“TAS – Testimony of Stones: A New Method in Ancient Traffic Analysis” is a research project carried out during 2025–2026 within the framework of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University serves as the host institution, while the Rock Mechanics Laboratory of the Department of Mining Engineering at Middle East Technical University (METU) participates in the project as a secondment institution.
The project brings together methods from rock mechanics, tribology, use-wear analysis, experimental archaeology, and computational modelling to develop a new methodology for quantitatively assessing past pedestrian and vehicle traffic based on wear patterns observed on stone pavements and thresholds in ancient settlements. The research is conducted using data obtained from the ancient cities of Ephesus and Kerkenes.
From our department, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Erkayaoğlu serves on the project’s Advisory Board, while Research Assistant Ahmet Furkan Çalıkoğlu contributes to the research activities of the project.
More information about the project:
TAS- Testimony of Stones: A New Method in Ancient Traffic Analysis