Fields of Study
- Near Eastern Archaeology
Areas of Interest
- Archaeology of Anatolia and Northern Syria;
- Bronze Age
- Iron Age
- Political and social archaeology of Neo-Hittite Anatolia
- Ceramic analysis
Biography
Deniz’s research focuses on the Bronze and Iron Ages in Anatolia and the Northern Levant, with particular interest in site formation processes, ceramic analysis, and the political and social archaeology of Neo-Hittite polities. His MA thesis examined architectural and stratigraphic sequences at selected Early and Middle Iron Age settlements on the Central Anatolian Plateau, addressing patterns of continuity, discontinuity, and transition through social theory–based approaches to stratigraphic analysis. He has participated in excavations at Zincirli Höyük, Porsuk-Zeyve Höyük, Kınık Höyük, and Türkmenkarahöyük, working as a trench assistant, assistant supervisor, pottery processing supervisor, and ceramics specialist. His doctoral studies will focus on Iron Age I–II levels within Syro-Anatolian political geography, with particular emphasis on Tayinat (ancient Kunulua, Kingdom of Patina).
Education
- M.A in the Ancient Mediterranean World: History, Archaeology & Art, University of Pavia, Italy (2024)
- B.A in Archaeology at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkiye (2021)
Current Supervisor(s)
- Lynn Welton
- Clemens Reichel
Teaching Experience
- Teaching Assistant, NMC266H1F: Archaeologies of Power (Fall 2025)
- Teaching Assistant, NMC265H1S: Archaeology in War Zones: Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan (Winter 2026)