Helen Filoloji Derneğinin 1861-1911 yılları arası arkeoloji çalışmaları ve bazı üyelerin biyografileri
The archeological studies of the Greek Philological Society  between 1861-1911 and biographies of some members
Yazar: IREM NAZ EMVER OGLOU
Danışman: DOÇ. DR. BİLGE AR
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Mimarlık Tarihi Ana Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2022
Konu: Arkeoloji = Archeology ; Mimarlık = Architecture ; Sanat Tarihi = Art History
Dizin: Arkeoloji = Archaeology ; Bilimsel araştırmalar = Scientific researchs ; Biyografi = Biography ; Dernekler = Associations ; Helen Filoloji Derneği = Greek Philological Society ; Mimarlık = Architecture ; Sanat etkinlikleri = Art activities ; Sanat eğitimi = Art education ; Sanat tarihi = Art history

Özet:
Helen Filoloji Derneği Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'ndaki Rum-Ortodoks topluluğunun en tanınmış ve uzun ömürlü cemiyetlerinden biridir. Amacı Osmanlı Rumları arasında eğitim seviyesini yükseltmek ve çeşitli alanlarda bilimsel çalışmalar gerçekleştirmek olan bu derneğin, üyeleri incelendiğinde sadece Rum ve Yunanlılardan ibaret olmadığı daha geniş bir kesime hitab ettiği görülmektedir. Bioloji, kimya, tarih ve arkeoloji gibi alanlarda kollektif çalışmalar yürüten Helen Filoloji Derneği'nin bilimsel çalışmaları, güncel araştırmalarda eğitim faaliyetlerinin gölgesinde kalmıştır. Derneğin arkeoloji çalışmaları, diğer bilimsel faaliyetleri gibi, kapsamlı şekilde çalışılmamış bir konudur. Yerleşik bir mimarlık ve sanat tarihi kuramı bulunmayan ve tarih yazımının milliyetçilikten beslendiği bir dönemde derneğin bünyesinde çok uluslu bir arkeoloji komitesi bulunması, Osmanlı Devleti'nde gerçekleşen erken kurumsal arkeoloji çalışmalarını temsil ettiği için oldukça önemlidir.
Burada arkeoloji çok geniş bir anlamda kullanılmıştır. Yunanca kökenli bir kelime olan arkeolojinin 19. yüzyıldaki anlamı, eski şeyleri incelemektir ve komite özelinde bu "şeyler" genellikle o zamana kadar varlığını kısmen de olsa sürdürebilmiş veya yok olmaya yüz tutmuş mimari öğelerdir. Bu nedenle komitenin arkeoloji çalışmaları, dilbilimi, tarih, etnografya gibi bilim dallarından beslenen erken sanat ve mimarlık tarihi çalışmaları olarak yorumlanabilir. Çalışmaya konu olan dönem ideolojik açıdan olduğu kadar, bilimsel açıdan da yenilikleri içinde barındırmaktadır. 
Komite üyelerince yunan sanatına dair incelenen bu öğeler, çok farklı devirlerden olsa da genellikle Bizans'a odaklanılmıştır. Bizans sanatı derneğin bazı üyeleri için sadece bakir bir araştırma alanıyken, bazıları için anlamı çok daha derindir. Bu durum dönemin birçok önemli araştırmacısının yolunun dernek ile kesişmesini sağlamış, bilimsel çalışmalarına hizmet eden güçlü bir sosyal ağ oluşmuştur.
Derneğin kuruluşundan I. Dünya Savaşı'na kadar, cemiyetle aynı adı taşıyan 33 ciltlik bir dergi yayınlanmıştır. Kuruluşundan itibaren dergisinde arkeoloji temalı düzenli bir makale ve konferans akışı yer almaya başlamıştır. Derneğin arşivleri bugün hala kayıp olduğundan, dergisi faaliyetlerini anlamak için en önemli kaynağı oluşturmaktadır. Bunun yanı sıra ilgili yayında önemli kişiler, onların arkeoloji çalışmaları ve dönem hakkında önemli bilgiler verilmektedir.
Çalışma kapsamında dergi incelenerek arkeoloji temalı bilgi ve makaleler derlenmiştir. Bu dergiden elde edilen bilgiler, bazı üyelerin anıları, derneğin ilanlarını ücretsiz olarak yayınlayan Neologos gazetesi ve ilgili kurumların yayınlarıyla da desteklenmeye çalışılmıştır.
Tezin amacı, derneğin dergisi ve komite üyelerinin profili incelenerek bir dönemi etkisi altına alan arkeoloji çalışmalarının bir dökümünden çok bu araştırmaların dönemin koşulları ve eski eser algısı ile birlikte ele alıp, genel bir resmini sunmaktır. Derneğin 1861-1911 yılları arası faaliyetlerini kapsayan dergisini inceleyen bu tez aynı zamanda araştırmacılara bu uzun soluklu yayını mimarlık ve sanat tarihi çalışmalarında kullanılabilecek bir kaynak olarak sunmaya çalışmaktadır.

Abstract:
With the change in Ottoman historiography during the Tanzimat period, the scientific and cultural societies that hosted Istanbul's cosmopolitan intellectuals played a major role in the emergence of studies that examined Byzantine and ancient architecture in various contexts. Greek Philological Society of Constantinople was one of them, which discussed and promoted literary and scientific matters. Its establishment characterizes a new era that leads to the glorification of secular knowledge in Ottoman Greek society. This society's activities can be divided into two groups; educational and scientific research. Unfortunately, in today's literature, scientific works of the association have been overshadowed by its activities related to Ottoman-Greek education. 
According to the long member lists published in the Greek Philological Society's Journal, it is possible to find the names of Greek, Armenian or Muslim members from different professions and government officials as well as foreign diplomats. Apparently, aimed to appeal to a wider audience that is not limited to the Greeks and Ottoman Greeks (Rum). Only Greek (Katharevusa) was allowed to be used at official meetings. For this reason, it is assumed that all participants who held a floor knew Greek. 
Philhellenism during the nineteenth century leads to Greek independence from the Ottoman powers and worldwide interest in ancient Greek art and culture continues. In this context in 1861, the Greek Philological Society of Constantinople, which can be regarded as a representative of socio-cultural Hellenism, was established. Zoiros Pasha states that there was a group of elite that gathered from time to time in various houses to hold cultural conversations before this date.
The work and interests of the association are divided into sections, which are undertaken by special committees such as economic, editorial, educational, philological, archaeological, and scientific. The archeological studies of this society, like its other scientific activities, is a subject that has not been studied extensively. These studies are very significant as it represents the early institutional archeological studies in the Ottoman Empire. The presence of an archeological collection, which is called a "museum", also provides information about the museology of the period and the awareness of antiquities. This collection consisted of tombstones, inscriptions, decorated architectural pieces, pieces of sculpture, coins, and terracotta artifacts. The purpose of creating this collection is to be used in scientific research rather than prestige or exhibition.
Within the association, there was a multinational archeological committee in an era when historiography was supported by nationalism and there was no established theory of architecture and art history. An era that includes innovations in scientific as well as ideological terms. Thus many important researchers' paths crossed with the association and formed a strong social network that served their scientific studies. This situation represents an interesting synthesis between the Germans and  British researchers working together with the Greeks. Since their perspectives and working principles guide the archeological studies of the association, the biographies of the members who took active roles in the committee were also prepared within the scope of this study.
Archeology is used here in a very narrow sense. The meaning of archeology (which is a Greek word) in the 19th century, is the study of old things, and these "things" for the committee members are generally architectural elements. For this reason, the committee's works which are related to disciplines such as linguistics, history, and ethnography can be considered as early art and history of architecture studies. 
As a result of the stable work of the archeological committee, there were some contacts with the Ottoman authorities. However, these contacts started when Philipp Anton Dethier became the director of the Imperial Museum (Müze-i Hümayun) and greatly diminished with his death. After Dethier's death, it has become a tradition within the association that the directors of the Imperial Museum are elected honorary members. However, his successors Osman Hamdi and his brother Ethem Bey were not very active in the association. It has also been observed that some Greek employees of the museum are members of the association.
Although a large period is considered while examining elements of Greek art, the number of studies on the Byzantine period is considerably higher than the others. While Byzantine art was only an under-studied topic for some members, it had a much deeper significance for others. This is because the Byzantine period has an important place in proving the cultural continuity of the Greek nation. These studies stand out by the criticisms brought by the Greeks to the destruction of Byzantine monuments and the persistent documentation efforts of all members. The work of many members has been created by supporting written sources with on-site examinations. The committee sometimes decided to examine the excavations in the vicinity, and sometimes trips were organized to the preferred archeological sites. These trips went no further than surface surveys, and the committee never attempted to organize archaeological excavations. This thesis aims to introduce these early examples of systematic research, depending on the period in which they took place, by evaluating the archeological studies of the association from the perspective of architectural history.
A journal consisting of 33 volumes that had the same name as the society has been published from the foundation of the association until the 1st World War. Since its establishment, a regular stream of articles with the archeology theme starts to appear in the journal. Since the archives of the association are still missing today and researches in the official archives in Greece and Turkey have not been able to obtain positive results regarding accessing this archive. The journal of Greek Philological Society constitutes the most important source for understanding its activities. In addition to this, the relevant publication provides some vital pieces of information about the individuals, their archeological works, and the period. 
Within the scope of this study, the journal was examined and archeology-themed information and articles were compiled. The information obtained from this journal has also been tried to be supported by the memoirs of some members, the Neologos newspaper, which publishes the association's announcements free of charge, and the publications of related institutions.
This thesis aims to present a general picture of these researches, together with the conditions of the period and the perception of antiquities, rather than a catalog work. Examining the journal of the association which covers the activities between 1861 - 1911, this thesis also seeks to present researchers this long-term publication as a resource that can be useful in architectural and art history studies.