Janric van Rookhuijzen (2013)
At the NIT, I continued to work on my dissertation in which I investigate the topography of the Persian Wars in Greece and Anatolia.
I look back fondly on my stay at the NIT, and my dissertation benefited from it. I was able to discover rare literature in the library of the NIT and in other institutions in Istanbul, and to visit various nearby archaeological sites. It was also valuable to engage with the Dutch community of researchers in Turkey and with the fellows of Koç University.
It’s a shame that the existence of the NIT is threatened: the territory of modern Turkey is in many ways the cradle of human civilisation, archaeological and historical work here is a growth industry (Anatolian civilisations, the Graeco-Roman World, Byzantine & Ottomon studies, Modern Turkey…); it is simply sad that one of the richest countries in the world, priding itself in its academic achievements, that also hosts a large Turkish population, apparently no longer sees the need for a small but very useful research institute in Europe’s largest city.
I am still working on my dissertation at Radboud University, Netherlands which I hope will be finished in 2017.