Figure 1: Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) simulation of the city made in ArcView 3D Analyst, from 1,400,000 GPS readings.

Geoffrey Summers
Françoise Summers
David Stronach
Musa Özcan

Translated by / Çeviri: Nilüfer Baturayoglu

INTRODUCTION
In the first year of the Third Millennium, a combination of state-of-the-art remote sensing techniques and traditional excavation methods produced new insights into the magnificence and complexities of this huge Iron Age capital in central Turkey. Probably founded by the Medes c. 600 BC and destroyed by Croesus, King of Lydia, some 50 years later, this newly planned mountain-top city is ringed by 7 km of strong stone defences. The discovery of a columned hall within the "Palace Complex", a type of building with clear Iranian antecedents, may lend further weight to identification of Kerkenes with the Pteria of Herodotus, a place that the Byzantine geographer Stephanos called "a city of the Medes".
We are grateful to Dr Alpay Pasinler and his staff at the General Directorate of Monuments and Museums for support in all aspects of the Project. Uğur Terzioğlu from Samsun Museum was once more appointed as Representative; that so much was achieved is a tribute to his sound advice and active participation. The 2000 survey permit was issued to Geoffrey Summers and that for excavation to Musa Özcan. The Kerkenes project is officially sponsored by the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara and operates from a Project Room provided by the Faculty of Architecture at METU. In 2000 we were pleased to conduct geophysical survey in collaboration with Dr Omura and the Japanese expedition at Kaman Kalehöyük. Our warmest thanks go to all of the sponsors and friends of the Kerkenes Project, listed on the back cover, and to all those who provided assistance.

We are indepted to participants in fieldwork, post-fieldwork, preparation of publications and all other aspects of the project.

Participants