Tomris Bakır

Tomris Bakır (5 November 1941 - 25 February 2020) was a classical archaeologist from Turkey, who specialised in ceramics, and was the Director of Excavations at Daskyleion.

Biography Tomris Akbaşoğlu was born on 5 November 1941. She studied at Ankara University, where she obtained her undergraduate degree. She was awarded a doctoral degree at the Archaeological Institute of Heidelberg University, doctoral advisor was Roland Hampe. She was married to the archaeologist Güven Bakır (de).

From 1977, after returning to Turkey, Bakır taught as Assistant Professor at Ataturk University in Erzurum. In particular, Bakır's excavations focused on the residence of the Persian satrap at the site. During her time running excavations at the site, a building interpreted as a Zoroastrian temple was excavated. Significant finds that were excavated from other site contexts under her directorship, included: two seals and one bulla; imported amphoras; as well as many sherds of pottery. At her death, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism described her as an "esteemed teacher, who introduced Daskyleion Ancient City to the world [and] opened new horizons in Turkish Archaeology".

Selected publications

Der Kolonnettenkrater in Korinth und Attika zwischen 625 und 550 v. Chr (Triltsch, Würzburg 1974). Korinth seramiğinde aslan figürünün gelişimi (Ege Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Fakültesi, Izmir 1982). 'Archäologische Beobachtungen über die Residenz in Daskyleion', Pallas. Revue d’études antiques (1995). Herausgeberin mit Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg: Achaemenid Anatolia. Proceedings of the First International Symposium on Anatolia in the Achaemenid Period, Bandirma, 15–18 August 1997 (Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, Leiden 2001). Daskyleion (Balıkesir Valiliği, Balıkesir 2011).