Showing papers in "Near Eastern Archaeology in 2015"
TL;DR: In this paper, the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Near Eastern Archaeology has been published and a definitive version was subsequently published in Harmansah, O.3.2015.
Abstract: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Near Eastern Archaeology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Harmansah, O. ISIS, HERITAGE, AND THE SPECTACLES OF DESTRUCTION IN THE GLOBAL MEDIA. Near Eastern Archaeology. 2015. 78(3): 170-177. DOI: 10.5615/neareastarch.78.3.0170.
109 citations
TL;DR: Most efforts to evaluate the impact of the war in Syria on the country's cultural heritage have struggled with the highly politicized nature of reporting and the total absence of evidence from many experts.
Abstract: Most efforts to evaluate the impact of the war in Syria on the country's cultural heritage have struggled with the highly politicized nature of reporting and the total absence of evidence from many...
80 citations
TL;DR: ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives (ASOR CHI) uses a wide range of ground-based observations to report on the cultural heritage situation in Syria and northern Iraq as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives (ASOR CHI) uses a wide range of ground-based observations to report on the cultural heritage situation in Syria and northern Iraq. Coupled with analyses of high-r...
55 citations
TL;DR: While many news reports exist about archaeological site looting in Egypt following its January 2011 Revolution, no one had yet examined the issue of how looting patterns changed over time across different parts of the country.
Abstract: While many news reports exist about archaeological site looting in Egypt following its January 2011 Revolution, no one had yet examined the issue of how looting patterns changed over time across th...
33 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used recent high resolute findings of archaeological sites following the first Gulf War and especially in the immediate aftermath of the US invasion of southern Iraq to identify the looting sites.
Abstract: Southern Iraq suffered an onslaught of looting of archaeological sites following the first Gulf War and especially in the immediate aftermath of the US invasion. This paper uses recent high resolut...
29 citations
TL;DR: The ongoing destruction of cultural heritage as part of the current crisis in Syria and Iraq as mentioned in this paper has attracted much attention in the last few years. But, while many academic responses have started the important work on cultural heritage preservation,
Abstract: Considerable attention has been given to the ongoing destruction of cultural heritage as part of the current crisis in Syria and Iraq. While many academic responses have started the important work ...
25 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the quintessential "crossroads of cultures" where the civilizations of the Near East, Central Asia, South Asia, and China interacted over the millennia in a constantly shifting mixtu...
Abstract: Afghanistan is the quintessential “crossroads of cultures” where the civilizations of the Near East, Central Asia, South Asia, and China interacted over the millennia in a constantly shifting mixtu...
19 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, evidence for feasting in the late Iron Age I Philistine culture from a circumscribed locale in Area A at the site of Tell es-Safi/Gath is presented.
Abstract: This paper presents evidence for feasting in the late Iron Age I Philistine culture from a circumscribed locale in Area A at the site of Tell es-Safi/Gath. The remains are characterized by architec...
18 citations
TL;DR: The Tel ‘Eton archaeological site has been excavated from the early Bronze Age to the early Hellenistic period with a few settlement cessations within this long period as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Tel ‘Eton is a large site in the southeastern Shephelah, Israel, that has been excavated since 2006 by Bar-Ilan University. The site, which is surrounded by large burial fields, is located at the edge of the trough valley that separates the Shephelah (lowlands) from the highlands, and carries great potential for understanding the interaction between the well-known Shephelah and the lesser-known highlands. This article summarizes the history of the mound, as revealed in the excavations, from the Early Bronze Age to the early Hellenistic period (with a few settlement cessations within this long period). In addition, the expedition has methodological objectives, including assessing the advantages and limitations of surveys, shovel tests, and of various remote sensing methods, as well as to study site formation processes, ancient construction techniques, and more; these are also briefly presented in the article.
13 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that attempts to safeguard cultural heritage at its source are inappropriate for the task at hand and more needs to be done to tackle demand on the destination market.
Abstract: Since 1990, as country after country throughout West Asia and North Africa has fallen victim to civil disturbance or conflict, its cultural heritage has been looted to feed the demand of an international antiquities market. International public policy has failed to achieve any kind of hold on the problem. This paper looks at the reasons for policy failure, with a particular emphasis on recently implemented policy initiatives intended to safeguard cultural heritage in Syria. The paper is critical of the relationship between traditional and social media news reporting and policy making. It concludes by arguing that attempts to safeguard cultural heritage at its source are inappropriate for the task at hand and more needs to be done to tackle demand on the destination market.
11 citations
TL;DR: For example, the Museum of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as discussed by the authors presented an exhibit of ancient Mediterranean art at the Dawn of the Classical Age, focusing on the art of the first and second millennia b.c.
Abstract: 114 NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY 78:2 (2015) In this era of globalization and nanosecond communication technology, it is important to remember that the modern world did not pioneer dynamic, long-distance interconnections. A major exhibition of ancient Mediterranean art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Assyria to Iberia at the Dawn of the Classical Age reminds us that roughly 3,000 years ago, during the first millennium b.c.e., societies living in a wide geographical swath stretching from Iran to Spain and Egypt to Britain engaged in a networked economy, and indeed flourished through the exchange of ideas, raw materials, and finished objects. The Assyria to Iberia blockbuster is the third installment in the Met’s multi-year plan of millennial exhibits (the shows in 2003 and 2008 examined the third and second millennia b.c.e., respectively). Like its predecessors, the latest exhibit is ambitious and wide– ranging, even encyclopedic, and involved coordination across multiple departments at the Metropolitan, as well as with museums throughout the world. The Metropolitan arranged loans and exhibited objects that have rarely, and in some cases never, been displayed in the United States, incorporating artifacts from museums in Cyprus, Denmark, France, England, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Armenia, Israel, Lebanon, Tunisia and the Vatican. And while once again loan objects from collections in Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Egypt were noticeably (but understandably, given the current political situations) absent, in many cases these important ancient civilizations were represented by objects in the Museum’s own collections, as well as those in France, Germany and the U.K. The multi-room exhibit winds its way around and as one progresses through the galleries, the visitor encounters art first from Assyria and Urartu in the eastern regions of this world, through the eastern Mediterranean with Israel, Cyprus and Greece, and onto western regions including Carthage, Italy and Spain. As visitors move from east to west, they simultaneously travel a chronological path, from the earlier first millennium in the ninth century b.c.e., ending with objects excavated from several Phoenician shipwrecks off the coast of Spain that date to late seventh century b.c.e. This progression generally works well, as the numerous case labels, wall panels and enormous maps provide ample opportunities for visitors to explore the cultural and political contexts and civilizations encountered on their journey through the winding galleries. The general audience of the Met’s blockbuster show is well served by the curators’ use of commonly known ancient literary works, such as the Old Testament and Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, to illuminate the less familiar cultural contexts of many remarkable objects. The meandering journey through this exhibit, filled as it is with extraordinary objects, drives home a number of important messages about the interconnectedness of the ancient world. Small ivory carvings made throughout the region, originally decorating royal furniture, appear first in the Assyrian gallery, and then are repeated in galleries relating to Syria and the Levant, Israel, Cyprus and Greece. Likewise, the notion of the “Orientalizing Period,” a term usually applied to pre-Classical Greek art that shows its awareness of the art of Egypt and the Near East, is expanded and elaborated upon throughout the exhibition. Attentive visitors learn, for example, that Greek sanctuaries and Etruscan cemeteries were filled with Near Eastern and Egyptian luxury goods, and can trace the impact of those goods on local artistic production. As in the preceding exhibits, the curators endeavor to show the mechanics of the ways that raw materials and finished goods traveled. Near the end of the exhibition is a gallery filled with rarely seen objects from regional Spanish museums. These were recovered from a pair of Phoenician era shipwrecks off the coast of Spain, and are accompanied by a larger than life wall with video of one of the underwater excavations, as well as looped audio featuring the sounds of water and scuba equipment. While the Metropolitan’s efforts to provide a real sense of context for these underwater finds is admirable, and the video fascinating to watch, the sound from the immersive “underwater” experience is loud and distracting in the gallery, and confusing when it spills into adjoining galleries. An immersive “shipwreck” effect was accomplished more successfully in the 2008 (second millennium b.c.e.) show, which displayed a
TL;DR: The cultural heritage of Libya is facing significant threats and damage from unregulated development, but also increasing acts of civil disorder as discussed by the authors, and two de facto governments are claiming authori....
Abstract: Libya's cultural heritage is facing significant threats and damage, not only from unregulated development, but also increasing acts of civil disorder. With two de facto governments claiming authori...
TL;DR: This paper documented and participated in a traditional feast in a remote village in the Finisterre Mountain Range in Papua New Guinea, where the cultural manifestations seen were very different from those of ancient Near Eastern cultures, various aspects which I witnessed provide interesting analogies for understanding ancient feasting in general, and archaeological evidence of feasting from the ancient Near East in particular.
Abstract: This contribution offers comparative evidence to the previous contribution on Philistine feasting. During a visit to Papua New Guinea, I documented and participated in a traditional feast in a remote village in the Finisterre Mountain Range. Although the cultural manifestations seen were very different from those of ancient Near Eastern cultures, various aspects which I witnessed provide interesting analogies for understanding ancient feasting in general, and archaeological evidence of feasting from the ancient Near East in particular.
TL;DR: In this article, an overview of crime and punishment in ancient Egypt is provided, where sources for crimes and punishments are mainly texts, but no criminal law code is preserved, and evidence for crimes against t...
Abstract: This article provides an overview of crime and punishment in ancient Egypt. Sources for crimes and punishments are mainly texts, but no criminal law code is preserved. Evidence for crimes against t...
TL;DR: In this paper, excavation at South Abydos has revealed a royal necropolis dating to the late Second Intermediate Period, ca. 1650-1600 b.c. The necropolis includes the tomb of king Woseribre Seneb-Kay.
Abstract: Excavations at South Abydos have revealed a royal necropolis dating to Egypt's late Second Intermediate Period, ca. 1650–1600 b.c.e. The necropolis includes the tomb of king Woseribre Seneb-Kay, as...
TL;DR: In this paper, an introductory overview of the topic of crime and punishment in the Hittite kingdom is presented, focusing on one case-study: crimes related to sexual behavior.
Abstract: This article offers an introductory overview of the topic of crime and punishment in the Hittite kingdom. I offer general background to the topic and focus on one case-study: crimes related to sexual behavior. Even within this narrower topic, the discussion is limited to one main example, incest prohibitions and the regulation of kin relations, which have not previously been studied as a distinct topic.
TL;DR: In the 8th to 10th century c. as discussed by the authors, six adult individuals, five males and one female, were murdered in the northern Badia of Jordan amongst the ruins of Qasr Hallabat.
Abstract: In the 8th to 10th century c.e., six adult individuals, five males and one female, were murdered in the northern Badia of Jordan amongst the ruins of Qasr Hallabat. The four males and one female sh...
TL;DR: The most interesting pottery type that can shed light on the debate on technology as having social or functional ends is the cooking pot as discussed by the authors, and this object type has often been studied to explain the phys...
Abstract: The most interesting pottery type that can shed light on the debate on technology as having social or functional ends is the cooking pot. This object type has often been studied to explain the phys...
TL;DR: Although biblical texts identify a range of sexual behavior as illicit, adultery is the only sexual act addressed in the law collections of the Hebrew Bible as a crime as discussed by the authors, i.e., as a serious harm aga...
Abstract: Although biblical texts identify a range of sexual behavior as illicit, adultery is the only sexual act addressed in the law collections of the Hebrew Bible as a crime – i.e., as a serious harm aga...
TL;DR: In the art of the ancient Near East, the theme of the ruler trampling a defeated enemy is a commonplace trope as discussed by the authors. But this formula is far from politically neutral in underscoring a successful or...
Abstract: In the art of the ancient Near East, the theme of the ruler trampling a defeated enemy is a commonplace trope. However, this formula is far from politically neutral in underscoring a successful or ...
TL;DR: The authors found that traces of violence found on human bones are very difficult to interpret and that the determination of the cause of death is often based on circumstantial evidence drawn from the way the body is buried.
Abstract: Traces of violence found on human bones are very difficult to interpret. Determination of the cause of death is often based on circumstantial evidence drawn from the way the body is buried. But bur...
TL;DR: With the destruction of significant portions of the heritage sites in Iraq and Syria, scholars are working to document and assess the damage as mentioned in this paper. But it may be years before security allows onsite evaluatio...
Abstract: With the destruction of significant portions of the heritage sites in Iraq and Syria, scholars are working to document and assess the damage. It may be years before security allows onsite evaluatio...
TL;DR: In this article, two kinds of replica oil lamps (open and closed) were tested to enhance our understanding of how the oil lamps found throughout the ancient Near East were used by the ancients.
Abstract: This article enhances our understanding of how the oil lamps found throughout the ancient Near East were used by the ancients. By testing two kinds of replica oil lamps (open and closed), the autho...
TL;DR: The story of Cain is ultimately an origin story of the city, i.e., a narrative representation of its nature and function as discussed by the authors, and there seems to be a constitutive relationship between...
Abstract: The story of Cain is ultimately an origin story of the city, i.e., a narrative representation of its nature and function. This being the case, there seems to be a constitutive relationship between ...
TL;DR: According to the evidence at hand, it appears that during the period spanning from the Old Kingdom through the Libyan Era, institutionally sanctioned ritual violence centered around two main ideas as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: According to the evidence at hand, it appears that during the period spanning from the Old Kingdom through the Libyan Era, institutionally sanctioned ritual violence centered around two main ideas:...
TL;DR: Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly used during the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055-1650 b.c.) for seafaring voyages to Punt and Bia-Punt as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly used during the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055–1650 b.c.e.) for seafaring voyages to Punt and Bia-Punt. Exca...
TL;DR: R. A. S. Macalister, a pioneer archaeologist who excavated in Palestine in the early part of the twentieth century on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund, is a controversial figure in the anna...
Abstract: R. A. S. Macalister, a pioneer archaeologist who excavated in Palestine in the early part of the twentieth century on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund, is a controversial figure in the anna...
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that Mariette took his inspiration from the scenario suggested by Verdi's opera Aida, which was first performed in 1871 by French Egyptologist Auguste MARiette.
Abstract: Giuseppe Verdi's opera Aida, first performed in 1871, goes back to a scenario suggested in 1865 by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. It can be shown that Mariette took his inspiration from the ...