Dr. Canan Çakirlar

Biography

Canan Çakirlar is an Associate Professor at the University of Groningen, specializing in the intersections of socio-economic structures and biodiversity. Her research focuses on animal domestication, systematic breeding practices, and the impacts of over-exploitation and intensification of harvesting on landscapes. She employs methods such as zooarchaeology, archaeomalacology, and stable isotope analysis to investigate the complex relationships between humans and animals throughout history. Çakirlar's work spans multiple historical periods including the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and the Byzantine period. She has conducted extensive fieldwork at various archaeological sites across Turkey, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. With a dedicated position at the Groningen Institute of Archaeology, she oversees the zooarchaeology lab and leads research projects that delve into the emergence of animal husbandry and its historical implications.

Research Interests

Experience