1,721,088 research outputs found
Larger site, better life? Site dimensions and the path to socio-economic complexity in Upper Mesopotamia across the Halaf and Ubaid periods
No full textThanks to a number of survey projects and site excavations, Upper Mesopotamia has become
in recent years a key case study for the investigation of the appearance of complex societies.
The recovery of a considerable wealth of data has permitted identification of processes
independent of those found in South Mesopotamia – long considered locus of the origin of
urbanization in the Near East – that resulted in the “convergent” emergence of full socioeconomic
complexity. At the same time, ongoing research is continually identifying more
and more local traits in these dynamics, which suggest that different paths were followed in
different regions. This study attempts to present an overview of the available data and, by
means of a cross-comparison of different settlement patterns and site features, it aims to provide
a preliminary outline of the differing phenomena characterising different regions during
the Halaf-Ubaid periods. In particular, it focusses on the importance of site size as a reliable
indicator (or not) for identifying the emergence of complexity
Concluding remarks: The transformation of Upper Mesopotamia from the Late Pottery Neolithic to the Chalcolithic: some suggestions
No full text2. Beyond Subsistence? Settlement Strategies of the Late Chalcolithic Period in the Selevani Plain (Upper Iraqi Tigris)
No full textThe aim of this paper is to provide an integrated overview of the settlement and social dynamics present in the upper sector of the Iraqi River Tigris Valley and its immediate hinterland during the Late Chalcolithic period. This has been achieved by processing and interpreting the results of two extensive regional survey projects, namely the Eastern Ḫabur Archaeological Survey (EHAS) and the Land of Nineveh Archaeological Project (LoNAP), recently undertaken along the eastern bank of the river. These results mark a significant advancement in the study of settlement patterns and cultural history compared to what was previously known of this region, which was mostly terra incognita prior to the current opening of Iraqi Kurdistan to a new era of archaeological field exploration
Eva Geith, Tulip Abd-el Hay, Jochen Schmid, Der Königspalast von Qatna. Teil II: Architektur, Stratigraphie, Keramik und Funde des westlichen Zentralbereiches. Qatna-Studien. Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen, 6. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 2019. Pp. 510. ISBN 9783447110235 Review by Marco Iamoni, University of Udine. [email protected]
No full textThe book is a monograph in the series “Qatna Studien” (QS) which is dedicated to the publication of the archaeological investigations carried out since 1999 at the site of ancient Qatna (modern Mishrifeh, in Western Syria). In particular, this text is one of the final excavation reports that describe in detail the results achieved by the Syrian-German team under the direction of P. Pfälzner and M. Al Maqdissi in the central sector of Operation G, a large excavation area corresponding to the central and western zone of the famous Royal Palace of Qatna (the eastern portion was excavated by a Syrian-Italian mission directed by D. Morandi Bonacossi and M. Al Maqdissi)
Conclusions: Late Chalcolithic Northern Mesopotamia. Setting the Agenda in the Debate on the Rise of Urbanization in the Ancient Near East
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“Deconstructing” the Northern Levantine Palace: Genesis and Development of a Public Building
No full textPalaces, in many respects, represent the main outcome of the great socio-economic transformation that characterised the outgrowth of urban societies during the first half of the second millennium BC. In the Levant, the type of building that appeared was characterised by traits that make it quite different from similar and contemporaneous buildings located in Mesopotamia. This fact suggests the existence of an independent local tradition in the Levant which has thus usually been analysed in distinct chronological segments, with separate discussions of the relevant Middle Bronze Age (MBA) and Late Bronze Age (LBA) evidence to hand. This work uses two case studies of palace architecture dating to the MBA and LBA from Qatna to propose an analysis that highlights the existence of several shared traits. Via comparisons with contemporary examples, in particular Alalakh, a common genesis that developed along a unique and continuous path is suggested for both MBA and LBA palaces. The social role of northern Levantine palaces is thus seen as an expression of new local leaderships and as the vehicle of a common language whose origin might be traced back to the emergence of the so-called Amorite Koiné
Introduction: The Late Chalcolithic of Northern Mesopotamia in Context. Building on a Long and Eventful Debate
No full textMany of the debates that have until recently driven research into Mesopotamia’s proto-urban phase (5th– 4th millennia BCE) have now been reassessed thanks to new fieldwork in Iraqi Kurdistan and new data into the relationships between the north and south of the Alluvium from hitherto poorly-documented regions. These debates were re-examined in the light of this new material during a workshop held at the ICAANE in 2018 in Munich, leading to unprecedented perspectives on the patterns of early urbanization, social mobility, and the organization of Late Chalcolithic communities. Drawing on research first presented at ICAANE, and building on the most recent data from surveys and excavations, this volume engages with one key question from different angles: namely, how can we reconcile detailed analysis of the multifaceted local variations of proto-urbanism with the supra-regional, intricate, and more widespread nature of this same phenomenon across Mesopotamia
L’Alto Tigri fra preistoria e protostoria. Sequenze stratigrafiche e occupazione del territorio dal Tardo Neolitico Ceramico al Tardo Calcolitico
No full textA vital resource in prehistory: Water and settlement during the Pottery Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods
No full textA New Palatial Ware or a Case of Imitation of Egyptian Pottery? The Brownish Red Slip (BRS) from Qatna and Its Significance within the Northern Levantine Ceramic Tradition of the Mid-Second Millennium BC
No full textIn recent years the study of the ceramic horizon characterizing the end of the MBA and
the LBA has made substantial progress thanks to the excavation of a crucial sequence from
the site of Qatna. The following study aims at discussing in more detail the so-called Brownish
Red Slip (BRS) pottery that has been identified by the author during the study of the ceramic
assemblages excavated in Qatna throughout the 2000–2010 years. The focus of this work is thus
the prominent features of the Brownish Red Slip: form and fabric types, functional contexts
where it has been retrieved, and reasons that may have led to its production. In particular, the
paper will discuss the possibility that the BRS imitates Egyptian ceramics, and the socio-political
implications of such an interpretatio
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