ANTH 205 Lecture 14
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Turkey: History and Culture
A bridge (literally and figuratively) between Asia and Europe
Also called Asia Minor and Anatolia
Natives call it Türkiye: ("Turk" = ethnonym) + ("iye" = land of)
Early history
- Çatalhöyük founded around 6500 BC; may be the first true city
- 3000–2000 BC: cities, kingdoms, trading, written history (cuneiform; on clay tablets)
The Hittites
Origins in Ukraine / Southeast Russia
Invade Anatolia in 1800 BC
Spoke earliest known Indo-European language (very distantly related to English)
Hattusa was capital of kingdoms
- Archives; writing
- Intricate sculpture (particularly of animals)
Became empire in 1450 BC
Wrote first known peace treaty (with Egypt)
Began dissolving in the early 12th century
The Greeks
Hittites didn't use iron to make weapons and tools, so Greeks came and started colonizing around 1200 BC:
- Ephesus
- Troy (war in 1194–1184 BC)
The Persians
Persians conquered Anatolia in 6th and 5th centuries BC
Alexander the Great (a Greek) reconquered it
The Romans
Constantine I (the Great) took over in mid-1st century BC
Moved Roman capital to Constantinople (formerly Bysantium; present day Istanbul)
Roman empire divided into two empires: West and East
- West fell, East became Byzantine Emprie
The Byzantine Empire
Adopted Greek as language, Christianity as religion.
Built Hagia Sophia in 537 AD!
The Arabs
Invaded Anatolia in 674; laid siege to Constantinople
Not successful, but grabbed a small bit; just enough for cultural shift
Borders shifted a LOT over the next couple hundred years
The Turks
Moved in from central Asia
Built empire centered in Persia
Tugvrul crowned Seljuk emperor
Crusades
12th and 13th centuries
Weakens Seljuk empire and fragments in 13th
The Mongols
Take over much of Turkish/Seljuk empire, including Anatolia
Byzantines regain Constantinople in 1261
1300: Osman (Turkish principality) establishes Ottoman dynasty
The Ottomans
Very unique culture: Borrowed from Turkish and Greek culture; Islam and Christianity
Suleiman the Magnificent
Declared sultan of Ottoman empire; reigned 1520–1566
Codified Ottoman law: state/religious
Patron to the arts; pushed empire to zenith
Much of palace is dedicated to food preparation
Problems
Began in 17th century
19th century: people wanted to be their own nation (after we successfully did 
), ending the ottomans
Entered World War 1 on side of central powers:
- Treaty of Sèvres (1920) divided empire, fueling nationalist movement in Turkey, led by Mustafa Kemal [Ataturk]
- In 1922, Greece tried to grab a little more territory, igniting a violent resistance.
- Treaty of Lausanne (1923) set modern borders, killing the Ottoman empire
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
Ataturk = father of the Turks
- Assumed to presidency
- Vision was to modernize Turkey
- Mandated that stake be solely Turkish (speak Turkish, act Turkish, etc.)
Greek citizens still living with Turkey had to be deported back to Greece.
- Lost many of its educated scholars.
Major reforms:
- Gregorian Calendar
- Roman Alphabet (why???)
- Outlawed the fez (symbol of Ottoman empire)
- Universal suffrage (everyone could vote)
- Turkish surname (not everyone had a last name)
- Secular government (no official state religion)
Died in 1938, democratic process began to start working
- People wanted Muslim call to prayer
Has tried to get into EU since.
Culture
Blend of Turkish, Ottoman (Greek, Roman, Islam, Christian), and Western culture
Push to make a unified "Turkish" identity; balanced traditional and western values
Mandatory military service for men aged 20+
Class 3 society ??
Religion
96% of turks are Muslim
Traditional beliefs are common
Yağlı güreş [ˈjaɣɫɯ ɟyɾɛʃ] (oil wrestling) is popular sport.