Digital Documentation of the Cappadocia Gate at Kerkenes in Yozgat, Turkey

Abstract

Kerkenes, located at the Village of Şahmuratlı near Sorgun/Yozgat in Turkey, is one of the largest Iron Age settlements in Central Anatolia. Following a brief campaign in 1926-1928 by H. H. von der Osten of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, contemporary research at the site began in 1993 under G. D. Summers (METU and British Institute of Archeology at Ankara) and continues under the current director (Scott Branting, University of Central Florida) since 2014. In the last 30 years, the project has become an experimental ground for state-of-the-art and non-destructive methods and technologies of archaeological research and documentation with methods ranging from total station, GPS, UAV and laser-scanner surveys to satellite and aerial photogrammetry and geophysical technologies. The survey of the 7 km city wall and its seven gates has been a challenging work-in-progress, incorporating both traditional and advanced methods. The Cappadocia Gate, a conspicuous and complex structure on the southeastern section of the walls, has been documented several times as survey technologies evolved. This article provides a description and the research history of this unique monument. It summarizes the evolution of the documentation process with our understanding of its architectural, structural and technological/material characteristics, and discusses and compares the various methodologies that have been used, providing insights for future work on its survey, monitoring and preservation.