A Land without Autochthons: Anatolian archaeology in the early twentieth century

Cultural heritage is often used to legitimise territorial claims, with modern groups claiming descent from ancient indigenous inhabitants. However, the 1919-23 war between Greece and Turkey disputed a landscape in which both were migrants. While neither side could claim autochthony, this did not prevent them from engaging politically with cultural heritage. The Greek and Turkish archaeological traditions each developed their own narratives of Anatolian prehistory, both focusing on arrival and civilisation rather than autochthony and indigenous ownership. This example highlights the fact that territorial claims can be made in different ways, and that these claims can use heritage flexibly.