerned with site management, steering the foundation of open-air site museums and running the TUBA TUKSEK cultural inventory project. Full member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (resigned this year), foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences NAS, associate member of the American Institute of Archaeology AIA and German Institute of Archaeology -DAI. He has published over 258 scientific papers and 17 books. Has been the primary or secondary advisor of 14 Ph.D. thesis in Turkey and abroad. He has presented papers at over 150 international congresses and symposia, being invited as the keynote speaker on numerous occasions. He is on the editorial board of most reputed archaeological journals, including Journal of Field Archaeology (Boston), Paleorient (Paris), Neo-lithics (Berlin), Anatolica (Leiden) and Journal of Social Archaeology (New York).