If any of youhave read this, I would love to hear your comments...

Archaeology, as viewed by the "Other." New From Left Coast Press,
Inc.. A 15% discount on web orders at www.LCoastPress.com.

Protecting Çatalhöyük: Memoir of an Archaeological Site Guard
Sadrettin Dural, with contributions by Ian Hodder
Published January 2007, 160 pages, $29.95 paperback

Written by the narrator, Sadrettin Dural, a guard at the well-known
Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük, this is not just the tale of the
protection of an archaeological site. In his book, he tells the
story of the excavation from the point of view of the "Other," his
ethnography of his time at Çatalhöyük. Delightfully written in the
first person, Dural provides stories of the strange habits of
archaeologists, describes the local in-fighting that scholars never
see, discusses the visitors to the site, as well as describes
incidents of attempted looting and his response to such incidents.
He also explains how scientists can be protected from the Yatırs,
spirits of the dead who guard the mound. For the archaeologist, this
book provides a perspective on their work from the other side and
shows the importance of including locals as partners in their
projects. For the cultural anthropologist, Dural provides a rich
emic description of rural Turkish life, one that can only be viewed
from within the culture. His role as site guard is only a small part
of his life. Dural recounts the daily lived experience of one man in
a contemporary village, including stories about his past and his
hopes for the future, changing economic strategies for supporting his
family, his brushes with the law, trips to the beach and the city,
and erotic moments found in Turkish phone sex.

Ian Hodder, director of the Çatalhöyük project, provides explanatory
notes for the reader and an interview with the author, exploring
indigenous interpretations of ancient sites and the archaeologists
who excavate them.

" Sadrettin's is not a success story. It does not chart the
successful education and empowerment of one of those many that have
for so long been overlooked at the edges, but actually at the center
of archaeology. It could hardly be said that Sadrettin's story charts
the end of centuries of colonial archaeological manipulation and
silencing. His story is at once amusing, uplifting, tragic and
unending. But in providing us with his voice, Sadrettin has opened up
new possibilities for dialogue. I have learned a lot from him in
terms of how Çatalhöyük might be managed and interpreted, and in
terms of how archaeologists might work with local communities. I hope
that others too will gain from reading his words."
- From the Foreword by Ian Hodder


To order, visit our website at
http://www.lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=37
ISBN: 978-1-59874-049-3 (c), 978-1-59874-050-9 (p)

PRICE:
$29.95 (U.S.), $36.95 (Canadian), £17.99 (Paperback)
$65.00 (U.S.), $78.95 Canadian, £40.00 (Cloth)
For more information, contact Caryn Berg at
archaeology@...