2016 - Nov : Sonja Frisell and Peter Schröder - Archaeological Travels in Turkey
Turkey is an area of the world particularly rich in historic, cultural & archaeological heritage. It is situated in the fertile crescent where agriculture and sedentism are thought to have started. It has always been a cultural fulcrum between the tribes and empires of western europe and much of the rest of the world; where civilisations have risen, thrived and fallen.
Peter and Sonja Schroeder have had a long interest in history & archaeology. Their first visit to Turkey was in 1973 on a camping holiday and they have been back regularly since. In this talk they will bring us on a journey through every era since pre-history and the rich heritage still there to be experienced.
They have long been interested in Gobekli Tepke, the monumental pre-neolithic site dating back to c.10th millenium BCE and it's 200 massive t-shaped pillars, intricately carved. The site's proximity to the Syrian border has prevented their visit a few times though!
Catal Hoyuk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a pre-Bronze Age city dating back to c. 7,000 BCE. This city had up to 10,000 inhabitants in it's heyday, living in an unusual arrangement of mudbrick houses with no streets and access through the roofs.
Hattusas, a key Bronze Age city of the Hittite Empire, and Yazilikaya, a Hittite sanctuary with a wealth of rock-cut deities will also be brought to life for us.
And of course, there's the Romans. What did they ever do for Turkey? Turkey has some of the Empire's most monumental and best preserved evidence of the Roman Empire inspiring an increased respect for them from Sonja and Peter.
Peter and Sonja Schroeder have combined their careers in film and opera with their interest in archaeology. They met filming the Barber if Seville and their honeymoon was spent on The Marriage of Figaro. Sonja's career in opera and interest in archaeology were both kindled by a (terrible!) production of Aida experienced in Covent Garden when she was just 16, and they have lived and worked all over the world.
Peter and Sonja Schroeder have had a long interest in history & archaeology. Their first visit to Turkey was in 1973 on a camping holiday and they have been back regularly since. In this talk they will bring us on a journey through every era since pre-history and the rich heritage still there to be experienced.
They have long been interested in Gobekli Tepke, the monumental pre-neolithic site dating back to c.10th millenium BCE and it's 200 massive t-shaped pillars, intricately carved. The site's proximity to the Syrian border has prevented their visit a few times though!
Catal Hoyuk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a pre-Bronze Age city dating back to c. 7,000 BCE. This city had up to 10,000 inhabitants in it's heyday, living in an unusual arrangement of mudbrick houses with no streets and access through the roofs.
Hattusas, a key Bronze Age city of the Hittite Empire, and Yazilikaya, a Hittite sanctuary with a wealth of rock-cut deities will also be brought to life for us.
And of course, there's the Romans. What did they ever do for Turkey? Turkey has some of the Empire's most monumental and best preserved evidence of the Roman Empire inspiring an increased respect for them from Sonja and Peter.
Peter and Sonja Schroeder have combined their careers in film and opera with their interest in archaeology. They met filming the Barber if Seville and their honeymoon was spent on The Marriage of Figaro. Sonja's career in opera and interest in archaeology were both kindled by a (terrible!) production of Aida experienced in Covent Garden when she was just 16, and they have lived and worked all over the world.
