The Bents’ first significant field of studies was the Turkish littoral and Aegean, beginning with a ‘tourist’ visit in early 1883, taking in such sites as Delphi and Mycenae. This trip inspired a decade-long passion for these celebrity explorers (with a tour more or less every year), generating an extensive corpus of popular and more ‘academic’ articles (historical, ‘archaeological’ and ‘ethnographic’ in content). Along the way they acquired artefacts, ancient and modern, that they would seek to sell or retain for their private London collection. The British Museum, for example, has a large collection of their material.
Bent’s writings on Turkey and Asia Minor (today’s boundaries) by year of publication:
1883
1885
1887
1888
- ‘A Piratical F.S.A.’. [the Turkish coast] Cornhill Magazine, Vol. 58 (11), 620-35.
- ‘Constantinople’. The Classical Review, Vol. II (10), 329.
- ‘Discoveries in Asia Minor’. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 9, 82-7.
- ‘Hamdi Bey’. Contemporary Review, Vol. 54 (July/Dec), 724-33. [Reprinted in Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 179 (1888), 613ff]
- ‘Master Dallam’s Mission’. The Antiquary 18 (Jul), 5-10.
- ‘Master Dallam’s Mission’ [Concluded]. The Antiquary 18 (Jul), 55-9.
- ‘On the Slopes of Olympus’. [Brusa/Bursa, Turkey] The Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol. 266 (Jan), 11-21. [Reprinted in Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 180 (1889), 371ff].
- ‘Three Ancient Cities on the Coast of Asia Minor’. Athenæum, Issue 3161 (May), 671.
1889
- ‘A Scholastic Island’. [Halki/Heybeliada (Princes’ Islands/Adala), off the coast of Istanbul] Macmillan’s Magazine, Vol. 60 (May/Oct), 444-9. [Reprinted in Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 183 (1889), 312ff].
- ‘Inscriptions from Theangela’. [near Etrim, Turkey] The Classical Review, Vol. 3, No. 5 (May, 1889), 234-237 [E.L. Hicks, lead author].
- ‘Inscriptions from Casarea, Lydae, Patara, Myra’. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 10, 46-85. [With E.L. Hicks]
1890
- ‘Azerbeijan: Report for the Anthropological Section (Section H) of the British Association, Appointed to Investigate the Habits, etc., of the Nomad Tribes of Asia Minor, as well as to Excavate on Sites of Ancient Occupation’. The Scottish Geographical Magazine, Vol. 6, 84-93.
- ‘Cilician Symbols’. The Classical Review, Vol. 4 (7) (Jul), 321-2.
- ‘Dr. John Covel’s Diary’. The Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol. 268 (May), 470-89. [Reprinted in Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 185 (1890), 681ff]
- ‘Explorations in Cilicia Tracheia’. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography, Vol. 12 (8) (Aug), 445-63.
- ‘My Second Marriage’. Temple Bar, with which is incorporated Bentley’s Miscellany, Issue 90 (361) (Dec), 569-80. [Reprinted in Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 188 (1891), 49ff] [Istanbul]
- ‘Notes from Cilicia’. Athenæum, Issue 3258 (Apr), 443.
- ‘Recent Discoveries in Eastern Cilicia’. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 11, 231-5.
- ‘Tarsus Past and Present’. Blackwood’s Magazine, Vol. 148 (Nov), 616-25. [Reprinted in Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 187 (1890), 569ff]
- ‘The City of the Creed’. The Fortnightly Review, Vol. 53 (47) (Feb), 220-30. [Reprinted in Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 184 (1890), 665ff] [Nicaea, Nicæa, Nicea].
- ‘The English in the Levant’. The English Historical Review, Vol. 5 (20) (Oct), 654-64.
- ‘The Site of Hieropolis-Castabala’. Athenæum, Issue 3273 (Jul), 104-6.
- ‘The Topography of Olba’. Athenæum, Issue 3267 (Jun), 742-4.
- ‘Notes on the Armenians in Asia Minor’. The Journal of the Manchester Geographical Society, Vol. 6, 220-22.
1891
- ‘A Journey in Cilicia Tracheia’. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 12, 206-24.
- ‘Amongst the Cage-Dwellers’. Murray’s Magazine, Vol. 10 (57) (Sep), 348-61. [Reprinted in Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 191 (1891), 297ff] [Cilicia].
- ‘Inscriptions from Western Cilicia’. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 12, 225-73 [by E.L. Hicks, based on the Bent and others]
- ‘Archæological Nomads in Rugged Cilicia’. Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 149 (Mar), 377-91. [Reprinted in Littell’s Living Age, Vol. 189 (1891), 298ff]
- ‘A Secret Religion’. [Tarsus, Turkey] Cornhill Magazine, Vol. 63 (16) (Jan), 65-74.
- ‘The Ansairee of Asia Minor’. The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 20, 225-6.
- ‘The Yourouks of Asia Minor’. The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 20, 269-76.
1892
- ‘The Two Capitals of Armenia (Sis and Etchmiadz՝m)’. Eastern and Western Review (not seen; page numbers n/a).
1896
For a consolidated Bent bibliography click here.