Professor Peter Talloen, head of the ancient city of Sagalassos excavations in Burdur, southern Türkiye, and chair of the Archaeology Department at Bilkent University, has become a Turkish citizen after nearly three decades of academic work and life in Türkiye.
Born in Bruges, Belgium, Talloen said his connection with Türkiye began during his classical archaeology studies at KU Leuven, where his professor Marc Waelkens was leading excavations at Sagalassos.
Talloen first came to Türkiye in 1995 as an undergraduate student. He said his interest in Sagalassos gradually became the center of his academic career.
“I focused my bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral studies on ancient cities in Anatolia,” Talloen said, adding that he continued researching Türkiye during his postdoctoral career.
Over the years, Talloen worked at several academic institutions, including the British Institute at Ankara, Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations and Isparta’s Süleyman Demirel University. He later returned to Belgium for a period due to professional obligations before joining Bilkent University in 2023.
