Dorak affair

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Dorak Affair is a scandal involving a series of archaeological finds from the Yortan culture , the so-called Dorak treasure . The affair took place in Turkey in the 1950s and 1960s around the British archaeologist James Mellaart .

procedure

According to James Mellaart, he met a young woman who called herself Anna Papastrati on a train ride from Istanbul to Izmir in 1958 . He noticed an unusual bracelet on her. She is said to have explained to him that this bracelet was part of a collection of antiquities that her family owned. He then went to her family home with the woman, who he described as a young Greek woman who spoke good English with a slight American accent. She is said to have shown him numerous pieces that he stylistically assigned to the Yortan culture . The Yortan culture is one of the cultures that were neighboring ancient Troy . He claims to have stayed in the house in Izmir for several days, made drawings of the pieces and notes. He was denied an opportunity to photograph the pieces after his portrayal. However, Anna had agreed to photograph the pieces herself at the earliest opportunity and to send them to him. The pieces are said to have been found in shallow graves near the town of Dorak , south of the Marmara Sea , during the Greco-Turkish War . Mellaart reported that he had seen photos of the graves in which the Dorak treasure was found, and that there were also descriptions of the finds from modern Greek that he had seen. After a few days he is said to have left the house without noting the exact location, but claims to have noted his name and address ( Anna Papastrati, 217 Kazim Direk Street, Izmir ) on a note. There was no broadcast by Anna Papastrati. Mellaart initially wants to refrain from publication until the photos or approval for publication should be available. He claims to have written to Izmir twice, but without having received an answer. In mid-October 1958, a letter arrived at the British Institute of Archeology in Ankara , in which Mellaart was the deputy director. The content read:

“Dear James, Here is the letter you want so much. As the owner, I authorize you to publish your drawings of the Dorak objects, which you drew in our house. You always were more interested in these old things than in me! Well, there it is. Good luck, and goodbye. Love, Anna Pappastrati. "

The letter was dated 18/10/1958 , the sender was Kazim Direk Caddesi no.2i7, Karsiyaka - Izmir .

Mellaart then published his drawings and notes on the find in the Illustrated London News . In the article parallels in meaning to the treasure of Ur were made.

Investigations by the Turkish authorities and journalists initially revealed, however, that the address on Kazim Direk Caddesi belonged to a commercial building on a street with no residential buildings. However, also that there had been at least two such streets in Izmir for a while, and that the streets had also been renamed several times. In fact, the address could not be determined. The pieces that Mellaart described also never appeared in collections or on the legal art market.

In 1962 a press campaign began in Turkey in which Mellaart was accused of having been involved in the smuggling of the treasure worth 240 million Deutschmarks at the time. Eyewitnesses were cited who are said to have seen a plump foreigner near the discovery sites at Dorak accompanied by a woman. A witness even clearly identified Mellaart. In 1964, public pressure reached the point that the Turkish government initially prohibited Mellaart from excavating in Çatalhöyük and finally only allowed him to enter Turkey in 1965 if he was merely an assistant in the excavations.

Debate about the Dorak treasure

There are differing views on the truth behind the Dorak affair. It is partly claimed that Mellaart, who only became known in connection with the excavations in Çatalhöyük, largely thought up the find. The letter in question from Anna Pappastrati showed similarities with the typewriter used by his wife in his institute and with his other correspondence from the period.

According to a different opinion, the American accent of "Anna Papastrati" indicates connections to the US base near Izmir or cooperation with the CIA, which also operates from there . At the end of the 1960s, these were also known as the hub for the illegal art market from Turkey. According to this view, Mellaart was used to provide high-quality finds of the Yortan culture with a history by a renowned expert based on the state of knowledge at the time. According to this view, the meeting with Mellaart on the train was arranged on purpose, Mellart was then the pawn of really criminals.

An evaluation of the estate of Mellaart, who died in 2012, revealed indications that he might have forged the Dorak treasure.

literature

  • Kenneth Pearson, Patricia Connor: The Dorak Affair. Treasures, smugglers, journalists. Zsolnay, Vienna / Hamburg 1968.
  • Dora Jane Hamblin: Turkey - Land of the Living Legends, Bastei-Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1975, ISBN 3-404-25012-5 , pp. 187-197.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Suzan Mazur: Dorak Diggers Weigh In On Anna & Royal Treasure . scoop.co.nz, August 4, 2005
  2. ↑ Dora Jane Hamblin: Turkey - Land of Living Legends . Bastei-Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1975, ISBN 3-404-25012-5 , p. 196 f.
  3. ↑ Archaeologist unmasked Scinexxcom March 14, 2018.