Excavations in Iraq: The Ray Jazirah Project, first report

Altaweel, Mark

doi:10.1017/s0021088900001236

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(16 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The plains around the Jebel Sinjar and the eastern banks of the Tigris undoubtedly have much to contribute to these debates (Rothman 2001b). Iraqi archaeologists have recently published some brief results of work from the 1980s but the political situation remains so dire that they do so anonymously (Altaweel 2006;.…”

Section: Future Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cycles of Civilization in Northern Mesopotamia, 4400–2000 BC

2010

J Archaeol Res

194

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The intensification of fieldwork in northern Mesopotamia, the upper region of the TigrisEuphrates basin, has revealed two cycles of expansion and reduction in social complexity between 4400-2000 BC. These cycles include developments in social inequality, political centralization, craft production and economic specialization, agropastoral land use, and urbanization. Contrary to earlier assessments, many of these developments proceeded independently from the polities in southern Mesopotamia, although not in isolation. This review considers recent data from excavations and surveys in northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey with particular attention to how they are used to construct models of early urban polities.Key words: Mesopotamia, complex society, urbanism, collapse 1 IntroductionOver a span of more than two millennia, northern Mesopotamia witnessed the emergence of urban complex society, its collapse and rebirth, and a further episode of collapse. This time span (ca. 4400-2000 BC) has been intensively studied by archaeologists over the last two decades, largely because of twin push (the closure of Iraq to foreign archaeology) and pull (salvage campaigns in advance of dam projects) forces. As a result, what was once considered to be the periphery of early urbanism and state formation in southern Mesopotamia (modern southern Iraq) has emerged as a region of interest in its own right. In many ways we now have a superior understanding of major social developments in the north (e.g., urbanism, craft production, agricultural and pastoral organization, the development of the landscape) than we do for the south, and improvements in chronology have revealed that many aspects of social complexity that were once assumed to have been imported from southern Mesopotamia have earlier and entirely indigenous origins.This review describes the development of social complexity from 4400 BC to the collapse of urban society at the end of the 3rd millennium BC in northern (or upper) Mesopotamia, defined here as the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys and the plains and steppe between them that fall today in northern Iraq, northern Syria, and southeastern Turkey (Fig. 1).Much archaeological research in the region, and in the Near East in general, adopts a culture historical approach that emphasizes typology and the development of sequences of material culture; here the emphasis is on anthropologically oriented research published since 1990.Geographically, the focus is on the river valleys and alluvial plains of Syria, and particularly the Upper Khabur basin of Hassake province. Occasionally I refer to sites beyond northern Mesopotamia proper when they are relevant to the discussion, particularly the western Syrian 2 cities of Ebla and Umm al-Marra; the important Syrian city of Mari, on the Euphrates near the Iraqi border, is largely southern Mesopotamian in orientation and will be not be discussed (although see Margueron 2004).In Mesopotamian archaeology generally, social complexity is described throug...

show abstract

Section: Future Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cycles of Civilization in Northern Mesopotamia, 4400–2000 BC

2010

J Archaeol Res

194

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…From the ceramics, parallels, particularly from Figs. 11 and 12, are found in relatively nearby sites from northern and southern Iraq (Starr 1937:Pl 136;Ricciardi,1967;Adams 1970;Ricciardi, 1970/71;Wilkinson & Tucker 1995;Altaweel 2006;Simpson 2013:114, Fig. 3, No.23) and Western Iran (Keal 1969;Keal & Keal 1981).…”

Section: Discussion and Summarymentioning

confidence: 97%

Report on the Excavations at Merquly: The 2009 Season

Saber¹,

Rejeb²,

Altaweel³

2014

Iraq

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The site of Merquly is located in a mountain pass c. 40 km north-west of Slemani (Sulaimaniyah), Iraq. Excavation at the site in 2009 revealed a fortified structure whose rooms at multiple elevations reflect a terraced structure adapted to the steep landscape contours of its setting. Both architectural preservation and quantity of finds were relatively limited; however, despite the nearby presence of a prominent Parthian period rock relief, ceramics suggest a later Sasanian date for the site. The authors discuss the 2009 season's results, and consider possible parallels for the preserved architecture, although further work is needed to securely date and characterize the site.

show abstract

“…First, a relatively small number of sites show evidence of occupation during the Hassuna to Ubaid periods. The previous article (Altaweel 2006) had four Ubaid sites, while only two are recorded in this article. This result is not surprising given that most of the excavations concentrated on the main tells, where Bronze Age settlements are to be expected and earlier settlements are usually buried deep.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the last report, RJP 5 was given the name Tell Mezar' (Altaweel 2006). However, I have been made aware that the correct name of the site is Tell al-Mezr'a 1 ( i c j j J .…”

Section: Correction and Pottery For Rjpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Excavations in Iraq: The Jazirah Salvage Project, second report

Altaweel¹

2007

Iraq

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This is the second article in a series detailing archaeological results from salvage excavations conducted in northern Iraq during the 1980s and early 1990s. An introduction and background information to the overall salvage project and specific information on fifteen excavated sites in the northern Jazirah, near the Iraq-Syria border and mostly within T. J. Wilkinson and D. J. Tucker's North Jazira Survey (NJS; see Wilkinson and Tucker 1995), were provided in the first article (Altaweel 2006). In that article the project was called the Ray Jazirah Project (RJP), and the fifteen sites were referenced as RJP 1–15. Since then I have been informed that a more appropriate name is the Jazirah Salvage Project. Nevertheless, for consistency with the last and future articles, the RJP initials will be maintained for referencing archaeological sites and the project in general.This report provides data for the second set of excavated sites in the North region of the RJP. As in the first article, my role has been to provide this information to a wider audience prior to publication in Arabic and to conduct comparative analysis of the source material with other archaeological sites. I have attempted to maintain fidelity to the original source material, including using Iraqi conventions such as the system of numbering levels and ceramics, with only my commentary added to help in the interpretation of the data. In a similar manner to the previous report, very detailed descriptions on any one site will not be provided; rather, the primary purpose is to give summary data on the excavation results, with significant emphasis, where possible, on the ceramic remains. A list of the sites' occupation history and a table listing RJP sites with corresponding NJS sites (Table 1) are provided prior to the discussion of archaeological results. This report includes some additional details from a previously discussed site (RJP 5). The new sites discussed, including the first fifteen sites in the earlier article, can be seen in Fig. 1 according to their RJP numbers.

show abstract

Excavations in Iraq: The Ray Jazirah Project, first report

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Cycles of Civilization in Northern Mesopotamia, 4400–2000 BC

Cycles of Civilization in Northern Mesopotamia, 4400–2000 BC

Report on the Excavations at Merquly: The 2009 Season

Excavations in Iraq: The Jazirah Salvage Project, second report

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About