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A15)
Hebrew Bible, History and Archaeology
Dale W. Manor, Harding
University, and Daniel Browning, William Carey College, Presiding
50) Elizabeth Bloch-Smith,
Tel Dor Excavations
Excavation,
Survey and Text: Converging Views of Iron I 'Israelite' Life and Death
Adam Zertal
and Israel Finkelstein's survey data from the Cisjordanian north central
highlands necessitate revising the prevailing reconstruction of Iron
I, a reconstruction based on excavated sites. Five regions-the Dothan
Valley, Wadi Far'ah, the Mt. Ebal vicinity, Dhahr Mirzbaneh-Ein Samiya,
and Tell en-Nasbeh to er-Ram-exhibit varying settlement and burial strategies.
In each case, settlers founded Iron I sites in proximity to LBA settlements
and buried their dead in the same manner and location as their predecessors.
Archaeological survey and excavation evidence, in conformity with biblical
testimony, demonstrates continuity in both occupation and interment
from the LBA into Iron I.
51) Amihai Mazar,
Hebrew University
Iron Age
Chronology: A View from Tel Rehov
On the basis
of a series of radiometric dates resulting from tests conducted at the
University of Groningen in the Nederlands on short-life samples originating
in six successive strata at Tel Rehov, we are able to present precise
dates relating to this sequence of strata spanning the 12th- 9th centuries
B.C.E. The research was conducted by H. Bruins of Ben-Gurion University
of the Negev, Prof. J. Van der Plicht of the University of Groningen,
and myself. Strata VI and V at Tel Rehov are dated to the 10th century
and Stratum IV to the 9th century, supporting my previous suggestion
that the Iron Age IIA should be dated to ca. 980-930 B.C.E. The severe
destruction of Stratum V, dated to the second half of the 10th century,
may be related to the conquest of the site by Shoshenq I (biblical Shishak).
These results have important implications for the current debate concerning
Iron Age chronology and for the archaeological interpretation of the
United Monarchy that is an inherent subject of this controversy.
52) Anson F. Rainey,
Tel Aviv University
Southwestern
Judah in the Eighth Century BCE
This
paper is a response to an article by J. A. Blakely and J. W. Hardin
in BASOR 326 (2000): 11-64. It consists mainly of arguments sent to
Blakley via email, plus some elaboration and documentation. The topic
concerns the biblical references to the relations between Tiglath-Pileser
III and Ahaz, king of Judah, and the Philistines. That information is
then applied to some archaeological data. There are some apparent flaws
in the reasoning by Blakely and Hardin which need to be pointed out.
53) Oded Lipschits,
Tel Aviv University
The Place
of the Babylonian Period in the Archaeology of Palestine
Many archaeologists
believe the 65 years of Babylonian rule in Palestine reflect a demographic
and material culture gap. In this lecture I will demonstrate that this
is too sweeping a generalization. It seems that historical considerations
are what stand behind the dating of many of the destruction layers.
But, it is doubtful that the Babylonian conquest had any effect on the
Assyrian provinces in the central and northern parts of Palestine, even
if some sites were destroyed during the struggles that took place during
the power shifts from Assyrian to Egyptian, Babylonian, and Persian
rule. In a discussion of the fate of the small kingdoms that were subjugated
by the Babylonians, one must evaluate independently the extent of continuity
or discontinuity in the material culture in the small, relatively isolated
kingdoms located on the edges of the hilly regions and Transjordan in
the same method as the coastal kingdoms. In Judah, the major and most
conspicuous archaeological phenomenon after the destruction of Jerusalem
is the sharp decline in urban life, which is in contrast to the continuity
of the rural settlements in the area between Hebron and the Benjamin
region. A large population continued to exist in this area, and one
can detect there continuity of settlement and material culture between
the 7th and 5th centuries BCE. Thus one must treat the 6th century BCE
as an intermediate phase, linking and bridging the end of the Iron Age
and the beginning of the Persian Period.
54) Rachel Hallote,
SUNY Purchase
Digging
the Hebrew Bible in the 19th Century: The Bible vs. Science as a Basis
for Site Selection, Excavation and Presentation
While 19th
century "biblical" archaeologists made research choices based on the
Bible, the reasons they selected specific sites, and the digging and
publication strategies they used, have yet seriously to be explored
in light of the evolution of the discipline. Not only did they use the
Bible as the sole criterion for site selection, they also systematically
rejected the scientific methodologies of the day. These issues should
be examined now, as the discipline embraces the multiple scientific
research technologies now available, and as minimalist views regarding
biblical issues become increasingly visible. Interestingly, the reasons
for the 19th century prioritization of the Bible over science, and the
21st century prioritization of science over the Bible, sometime overlap.
Contrary to common assumptions, 19th
century archaeologists were not simply out to "prove" the Bible. If
so, they might have examined New Testament sites first. In fact the
first dozen sites excavated in Palestine were Old Testament sites. The
paper will explore why this was so.
The rejection of scientific methodologies
in the late 19th century is part of a separate, but related phenomenon.
The second part of this paper will examine the short career of Frederick
Jones Bliss, the single excavator of Palestinian sites who tried to
incorporate careful excavation techniques and comprehensive presentation
of results into Palestinian archaeology. For his efforts, Bliss was
rejected by the discipline, and fired by the PEF. The reasons for the
rejection have to do with the underlying structure of the discipline
as a whole.
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A16)
Egypt and Canaan I
Michael G. Hasel,
Southern Adventist University, Presiding
55) Lilly Gershuny,
Israel Antiquities Authority
Bronze
Wine Sets in Canaan: How Egyptian Are They?
Since Petrie's discovery of the first bronze wine set at Tell el-'Ajjul
in the 1930s, eight more wine sets have been found in Canaan, to date.
The complete wine set consists of a bowl, a strainer and a jug/juglet.
Three incomplete sets miss the juglet and one set--the strainer; a jug
and a bowl though, are considered full wine sets in Cyprus and the Aegean.
The wine sets have been recovered from tombs of different forms and
contexts, save two that belong to a hoard. The examination of the tombs
and their contents is intended to show whether any relations exist between
the presence of bronze wine sets and the rest of the offerings. The
Egyptian connection, based on a scene depicted in a wall painting at
Tell el-Amarna, is tested against the actual finds in Egypt, which are
not always reliable, coming from robbery or clandestine excavations.
The chronological span of bronze wine sets is reviewed in the larger
eastern Mediterranean framework, with its international atmosphere and
qualities at the advanced stages of the Late Bronze Age and in what
way, if any, did it affect the wine sets. The final issue concerns the
wine sets roots within the local material culture. The extensive cross-relations
with the ceramic repertoire of the period is essential in assessing
the evolution of bronze wine sets in Canaan.
56) Louise Steel,
University of Wales Lampeter
Egyptian Funerary Cones from el-Moghraqa, Gaza
The
Bronze Age site of el-Moghraqa is located at the Palestinian terminus
of the Ways of Horus (700m north of Tell el-'Ajjul), and has been the
focus of fieldwork by the Gaza Research Project since 1999. Rich cultural
remains include MB-LB pottery, ground stone, seals and sealings, and
finished prestige objects such as carnelian beads, an alabaster kohl
bottle, and scarabs of jasper and frit. It appears that the site was
a work area associated with procurement of exotica and prestige production,
probably for the nearby settlement at 'Ajjul.
The most significant material comprises
several terracotta cone fragments stamped with the prenomen of Thutmosis
III (mn-kpr-r'), and two pieces possibly bear the prenomen of Hatshepsut
(m3't-ka-…and …-ka- r'). These objects are unique in Syro-Palestine
but are remarkably similar to Eighteenth Dynasty funerary cones from
Thebes. The Egyptian cones (normally inserted in batches around the
doorway of a tomb) were stamped with the name and titles of the deceased,
but no Egyptian examples include the name of the king. While our cones
are contemporary with Egyptian funerary cones there are significant
differences: most notably the cones are not stamped with names and titles
of Egyptian officials; moreover, there is no extant evidence in southern
Palestine for the use of built funerary structures that might be sealed
with Egyptian funerary cones. At present the function and signification
of the cones from Gaza remains enigmatic. This paper will examine their
archaeological context in more detail and will address possible interpretations
for their use.
57) Robyn Gillam,
York University
Earliest Egyptian Objects: Performance or Representation?
An examination
of evidence for performative activity in Predynastic, Early Dynastic
and Old Kingdom Egypt.
58) Hendrik Bruins,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Radiocarbon Dating as a Time Foundation: Linking Egypt and Canaan
in the Early Bronze and Iron Age
Egyptologists
in the first half of the 20th century gave much older dates for the
earlier Dynasties than is common at present. Somehow a change in scholarly
interpretation occurred regarding chronology, though the ancient Egyptian
texts themselves have obviously not changed. Many new radiocarbon dates
have been measured in the last 20 years on organic material from Egyptian
monuments of the First to Sixth Dynasties. These dates suggest an older
chronology than is generally accepted today. Also in Canaan stratified
radiocarbon dates from EB Jericho (Trench III) on short-lived material
are significantly older than conventional archaeo-historical time frameworks.
Stage XV Phase li-lii (Early to Middle EB-I Kenyon), Stage XVI Phase
lxi-lxii (Early EB-II Kenyon), Stage XVI Phase lxii-lxiii (destructive
end EB-II) and Stage XVII Phase lxviii a lxix a (Early EB-III) were
investigated. The radiocarbon evidence is clearly in favor of an older
Early Bronze Age and older dates for Dynasties 1-6. Concerning the Iron
Age in Canaan and chronological relationships with Egypt, the military
campaign by Pharaoh Shoshenq I (Shishak) is generally regarded as a
key historical synchronism, with textual data at Karnak and in ancient
Hebrew writings. Radiocarbon dating should be used as the principal
time foundation to link Egypt with Canaan, and to associate archaeological
layers with written historical sources and events.
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A17)
Ancient Food and Foodways
Albert Leonard, Jr., University of Arizona, Presiding
59) Peter Warnock,
University of Missouri - Columbia
Chicken
or the Egg: Which came first, using Olives for Oil or for Food?
The
age-old question, "which came first, the chicken or the egg" also applies
to the olive. It is unclear which use of the olive came first, use as
a foodstuff or use for oil. There is no strong evidence supporting either
case. There is, however, negative evidence supporting both cases. Without
preparation, the olive eaten raw is quite bitter, arguing against the
olive as a food first. Olive oil needs some preparation; how did early
people figure out how to process and separate the oil and water from
the olive? While ethnographic and archaeological evidence offer some
clues into this mystery, the answer might be the same as the chicken
and the egg: we might never know.
60) Andrew Cohen,
Brandeis University
Introduction to the Culture of Barley
This presentation
begins to answer the question of how barley shaped peoples' social lives
in Early Mesopotamia, c. 3200-1600, the period which witnessed the emergence
of a sustainable agriculturally based urban civilization. For Early
Mesopotamia, there is considerable archaeobotanical and textual evidence
of barley, evidence which leaves no doubt that barley was by far the
most important cereal crop. The persistent and dominant role that barley
played in the Early Mesopotamian diet raises a number of questions:
what structural factors (e.g. the environment and institutions) favored
the reliance on barley? What cultural values inhered in barley? What
factors explain the continued use of barley in the face of changes in
land tenure and agricultural practices? Concentrating on the social
aspects of barley production and consumption in Early Mesopotamia should
ultimately lead to a more nuanced understanding of the social ramifications
of the Urban Revolution.
61)
Alexia Smith, Boston University
Bronze
Age and Iron Age Agriculture in Syria: A View from Tell Qarqur
Agriculture
and food acquisition constitute one of the most basic activities in
all societies, around which many other activities are structured. Due
to the importance of agriculture and food storage in the evolution and
maintenance of complex societies, a clear understanding of modes of
production is essential. Both palaeoethnobotany and zooarchaeology provide
insight into ancient agriculture, yet the results of these two independent
avenues of study are rarely considered together. Since agriculture encompasses
both animal and plant production, the spheres of which frequently overlap,
attempts to integrate these data sets need to be made. This paper discusses
new palaeoethnobotanical data from Tell Qarqur and considers the evidence
in light of published botanical and faunal studies from Bronze and Iron
Age sites in Syria. I argue that in amassing larger datasets, it is
possible to examine changing land use patterns and food production systems
over both time and space.
62)
Channa Cohen Stuart, Bar Ilan University
What did they Eat in the Iron Age Levant?
Daily meals
were prepared at many of the locations we excavate. The people who lived
in the houses, villages and towns, and whose lives we explore, ate on
a daily basis. Many finds archaeological science has analyzed in the
past are in some ways connected to food. The preparation of foods is
a field where several archaeological disciplines meet. Its is the meeting
point of pottery, archaeobotany, archaeozoology, ethnoarchaeology and
several other fields of expertise. This paper is an attempt to combine
some of this knowledge into the daily practice of eating in Iron Age
Levant. Is it possible to give an insight into the daily meals of an
Iron Age person?
63) Moshe Kochavi,
Tel Aviv University
Transport of Commodities as a Major Factor in the Bronze and Iron
Ages of the Sea of Galilee
Situated
between the fertile Bashan to the east and the Mediterranean coast to
the west, the Sea of Galilee enabled carrying heavy loads upon its waters
as part of the east-west commerce of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Evidence
from the excavations of Tel Kinnerot, Tel Hadar, Tel 'Ein-gev and Bethsaida,
together with a reconsideration of Early Bronze Age Bit-Yerah supports
this thesis. In all these sites, located on both sides of the lake,
granaries for cereals and/or entropôts (three roomed pillared buildings)
were unearthed. Two sites from opposite shores of the lake served in
different times as ports of trade on the highway leading from the Bashan
to the Mediterranean. These were: Beit-Yerah and Bethsaida in the Early
Bronze Age, Kinnerot and Hadar in Late Bronze Age I and again in Iron
Age I, and 'Ein-Gev and Kinnerot in Iron Age II. The preference of transport
upon water of heavy loads like cereals or wooden logs is a known phenomenon.
Its effectuation during the Bronze and Iron Ages at the Sea of Galilee
is just another case, unnoticed before. Comparison of the settlement
history of the above mentioned ports confirms the rule of the direct
proportion between growth and collapse of urban centers against the
amount of usage of the roads on which they are situated.
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A18)
Reports on Current Excavations, non-ASOR Affiliated I
Robert A. Mullins,
UCLA, Presiding
64) Zvi Greenhut,
Israel Antiquities Authority
New Excavations
at Moza: A Settlement from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages in Judah
Moza is situated in a relatively wide part of the Soreq Valley,
approximately 7 km west of Jerusalem and in an ecological niche of fertile
land and water sources. This location made Moza a favored site of human
habitation in prehistoric times, as well as during the Bronze and Iron
Ages, and the Classical, Crusader, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. An extensive
salvage excavation of the site was conducted in 1993 and 2002 by the
Israel Antiquities Authority with very surprising results. This lecture
will deal mainly with the Bronze and Iron Ages. The focus will be on
the enigmatic 11th - 9th centuries BCE in Judah (Shishak's campaign?)
through the 8th and early 6th centuries BCE. During the late Iron Age,
Moza became a Judahite administrative center, concentrating on grain
storage as testified by the discovery of 36 silos. The small finds also
support the interpretation of Moza as an important center at the time
of the kingdom of Judah. These include an "Egyptian blue" scepter head
and two Hebrew inscriptions most probably mentioning the official or
royal title of a "standard bearer." The stratigraphy of the site, in
addition to its special finds, enable us to better understand and appreciate
the history and archaeology of the area with direct and indirect implications
to the debated history and archaeology of the capital of Jerusalem during
these periods.
65)
Eli Yannai, Israel Antiquities Authority
The Excavations
at Tel Lod and their Contribution to Understanding Egyptian Presence
in the Land of Israel at the End of Early Bronze IB
Tel Lod is located in the middle of the coastal plain ca. 8 kilometers
east of Tel Jaffa. Excavations revealed a large settlement dating to
Early Bronze I-III. Finds included hundreds of imported Egyptian vessels,
as well as imitations made in Lod and the south of the country. Six
sherds from imported vessels had incised serakhs of Narmer, while another
bore the serakh of Ka. These discoveries indicate that during the reign
of Narmer (parallel to Naqada III B-C in Egypt) the community at Lod
displayed Egyptian cultural characteristics and may have included a
colony of Egyptian immigrants. The finds also indicate that Egyptian
presence, well known from the south of the country, extended northwards
to the Yarkon Basin. Although no Egyptian settlements have been found
to date north of the Yarkon Basin, several tombs at excavated sites
have revealed sporadic Egyptian finds. Thus, the colony at Lod was probably
not part of a network of Egyptian settlements along the "Via Maris,"
but as testified to by the discovery of an Egyptian jar off 'Atlit and
the establishment of several settlements along the coast, it was probably
part of an Egyptian command complex whose purpose was to provide support
for Egyptian maritime trade to the Syrian-Lebanese coast, especially
Byblos. Lod may have also been an agricultural and commercial support
for the (Egyptian?) port at Jaffa, while Egyptian settlements in the
south of the country provided agricultural and commercial support to
the (Egyptian?) ports at Gaza, Ashkelon, etc.
66) Juha Pakkala, University of Helsinki; Juergen Zangenberg, University of Mainz, and Stefan Muenger, University of Bern
The Surface Survey at Tell es-Safi/Gath
Tel Kinrot/Tell el-'Oreimeh (ancient Kinneret) is situated on the northwestern
shore of the Sea of Galilee. This paper will present the main results
of this season's excavations and the survey conducted in the surrounding
area. The Kinneret Regional Project, which commenced in 2002, is a joint
German-Finnish-Swiss project under the direction of Dr. Juergen Zangenberg,
Dr. Juha Pakkala and Stefan Muenger in collaboration with the Universities
of Helsinki, Mainz and Bern. Kinneret saw its heyday in the Iron Age
I, at which time it developed into one of the most important sites in
the region. Recent excavations reveal that Kinneret was important during
the Bronze Ages as well. The renewed excavations have focused on the
Iron Age IB habitation, the Middle Bronze IIB/Late Bronze I occupational
sequence, and Early Bronze I-II dwellings at the foot of the southeastern
slope of Tel Kinrot. The planned survey centers on the Hellenistic to
Byzantine remains in the plain of Ginnosar south of the tel.
67)
Aren Maeir, Bar Ilan University
Excavation, Survey and Remote Sensing at Tell es-Safi/Gath - Update
for 2003
During 2003, the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project continued
working in the field and in the labs. In this presentation, the results
of several current research topics will be presented, including the
ongoing results of the site field survey, a shovel-testing program,
geophysical analyses, and other relevant topics. These results will
be incorporated with the finds and results from previous seasons to
enable a more robust understanding of the cultural history of this site
and its more general implications for the understanding of this region
during the Bronze and Iron Ages.
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A19)
Stories of Legitimacy in the Ancient Near East
Peter
Feinman, Inst. of History, Archaeology, and Education, Presiding
68)
Matthew J. Adams, Pennsylvania State University
Variances
in the Annals of Shalmaneser III and the Interpretation of the Campaigns
of King David
The annals of Shalmaneser III are the most extensive and carefully structured
Assyrian annals of the 9th century BCE. Perhaps being the same genre
as and more or less contemporary with the sources of the books of Samuel,
the preservation of these annals may be of some use in considering and
critiquing the campaigns of King David. In his recent book, David's
Secret Demons, Baruch Halpern reassess the books of Samuel based on
a critical analysis critique he calls the "Tiglath-Pileser Principle"
(TPP). The TPP argues that the composition of Assyrian royal annals
(and Near Eastern, generally) is consistent in technique. If one understands
this technique, and applies a "minimum interpretation" to the text,
one can decipher the historical reality behind the rhetoric of Assyrian
royal inscriptions. The recognition that 1 and 2 Samuel use Israelite
versions of annals (particularly 2 Sam. 8), allows Halpern to apply
the TPP in reconstructing the history from the biblical narrative. The
TPP, then becomes a very powerful tool for the interpretation of certain
biblical material. However, some questions remain about the methodology
of the principle. How can the principle accommodate different versions
of annals? How would variances between them affect the range of our
interpretation of campaigns, particularly if on one version is preserved?
This paper looks closely at the different versions of the Shalmaneser's
annals in order to assess the validity of the "Tiglath-Pileser Principle"
and determine the repercussions of its application to the books Samuel.
69)
Steven Stannish, SUNY Potsdam
Horemheb
and the Amarna Pharaohs
This paper considers Horemheb's attitude towards his immediate predecessors,
Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, Tutankhamun, and Ay, sometimes called the Amarna
Pharaohs. Using new evidence from Saqqara as well as more familiar inscriptions,
I argue that he lacked direct ties of blood or marriage with these men,
and that he legitimized his reign by visiting a damnatio memoriae upon
them. I conclude with a discussion of this theory's significance for
our understanding of the Amarna Period.
70)
Jonathan David, Pennsylvania State University
Persian
Propaganda and Herodotean Inquiry: The Accession Stories of Darius Hystaspes
Herodotus relates two major tales of Persian kingly legitimacy, namely
the mytho-legendary childhood of Cyrus (1.107-130) and the later intrigue-laden
coup by Darius and his companions (3.61-88). This project examines the
possible origins and probable dynamics of the transmission of these
stories to Herodotus. After critically reviewing the numerous speculative
hypotheses regarding the alleged informant(s), proposed by Classicists
such as Oswyn Murray and J.M. Cook, the paper discusses the relative
lack of explicit citations within these portions of Herodotus' work,
in contrast to his extensive citations in, e.g., his Egyptian logoi.
By comparison of Herodotus' story with the messages of the Behistun
inscription and other of Darius' monuments, and by application of recent
anthropological models regarding oral tradition (notably that of Jan
Vansina), this project advocates a more sophisticated understanding
of the means of transmission by which Herodotus acquired this material.
From this conceptual foundation, analysis then proceeds to the folk-tale
motifs employed in these passages and the particular manner in which
they substitute a literary cause-effect relationship for the actual
political situations involved. The resulting implications of this exercise
require a new characterization of the use of anecdotal oral tradition
as history, as the popular means of conceptualizing the past during
the Achaemenid era. Also delineated are several innovative yet essential
methodological observations for any analyst seeking to use systematically
Herodotus' barbarian logoi for constructive historiography.
71) Joseph
Weinstein, BBN Technologies
The 'Succession
History' of Moses
The opening chapters of Exodus can be understood as a "succession history",
describing the circumstances under which Moses rose to the leadership
of the Nile Delta Semites in place of the former Hyksos "Pharaoh". This
account shares many features in common with the story of David's rise
to power, including the association of the new ruler with the previous
ruling house (David's service to Saul/Moses' upbringing in the palace),
vilification of the previous ruler (Saul's insanity/Pharaoh's cruelty),
termination of the previous ruling house (defeat on Gilboa/"Death of
the Firstborn"), and the divine appointment of the new ruler (David's
anointment by Samuel/Moses' call). Furthermore, this interpretation
of the opening chapters of Exodus fits perfectly with an historical
setting at the end of the Second Intermediate Period, with "Pharaoh"
identified as the last 15th dynasty ruler. This historical context is
also supported by recent archaeological discoveries at Tell el-Dab'a/Qantir/Khata'na
(Bib. Rameses), Tell el-Hebouwe I (Bib. Shur), Tell el-Maskhuta (in
the Wadi Tumilat, Bib. Sukkot), and elsewhere in the Nile Delta. The
opening stages of the Exodus and plague accounts can likewise be understood
as reflecting the "Expulsion of the Hyksos" and the storms reported
on the Tempest Stele and Rhind Papyrus graffito, presented in such a
way as to justify Moses' accession to the leadership.
72) Peter
Feinman, Inst. of History, Archaeology, and Education
Finkelstein's
Achilles' Heel: The Relationship Between the Omrides and the Davides
The latest round of professional academic wrestling in biblical archaeology
involves the dates of the construction of various city gates by either
the 10th century Davides or the 9th century Omrides. Anthropological
jargon like chiefdom and state formation are brandished as weapons in
the battle as if the measure of a person or people can be determined
from the material record (exactly what were the people doing at Valley
Forge in the 18th century CE based on the archaeological artifacts excavated
there?).
Overlooked in this battle royale is the
question of what the Omrides thought of the Davides ... or what was
the legacy of the latter in the time of the former? The Omrides were
closer in time to the Davides than any biblical scholar and to suggest
that the Omrides did not have writing is preposterous. So what did the
Omrides have to say about their presumed illustrious predecessors and
how, if at all, did that contribute to their own legitimacy as the new
dynasty on the block?
This paper will examine the issue of
royal writing in the 9th century BCE Omride dynasty to determine what
light it may shed on Israelite history and the writing of the Hebrew
Bible.
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A20)
Maritime/Nautical Archaeology
Ezra
Marcus, University of Haifa and Aaron Brody, Pacific School of Religion,
Presiding
73) Ralph
Pedersen, Texas A&M University
Utnapishtim's
'Ark' and the Sewn Boat of the Indian Ocean
The passage in Tablet
XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh relating the construction of a boat to escape
the Deluge has long been an enigma. Since the 1870s, scholars have offered
various interpretations of the craft, which, without the benefit of
knowledge of ancient ship construction methods, yielded a confusing
narrative. A new interpretation, in relation to archaeological discoveries
and the sewn-boat technology found along the littoral of the Indian
Ocean, brings clarity to the text and gives archaeologists a new key
to understanding Mesopotamian watercraft.
74) Cheryl
Ward, Florida State University and Robert Ballard, Institute for Exploration
Deepwater
Archaeology in the Black Sea
Archaeological survey in the Black Sea identified four shipwrecks of
Late Antiquity in 2000. In 2003, extensive subsurface sampling and mapping
of these sites is expected to provide additional information about the
date and origin of the ships and their cargo. The deployment of a new
excavating robotic remotely operated vehicle, HERCULES, will permit
detailed examination of the best preserved shipwreck from antiquity.
A discussion of project accomplishments, archaeological significance,
and the role of technology in archaeology under water will be included.
75)
Samuel Wolff, W.F. Albright Institute
Amphoras
as an Indicator of Ancient Exchange: The Case of Punic and Roman Amphoras
in the Eastern Mediterranean
Amphoras are excellent indicators of ancient exchange and, as such,
help archaeologists and economic historians arrive towards a more complete
understanding of commerce. This paper will examine the archaeological
evidence for Punic and, to a lesser extent, early Roman amphoras (Greco-Italic,
Brindisi, Lamboglia 2) found in the eastern Mediterranean. This is a
topic that has not received much scholarly attention until now. How
can we characterize the quantity of their presence? Do they provide
evidence for lively exchange or sporadic contacts? Who was controlling
these exchanges? For reasons to be explained (lack of publication, lack
of identification of certain types?), conclusions regarding such containers
are not as obvious as in other regions of the Mediterranean. In general,
though, it seems that Punic economic contacts with the eastern Mediterranean
were minimal until the second/first century BCE, and even then they
picked up only marginally, probably due to the initiative of Roman traders
rather than Punic entrepreneurs.
76)
Daniel Master, Wheaton College
Excavating
in Deep Water: Results from the 2003 Expedition to the Eastern Mediterranean
In 1999,
archaeologists from Harvard University, the Institute for Exploration,
and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute discovered two eighth century
Phoenician ships in the deep water of the Eastern Mediterranean. After
locating the ships, the team used robotic technology to survey and sample
artifacts visible on the ocean floor. Even in this initial stage, however,
remote sensing equipment indicated that the understanding of these ships
might be enhanced substantially by excavating below the surface. While
earlier robotic technology was incapable of reaching below the sea floor
with archaeological precision, a new robot named Hercules has been designed
specifically to meet the severe challenges of deep water excavation.
This paper will report on the first use of this ground-breaking robot
as part of the 2003 deep water excavation of two Phoenician shipwrecks
in the Eastern Mediterranean.
77) Shelley Wachsmann,
Texas A&M University; John Hale, University of Louisville, and Robert
Hohlfelder, University of Colorado - Boulder
The 2003
Persian War Shipwreck Survey: Preliminary Report
Several
fleets sank during the Persian War as a result of storms or battles.
The Persian War Shipwreck Survey aims to locate and study remains of
these lost ships. The first season of exploration, scheduled for fall
2003, will focus on the remains of Darius' 492 BC armada that floundered
off Mt. Athos. Herodotus (Histories VI:44) reports that nearly three
hundred vessels sank as a result of a sudden northerly gale that caught
the vessels as they attempted to round the cape. This catastrophe was
a significant consideration in Mardonios' abandonment of the campaign:
subsequently, to facilitate Xerxes' 480 BC invasion, the Persians cut
a canal across the Mt. Athos isthmus at Acanthus to avoid the dangers
of rounding Mt. Athos.
The Persian War Shipwreck Survey is a
multidisciplinary collaborative project sponsored by the Canadian Archaeological
Institute in Athens (CAIA), the Greek Ephorate of Underwater Archaeology
and the Greek National Centre for Marine Research (NCMR). This search
will be carried out on the NCMR's deep-water research ship, the R/V
Aegeo employing its multibeam, sidescan-sonar, remote-operated vehicle
(ROV) and submersible. This paper presents the survey's preliminary
results.
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A21)
Egypt
and Canaan II
K. Lawson Younger,
Trinity International University, Presiding
78) James K. Hoffmeier,
Trinity International University
Some Preliminary
Observations about Egyptian History from the Excavations at Tell el
Borg (N. Sinai) since 2000
Earlier reports presented
at ASOR concerning our finds at Tell el-Borg indicated that the site
was exclusively a New Kingdom military site. Recently received C-14
results have largely confirmed what we knew based upon ceramic and epigraphic
finds. However, in Field VI a small burnt out (reed?) hut was uncovered
during the 2002 season. No datable sherds were gathered, and there was
no other evidence for dating the structure. C-14 dates reveal that the
structure likely dates to the 12th Dynasty, which if correct means that
Tell el-Borg does have earlier occupation than at first thought.
The excavations at Tell el-Borg revealed
that the early fort was utilized from the mid through late 18th Dynasty,
and the second fort from the late 18th Dynasty through the 19th and
into the 20th Dynasty. During the 2001 season, we discovered an early
branch of the Pelusiac that passed by the fort during the New Kingdom.
New C-14 results now confirm that this channel flowing through Tell
el-Borg during New Kingdom times. The location of the Nile and adjacent
fortified means that it not only served as a defensive post on the "Ways
of Horus," but also guarded the Nile branch against naval incursions.
Given this factor, what role of did the fort at Tell el-Borg play during
the Sea People's invasion? Another important question: Is there a relationship
between the recently discovered late 18th Dynasty fortifications at
Tell el-Dabca and the second fort at Tell el-Borg? This paper will attempt
to provide some tentative answers these critical questions.
79) Gregory Mumford,
University of Toronto
In the
Shadow of a Giant: Egyptian Influence in Transjordan
In antiquity,
Tell Tebilla lay in the district of Ro-nefer near the mouth of the Mendesian
river. The historical and archaeological records reveal that it was
an increasingly affluent town in the Old Kingdom, Second Intermediate
Period, and Dynasties 21-30 (1069-343 BC). Tebilla's hinterland contained
a broad range of resources: salt, clay, sands, gravels, trees (tamarisk;
acacia), papyrus, reeds, bulrushes, lotus plants, flax, fish, birds,
sheep, goats, cattle, wild animals, grains (wheat; barley), orchards,
vineyards, and flowers (Byproducts included pottery, furniture, papyri,
basketry, ropes, linen, wool, leather, bone utensils, beer, wine, and
perfume). In Dynasty 25, King Piye's victory stela places Ro-nefer in
Osorkon IV's Tanite kingdom, in a list of rulers and polities opposing
Piye's 728 BC campaign against northern Egypt. The Tanite Kingdom lay
to the east, across a large coastal bay. Its control of Ro-nefer and
the northern Mendesian river enabled Osorkon IV to dominate eastern
delta kingdoms and their commercial relations with the East Mediterranean
and southern Egypt. Tebilla's key location probably ensured its prosperity
and royal patronage: The town contained a medium-sized stone temple
(with private votive statuary), multi-storied structures, large communal
tombs, stone sarcophagi, decorated mummy case(s), ceramic anthropoid
coffin(s), and materials from southern Egypt (marl pottery; flint; limestone;
carnelian; granite; copper; gold; finished items), the Red Sea (pearls;
incense), the Levant (bitumen; Judean juglet; Cypro-Phoenician pottery),
and Afghanistan (lapis lazuli).
80) Michael G.
Hasel, Southern Adventist University
A
Statistical Analysis of Foreign Name Determinatives in the Battle of
Kadesh Accounts
In 1969 J. A. Wilson
published a footnote citing the "notorious carelessness" of Egyptian
scribal convention in assigning determinatives to foreign names. Subsequently
numerous scholars outside the field of Egyptology have assumed that
the Egyptians knew very little about the people, places, and polities
during the Egyptian New Kingdom (Lemche 1991) or at the minimum that
they were very loose in their application (de Vaux 1978; Ahlström and
Edelman 1985; Margalith 1990; Huddlestun 1990; Ahlström 1991; 1993).
This study readdresses the issue from the perspective of the most widely
published report of any foreign undertaking during the Egyptian New
Kingdom the 'Battle of Kadesh.' A statistical analysis of foreign
names is conducted of the 'Poem,' 'Bulletin,' and Reliefs as they are
found in both upper and lower Egypt. Questions concerning the consistency
of Egyptian scribal convention will be posed of the reporting of the
most celebrated historical event in the reign of Ramses II. The results
of the analysis indicates that the Egyptians were remarkably consistent
in their designation of these foreign entities whom they sought to control
through military domination.
81) Robert Mullins,
UCLA
Beth Shean
during the Amarna Period B: Was it really an Egyptian Garrison?
Following
the campaign of Thutmose III to Megiddo in the mid-15th century BCE,
the Canaanite settlement of Beth Shean was turned into an Egyptian outpost.
Surprisingly, no Egyptian-style architecture appears at this time and
Egyptian-style pottery is only 1% of the total corpus. Even so, EA 289:20
refers to Beth Shean as a "garrison" during the Amarna period. Only
when the site is rebuilt during the Nineteenth Dynasty do we see Egyptian-style
buildings and a significant increase in the quantities of Egyptian-style
pottery. In this presentation, I will attempt to explain this phenomenon
in light of the archaeological evidence from Beth Shean, other relevant
sites in the Levant, and the historical data.
82) Jeffrey Zorn,
Cornell University; Ayelet Gilboa, Hebrew University, and Ilan Sharon,
Hebrew University
A Siamun Scarab from Tel Dor and the Chronology of the Iron I/Iron
IIa Transition
Excavations
in Area G at the coastal site of Tel Dor, Israel, have produced a lengthy
sequence of strata from the Iron I into the Iron IIa. Area G appears
to be an area of light industry (metal working, then baking). Its sequence
can be linked with the Iron I/IIa sequence in Dor Area D2, an area of
large public buildings. Together the assemblages from Dor can be correlated
with similar assemblages such as Megiddo VIA and VA-IVB, and as a result
can contribute to the ongoing discussion of the chronology of this pivotal
era.
A single room from local phase 7 in Area
G produced a scarab of the 21st Dynasty Pharaoh Siamun, together with
4 other mass produced scarabs attributed to his reign. What is this
cluster of "10th century" scarabs doing in a supposedly 11th century
material cultural context? This paper surveys the archaeological context
of the scarabs, the nature of the scarabs found, the associated ceramic
assemblages and their parallels from other sites, the limitations of
the available data, how the scarab data may be integrated with C14 results
from Dor, and suggests some implications which arise from this conflux
of material for the lowering of the end date for the Iron Ib in Israel.
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A22)
Theoretical and Anthropological Approaches to Near Eastern and Eastern
Mediterranean Art and Archaeology
Sarah Kielt Costello,
SUNY Binghamton; Andrew McCarthy, University of Edinburgh, and Louise
Hitchcock, UCLA, Presiding
83) Gabriela Castro Gessner,
SUNY Binghamton
Learning
to Paint Pots: Exploring Socialization Practices
Current perspectives
on technology are seen as a means to arrive at the social practices
of individuals and the social relations they mediate through the production
and use of artifacts. Research on prehistoric technologies is widely
explored in both archaeological and ethnoarchaeological studies, especially
in stone tool manufacture but less widely in ceramic production. An
under-researched aspect of ceramic technology and ceramic production
are decorative embellishments on vessels, such as painted motifs. Decoration
of vessels usually falls under the purview of stylistic analysis, but
this rarely includes an interest on sequences of production and how
people's practices created those designs. Painting, as one of the final
stages of embellishment, and unlike previous forming steps, is one where
greater flexibility and choice are open to the painter. As one of the
most visible attributes of a vessel, decorative painting can be a vehicle
for self and collective expression. The choice and execution of a painted
design can be influenced by several production and consumption constraints,
such as the degree of skill and accepted community standards. Based
on practice and learning theories, I present preliminary research on
the relationships between design execution, the development of skill,
and community knowledge, for the inhabitants of Fistikli Höyük,
a small Halaf period (6th millennium) site in southeastern Turkey. This
study on the development of a collective style of painting for the people
of Fistikli Höyük may offer insights into what we currently
understand as the "Halaf' pottery style.
84)
Philip Karsgaard, University of Edinburgh
From Feasting to Redistribution in Prehistoric Greater Mesopotamia
Spanning
the later fifth to early fourth millennium BC, the Ubaid period has
often been seen as one of slow progressive change between Childe's two
Revolutions, the Neolithic and Urban. Archaeologically it has been characterized
by generally black on buff painted ceramics, decorated with geometric
and curvilinear designs. This paper argues that, rather than being a
mere indication of degeneration, over-hasty manufacture or the result
of the introduction of the slow wheel (as commonly argued), these ceramic
designs, as material symbols, play an active part in the wider and profound
social transformations taking place in prehistoric Greater Mesopotamia.
These transformations involved the institutionalization of power (in
sharp contrast to small scale Neolithic systems of control through ritual
feasting) as well as the generation of a widespread general cultural
identity crucial to the inter-regional relations taking place at that
time. Highlighting such transformations helps to nuance our understanding
of sedentary communities' socio-political elaboration without resorting
to trait-list characteristics of, for example, chiefdoms, bands and
tribes.
85)
Avraham Faust, Bar-Ilan University
The Canaanite
Village: The Social Structure of Middle Bronze Age Rural Communities
The rural
sites of the Middle Bronze Age did not receive much scholarly attention.
However, a small number of villages have been excavated over the years,
and the data enables a discussion of the form and structure of this
sector of the Middle Bronze Age society. An analysis of the archaeological
evidence in light of ethnographic and historical data regarding the
forms of rural social organization in the Near East suggests that these
villages should be divided into several types: A few villages should
be viewed as independent or autonomous villages, i.e., the inhabitants
owned the land and some (most?) of the surpluses. These villages exhibit
a surprisingly high standard of living. Other villages were owned by
someone (a person or a family) or something (an institution). This type
is divided into two subtypes depending on whether the landlord was present
or absent. In the first subtype poor dwellings were the norm, but one
can identify an outstanding structure, greatly surpassing the rest,
that seems to have hosted the landlord. The second type is characterized
by poor standards of living throughout the site, as all the surpluses
were sent outside and left the village.
86)
William Krieger, California State University Pomona
Keeping
up With the Joneses: Geography and Theory in Syro-Palestinian Archaeology
Charges have been
leveled that practitioners of Syro-Palestinian archaeology are methodologically
behind the times. The philosophical underpinnings of American processual
archaeology demanded large amounts of data, caused by a change in the
goals and focus of archaeology. A group of American archaeologists (including
Fred Plog, Kent Flannery, Gary Feinman, Richard Blanton, and Stephen
Kowalesky), while disagreeing with processual archaeology's goals, agree
with the new archaeologists that regions, and not sites, must be at
the center of this new focus. As a result, calls have been made for
archaeologists to move from an excavation model to one of regional survey.
Some Israeli archaeologists have accepted these critiques and have called
for their colleagues to accept this model, and change their methodology
accordingly.
In this paper, I will explore some real
differences between the sorts of questions that American and Israeli
archaeologists face, and show that these different questions (many relating
to geography and land use) are best answered by differing methodologies.
It is my hope that, recognizing this, Israeli archaeologists will be
able to refocus their energies on answering questions specific to their
region, instead of worrying that they are not keeping up with the archaeological
Joneses.
87)
Robert Sauders, American University
Raising
Canaan: Examining the Social and Political Genesis of a Palestinian
Archaeology
Since its inception,
Israeli archaeology has sought to legitimize the territorial claims
of the Israeli government and solidify a unified national identity by
establishing cultural and historical continuities between modern Israelis
and the ancient Israelite people. An immediate consequence of this nationalistic
archaeology has been the suppression, neglect and, at times, denial
of archaeological narratives describing the historical and cultural
past of the Palestinian people. Such disregard of a Palestinian past
effectively perpetuates the tired notion of Palestine as "a land without
people" and substantiates Israeli hegemony in the production of archaeological
narratives for the region. Yet, among Palestinian academics, there is
a growing trend to contest the dominant Israeli archaeological narrative
by providing an alternative, Palestinian construction of the archaeological
past. This emerging Palestinian narrative directly contradicts the Israeli
archaeological claim to territory by advocating a cultural and historical
connection between ancient Canaanites and the modern Palestinian people.
Essentially, Palestinian claims to cultural continuity with Canaanites
challenges the notion of Palestinians as "a people without a past" and
affects Israeli epistemological assertions to sole territorial heritage
in Israel and the Palestine Authority. Yet, despite the efforts of Palestinian
academics, the Palestinian-Canaanite connection has been effectively
ignored by the archaeological community. This paper examines the use
of archaeological research as a mechanism for Palestinian political
struggle, the potential consequences stemming from the Palestinian-Canaanite
connection, and why the Palestinian narrative has not enjoyed broad
discussion within the archaeological community.
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A23)
Reports on Current Excavations, non-ASOR Affiliated II
TBA, Presiding
88) Stephen Pfann,
University of the Holy Land
Nazareth
Village Farm Excavations
A survey
of the area was conducted in February 1997 by UHL's archaeological staff.
Four seasons of excavation, licensed by the Israel Antiquities Authority
and under the joint direction of R. Voss and S. Pfann, have been carried
out by UHL with the help of students and local volunteers. These excavations
have confirmed the land to be a complete Roman period terrace farm with
winepress, watchtowers, olive crushing stones, irrigation systems, and
ancient quarry, illuminating previously unknown aspects of terrace farming
in the Galilee.
89) Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah,
Israel Antiquities Authority
The Synagogues
from Umm el-'Umdan: A Second Temple Period Village Identified with Modi'in
of the Hasmoneans
The village
excavated at Umm el-'Umdan near Emmaus was founded in the Early Hellenistic
period and continued to exist through the Late Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine
and Early Islamic periods. We propose to identify the site with Hasmonean
Modi'in on account of its location, the finds, and the Arabic name 'Umdan,'
which is a possible transposition of Modi'in. The most prominent feature
is a rectangular hall entered on the east with stepped benches along
its walls and eight pillars in two rows of four each. The hall's resemblance
to the synagogues at Masada, Herodium, Gamla and Kiryat Sefer prompted
us to identify it as such. Based on the pottery and coins, the hall
was dated to the second half of the first century BCE and probably continued
until the Bar Kochba Revolt. Two earlier and slightly smaller rectangular
halls were uncovered below the Herodian synagogue. The lower one was
dated to the early Hellenistic period, while the upper hall is late
Hellenistic, Hasmonean. We suggest that the Hasmonean hall was also
a synagogue, judging from its centralized plan. The early hall was only
partially exposed, yet its plan undoubtedly determined the shape of
the following synagogues built precisely above it and sharing the same
exterior walls. For the first time in archaeological research, halls
identified as ancient synagogues, which are stratigraphically superimposed
and well dated, were unearthed. It shows that synagogues existed in
rural Jewish settlements since the Hasmonean period.
90) Shimon Gibson,
W. F. Albright Institute
In the Shadow of Mount Zion: A First-Century Burial Shroud at Akeldama in Jerusalem
The chance
examination of a first-century burial cave recently opened by tomb robbers
at Akeldama nearby Mount Zion in Jerusalem revealed the remains of a
shrouded body in one of the kokhim-burial recesses (loculi). It had
fortunately been overlooked by the robbers who had broken into the tomb
on this and at least one other occasion, carrying off complete ossuaries,
destroying others, and scattering human bones. Emergency investigation
of the tomb and careful excavation of the shroud was undertaken by an
archaeological team led by S. Gibson, B. Zissu and J. Tabor on behalf
of the Israel Antiquities Authority and with the support of the Foundation
for Biblical Archaeology. Unusual conditions in one of the burial recesses
preserved the shroud and a large clump of human hair. A radiocarbon
date indicated that the shroud belonged to the first century CE. Study
of the textiles by O. Shamir discovered that the shroud had been made
from a high quality woolen garment with a simple weave. A medical team
under the guidance of C. Greenblatt of the Hadassah Medical Unit of
the Hebrew University carried out various DNA and other tests on the
shrouded person. These exams indicate that the individual was an adult
male who had suffered from leprosy and died of acute tuberculosis. The
lecture will deal with the discovery of the tomb, the recovery of the
shroud and the implications this discovery has for the study of funerary
practices in first-century Jerusalem.
91) Brian M. Schultz,
Bar Ilan University
New Data
and Reflections Concerning the Qumran Cemetery
At the center
of the debate concerning the nature of the Qumran site is the cemetery
adjacent to it. While a few of its characteristics are shared with a
small number of other burial sites, it is nevertheless unique among
known Second Temple period cemeteries. In an effort to explain this
uniqueness, multiple theories, often contradictory, have been formulated,
each proposing its own understanding of the cemetery's nature and its
relationship to the nearby ruins. More recently, a detailed survey of
all the extant tombs, coupled with the excavations of several, has significantly
contributed to our knowledge of the cemetery, although not without raising
new questions. Nevertheless, a synthesis of all presently available
data on the Qumran cemetery confirms Roland de Vaux's basic premise,
requiring only minor modifications. In particular is the intermingling
of Bedouin burials among the Second Temple period graves, a phenomenon
possibly more widespread than previously estimated.
92) Jon Seligman,
Israel Antiquities Authority
A Newly
Discovered Georgian Monastery Near Jerusalem
Following
building work in the southeast Jerusalem neighborhood of Umm Leisun
the remains of an ancient burial crypt were uncovered. The crypt forms
part of a monastic complex originally excavated in 1996, when a chapel
containing colorful geometric mosaics was revealed. The crypt was a
vaulted structure accessed by a staircase. Inside were twelve burial
troughs containing the remains of around thirty adult males who we suggest
were the monks of the monastery. At the far end was a single burial
trough containing the remains of an elderly monk. Covering the trough
was a carefully carved inscription in ancient Georgian Asomt'avruli
script stating that the tomb was that of Bishop Ioane of 'Purtavi' the
Georgian. Epigraphic analysis shows that the inscription belongs to
the 5th to 6th centuries CE. This rare inscription, containing the earliest
known use of the ethnonym 'K'art'veli' (Iberian or Georgian), is one
of the very few Georgian inscriptions of this period found in the Holy
Land and provides vital physical evidence to the existence of a Georgian
ecclesiastical community in Jerusalem during the Byzantine period. The
only previously excavated Byzantine monastery specifically associated
with this community was excavated by V. Corbo at the site of Bir el-Qatt,
3.5 km. southwest of Umm Leisun. The site of Um Lisan and the inscription
are being studied as part of a joint research project headed by Jon
Seligman of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Dr. Tamilla Mgaloblishivili
and Dr. Giorgi Gagoshidze of the Tbilisi University in Georgia.
A24)
E.L. Sukenik (1953-2003): "Jewish Archaeology" Fifty Years Later
Eric M.
Meyers, Duke University, Presiding
93) Neil A. Silberman,
Independent Scholar
Digging
for Identity: E. L. Sukenik in Jerusalem, 1911-1947
This paper
will trace some of the main projects and intellectual activities of
Eleazar Lipa Sukenik from his arrival in Palestine in 1911 to the outbreak
of Israel's War of Independence in the autumn of 1947. In addition to
his important excavations in Jerusalem (including the "Third Wall" and
numerous ossuary tombs) and his central role in the establishment of
the Department of Archaeology of the Hebrew University, some lesser
known episodes of his life and work in Jerusalem will be discussed.
These include his participation in the "War of the Languages" that erupted
among Zionist activists in Palestine in 1913; his early experiences
as a public school educator and tour guide; the serendipitous bequest
that led to the founding of the "Museum of Jewish Antiquities" on Mount
Scopus in 1935; and his continuing efforts to promote interest in "Jewish
Archaeology" in Europe and America. The public controversy that erupted
in 1945 with his discovery of an ossuary bearing the name "Jesus" will
also be described. When viewed together with his work on ancient synagogues
and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Sukenik's scholarly contributions and commitment
to contemporary concerns in Jerusalem represent a unique chapter in
the history of Israeli archaeology.
94) Steven Fine,
University of Cincinnati
Sukenik on the Ancient Synagogue
This
lecture will discuss the career and contributions of E. L. Sukenik to
the field of synagogue archaeology. Based upon archival research, this
lecture will begin with a survey of Sukenik's career at the Hebrew University,
and his unique relationship with J. L. Magnes. I will then evaluate
Sukenik's research methods, focusing upon his historiographic assumptions
and his significant contributions to the study of the ancient synagogue.
95) Lawrence H.
Schiffman, New York University
Sukenik and the Dead Sea Scrolls
This
paper will treat the contributions of Eleazar L. Sukenik to the study
of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Sukenik was the first to recognize the antiquity
of the scrolls, based on palaeographic dating resulting from his other
archaeological work. He was also the first to identify the new documents
with the Essenes of Philo and Josephus, and to recognize their connection
with the Zadokite Fragments, now termed the Damascus Document, that
had been found in medieval copies in the Cairo genizah. Sukenik fought
hard to acquire the scrolls for Israel and set off events that would
eventually lead to Israel's purchase of additional material after his
death. He also immediately recognized the significance of the scrolls
for the emerging State of Israel, a sense he bequeathed to his son Yigael
Yadin who did so much to shape the role of archaeology in Israeli state
and nation building. Most importantly, Sukenik immediately began the
publication of the texts he acquired, a process that was finished soon
after his death by his students.
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A25)
Communicating Archaeology to the Public
Carolyn D. Rivers,
ASOR Outreach Education, Presiding
96) Rami Khouri, Daily
Star Newspaper, Beirut
Archaeology
and Public Education: Linking Local Identity, Economy and Heritage Protection
Rami G. Khouri
is a newspaper editor, columnist, and writer of many archaeological
articles and guidebooks. Building upon his thirty-three years of mass
media and local non-governmental organization (NGO) activism in the
Arab world, this presentation will assess why cultural heritage protection
has such a low profile in the region and how members of the archaeological
community can help to change this. It will explore and suggest means
of working with local media, NGOs, community and national groups to
raise awareness of cultural heritage and antiquities, promote protection
and education mechanisms, and develop more explicit linkages between
heritage, archaeology, economy, identity and future well-being. There
will be a special focus on identifying commonalities in Arab/Islamic
and western political cultures that might provide novel openings through
which activists and practitioners in this field could move together
to promote their shared goals. Ample time is set aside for discussion
and exchange of ideas with the speaker and other attendees.
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A26)
Khirbet Qana Publication Workshop I
Theme: Moving Towards Publication
Alysia Fischer
and Douglas Edwards, Presiding
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A27)
Archaeology of Anatolia I
Theme: Current
Excavations
Sharon R. Steadman,
SUNY Cortland, Presiding
97) Ronald L. Gorny,
University of Chicago, and Gregory McMahon, University of New Hampshire
From Bronze to Byzantine: Soldiers, Clerics, and Traders at Çadir
Höyük, Central Anatolia
There
are many gaps in our knowledge of the Anatolian past. Two periods that
certainly need further elucidation include the Middle Bronze Age karum
period (made famous by the discoveries at Kültepe/Kanesh), and
Byzantine life on the plateau. Recent work at Çadir Höyük,
on the shores of Gelingüllü Lake in Yozgat Province, has begun
to offer evidence of a dynamic Middle Bronze occupation of the settlement,
suggesting a possible northern connection to the international trading
center at Kültepe. The data from Çadir add yet more confirmation
that this region, later the heartland of the Hittite Empire, was a hotbed
of trade and empire-building prior to the first major state society
in the area. Even less known is the nature of the Byzantine occupation
of this region of Anatolia. Evidence from Çadir goes far in elucidating
a 10th-11th century settlement whose inhabitants engaged in farming,
religious observance, and fortified protection of the region. The long-lived
settlement at Çadir, located at a crossroads of travel for millennia,
is proving to be a rich source of information on previously well-kept
secrets of the Anatolian past.
98) Elizabeth Stone,
SUNY Stony Brook, and Paul Zimansky, Boston University
The Structure of the Urartian City at Ayanis
This paper
summarizes seven seasons of research on the outer town that lay beside
the fortress of Ayanis, which was founded by Rusa II in the second quarter
of the 7th century BCE. Inscriptions from the citadel suggest that many,
if not all, of its inhabitants were brought to the site from outside
the frontiers of the kingdom. Much of the town has been subject to magnetic
field gradient survey and the general architectural configuration of
this one-period occupation is clear. Twelve buildings in several different
areas have been all or partially excavated, and assemblages from each
area will be compared with a view toward understanding the internal
diversity of the community and its relationship to the controlling elites.
The analysis includes recently completed studies of the ceramic and
faunal materials.
99) Timothy Matney,
University of Akron, and Ann Donkin, University of Akron
Geophysical
and Regional Surveys at Ziyaret Tepe
This paper
summarizes the results of subsurface magnetic field gradiometry survey
at the site of Ziyaret Tepe and regional geomorphological survey of
the surrounding Upper Tigris River valley conducted from 1997 to 2003.
In particular, this paper focuses on how the survey data informs our
understanding of urban planning and the use of public and private space
within the city during its Late Assyrian phase and the impact of the
Assyrian urbanization process on the landscape. Ziyaret Tepe, probably
to be identified as Assyrian Tushhan, served as a regional center and,
for a while, as the northernmost provincial capital of the Assyrian
empire.
100) Stephen Batiuk,
University of Toronto
Recent
Investigations into the Red Black Burnished Ware of the Amuq Valley
The Amuq
Valley, situated at the juncture of the eastern Mediterranean world,
Highland Anatolia and Mesopotamia, played a pivotal, yet poorly defined
role in the growth of inter-regional trade networks in the Early Bronze
Age. The occurrence of Red Black Burnished Ware (RBBW) in Phase H of
the Amuq sequence, whose traditions can be traced back to northeastern
Anatolia and the Kura-Araxes river basin, has often been held up as
evidence of these inter-regional networks. The exact nature of relationship
between the RBBW and its typological "relatives" to the north and south
of the Amuq is poorly understood. Woolley and Hood preferred to see
the ware as evidence of great "folk migrations" and an outpouring of
"armed invaders" from northern Anatolia, while Braidwood, preferred
to see it as a regional variant of Syro-Cilician Dark Faced Burnished
Ware. This paper will investigate the inter-regional relationship of
Phase H of the Amuq valley by means of an in-depth study of the survey
data collected over the last five seasons of the Amuq Valley Regional
Project surveys. Materials analysis of ceramics collected from various
sites in the valley with an examination of settlement patterns will
be used to more clearly define the "settlement and society" of this
important period of the Amuq. The data is then briefly compared and
contrasted to that from eastern Anatolia in order to illuminate the
relationship between the RBBW of the Amuq and its proposed relatives
in nearby regions.
101) Bradley Parker,
University of Utah, and Lynn Swartz Dodd, University of Southern California
A Synthetic
Report on Three Years of Excavation at Kenan Tepe, Turkey
This paper
reviews the results of the first three years of excavation at the site
of Kenan Tepe in the Upper Tigris River Valley of southeastern Anatolia,
located in the area destined to be flooded by the Ilisu Dam. Situated
at the northern edge of the Mesopotamian world, the site of Kenan Tepe
is yielding new evidence from the Ubaid, Late Chalcolithic, Early Bronze
Age, Middle Bronze Age, and the Early Iron Age, all periods of significant
inter-regional interaction. The first three years of analysis of the
archaeological data suggest that Kenan Tepe was linked to the larger
Mesopotamian world in fluid and complex ways. After years of scholarly
dialogue in which frontier areas have been viewed foremost as peripheries
and backwaters that were subject to the political domination and economic
exploitation of more advanced societal cores areas, recent research
is emphasizing the complexity, internal dynamism and trans-regional
influence of frontier societies. This paper will examine the ebb and
flow of inter-regional interaction from the perspective of an Anatolian
town that was impressively fortified at least once during its history.
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A28)
Archaeology and the Public
Ann Killebrew,
Pennsylvania State University, and Joseph Greene, Harvard University,
Presiding
102) Joseph Greene,
Harvard University
Preserving
Petra: Public, Private, and Parastatal Efforts
For all the apparent
solidity of carved stone facades, the Nabataean site of Petra in Jordan
is a fragile antiquity set in an equally fragile natural environment.
The site's vulnerability came sharply into focus in the mid-1990s, with
the rapid upswing in mass tourism to Jordan in the wake of the Oslo
accords. The impacts of tourism were felt not only at the site itself
in the form of increased numbers of visitors (especially in the "high
seasons" of spring and fall), but also around the margins of the site
(especially in nearby Wadi Musa village) in the form of uncontrolled
and often haphazard expansion of tourist facilities and the concomitant
increased demands on water, sewerage and waste disposal.
The problems encountered at Petra were
clearly more than simply ones of archaeological site preservation but
rather of archaeological site management. The responsible authorities
in Jordan, public, private and parastatal, as well as foreign donors
and technical agencies, have over the last decade devised ways to combine
their resources in order to meet the challenges of protecting and preserving
the World Heritage site of Petra. This paper is an account of the progress
made and the problems remaining to be solved.
103) Sandra Scham,
University of Maryland
Archaeological Outreach and Education at Akko
For the past
year and a half the University of Haifa in Israel has been engaged in
a project, funded by the U.S. Department of State, for education and
community outreach at Akko (Acre). Akko is a mixed community of Jews
and Arabs and a remarkable site that represents all of the major religious
and cultural traditions of the region. Very close to the Old City is
Acre's tell which has the remains of buildings from many different archaeological
periods. The University of Haifa's objective is to educate students
and the communities living around Acre and involve them in efforts to
develop and preserve the sites. This project focuses on the heritage
of the Arab citizens of Israel a group that is often forgotten in the
omnipresent Israeli-Palestinian struggle. Acre's modern residents have
generally seen the "historical" nature of the buildings they inhabit
as a limitation rather than a source of pride since the development
plans for the site in the past have proposed removing the local population.
The site of the Old City of Acre and its tell includes Islamic, Ottoman,
Crusader and Bronze and Iron Age remains within one small area. The
cross-cultural heritage presentation training program for college students,
through on-site activities, lectures, tours and discussions, has exposed
Jewish and Arab participants to an archaeological and historical exploration
of their shared past as demonstrated by this important site.
104) Adel Yahya,
Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange
Design
and Symbol: Palmettes, Rosettes and Ishtar in Assyrian Art
The Palestinian-Israeli
conflict proved once more that archaeology can fall victim to politics.
The current Palestinian uprising is yet another example of how politics
can cause a set back for archaeology. It resulted in the seizer of archaeological
activities, furthermore, the tourism industry is on the verges of collapse.
The official authorities ere not in any position to protect or maintain
cultural heritage sites, so this job has been trusted to Palestinian
NGOs, and the Ramallah based "Palestinian Association for cultural Exchange"
(PACE) has been in the forefront of this effort. The organization has
concentrated its efforts on engaging the public, especially in rural
areas, in the process of protecting endangered world cultural heritage
sites in the region. It believes that public integration in historical
sites protection and preservation can be realized by transforming the
role of archaeologists into that of a facilitator for community-based
action. Such methodology provided the tool for genuine public interest
in cultural heritage, and helped reduce the damage to archaeological
sites. In addition to that it provided the possibility for local communities'
to generate income and at the same time protect their heritage and environment
at a time of total distress.
Thanks to generous support from different
international agencies, including: American, German and the UN funding
agencies, and the cooperation of consultants and colleagues from abroad
PACE has been able to develop a strategy of cultural heritage preservation
which includes:
I. Intensive public awareness campaigns
in the various regions of the West Bank, and particularly in the rural
areas to encourage local communities to safeguard and protect world
cultural heritage sites and the environment in their regions. The public
awareness campaigns included a series of lectures, slide shows, films,
town meetings and tours, etc.
II. Rehabilitating and safeguarding important
historical and environmental sites especially in the villages, transforming
them into useful facilities to the local community rather than a burden
on it.
III. Producing and disseminating information
about those sites through tour guide books and booklets" for sites and
regions in different languages, as a necessary step to promote those
sites as possible tourist destinations.
IV. Providing short term job opportunities
on the sites in an effort to help reduce the rate of unemployment among
Palestinians, especially in rural areas.
In order to plan and implement this plan "local committees to Protect
Cultural Heritage" are formed in each village or region. Those committees
are constituted of 5-9 members representing the different local community
organizations: youth clubs, village councils, women groups, churches
and mosques.
105) Ze'ev Herzog,
Tel Aviv University and Lawrence Belkin, Independent Scholar
Conceptual
and Technological Issues in Site Preservation: Reconstructing Tel Beersheba
Excavations at Tel
Beersheba by Tel Aviv University from 1969 to 1976 revealed 14 strata
dating from Iron I to the Early Arab period. The well-planned Iron II
city (Stratum II, late 8th century BCE) was the project's major research
objective. The architecture of Stratum II typically consisted of mudbrick
buildings on stone foundations. The preservation of the mudbrick superstructures
was exceedingly poor, although the stone foundations fared better. After
the excavations the site was abandoned for 13 years and what remained
of the exposed Iron II mudbrick walls soon disintegrated.
When Israel's National Parks Authority
assumed responsibility for the site, it demanded that the excavators
take steps to preserve Tel Beersheba and present it to visitors. The
authors, the site's archaeologist and architect, undertook this work.
The question of reconstructing mud bricks
arose when it was realized that the disintegration of the city's bricks
had produced a cityscape of stone walls, while in antiquity Beersheba
was to the ancient observer a city of mudbrick and plaster. Numerous
trials were undertaken to produce water-resistant and semi-resistant
mud-bricks and various plastering techniques were examined. Issues of
selective back-filling and supplemental excavation came up in the context
of deciding which architectural elements should be featured-even at
the expense of confusion. In some locations remains of multiple strata
are presented simultaneously, although generally Stratum II is the focus.
These long term efforts to present Tel Beersheba to the public warrant
making it a case study of the problems and solutions in archaeological
reconstruction.
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A29)
Individual Submissions I
Susan L. Cohen,
Montana State University, Presiding
106)
Aaron Burke, University of Chicago
The Kingdom
of Ashkelon: Archaeological Inquiry into a Middle Bronze Age Kingdom
in the Southern Levant
Archaeological
inquiry into the MBA kingdoms of the southern Levant has until the present
depended almost entirely upon only two lines of evidence. These have
included textual references to sites and rank size analysis of settlements.
Although these limited sources have been useful in thus far identifying
at least one agreed-upon kingdom in the region for the MBA, Hazor, most
scholars generally agree that the entire region was probably not dominated
by this single polity. For this reason scholars have suggested that
other kingdoms such as Shechem, Sharuhen, and Ashkelon existed, relying
predominantly upon interpretations of archaeological data since textual
references to any such kingdoms remain elusive. Unfortunately these
identifications, made in the complete absence of textual evidence, have
even avoided reliance upon rank size analysis as a criterion for their
identification, further reducing the plausibility of their identifications
and complicating their comparisons with Hazor and other known MBA kingdoms
in the northern Levant. But recent analysis of MBA fortified settlements
and their morphologies as a result of the author's dissertation research
make it possible to add a third criterion for the identification of
MBA kingdoms in the southern Levant. The result of this analysis makes
it possible to identify the previously hypothesized MBA kingdom of Ashkelon
through a study of the chronological and spatial development of the
kingdom's fortified settlements. The reliability of this historical
reconstruction can then be further tested by examining the trajectory
of historical events during ensuing periods, namely during the LBA and
Iron I, in and around the defunct kingdom of Ashkelon.
107) Martin Peilstocker,
Israel Antiquities Authority
The Akko Plain (Israel) During the Middle Bronze Age - Urbanism in
a Mediterranean Coastal Plain
Recent
excavation and survey work in the Akko Plain, which is the northernmost
part of the coastal plain of Israel, revealed a fully developed urban
system dating to the Middle Bronze Age. The lecture will introduce the
region and the archaeological data and will focus on the question to
what extend the ancient landscape influenced the MB urbanism. In a second
part the region will be compared with others such as the Akkar Plain
(Lebanon)and the Central Jordan Valley of Israel/Jordan.
108) Jack (John)
Green, University College London
Continuity and Change in Funerary and Mortuary Ritual at the Late
Bronze - Early Iron Age Cemetery of Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, Jordan
This
paper presents findings from a preliminary study of the Tell es-Sa'idiyeh
cemetery (in preparation for publication) incorporating evidence from
Jonathan Tubb's 1985-1996 excavations, and James Pritchard's excavations
(Pritchard 1980). The cemetery contains several hundred burials, mostly
attributed to three phases, ranging from LBIIB to Iron I (provisional
date range: 13th - 12th Centuries BC). Funerary and mortuary activities
are seen as maintaining and transforming aspects of social and familial
structure, social identity and ideology in a period of socio-cultural
change. Shifts between these phases are seen within the context of responses
to fluctuating and fragmented Egyptian control and influence during
the LB-Iron transition. Anthropological and sociological approaches
are employed, examining variability between ritual stages and cemetery
use over time. Ritual stages include: 1) Bodily treatment and display;
2) Material and functional diversity of grave-objects 3) Tomb construction,
reuse and grave marking; and 4) Secondary manipulation of the body.
Significant differences are present between phases 1-2. Individual pit
burials with low levels of tomb elaboration, but high levels of body
elaboration, give way to communal mud-brick cists with different forms
of body elaboration and a changing funerary assemblage. Phase 3 exhibits
continuity from phase 2, but includes evidence of secondary treatment
in the vicinity of the phase 2 tombs, perhaps indicating close relationships
with their occupants. Inter-phase continuity demonstrates the maintenance
of certain traditions, but differences in the use of prestige material
culture, tomb-types and body treatment suggest changes in attitudes
to death in the Early Iron Age.
109) Gerald Mattingly,
Johnson Bible College
Between the Desert and the Sown. The Function of Mudaybi': An Iron
II Moabite Fortress
Karak
Resources Project (KRP) has completed three seasons of excavation (1997,
1999, and 2001) at Khirbat al-Mudaybi', a fortress located in the southeastern
corner of the Karak plateau. To date, all evidence indicates that this
85 m X 88 m fort was initially constructed, occupied, and abandoned
in Iron Age II, probably in the 8th-7th centuries B.C.E. Portions of
the site were occupied sporadically in the Byzantine and Islamic periods,
but the massive walls, corner and interval towers, and large four-chamber
gate (constructed of basalt, limestone, and chert) reflect the site's
original function -- viz. a fort that guarded an important trade route
(Fajj al-'Usaykir) and protected the boundary between Moab's agricultural
lands, located west of the site, and the Syrian Desert, to the east.
The presence of elaborate volute capitals
in the gate complex might indicate that Mudaybi' was part of Moab's
Iron Age II administrative network. The site's plan, style of limestone
capitals, radiocarbon samples, and pottery and other artifacts indicate
a late Iron II setting for construction and abandonment. Though we cannot
be certain, documentary sources allow us to propose a plausible historical
scenario for this impressive fort. This paper will focus on references
from the Hebrew prophets and cuneiform sources that describe the interaction
between Moabites, desert tribes, and Neo-Assyrian armies -- and suggest
that Mudaybi' dates to that period of conflict.
110) Steven R.
Notely, Nyack College
Historical and Geographical Evidence for the Site Identification
of Bethsaida
One
of the challenging tasks for archaeologists and biblical historians
alike is site identification. Bethsaida has been lost for centuries
and its location the subject of speculation. Robinson (1838) was the
first to suggest that et-Tell was the site of ancient Bethsaida-Julias.
Yet, have fifteen years (1987-2002) of excavations at et-Tell demonstrated
that it is the site of ancient Bethsaida? The excavations have uncovered
significant Iron Age and Hellenistic period structures, but what is
equally remarkable is the significant lack of material remains from
the early Roman period-precisely the point in history that eyewitnesses
report Bethsaida was transformed into a polis.
No less problematic is et-Tell's distance
from the current lakeshore. The archaeologists have presented a geological
study that indicates the expanse between the tell and the lakeshore
once was underwater, suggesting the lake reached the base of the tell
in the first century. Yet, when considered with the topography of other
settlements around the lake, this solution is quite simply untenable.
If multiple, independent and reliable
historical sources indicate human settlement during a particular period,
and an archaeological investigation finds no corresponding material
remains that correlate to that historical period, then the paucity of
the evidence should raise questions about the identification of the
site. In this study I want to examine critically the historical descriptions
of Bethsaida and the topographical data for the purpose of inquiring
whether the ancient picture of Bethsaida corresponds to the discoveries
of the Bethsaida Excavations Project.
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A30)
Problems in Ceramic Typology
Celia J. Bergoffen,
SCIEM Project, Presiding
111) Lynn Dodd
Swartz, University of Southern California
Innovation and Adaptation in Mesopotamia's Northern Frontier Zone:
The Middle Bronze Age Pottery Assemblage at Kenan Tepe, Turkey
This
paper presents the results of Middle Bronze Age ceramic analysis from
three years of excavation at Kenan Tepe on the Tigris River in the Ilisu
Dam area of eastern Turkey. The Middle Bronze Age pottery assemblage
at Kenan Tepe has been dated by 14C to between the 20th and the early17th
centuries BC. Certain vessel shapes and decorative traditions in the
MB ceramic corpus can be considered selective adaptations from the Old
Babylonian and Khabur ware assemblages known from northern Mesopotamian
sites, such as Tell Brak, Chagar Bazar, Tell al-Rimah, and Tell Rijim.
Other components of the ceramic assemblage belong to a local pottery
tradition known as "red-brown wash ware." In certain kinds of vessels,
these traditions are creatively fused.
The selective incorporation of Khabur
ware decorative schemes, and of shapes from the Old Babylonian period
assemblage are particularly notable strategies of adaptation and possibly
of imitation at Kenan Tepe. These are interpreted both as innovations
that served to distinguish Kenan Tepe locally, and as a means of integration
between this upper Tigris valley village and Mesopotamian sites that
looked to the Anatolian highlands for resources.
112) Eli Yannai, Israel Antiquities Authority
Pottery Vessels Imported from the Syrian-Lebanese Coast to Israel during the Middle
and Late Bronze Ages
Abstract not available
113) Joanna S.
Smith, Columbia University
Local, Regional, and International Ceramics from Phlamoudhi, Cyprus
Phlamoudhi-Melissa
is a late Middle to Late Bronze Age settlement located north of the
Kyrenia mountain range on Cyprus. Its ceramic assemblage is notable
not only for imported and locally-made versions of vessels from the
Levant and the Aegean, but also because Melissa was a place of Red-on-Black
ceramic production. Red-on-Black ware belongs to the strong tradition
of red slipped ceramics that are particularly characteristic of the
northern and eastern parts of Cyprus. Also at Melissa are vessels in
White Slip that are more characteristic of the south coast of the island.
This paper presents not only new information about the making of the
local north-coast ware, Red-on-Black, but also comments on where and
how it was used and its stylistic interplay with other Cypriot regional
ceramics as well as those more closely associated with places east and
west. Ceramic experimentation at Melissa links all of these wares in
details of shape, decoration, and method of manufacture, making us reevaluate
how and for what reasons we classify ceramics of the second millennium
BC eastern Mediterranean.
114) Navah Panitz-Cohen,
Hebrew University
Wall Brackets in the Late Bronze and Iron Age I: A Cypriot Marker
in the Levant?
The
interaction between East and West during the Late Bronze Age is a well
known phenomenon that is evident in various aspects of the material
culture in both spheres. Numerous materials and goods were exchanged
throughout the Mediterranean basin, one of which is an intriguing object
termed a "wall bracket". This lecture will discuss the assumed function
of the brackets and present their quantitative chronological and regional
distribution during the period of their floruit (LBIIB-Iron Age IA)
and decline (Iron Age Ib). Petrographic analysis carried out on a selection
of brackets from these periods indicates Cyprus as the source of these
objects in the Late Bronze Age, while the changing pattern of their
distribution and production in the Iron Age I will be analysed against
the background of the cessation of trade relations between East and
West that took place at the end of the Late Bronze Age. At the core
of this discussion are the brackets found at Tel Bet Shean and Tel Megiddo
dating to the Iron Age I, attempting to analyze the meaning of their
presence in light of the relations between the Levant and Cyprus at
this time.
115) Celia J. Bergoffen, SCIEM Project
Canaanite Wheelmade Versions of Late Cypriot Handmade Pottery and Trade
The
occurrence of Canaanite imitations of Cypriot pottery forms in the Late
Bronze Age was first discussed by Olga Tufnell (1958) with reference
to the Lachish material, and for Tufnell's Festschrift (1985), Kay Prag
reviewed the different types and their chronological distribution. He
made it clear that the range of types selected for imitation was relatively
narrow, while the manner in which the different shapes and wares were
imitated or combined with other styles was quite varied. But the phenomenon
remains to be satisfactorily explained. Tufnell suggested that the copies
became more frequent as importation declined and the originals became
scarcer, yet the brief survey offered in this paper shows that imitations
appeared as early as the earliest imports in each class. The history
of the imitations mirrors that of the imports, reflecting the latter's
popularity.
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A31)
ETANA Workshop
Theme: Integrated
Technology-Enabled Archaeology
James W. Flanagan,
Case Western Reserve University, and Douglas R. Clark, Walla Walla College,
Presiding
A32)
Archaeology of Anatolia II
Theme: From
Seaside to Mountaintop: Settlements Across Anatolia
Jennifer Ross,
Hood College, Presiding
116) Marie Marley,
SUNY Binghamton
Religion On the Go: Figurines from 2nd Millennium Kenan Tepe
Kenan
Tepe is a large tell on the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey. Occupation
levels at the site range in dates from the Chalcholithic to the 2nd
millennium BC. Interestingly, with the long time span represented at
Kenan Tepe, the large majority of figurine finds (to this point in the
excavations) are limited to 2nd millennium contexts. Many of these are
found in close proximity to the large furnace from the same period.
Parallels to these figurines have been found in finds from Tell Brak
and Mozan. This paper will examine the social and ideological importance
of figurines in the lives of the 2nd millennium occupants of Kenan Tepe,
as well as issues of portability and mobility in possibly ritual/religious
objects.
117) Tony Sagona,
University of Melbourne
Hearths and Houses East of the Turkish Euphrates
Late
prehistoric communities of the Anatolian highlands east of the Euphrates
and north of the Taurus Mountains engaged in a considerable amount of
cultural interplay with their neighbors in Trans-Caucasus and north-west
Iran. This extensive and broken landscape did not encourage the early
growth of centralized authority. Instead archaeology has revealed a
series of interconnected cultural traditions that although capable of
absorbing new stimuli are manifested in a range of multiple regional
adaptations of an enduring character. This paper will examine various
east Anatolian cultural complexes that fall within the period between
3500 and 1500 BC. These traditions will be explained primarily through
the diversity of architecture and settlement patterns that is becoming
increasingly apparent in the highlands. Buildings range from those that
are rectilinear in plan, through the sub-rectangular, to circular structures.
They can be built of mud brick or wattle-and-daub, and arranged as free-standing
units or attached to form radial settlements. In each case the focal
point of the interior space is the large central hearth that is usually
surrounded by a scatter of smaller, portable hearths. The anthropomorphic
or zoomorphic appearance of east Anatolian hearths, the effort invested
in their construction and the attention they demand suggest that hearths
were accorded special significance in these highlands.
118) Sharon R.
Steadman, SUNY Cortland
The Northern Anatolian Plateau in the Chalcolithic: Glimpses of an
Unknown Vitality
The
Chalcolithic period on the Anatolian Plateau is best known from excavations
at sites such as Haclar, Canhasan, and more recently Kuruçay. While
evidence from these and other sites are beginning to give shape to the
Chalcolithic habitation of the southern Plateau, most maps of sites,
and descriptions of settlement history offer no evidence of life on
the northern half (roughly north of the Halys [Kizil Irmak] River) Plateau,
suggesting that this region was largely empty until later times. However,
evidence is emerging that offers a picture not of an uninhabited backwater,
but rather a region fully-engaged in interregional interaction with
cultures to the east and south. This paper offers a newly emergent glimpse
of life on the northern Anatolian Plateau in the Chalcolithic. In part,
this presentation serves to illustrate how much there is yet to be done
to better understand the Chalcolithic occupation in this region, relative
to the far better known settlement history in the south. Nonetheless,
the material presented will dispel the notion that the northern Plateau
was a virtually vacant landscape until the few centuries prior to the
rise of the Hittite state in the early second millennium.
119) Michelle Bonogofsky,
University of California - Berkeley
A Bioarchaeological Study of Plastered Skulls from Anatolia: New
Discoveries and Interpretations
Skull
removal and the modeling of facial features on dry human skulls occurred
in central Anatolia during the Neolithic period (ca. 6,000-5,000 B.C.).
In this paper I announce newly discovered plastered skulls from Kösk
Höyük and describe skulls that were cached but not necessarily decorated.
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