Since its founding in 1958 by Harvard and Cornell Universities, the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis has excavated, conserved, and published on aspects of the ancient city of Sardis in western Türkiye from the prehistoric through the Islamic periods. The expedition is one of the longest-running international projects sponsored at Harvard and is one of the oldest classical archaeology projects in the Mediterranean. In July 2025, the ancient city of Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Archaeological Exploration of Sardis has offered students opportunities to gain academic, professional, cultural, and life skills while contributing to the entire process of archaeological research, documentation, conservation, and publication. Each summer the project has over seventy team members, largely from Türkiye and the US, as well as in recent years from twenty other countries.

This Worldwide Week at Harvard 2025 event will introduce activities of the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, highlighting the long-standing involvement of students, and discuss opportunities to participate in the summer 2026 field season at Sardis in Türkiye. Recent Sardis student participants will present about their experience at the site, collaborating with team members from various fields and institutions around the world, and how it has helped shape their academic careers.

Sponsored by the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, Harvard Art Museums.