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Durham E-Theses Durham E-Theses Settlement in the Diyala and Southern Mesopotamia: A Reassessment of Robert McCormick Adams' Sasanian and Early Islamic Ceramic 'Type Fossils' WELLS, REBECCA,DEBORAH How to cite: WELLS, REBECCA,DEBORAH (2015) Settlement in the Diyala and Southern Mesopotamia: A Reassessment of Robert McCormick Adams' Sasanian and Early Islamic Ceramic 'Type Fossils', Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11411/ 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 Durham E-Theses • 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 Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Settlement in the Diyala and Southern Mesopotamia: A Reassessment of Robert McCormick Adams' Sasanian and Early Islamic Ceramic 'Type Fossils' By Rebecca D. Wells Robert McCormick Adams', considered to be a pioneer in Near Eastern archaeology, has been extremely influential in his surveys and hypotheses concerning the settlement, population and agricultural patterns of Mesopotamia. It is the aim of this discussion to examine his views concerning the Sasanian and Early Islamic periods by means of reassessing his correspondingly dated ceramic 'type fossils' (outlined in Adams' publication Land Behind Baghdad (1965)). More recent excavations in the area have suggested that some of these 'type fossils' should be dated later than originally considered. Therefore Adams' 'type fossils' and conclusions concerning the Mesopotamian region are in need of reviewing. What follows is a reassessment and examination of Adams' surveys and excavations in the Diyala (Land Behind Baghdad (1965)) and at the site of Tell Abu Sarifa (1970). By reassessing his dating for the 'type fossils' it has been possible to reclassify some of his archaeological phases. In applying the new dating to Adams' survey data from Land Behind Baghdad, it has also been feasible to critically review how the settlement and economy changed in the Sasanian and Early Islamic periods in the Diyala and Southern Mesopotamia. In this work, it has been concluded that some of Adams' 'type fossils' do need re-dating, the effects of which being that the dating of the site of Tell Abu Sarifa probably needs to shift by 100-150 years. In the application of this new dating to the settlement data collected by Adams in his surveys of the Diyala Plain, it is suggested that there was a massive boom in settlement in Early Islamic times. This therefore has implications for our current understanding of the history and development of that period, calling for a re-evaluation of how it is viewed. 1 Settlement in the Diyala and Southern Mesopotamia: A Reassessment of Robert McCormick Adams' Sasanian and Early Islamic Ceramic 'Type Fossils' Rebecca Deborah Wells M.A. Thesis Department of Archaeology, University of Durham 2015 2 Contents Contents...............................................................................................................3 List of Graphs and Diagrams...............................................................................9 List of Tables......................................................................................................10 Statement of Copyright.......................................................................................11 Acknowledgements............................................................................................12 1. Introduction....................................................................................................13 Research Questions..................................................................................14 Aims and Objectives..................................................................................14 Literature Review: An Introduction to Adams' Work..................................15 2. Settlement, Population, and Agriculture.........................................................20 Introduction................................................................................................20 Methods of Survey and Estimating Population Trends..............................21 General Settlement and Population Theories For the Sasanian Period....25 General Settlement and Population Theories For the Early Islamic Period …...............................................................................................28 The Transition to the Early Islamic Period in the Diyala............................30 Settlement and Population Continuing into Later Islamic Times...............31 Explanations for the Changing Trends and Continuity...............................33 Conclusions...............................................................................................39 3. Tell Abu Sarifa: A Critique...............................................................................40 Introduction................................................................................................40 The Importance of Tell Abu Sarifa.............................................................40 The Excavation..........................................................................................42 Presentation of the Data............................................................................43 Adams' Dates for the Tell Abu Sarifa Levels..............................................45 Problems with Dating at Tell Abu Sarifa.....................................................46 Lack of Numismatic Evidence...........................................................46 3 Pitting................................................................................................47 Canal Levee......................................................................................49 Culling of Sherds...............................................................................50 Tell Abu Sarifa Dating of Levels: Adams' Evidence...................................51 Pre-Sasanian Levels.........................................................................51 Level I.......................................................................................51 Hiatus.......................................................................................52 Sasanian Levels................................................................................52 Level II......................................................................................52 Level III.....................................................................................54 Islamic Levels...................................................................................54 Level IV.....................................................................................55 Level V......................................................................................56 Level VI and Surface................................................................57 Miscellaneous Objects..............................................................................57 Glass........................................................................................................59 Conclusion................................................................................................60 4. Adams' Type Fossils: Land Behind Baghdad 1965........................................61 Introduction................................................................................................61 Adams' Sasanian Type Fossils in Land Behind Baghdad 1965................62 Type 12 A..........................................................................................62 Adams' 1965 Description..........................................................62 Adams' Land Behind Baghdad References..............................62 Type Fossil Use and Dating Evidence......................................63 At Tell Abu Sarifa 1970.............................................................63 Type 12 B..........................................................................................64 Adams' 1965 Description..........................................................64 Adams' Land Behind Baghdad References..............................64 Type Fossil Use and Dating Evidence......................................64 At Tell Abu Sarifa 1970.............................................................65 Type 12 C..........................................................................................66 Adams' 1965 Description..........................................................66 Adams' Land Behind Baghdad References..............................66 4 Type Fossil Use and Dating Evidence......................................66 At Tell Abu Sarifa 1970.............................................................67 Type 12 D..........................................................................................67 Adams' 1965 Description..........................................................67 Adams' Land Behind Baghdad References..............................67 Type Fossil Use and Dating Evidence......................................67
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