Italian accolade for Turk archaeologists
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Turkish Daily News

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano yesterday conferred the Knight of
the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity on four prominent figures
in Turkish archaeology for their outstanding contributions to the
field

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News


Italian President Giorgio Napolitano will today confer the Knight of
the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity on four prominent figures
in Turkish archaeology.

 Hikmet Denizli, art historian and Ankara Museum of Anatolian
Civilizations director, Dr. Nurettin Yardımcı, archaeologist,
Professor Orhan Bingöl, archaeologist and Özgen Acar, journalist, were
awarded knighthood for their outstanding contributions to archeology.

Denizli said in a statement he was greatly honored: "We display
about 188,000 works of art in categories of sikke [coin], glass,
metal, wood and textile at the Ankara Museum of Anatolian
Civilizations. The number of works we exhibit increases day by day. We
shall continue to protect carefully and unearth meticulously the
cultural heritage that is deeply rooted in our country. It is a great
honor that our studies are also valued by international authorities."

Accolades of knighthood, conferred by Napolitano upon the request of
Italian ambassador to Turkey Carlo Marsili, were heralded to the four
prominent Turkish archaeologists in a ceremony held at the Ankara
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations yesterday.

Yardımcı presented to the audience a book, titled "Antik Kyme Kenti:
Anadolu Kıyılarında ilk Aiolis Kenti" (Ancient City of Kyme: The First
Aeolian City on Anatolian Shores) by Italian professor of archeology,
Sebastiana Lagona. Lagona has been carrying out excavations in the
ancient city of Kyme, near the Aliağa district of İzmir, for over 25
years.

Marsili also presented a Service Award Plaque to Lagona during the
ceremony here.



The Turks honored

Nurettin Yardımcı has curated many exhibitions and worked in
archaeological excavations. He graduated from Ankara University's
Language, History and Geography Department in 1968. He completed his
postgraduate degrees on the same subject. Yaedımıcı later worked as a
member of the Turkish National Committee of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the
Architectural High Commission and the International Council of
Museums.

Orhan Bingöl is a graduate of the same department from Ankara
University. Upon graduating he started studying for a doctorate in
Germany's Würzburg University in 1970. Bingöl returned to Turkey in
1977 and started work as an assistant in Ankara University's
Archeology Department. He received a scholarship from Germany and went
back to the country from 1980-82. Bimgöl is a member of the
Association Internationale pour la Peinture Murale Antique and the
Association Internationale pour l'Étude de la Mosaïque Antique. He is
leading the excavations in the ancient city of Magnesia close to the
western city of Aydın.

Hikmet Denizli is the director of the Anatolian Civilizations Museum
and often cooperates with Italian scientists because of the events
organized by the museum. Denizli studied art history at Ankara
University. When working for the Sivas Museum, he was responsible for
saving, registering and storing artifacts. Sivas Museum is the second
best museum for Turkish art after the Turkish-Islamic Arts Museum,
taking into consideration the number and quality of rugs and carpets.

Özgen Acar is a big supporter of Italian archaeological studies in
Turkey. He graduated in 1962 from the Political Science Department of
Ankara University. He was a reporter on economic issues, foreign
policy and parliament affairs. He opened the Reuters Ankara office in
1972 and worked as the correspondent of Daily Milliyet in Athens in
1980. He also worked as a correspondent in New York.