I earned my B.A. in Archaeology and Art History, followed by an M.A. in Archaeology, both at Koç University in Istanbul. During my M.A. studies, I applied zooarchaeological methods to investigate patterns of cattle exploitation in western Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age. Building on this foundation, I moved to Tübingen to pursue my Ph.D.

Since 2021, I have been conducting doctoral research on the role of wild animals in settlement contexts in the southern Levant during the Bronze and Iron Ages. As part of the SFB 1070 ResourceCultures project, my work brings together zooarchaeology and paleoenvironmental perspectives, incorporating quantitative methods to explore how wild animals were perceived and utilized as resources in ancient societies. I examine both terrestrial and aquatic species to develop a holistic understanding of human-animal-environment interactions in antiquity.

M.A. in Koç University, Archaeology. (2021). 

Thesis title: Mighty Cattle: Zooarchaeological Analyses of Bos Husbandry Practices in Late Bronze Age Kaymakçı, Western Anatolia 

B.A. in Koç University Archaeology and History of Art (2019). 

Zooarchaeology, subsistence strategies, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, animal utilization

Findiklar, S., Riehl, S., Starkovich, B. M. “Wild animals as resources: A zooarchaeological meta-analysis of deer exploitation during the Bronze and Iron Ages (3600–586 BCE) in the Southern Levant” Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 2025. 

Irvine, B., Luke, C., Çakırlar, C., Kaner, T., Özbal, R., Fındıklar, Ş., & Roosevelt, C. H. "Stable isotope analysis of faunal remains from Bronze Age Kaymakçı, Western Anatolia." The Holocene. 2024. 

Findiklar, S., Slim, F.G., Luke, C., Cakirlar, C. “Conspicuous Cattle: Zooarchaeological Evidence for Elite Consumption in Second Millennium BCE Western Anatolia” ANAMED Press. 2024. 

Findiklar, S. 2025. "Hunting, Fishing, and Resilience: Zooarchaeological Perspectives from the Bronze and Iron Ages in the Southern Levant." Research Colloquium, Scientific Archaeology Institute, Tübingen University, Germany

Worner, L., Findiklar, S., Demeulenaere, E. 2024. "Archaeological, Zooarchaeological, and Archaeobotanical Investigations into the Settlement of Kinneret during the Iron Age" Forschungskolloquium in Near Eastern and Biblical Archaeology Faculty, Tübingen University, Germany

Demeulenaere, E., Findiklar, S. 2023. “Agriculture and Food at Tel Kinrot: An Interdisciplinary Approach” EAA Annual Meeting, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Slim F. G., Findiklar, S., Cakirlar, C. 2021. “Animal Husbandry in Late Bronze Age Western Anatolia” WANAT Symposium, Istanbul, Turkey

Findiklar S., Kaner, E. 2020. "Fortification or Dumpster: A Collaborative Study on Animal Remains along the Fortification Walls of Kaymakci"  American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), Virtual Annual Meeting 2020, Virginia, USA

2022-2023. Kinneret Regional Project, Israel

2018-2022. Kaymakci Archaeological Project, Turkey

2018-2019. Sagalassos Archaeological Project, Turkey

2022 - 2024. Tübingen University, Germany

“Einführung in die Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie II: Archäobiologie” Practical. Summer Semester.

2024. Tübingen University, Germany

“Osteologie IV: Archäeozoologie”  Practical. Summer Semester.