APAC Labs’ Dendrochronological Research Highlighted in Council for British Research in the Levant Lecture Series

Mehmetcan Soyluoglu, a graduate researcher at the Andreas Pittas Art Characterization (APAC) Laboratories and PhD candidate at the Cyprus Institute, and Prof. Nikolas Bakirtzis recently gave a lecture entitled “Dendroarchaeology and Monastic Heritage: Unearthing the Past at Sourp Magar of the Kyrenia Range, Cyprus” as part of the Cyprus Lecture Series co-organized by the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) and the Cyprus Institute. 

The lecture presented the historical and cultural context of the Kerynia Mountains, also known as Pentadaktylos mountains, during the Medieval and Byzantine periods with a particular focus on the multi-faceted role of monasteries on the strategic mountainous region. The talk also highlighted the integration of dendroarchaeology—the study of wooden remains coming from the historical context—in understanding the monastic heritage of Sourp Magar Monastery. With a focus on the application of dendroarchaeology, employed to analyze wooden roof beams and other structural elements, researchers have been able to offer new perspectives on how we study and interpret the long and complex history of monasteries located at the foothills of the Kyrenia range. 

Beyond these dendroarchaeological insights, the study of Sourp Magar Monastery also allows researchers at APAC Labs to revisit the interconnectedness of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, tracing the presence of Copts and Armenians in Cyprus’s rural landscape. This exploration of Sourp Magar underscores the role of archaeology in unraveling Cyprus’s multilayered history, emphasizing the importance of scientific methods and interdisciplinary approaches to better understand one of the island’s less studied yet fascinating cultural landscapes.