Turkey History

It is always a difficult job pinpointing the period from where to begin country Turkey history. Some historians understand the advent of Turks into Anatolia in 11C as the beginning of the history of Turkey. It is necessary to understand Turkey history as an extension of the very early ages and of the mixture of people who came from various origins.

Life in this period was full of uncertainty and perilous to say the least. Successful hunting was the cornerstone on which survival depended. Flint hand-axes, scrapers, cutters, and chisels are artifacts which served specific needs were in use, though the tools were later refined. During this time even edible plants were gathered and whenever food resources became scarce they moved on.

This was the period when man began making optimum use of his environment and started cultivating plants as well as domesticating animals. Town life started taking shape during this period as people did not feel the need to move and had begun to take control of their conditions. Healthier populations began the norm as there was now surplus food raised. Grain became an article of commodity to obtain raw materials such as precious gems and metals. Agricultural surplus gave rise to the division of labor and provided freedom to some of the community members from the necessity of cultivating food.

The use of copper in addition to stones gave rise to the term used to describe this period which means Copper Stone Age. Man in this age cultivated crops, herded livestock, lived in brick houses, made vessels of clay, stone, wood or basket work and fashioned weapons of bone or flint. It was also the period when personal ornaments and religious beliefs started gaining expression in sculptures and paintings.

With the beginning of the use of bronze (a mixture of tin and copper) the Bronze Age started in Anatolia. All the weapons, utensils and ornaments were made from this alloy. This period also saw the discovery of musical instruments, vessels, jewelry, bull statuettes, ritual standards and sun-dials. Metallurgy also saw advancement with rich finds of gold, silver, bronze and copper excavations.

This is the period which marks the beginning of the development of technology. In this period iron gradually replaced bronze as the basic element for implements and weapons.

In the 8C BC the eastern world fell into the dark ages almost after 2000 years of great civilization.

In 1923 the Turkish Republic was established with Ataturk as the first President. In 1924 he abolished the Caliphate. From 1925 – 1938 he carried on reforms and a series of programs to modernize Turkey. Under the able leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Turkey really transformed into a democratic, secular Republic.