ISAC Exhibit Lecture: Great King Hartapu and Beyond

Join us for a lecture by James Osborne, Associate Professor of Anatolian Archaeology & curator of the ISAC Museum special exhibition .

Great King Hartapu has long been one of ancient Anatolia's most enigmatic rulers: known since the early 20th century from isolated landscape monuments and nothing else, this king has been difficult to place in time and space. That changed dramatically in 2019 with the discovery of a new inscription by Hartapu at the site of Türkmen-Karahöyük, a text that describes Hartapu's conquest of Phrygia, the greatest power of Iron Age Anatolia, and 13 other local kingdoms. In part thanks to that discovery, ISAC and Bilkent University launched the Türkmen-Karahöyük Archaeological Project (TKAP) in 2024.

This lecture, presented in connection with the ISAC Museum special exhibition (September 17, 2026–March 14 2027), presents the exciting findings of the first three seasons of TKAP, concentrating especially on what we've learned about the Iron Age and preceding Late Bronze Age periods, and the light they shed on the cultural background of Hartapu's kingdom.

Registration is for in-person and online attendance (a link to the YouTube live stream will be emailed the day of the event as well as posted on ISAC’s social media platforms). The recording of the lecture will be available to view on ISAC's YouTube page following the event for those unable to attend live.

The lecture will be followed by an opportunity to view the special exhibition and a light reception.