Hellenistic period medical instruments collected in Tatarlı Höyük excavations and their archaeometric analyze

Tatarlı Höyük is situated in Tatarlı Village, 5 km away from Mustafabeyli Neighborhood in Ceyhan District, 9 km northwest of Toprakkale, to the east of Adana. Since 2007, excavations have been carried out under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. K. Serdar GİRGİNER, revealing a continuous stratification of settlements from the Neolithic Period to the early Roman Period. Alongside the metal artifacts discovered from the Hellenistic Period layers, medical instruments have also been found. The focus of this thesis is on these Hellenistic medical instruments and their archaeometric analyses. Medicine has been an essential aspect of human life since ancient times. The design of medical instruments, in terms of their shape, content, and form, aimed to maximize their effectiveness in treatment. The sporadic discoveries of instruments outside of systematic excavations have posed challenges in determining their purpose and dating. However, the presence of coins found alongside these instruments during excavations facilitates their dating process. This study involves the classification and cataloging of the examined medical instruments based on their shape and function. Furthermore, their contents have been analyzed using portable XRF. The obtained information about the medical instruments unearthed at Hellenistic Tatarlı Höyük has been interpreted and intended to be incorporated into the existing literature.