Sagalassos’ Belgian archaeologist granted Turkish citizenship

ANKARA

Talleon has officially become a Turkish citizen following almost 30 years of research in the country.

Belgian archaeologist Peter Talloen, who leads Bilkent University’s Archaeology Department and the Sagalassos excavations in the southwestern province of Burdur, has officially become a Turkish citizen following almost 30 years of research in the country.

Born in Bruges, Belgium, Talloen told state-run Anadolu Agency that his connection with Türkiye began during his classical archaeology studies at Leuven University through the Sagalassos excavations led by his professor Marc Waelkens.

Talloen first came to Türkiye in 1995 as an undergraduate student and said his interest in Sagalassos gradually became the center of his academic career.

He focused his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral studies on ancient cities in Anatolia and continued his research on Türkiye after completing his doctorate.

Talloen worked at the British Institute at Ankara, Koç University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations and Isparta Süleyman Demirel University. He later returned to Belgium for a period due to professional reasons before joining Bilkent University in 2023.

Talloen, whose wife is Turkish and also an archaeologist, said he prioritized learning Turkish after moving to Türkiye.

Explaining that the process of obtaining Turkish citizenship took many years, Talloen said he had to postpone his application due to legal regulations in Belgium and later the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After the pandemic, we completed the necessary procedures. We prepared our file and in September, we finally obtained Turkish citizenship,” he said.

Emphasizing that citizenship was not merely an official status for him, Talloen said: “Our home is here. Our children were born here. They have Turkish names. They attend Turkish schools. I work at a Turkish university, teach Turkish students and conduct excavations in Türkiye. Almost our entire life takes place here. I can perhaps say that I am Turkish as well.”

Providing information about ongoing excavations, Talloen said important discoveries have been made at Sagalassos in recent years, revealing the cultural interactions of the Roman Empire.

He said Egypt-themed reliefs made from Afyon marble were unearthed last year, explaining that they were carved by local craftsmen but reflected Egyptian iconography.

The reliefs feature figures such as sphinxes and Sobek, the ancient Egyptian deity depicted with the head of a crocodile, demonstrating the cultural exchanges between different regions of the Roman Empire, he said.

Talloen said recent excavations have focused on the stadium complex, where two churches, a sacred fountain and a large religious complex dating back to the Late Antique period have been uncovered.

He said researchers believe the area was used as a regional pilgrimage center and that excavations have revealed special ceramic bottles produced to carry sacred water.