DOCSLIB.ORG

Durham Research Online

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Durham Research Online Durham Research Online Deposited in DRO: 09 June 2009 Version of attached le: Published Version Peer-review status of attached le: Peer-reviewed Citation for published item: Jaques, S. D. and Dobney, K. and Van Neer, W. (2003) 'Diet, economy and status : evidence from the animal bones.', in Excavations at Tell Brak vol 4 : exploring an Upper Mesopotamian Regional Centre, 1994-1996. Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research / British School of Archaeology, pp. 417-430. McDonald Institute monographs. (4). Further information on publisher's website: http://www.mcdonald.cam.ac.uk/publications/mcd-books/mcd-booksbydate2003 Publisher's copyright statement: Additional information: Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Durham University Library, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LY, United Kingdom Tel : +44 (0)191 334 3042 | Fax : +44 (0)191 334 2971 https://dro.dur.ac.uk Chapter 12 Diet, Economy and Status: Evidence from the Animal Bones Keith Dabney, Deborah Jaques & Wim Van Neer Excavations at Tell Beak during 1994 to 1996 pro­ tebrate assemblage recovered from Tell Brak. duced a small but significant collection of vertebrate In this paper, and the accompanying tables and remains. These were recovered both by hand collec­ figures, phase numbers correlate with cultural peri­ tion and through the implementation of a s}'stematic ods and trenches as follows: sampling and recovery programme using both dry­ and wet-sieving techniques. The vast size of the Ph~ Cullur;ll pt'riod Trr:nch mound of Tell Beak,. and the inevitably limited physi­ I Early Uruk H56 II Middle Uruk H51 cal scope of archaeological investigations, brings into III Ninevite 5 H52,. H54, HF, HL question just how representative any of the exca­ IV Later third millennium HS3, H54, HS5 vated material really is of the changing aspects of V Early second millennium HN daily life and economy in the past. This concern is further compounded by the often small size of the Methods recovered assemblages. In terms of identifiable frag­ ments, the numbers ofbones recovered and recorded The vast majority of the hand-collected and dry­ from the three seasons at Tell Beak. were relatively sieved material was identified and recorded on-sile small: less than 1500 fragments from dry sieving and during the field seasons, using a small portable com­ less than 1000 from wet sieving. Once these quanti· parative collection. Those remains which could not ties are divided between the different excavated be confidently assigned to species, in addition to all trenches, and the broad range of phases present in the vertebrate fragments sorted from the wet-sieved each trench, individual assemblage size falls well residues, were exported to laboratories in Britain below 500 fragments (see Table 12.1). As a result, and Belgium where more detailed identification and much care, and indeed scepticism, must be employed analysis was undertaken. The mammal and avian when attempting to draw statistically valid and remains were identified using the comparative col­ meaningful interpretations from such small data­ lection of the Environmental ArchaeOlogy Unit, sets. Nevertheless, with these caveats in mind, some University of York, whilst the fish remains were com­ interesting observations can be made about the ver- pared to the extensive collection housed at the Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium. T;lble 12.1. Numbt, 0/ id~lllifillbl~frllgm~nls rtrordnl from hllnd­ co"~cltd lind dry-sWvt flSMmblllgN by tu'nch lind by phll~. Due to the short time available for the record­ ing of the hand-eollected and dry·sieved material II III IV V Toul during the field season, a limited suite of elements HF 3 3 was recorded for the most common species: sheep/ HFI 21 HF2 "6 6 goat, pig. cattle, gazelle and equid_ For these taxa. HL 18 18 the skeletal elements that ,..'ere included in the final HN 317 317 recording protocol were selected on the basis of their H51 371 371 archaeological visibility and usefulness, namely ease H52 183 183 H53 ,.7 267 of identification to species, representation of differ· H54 39 40 79 ent parts of the skeleton, and the availability of use­ H55 12 12 ful biometrical and age-at-death data. The protocol H56 48 48 for recording is available upon request from the au­ Tol;ll 48 371 270 37' 317 1385 thors. 417 Chapter 12 In the case of less common taxa such as wild It is clear from Table 12.2 that the most com­ mammals and birds, although few in number, all mon species recovered from the site are not surpris­ identifiable fragments were recorded where possi­ ingly the bones of domesticated mammals, primarily ble. As a result of this inherent bias in the data set, sheep and goat, followed by domestic pig and cattle. any comparative statistical analysis between species Although the majority of wild taxa, both birds and is restricted to the most common taxa mentioned mammals, arc present in much lower frequencies, above. the remains ofgazelle are more numerous than those of even equid and cattle. The major mammal species Figure 12.1 shows the frequency of the main mammals by phase, based upon the number of iden­ Frequency oftaxa lifiable specimens ( ISP). As can be clearly seen, the The total assemblage was recovered from deposits importance of remains of sheep and goat is highest which, in tenns of ceramicall)'-based and calibrated throughout all phases. In phase 11, however, their radiocarbon dating. span man)' centuries from late remains represent >90 per cent of all species recov­ fifth to earl)' second millennia Be. Once the verte­ ered (but of a tolal of only 371 identifiable frag­ brate assemblage is classified in terms ofchronologi­ ments), whilst in phases III-V, their proportion is cal date, dear differences are apparent between the reduced to between 50 per cent and 40 per cent. The relative frequencies of the most common mamma­ remains of larger domestic bovids never rise above lian taxa. 10 per cent for all periods (their highest frequency being in phase V), whilst the Tolblr 12_2. Numbt.,. ojid,·ulijiaIJI,· fragmrtrt~ r«ordcd from JrQlld-rollt'CtrJ and dry-s,rw IIsSfmh/agrs importance of domestic pigs It!! SI,,-ri.·s lIud by pl'II5/.'. is at its highest during pe­ riod IV, where their remains Spttin IV V TotiJl " '" are almost as frequent as Apodnnu!'/,\Ius sp. ~~ 2 , Mu~ muscutus houS(' moust' 1 sheep and goat. In terms of Lrpus c~rrsis CiJpe h4tw 1 wild game. the only species d. ,\ldlllvrQ C~T/StS ?honey badger/utel 1 present in substantial num­ Canidae dog famil)" 3 9 3 16 bers is the gazelle which, on d. VulpN sp. sm",11 fo:. 1 , 1 , d. Vul~ wlp6 ?fo:. 1 , the basis of overall size and rl"lrssp. c., 1 on hom-core morphology of cf.I'lllllh~rll Ifo ?hon 1 1 the few fragments recovered, Equidae horse/wild ass/donh')' , , 18 96 is likely to be the gnitred ga­ 5,/s f. domestic pig 7 18 149 55 230 Ccn'id;l" d<.'Cr , , zelle, Gazella sllbglltt/lrosa. ?Cl'r"id,,(' ?dL'('r Figure 12.1 shows lhat tht· Crn'lIs tlOpJrIlS roo deer , , remains of gazelle arc the &Ssp. CiJltll' , 13 9 69 second most frequent mam­ Gou-I/Il sp. S<17.elll' 5 <0 n "7 '0" 139 d. Gou-I/Il sp. ?ga7.e1l1' 3 3 mal recovered from phase III CQl'ril f. dornt'Stir goo' 3 19 22 11 79 deposits, representing >30 d. Cllprll f. domest;c ?goal , "20 9 <0 11 52 per cent of all major mam­ Ol'fS f. dOml'Stic sheep 9 65 <9 31' mal fragments, and also d. Ol"s f. domeslll:­ ?sha-p I , , <0 3 '''' " similar in frequency to cat­ CiJprine sht.--ep/goat 133 69 52 "339 sheeplgoat Iga7.('lh:­ " I "3 , 13 lie and pig in period V. Larg(' mammal I "1 A separate and argu­ d. HrllT/11l 1t'IlCOPS'S ?bamac1(' goose 1 I ably more representative d. Antl1ropoll!rs ",rgo ?dcmoisdl., crane 1 1 method of calculating the P/rroc/(s sp. sand grouse , <0 relative importance of spe~ Columbidae Piscon Idove famil}' 1 1 d. CoIl/mbll livjo ?rock dove 3 , des through time is by us­ COrl'll§ roTllX L raven 1 ing minimum number of individual (MNI) counts. Te:studo sp. lorlo;S(' This method reduces the bias Amphibi'ln of using fragment counts by TotiJl 37S 290 391 1426 only including bones, or " fragments of bone, which 418 Diet, Economy and Status NISP (t-bin m~m.millls) cannot be counted more than once. Figure J2.2 shows '00 ............ the percentage frequency of the three most common .5«,1._ taxa as represented by their MNI counts. Rather com­ 00 A ....... .~." fortingly. this method of calculation shows an al­ 00 ~ X e.,- most identical pattern of the relative importance of ". • ~ each species at Tell Brak through time to that noted 00 " using raw identifiable specimen counts (N1SP: Fig. M 12.1). Caprines (i.e. sheep and goats) arc once again , very common from phase U deposits.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • An In-Depth Study of the Tell Brak Eye Idols in the 4Th Millennium BCE: with a Primary Focus on Function and Meaning
    1 The Eyes Have It An In-Depth Study of the Tell Brak Eye Idols in the 4th Millennium BCE: with a primary focus on function and meaning Honours Thesis Department of Archaeology The University of Sydney Arabella Cooper 430145722 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sydney, Australia, 2016. 2 “In the present state of our knowledge there are very few archaeological discoveries which can be described as unique, but one class of objects from Brak is unique-the eye-idols or images which turned up in thousands in the grey brick stratum of the earlier Eye-Temple" M.E.L Mallowan, 1947, Excavations at Brak and Chagar Bazar, 33. Cover Image: Figures 1-5. M.E.L Mallowan, 1947, Excavations at Brak and Chagar Bazar, 33. 3 Statement of Authorship The research described in this thesis, except where referenced, is the original work of the author and was a discrete project supervised by Dr Alison Betts. This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution. No other individual’s work has been used without accurate referencing and acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis. Arabella Cooper, November 2016 4 Acknowledgments As with any major study or work, you do not toil in isolation and the writing of this thesis is no different. I first would like to thank my supervisor Professor Alison Betts, and even more so the wonderful staff at the Nicholson Museum Candace Richards and Karen Alexander for their patience and advise.
    [Show full text]
  • Piotr Bieliński Polish Excavation in Northeast Syria 1988-1989
    Piotr Bieliński Polish Excavation in Northeast Syria 1988-1989 Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 1, 17-25 1990 POLISH EXCAVATIONS IN NORTHEAST SYRIA 1988-1989 Piotr Bieliński The region of Syrian Jezirah has become in recent years a zone of partic- ularly intensive archaeological activity. It is mainly due to important irrigation projects, which have been started some years ago in the basin of the upper Khabur. Since 1986 a team of Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology is participating in the international Salvage Programme of the Hasake Dams Area. This programme is organized and supervised by the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums to the officials of which we owe many thanks for their constant help and support. A survey of several archaeological sites was carried out in the vicinity of Hasake in 1986.1 As a result, two sites situated within the Hasake Eastern Dam Reservoir Area were selected for further exploration: Tell Abu- Hafur and Tell Djassa al-Gharbi. The regular excavations on both of them have begun in the spring of 1988 and the second season took place a year later. TELL DJASSA AL-GHARBI Tell Djassa al-Gharbi is situated near the southern end of the Hasake Eastern Dam (only 50 m from its western face).2 The mound is about 16 m high and has c. 150 m in diameter. It is conic- al in shape and its slopes are rather steep, especially on the northern and northwestern side. The top of the mound rises to 333.8 m above sea level and is entirely covered by a modern Islamic cemetery.
    [Show full text]
  • Amulets? on the Possible Function of Zoomorphic Pendants from Child Burials in Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria)
    Title: Amulets? On the possible function of zoomorphic pendants from child burials in Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria) Author(s): Dariusz Szeląg Journal: Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 23/2, Special Studies: Beyond ornamentation. Jewelry as an Aspect of Material Culture in the Ancient Near East, edited by A. Golani , Z. Wygnańska Year: 2014 Pages: 145-160 ISSN 1234–5415 (Print), ISSN 2083–537X (Online) Publisher: Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw (PCMA UW), Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego (WUW) www.pcma.uw.edu.pl – www.wuw.pl Amulets? On the possible function of zoomorphic pendants from child burials in Tell Rad Shaqrah NEAR EAST AmULETS? ON THE PossIBLE FUNCTIon of zoomorPHIC PENDANTS FROM CHILD BURIALS IN TELL RAD SHAQRAH (SYRIA) Dariusz Szeląg Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw Abstract: Among the grave goods accompanying child burials discovered at the site of Tell Rad Shaqrah there is a distinctive group of zoomorphic pendants. Pendants made of shell or nacre, similar both in form and decoration (circle-and-dot motif ), are the most comprehensive part of it. These animal pendants have parallels from sites mainly in northern Syria and Mesopotamia. The zoomorphic pendants from Tell Rad Shaqrah could have been used as personal adornments, but their potential magical significance can also be considered. Keywords:Tell Rad Shaqrah, burials, shell/nacre, zoomorphic pendants, personal adornment Zoomorphic pendants were part of child period (about 2350–2200 BC) (Bieliński grave inventories from Tell Rad Shaqrah in 1996: 162, 168, 170; Koliński 1996: 67). northeastern Syria, a small mound (140 x The assemblage of zoomorphic pen- 120 m) situated 15 km to the southeast dants discussed in the present article of modern Hassake, on the eastern edge came from five graves and in each case it of the Khabur river valley.
    [Show full text]
  • Neolithic Period Is Accepted to Be One of the Most Important
    SOCIAL CONTEXT OF SMALL FIND DISTRIBUTION AT DOMUZTEPE; RITUAL DISPLAY AND SOCIETY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY DENİZ ERDEM IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SETTLEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2013 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Doç. Dr. D. Burcu Erciyas Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Assist. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Atakuman Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Numan Tuna (METU,SA) Prof. Dr. Asuman Türkmenoğlu (METU, ARME) Prof. Dr. Yılmaz S. Erdal (H.Ü. ANT.) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jan Bertram (METU, SA) Assist. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Atakuman (METU, SA) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Deniz Erdem Signature : iii ABSTRACT SOCIAL CONTEXT OF SMALL FIND DISTRIBUTION AT DOMUZTEPE; RITUAL DISPLAY AND SOCIETY Erdem, Deniz Ph.D., Department of Settlement Archaeology Supervisor: Assist Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Atakuman September 2013, 178 pages This study examines the spatial distribution of small finds within a late Neolithic ritual context at the site of Domuztepe-Kahramanmaraş (c.
    [Show full text]
  • Halaf Settlement in the Iraqi Kurdistan: the Shahrizor Survey Project
    The Archaeology of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Adjacent Regions Access Open Edited by Konstantinos Kopanias and John MacGinnis Archaeopress Archaeopress Archaeology Copyright Archaeopress and the authors 2016 Archaeopress Publishing Ltd Gordon House 276 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7ED www.archaeopress.com ISBN 978 1 78491 393 9 ISBN 978 1 78491 394 6 (e-Pdf) © Archaeopress and the authors 2016 Access Cover illustration: Erbil Citadel, photo Jack Pascal Open All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Archaeopress Printed in England by Holywell Press, Oxford This book is available direct from Archaeopress or from our website www.archaeopress.com Copyright Archaeopress and the authors 2016 Contents List of Figures and Tables ........................................................................................................................iv Authors’ details ..................................................................................................................................... xii Preface ................................................................................................................................................. xvii Archaeological investigations on the Citadel of Erbil: Background, Framework and Results.............. 1 Dara Al Yaqoobi, Abdullah Khorsheed Khader, Sangar Mohammed, Saber Hassan Hussein, Mary Shepperson and John MacGinnis The site
    [Show full text]
  • Vallée Du Khabour. Quartiers D´Habitation Et Premiers Moments De L´Urbanisme En Mésopotamie Du Nord
    VALLÉE DU KHABOUR. QUARTIERS D´HABITATION ET PREMIERS MOMENTS DE L´URBANISME EN MÉSOPOTAMIE DU NORD VOLUME I Cruz Sánchez AOÛT 2011 REMERCIEMENTS Ce travail je voudrais le dédier, à la memoire de mon professeur decedé Manuel Fernández-Miranda, qui m´as mis sur le chemin du Proche Orient et m´as encourage aux difficiles premiers moments de mes études et plus tard de ma recherche. Je ne pourrais jamais l´oublier. Mes remerciements les plus profonds vont à mon directeur de thèse qui a compris depuis qu´il m´as connue les difficultées que j´ai rencontrées sur mon chemin mais a su maintenir mon enthusiame pour un sujet passionnant. Il a su transmetre son enthusiasme et sa passion pour l´étude du Proche Orient Ancien. Son langage technique mais en même temps accessible m´as ouvert la porte sur cette recherche. Je suis très fiere d´être son éleve, c´est un privilege qui m´a enrichi enormement comme étudiante et comme personne. Son exemple et son dévouement sont incroyables et sa plus grande vertu c´est la facilité qu´il a pour transmetre son savoir. Le proccessus fut long et il y as eu diverses institutions et personnes qui ont contribue concient ou inconscientment à m´aider, pour à arriver à achever ce travail. Je dois expliquer ici que j´ai eu une aide internationale avec mes amis français, syriens et mes compatriotes espagnols. Mes amis syriens : Son Excellence Monsieur le Ministre Dr. Mohsen Bilal, (Embassadeur en Espagne), Son Excellence Madame Chagaf Kayali, (Embassade à Paris), Monsieur Abdul al Mohsen (grand connaisseur de l´ Histoire de son pays).
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Pigs Reveal a Near-Complete Genomic Turnover Following Their Introduction to Europe
    This is a repository copy of Ancient pigs reveal a near-complete genomic turnover following their introduction to Europe. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/150689/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Frantz, Laurent A F, Haile, James, Lin, Audrey T et al. (97 more authors) (2019) Ancient pigs reveal a near-complete genomic turnover following their introduction to Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. pp. 17231-17238. ISSN 1091-6490 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1901169116 Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ 1 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES: Anthropology 2 3 Ancient pigs reveal a near-complete genomic turnover following their introduction to 4 Europe 5 6 Authors 7 Laurent A.F. Frantz1,2,a,*, James Haile2,*, Audrey T. Lin2,3,*, Amelie Scheu4, Christina Geörg4, 8 Norbert Benecke5, Michelle Alexander6, Anna Linderholm2,7, Victoria E.
    [Show full text]
  • Anacleto D'agostino the Upper Khabur and the Upper
    Anacleto D’Agostino The Upper Khabur and the Upper Tigris Valleys during the Late Bronze Age: Settlements and Ceramic Horizons 0. Introduction Field research undertaken in recent decades in northern Syria and southeastern Turkey has significantly improved our understanding of the material culture and settlement patterns in the area, offering new evidence that merits discussion. Although the new stratigraphic sequences brought to light in the recent excavations have enhanced the archaeological profile of some sites, a comprehensive picture of the com- position and development of the settlements and ceramic assemblages during the second half of the sec- ond millennium BC is still lacking, mainly due to the very limited number, and the limited size, of settle- ments excavated to date. One of the key issues in the debate on the second millennium BC in northern Mesopotamia concerns the nature and development of the settlement pattern at the time of the Middle Assyrian conquest and the changes that occurred under the Mittani and Assyrian hegemonies in the upper Khabur and upper Tigris valleys. This paper offers a general overview of Late Bronze Age settlements in the valleys of the upper Kha- bur and Tigris Rivers, and takes into account the results from both early and more recent excavations as well as small and large regional surveys, aiming to highlight some interesting advances in our knowl- edge of the area whilst also drawing attention to the many questions that remain unanswered in our at- tempts to reconstruct the cultural sequence and historical events of these territories.1 1. The geographical and historical contexts The upper Tigris and upper Khabur valleys comprise two distinct geographical and ecological zones within the upper Mesopotamia/Southeastern Anatolian region, straddling the high terrain of the Tur Abdin.
    [Show full text]
  • Figural Motifs on Halaf Pottery: an Iconographical Study of Late Neolithic Society in Northern Mesopotamia
    BAHATTİN İPEK BAHATTİN FIGURAL MOTIFS ON HALAF POTTERY: AN ICONOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF LATE NEOLITHIC SOCIETY IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA A Master’s Thesis ICONOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF LATE NEOLITHIC NEOLITHIC LATE OF STUDY ICONOGRAPHICAL FIGURAL MOTIFS ON HALAF POTTERY: AN AN POTTERY: HALAF ON MOTIFS FIGURAL SOCIETY IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA NORTHERN IN SOCIETY by BAHATTİN İPEK Department of Archaeology İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University Ankara Bilkent Bilkent August 2019 University 2019 To my father and my family FIGURAL MOTIFS ON HALAF POTTERY: AN ICONOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF LATE NEOLITHIC SOCIETY IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA The Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences of Ġhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University by BAHATTĠN ĠPEK In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN ARCHAEOLOGY THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY ĠHSAN DOĞRAMACI BĠLKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA AUGUST 2019 ABSTRACT FIGURAL MOTIFS ON HALAF POTTERY: AN ICONOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF LATE NEOLITHIC SOCIETY IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA Ġpek, Bahattin M. A., Department of Archaeology Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marie-Henriette Gates August 2019 Information about the lifestyles of ancient cultures, their daily activities, religious beliefs, close or long distance trade relations, or cultural interactions come from their products. Ancient material productions can be briefly mentioned by examples such as stone tools, pottery, and secular or religious buildings. Thanks to excavations or socio-cultural surveys, we are able to make comments on the ancient societies' materials. Wall paintings, motifs or scenes on pottery provide us important information about the lifestyles or religious beliefs of ancient cultures. The aim of this thesis is to give information about the motifs on Halaf pottery, which belongs to the Late Neolithic period and spread over a wide area in Northern Mesopotamia.
    [Show full text]
  • Title: Shell Objects from Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria) Author(S): Dariusz
    Title: Shell objects from Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria) Author(s): Dariusz Szeląg Journal: Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 22 (Research 2010) Year: 2013 Pages: 587–616 ISSN 1234–5415 (Print), ISSN 2083–537X (Online) Publisher: Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw (PCMA UW), Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego (WUW) www.pcma.uw.edu.pl – www.wuw.pl Abstract: Polish excavations at Tell Rad Shaqrah in northeastern Syria revealed remains of a settlement dated primarily to the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. The paper presents a collection of beads and pendants made of shell and nacre from Rad Shaqrah, mostly from funerary contexts. These beads and pendants find parallels among finds from sites in northern Syria and Mesopotamia (Tell al-Raqa’i, Tell Beydar, Tell Brak, Tell Bi’a, Tawi, Qara Quzaq, Mari etc.) and also from southern Mesopotamia (Ur, Uruk, Abu Salabikh). Among the shell artifacts there are also items made of exotic shells, which raises the question of trade and exchange of shells in northern Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC. Keywords: Tell Rad Shaqrah, shell/nacre artifacts, personal adornment, beads, zoomorphic pendants, quadrupeds Shell objects from Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria) SYRIA SHEll OBJECTS FRom TEll RAD SHAQRAH (SYRIA) Dariusz Szeląg Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw Abstract: Polish excavations at Tell Rad Shaqrah in northeastern Syria revealed remains of a settle- ment dated primarily to the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. The paper presents a collection of beads and pendants made of shell and nacre from Rad Shaqrah, mostly from funerary contexts. These beads and pendants find parallels among finds from sites in northernS yria and Mesopotamia (Tell al-Raqa’i, Tell Beydar, Tell Brak, Tell Bi’a, Tawi, Qara Quzaq, Mari etc.) and also from south- ern Mesopotamia (Ur, Uruk, Abu Salabikh).
    [Show full text]
  • “Halaf Period” (6100-5300/5100 Bc) in Northern Mesopotamia and the Northern Levant: Material Culture, Subsistence Economy and Cross- Cultural Encounters
    cedrus.akdeniz.edu.tr CEDRUS Cedrus VIII (2020) 1-63 The Journal of MCRI DOI: 10.13113/CEDRUS.202001 KUZEY MEZOPOTAMYA VE KUZEY LEVANT’TA “HALAF DÖNEMİ” (MÖ 6100- 5300/5100): MADDİ KÜLTÜR, GEÇİM EKONOMİSİ VE KÜLTÜREL TEMAS “HALAF PERIOD” (6100-5300/5100 BC) IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA AND THE NORTHERN LEVANT: MATERIAL CULTURE, SUBSISTENCE ECONOMY AND CROSS- CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS İZZET ÇIVGIN∗ Öz: Makalenin konusu, MÖ 6100-5300/5100 arasında Yu- Abstract: The Halaf culture occurs in the Late Neo- karı Mezopotamya ve Kuzey Levant’ta etkili olmuş, Halaf ola- lithic period which lasted between 6100-5300/5100 rak bilinen maddi kültür evresidir. Halaf maddi kültürü, bu 6 B.C. and is found in Upper Mesopotamia and the yüzyıl içinde, sayılan iki bölge dışında eskiden Samarra kültü- Northern Levant. Indeed, the fine painted pottery of rünün merkezi olan Orta Mezopotamya’ya da girmiştir. As- the Halaf culture emerged gradually from a transi- lına bakılırsa, en eski Hassuna kapları ile boyalı Samarra ve tional stage in which Hassuna and Samarra decorative Halaf kapları arasında kopuştan çok süreklilikler vardır. Halaf modes and stylistic traits dominated. Halaf culture is çanak-çömleği, 1000 yıldır dönüşen çömlek işçiliğinde yaka- known for its (1) painted and thin-walled pottery, (2) lanan yeni düzeyi temsil etmektedir. Halaf maddi kültürü, 7 round buildings, (3) adobe or mud-brick building unsurun toplamından oluşur. 1- Kaliteli, ince cidarlı, boyalı ve techniques, (4) clay female figurines (5) stamp seals, bezekli çanak-çömlekler. 2- “Tholos” adı verilen yuvarlak (6) chipped stone tools made of obsidian from Central planlı yapılar. 3- Temelleri taştan, duvarları tauf ya da kerpiç- or Eastern Anatolian sources, and, (7) clay sling bul- ten yapılar.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Cultures
    Vol. 2 - 2020 Vol. Asia Anteriore Antica Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Cultures 2611-8912 Vol. 2 - 2020 Asia Anteriore Antica Anteriore Asia Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Cultures Journal of FIRENZE FUP PRESSUNIVERSITY Asia Anteriore Antica Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Cultures Vol. 2 - 2020 Firenze University Press AsiAnA Asia Anteriore Antica Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Cultures Scientific Director: Stefania Mazzoni Editorial Board Amalia Catagnoti, Anacleto D’Agostino, Candida Felli, Valentina Orsi, Marina Pucci, Sebastiano Soldi, Maria Vittoria Tonietti, Giulia Torri. Scientific Committee Abbas Alizadeh, Dominik Bonatz, Frank Braemer, Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum, Tim Harrison, Robert Hawley, Gunnar Lehmann, Nicolò Marchetti, Doris Prechel, Karen Radner, Ulf-Dietrich Schoop, Daniel Schwemer, Jason Ur. The volume was published with the contribution of Fondazione OrMe – Oriente Mediterraneo and Di- partimento SAGAS – Università di Firenze Front cover photo: Tell Brak, gold sheet pendant, Early Bronze Age, Deir ez-Zor Archaeological Museum (adapted from Aruz, Wallenfels (eds) 2003, fig. 158a). Published by Firenze University Press – University of Florence, Italy Via Cittadella, 7 - 50144 Florence - Italy http://www.fupress.com/asiana Direttore Responsabile: Vania Vorcelli Copyright © 2020 Authors. The authors retain all rights to the original work without any restrictions. Open Access. This issue is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Interna- tional License (CC-BY-4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0 1.0) waiver applies to the data made available in this issue, unless otherwise stated.
    [Show full text]