DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4752#0027
TURKISH VILLAGE LIFE IN ASIA MINOR I?
intense interest, sometimes almost laughter (your
Turk does not often laugh) at your picture of
Turkish nature ; and occasionally it is clear that
you have succeeded in making them think a
little.
In 1883 Prof. Sterrett and I went to Orkistos, on
the frontier of Galatia, to look for a great inscription,
which had been apparently lost. It had been seen
and copied unsatisfactorily by several old travellers,
last of all by Hamilton. In 1861 the Berlin
Academy instructed Dr. Mordtmann to recopy it ;
but he failed to discover it. As Mordtmann was
familiar with the Turkish language and an ex-
perienced traveller, the discovery was obviously no
easy matter; and some care was needed. We ar-
ranged our journey so as to sleep at a village some
hours distant, and next morning came on to Alikel
(earlier travellers call the place Alekian). Here we
found ourselves at a Turkmen Yaila, in a splendid
situation, with fertile lands, abundance of water and
grass, and a profusion of inscribed stones. We
avoided showing any interest in these, but intimated
our intention of inviting all the leading men to
dinner, and proceeded to purchase a sheep which
was to be cooked entire by the villagers for their
own benefit. I took means to find out whether
they preferred a lamb of that year, or a full-grown
sheep (whose flesh to us would have been uneatable):
intense interest, sometimes almost laughter (your
Turk does not often laugh) at your picture of
Turkish nature ; and occasionally it is clear that
you have succeeded in making them think a
little.
In 1883 Prof. Sterrett and I went to Orkistos, on
the frontier of Galatia, to look for a great inscription,
which had been apparently lost. It had been seen
and copied unsatisfactorily by several old travellers,
last of all by Hamilton. In 1861 the Berlin
Academy instructed Dr. Mordtmann to recopy it ;
but he failed to discover it. As Mordtmann was
familiar with the Turkish language and an ex-
perienced traveller, the discovery was obviously no
easy matter; and some care was needed. We ar-
ranged our journey so as to sleep at a village some
hours distant, and next morning came on to Alikel
(earlier travellers call the place Alekian). Here we
found ourselves at a Turkmen Yaila, in a splendid
situation, with fertile lands, abundance of water and
grass, and a profusion of inscribed stones. We
avoided showing any interest in these, but intimated
our intention of inviting all the leading men to
dinner, and proceeded to purchase a sheep which
was to be cooked entire by the villagers for their
own benefit. I took means to find out whether
they preferred a lamb of that year, or a full-grown
sheep (whose flesh to us would have been uneatable):