Information Package / Course Catalogue
Archaeology of Religious Music: Sources and Methods
Course Code: İST523
Course Type: Area Elective
Couse Group: Second Cycle (Master's Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 3
Prt.: 0
Credit: 3
Lab: 0
ECTS: 5
Objectives of the Course

The objective is to introduce the archaeological, iconographic, and written sources used in the study of religious musical practices in past societies; to enable students to critically evaluate these sources in terms of their find context, dating, function, and issues of representation; and to develop their skills in conducting evidence-based research and performing cross-source comparisons—drawing upon musical instruments, sound-producing objects, sacred spaces, and depictions of rituals.

Course Content

The fundamental concepts of music archaeology and its relationship to the study of religious music are addressed, covering archaeological context, principles of dating and documentation, musical instrument finds, and sound-producing objects. The course explores the iconographic analysis of depictions of music and ritual, as well as the evaluation of inscriptions, ritual texts, and other written sources. Through selected case studies, it examines the acoustic properties of sacred spaces, the reconstruction of musical instruments, experimental approaches, and digital documentation methods. Furthermore, the curriculum focuses on the integrated interpretation of sources, the limitations of ethnographic analogies, claims regarding continuity and interaction, research ethics, and the representation of cultural heritage.

Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes
1.Explains the fundamental concepts of music archaeology and its relationship to research on religious music.
2.Evaluates archaeological finds in terms of context, dating, provenance, and function.
3.Analyzes depictions of musical instruments and rituals using iconographic methods.
4.Develops coherent interpretations—with their limitations clearly stated—by comparing written, visual, material, and spatial sources.
5.Archaeoacoustics examines inferences based on experimental reconstruction and ethnographic analogy in terms of evidence and assumptions.
6.Prepares and presents a source-based research file that adheres to documentation and research ethics
Recommended or Required Reading
1.Celasin, Cenk, and Ş. Şehvar Beşiroğlu. “The Role of Archaeological Data in the Analysis of the Musical Culture of Hittite Civilization.” İTÜ Dergisi/b: Social Sciences 3/2 (2006): 35–46. Dinçol, Belkıs. Music in the Ancient Near East and Egypt. Istanbul: Institute of Ancient Studies Publications, 1999. Alp, Sedat. Song, Music, and Dance Among the Hittites. Grapes and Wine in Anatolia During the Hittite Age. Ankara: Kavaklıdere Cultural Publications, 1999. Masalcı Şahin, Gülgüney. “On Certain Local Singers Mentioned in Hittite Texts.” Archivum Anatolicum 13/1 (2019): 83–100. Gülyüz, Bahriye Güray. “The Iconographic Evolution of the *Nefir* as a Sufi Musical Instrument.” Journal of Turkish Culture and Hacı Bektaş Veli Research 96 (2020): 55–80. Google Çeviri'de aç • Geri bildirim Google Çeviri
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical
The conceptual framework of music archaeology: relationships between music archaeology, the archaeology of religion, and archaeoacoustics; fundamental questions in the study of religious music.
Week 2 - Theoretical
Research design and types of sources: Characteristics of data derived from objects, depictions, texts, and spaces; formulating research questions and selecting sources.
Week 3 - Theoretical
Archaeological context and dating: Find spot, stratum, associated objects, use and reuse; evaluation of artifacts lacking provenance information.
Week 4 - Theoretical
Musical instruments and sound-producing objects: Material, form, construction technique, traces of use, and organological classification; determination of the object's sound-producing function.
Week 5 - Theoretical
Determining religious and ritual function: Temple, funerary, and votive contexts; evidence for the religious use of an object, and alternative explanations.
Week 6 - Theoretical
Musical iconography: depictions of musical instruments, performers, movement, and settings in reliefs, wall paintings, seals, ceramics, and figurines; the limits of visual representation.
Week 7 - Theoretical
Written sources: Music in ritual texts, hymns, inscriptions, inventories, and narrative sources; issues concerning terminology, translation, and genre.
Week 8 - Theoretical
Interpreting sources in conjunction: The relationships between objects, depictions, and texts; the ways in which sources support one another, contradict each other, or remain silent.
Week 9 - Theoretical
Sacred spaces and archaeoacoustics: Architectural layout, sound propagation, reverberation, and audibility; the limitations of inferring the past from the present acoustic state.
Week 10 - Theoretical
Experimental approaches and the reconstruction of musical instruments: Choices regarding dimensions, materials, missing components, and performance techniques; the insights that a reconstructed instrument can provide.
Week 11 - Theoretical
Comparative method and ethnographic analogy: the use of living traditions in interpretation; distinctions between formal similarity, functional similarity, interaction, and historical continuity.
Week 12 - Theoretical
Digital documentation and data management: The use of cataloging, visual archives, three-dimensional models, and audio samples in research; metadata, referencing, and the recording of uncertainties.
Week 13 - Theoretical
Research ethics and the representation of cultural heritage: the provenance of artifacts, sacred objects, contexts involving human remains, permissions for visual use, and museum presentations.
Week 14 - Theoretical
Research presentations and general evaluation: Discussion of student work in terms of research questions, sources, methodology, findings, and limitations.
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Attending Lectures1%5
Quiz1%5
Midterm Examination1%30
Final Examination1%60
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory145070
Assignment142028
Midterm Examination114014
Final Examination114014
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)126
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
PÇ-6
OÇ-1
4
2
5
4
4
5
OÇ-2
3
3
4
4
4
5
OÇ-3
4
3
4
5
4
5
OÇ-4
4
4
4
4
4
4
OÇ-5
3
4
4
4
4
4
OÇ-6
4
4
4
4
4
4
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026