SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND CULTURAL INTERACTIONS IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA 2ND – 4TH CENTURY CE Rocco Palermo 2 [SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND CULTURAL INTERACTIONS IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA] UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II DIPARTIMENTO DI STUDI UMANISTICI SCUOLA DI DOTTORATO IN SCIENZE STORICHE, ARCHEOLOGICHE E STORICO-ARTISTICHE CORSO DI DOTTORATO IN STORIA INDIRIZZO STORIA ANTICA (XXV CICLO) SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND CULTURAL INTERACTIONS IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA (2ND – 4TH CENTURY CE) DOTTORANDO TUTOR ROCCO PALERMO PROF. R.PIEROBON A.A. 2011-2012 [SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND CULTURAL INTERACTIONS IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA] 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... 7 ANCIENT SOURCES ............................................................................................................ 9 ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................... 12 FOREWORD ......................................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 1 .......................................................................................................................... 21 GEOGRAPHIC AND CLIMATE ....................................................................................... 21 1.1 MAJOR CENTRES AND RURAL LANDSCAPE IN MODERN TIMES ..................................... 26 1.2 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY .................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER 2 .......................................................................................................................... 30 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW ............................................................................................... 30 2.1.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 30 2.1.3 THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE TRAJAN’S PARTHIAN CAMPAIGNS ................................ 36 2.2 THE PARTHIAN CAMPAIGNS OF LUCIUS VERUS (161-166 CE) ..................................... 38 2.2.1 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF LUCIUS VERUS .................... 40 2.3 THE SEVERIAN PERIOD AND THE NEWLY ACQUIRED EASTERN PROVINCES ................. 42 2.3.1 PROVINCIAL ORDER IN UPPER MESOPOTAMIA DURING THE 3RD CENTURY CE ......... 44 2.4 THE RISE OF THE SASANIANS ........................................................................................ 48 CONSEQUENCE AND AFTERMATH OF GORDIAN III PERSIAN WARS ................................... 55 2.5 THE SKZ AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE ........................................................ 58 FROM THE CAPTURE OF VALERIAN TO THE CESSION OF MESOPOTAMIA (260-363 CE) .... 60 CHAPTER 3 .......................................................................................................................... 68 THE CITIES AND THE RURAL LANDSCAPE .............................................................. 68 3.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 68 CHAPTER 4 .......................................................................................................................... 73 NISIBIS: A FRONTIER CITY IN UPPER MESOPOTAMIA ........................................ 73 4.1 GEOGRAPHY AND LOCATION ........................................................................................ 73 4.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND .......................................................................................... 74 4.3 THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT AND THE SUPPORT OF THE SATELLITE IMAGERY .. 81 4.4 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................... 89 CHAPTER 5 .......................................................................................................................... 91 SINGARA: A ROMAN FORTRESS IN NORTHERN IRAQ ......................................... 91 5.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 91 5.2 GEOGRAPHY AND LOCATION ........................................................................................ 91 5.3 HISTORY AND EVENTS .................................................................................................. 92 5.3 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA ............................................................................................. 95 5.4 SINGARA AND THE TABLE OF PEUTINGER .................................................................... 98 5.5 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................. 100 CHAPTER 6 ........................................................................................................................ 101 THE WESTERN JEZIRAH: RHESAINA AND CONSTANTINA ............................... 101 6.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 101 6.2 RHESAINA ................................................................................................................... 102 6.2.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 102 6.2.2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA ........................................................................................ 103 6.2.3 RHESAINA AS A ROMAN COLONY ............................................................................ 105 6.3 CONSTANTINA ............................................................................................................. 107 6.3.1 GEOGRAPHY AND LOCATION ................................................................................... 107 4 [SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND CULTURAL INTERACTIONS IN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA] 6.3.2 HISTORY AND EVENTS ............................................................................................. 108 6.3.3 ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA ........................................................................................ 108 CHAPTER 7 ........................................................................................................................ 111 HATRA AND THE INTERACTION WITH ROME ...................................................... 111 7.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 111 7.2 GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................... 112 7.3 HATRA BETWEEN HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY ....................................................... 114 7.4 RELATIONS AND INTERACTION WITH ROME ............................................................... 117 7.5 HATRA AND THE ROUTE SYSTEM IN THE STEPPE ........................................................ 121 CHAPTER 8 ........................................................................................................................ 123 MINOR SETTLEMENTS .................................................................................................. 123 8.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 124 8.2 SEH QUBBA ................................................................................................................. 125 8.2.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 126 8.2.3 CONCLUSIONS AND OBSERVATIONS ........................................................................ 130 8.3 BEZABDE ..................................................................................................................... 132 8.3.1 GEOGRAPHIC INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 132 8.3.2 HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA ................................................................. 132 8.3.3 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................... 136 8.4.5 POTTERY AS A CHRONOLOGICAL AND TYPOLOGICAL INDICATOR AT BARRI .......... 150 8.4.5.1 METHOD AND ANALYSIS ....................................................................................... 152 8.4.5.2 PERCENTAGES AND COMPUTATION OF THE POTTERY OF THE AREAS H AND E FROM TELL BARRI (SYRIA) ......................................................................................................... 153 8.4.6 OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS ............................................................................ 156 8.4.7 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................... 159 8.5 TELL TUNEINIR ........................................................................................................... 161 8.5.1 GEOGRAPHY AND LOCATION ................................................................................... 161 8.5.2 HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA (2ND -4TH CENTURY CE) ........................... 162 8.5.3 OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS ............................................................................. 163 8.6 AIN SINU AND THE OTHER SUPPOSED SQUARED FORTS IN THE REGION ..................... 165 8.6.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................