Sinop Kale Excavations

The Sinop Regional Archaeological Project (SRAP), led by Prof. Dr. Owen Doonan of California State University Northridge, has been establishing a new standard for regionally- organized archaeological research in the Black Sea region of Turkey over the past 15 years. We plan to partner with the T.C. Ministry of Culture and Tourism and with local governmental, cultural and business organizations to conduct a ten-year program of excavations at Sinop kale. We have two main goals at Sinop: to establish the archaeological importance of ancient Sinope, first Milesian colony in the Black Sea Anatolia, home of the famed Cynic philosopher Diogenes and capital city of the Mithridatic kingdom; and to preserve and display the cultural heritage of the city, as a means of supporting the emerging local tourism industry and creating local awareness of and pride in the history of this significant ancient site.