Agnieszka Szymczak

Bio: Agnieszka Szymczak is an academic researcher from University of Warsaw. The author has contributed to research in topics: Excavation. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 3 publications receiving 7 citations.

Preliminary report on the 2012 and 2013 excavation seasons at Jiyeh (Porphyreon): work in sector D (residential Quarter)

Abstract: Archeological work in the 2012 and 2013 seasons in Jiyeh (Porphyreon), which lies on the Phoenician coast north of ancient Sidon, was focused on reconstructing the history of settlement on the site. At least three phases were identified and dated to the Iron Age II, the Persian– Hellenistic–Roman period and late antiquity. The early dating of the functioning of the Christian basilica to the 4th–5th century AD was also confirmed in trial pits. The complex and unusual sewage installation discharging rainwater from the roofs and streets of the 5th-century settlement contributed important data for studies of late antique domestic architecture in the region.

Second season of prehistoric investigations in the Qumayrah Valley, Oman

Abstract: 1 Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw 2 Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw Abstract: In the second field season of the Omani–Polish Qumayrah Archaeological Project, the prehistoric leg of the team conducted investigations of previously discovered lithic sites in the vicinity of Al-Ayn village. This paper summarizes the results of archaeological testing at three open campsites codenamed Qumayrah-Ayn (QA) 2, QA 6 and QA 12. The investigations provided new evidence of intensive Stone Age settlement of the Qumayrah Valley (also known as Wadi Fajj). The data, comprising lithic tools and some shell and stone beads, indicate that the occupation of these sites should be dated to various stages of the Neolithic period.

Conservation and restoration of a votive mask from Jiyeh in Lebanon

Abstract: A terracotta mask discovered at the site of Jiyeh (ancient Porphyreon) in Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast between Beirut and Sidon, underwent conservation and restoration in 2014. A silicone cast of the object was made as part of the process, which included reconstruction of the losses and final retouch. The state of preservation of the object was assessed during the course of the conservation. A study of the production technique permitted the mask production process to be reconstructed to a large extent.

The earliest transverse grooved stones of Eurasia: Near Eastern distribution, types and chronology

Abstract: Transverse grooved stones (TGS) believed to be used as shaft straighteners, first made their appearance at Epipalaeolithic sites in the Near East from where they spread to the Mediterranean coasts of Africa and Europe, but mostly to Northern Eurasia (the steppe, forest-steppe, and semi-desert zones). It has been discovered that the spread of TGA has been carried out along different paths. Moreover, grooved stones along each of these transmission routes can be distinguished by their unique decorative and morphological characteristics. The aim of this paper is to clarify the circumstances and the date of appearance of the first TGS, localization of their initial areas, and identification of their respective decorative and morphological features. This is a necessary condition for identifying the starting points of the subsequent transit carriers of TGS' tradition and tracing the directions of interaction in Eurasia during the end of the Pleistocene – the first half of the Holocene period using TGS as markers. The initial database was formed on the basis of the scientific publications on the Near East. The following is a presentation of the analytical review of at least 200 grooved stones and 80 sites in their starting area in south-western Asia. The analysis used a systematic approach with emphasis on chronology, environment, petrography, morphology, functional-typological data where such were available, and TGS’ decor. But first of all, the study pays attention to the distribution of TGS and their cultural and chronological boundaries in this region. For this purpose, it was performed the mapping of findings in two chronological levels – up to 8000 thousand BCE and after, with the marking of decorated products. The results enabled us to detect that the geographical spread of grooved artefacts of this type is limited in the Near East to the area of central Anatolia and Fertile Crescent, with a boundary along the desert-steppes. At least three concentrations can be clearly distinguished: the Levant, Zagros Mountains, and Upper Mesopotamia - central Anatolia, where the products are characterized by specific features of decorative and morphological design and in one case (Levant) an additional observed petrographic specificity. Currently, the earliest cases are recorded in Early Natufian contexts in the Levant and in Epipalaeolithic contexts of the Anatolian plateau since the 13th millennium cal BCE. Thus, one can confidently state that the introduction of TGS in the Middle East is generally linked to the Epipalaeolithic sites (Natufian, Harifian, and Western Zarzian) and is definitely associated with hunter-gatherers. The heyday of TGS falls on the PPNA and lasts to the beginning of the early Bronze Age, when they finally disappear.

Mammals in the economy of ancient Porphyreon (Lebanon)

Abstract: An archaeozoological analysis of mammal remains recovered from the dwelling units and streets of ancient Porphyreon excavated in 2009, 2010 and 2012, gives insight into the importance of mammals for the residents of this quarter in succeeding periods: from the Iron Age through the Persian and Hellenistic periods to Byzantine times. Husbandry lay at the base of the animal economy and was supplemented with hunting various species of gazelle. Cattle, sheep and goat were the most numerous livestock species represented in the archaeological record. The high percentage of cattle observed in Iron Age deposits could have resulted from the agricultural lifestyle of the population. Starting from the Persian period, sheep and goat played the most prominent role in the animal economy, implying a pastoral model of husbandry. Raising goats for meat was more significant initially; from the Hellenistic period onwards, the number of sheep reared for milk and wool increased. Pigs constituted a minor percentage of the livestock. The presence of equid remains, including horse and donkey, was confirmed for the Persian period, when these animals were used for transportation.