Download or read book The Development of Pre State Communities in the Ancient Near East written by Diane Bolger and published by Oxbow Books. This book was released on 2010-04-30 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the dynamics of small-scale societies in the ancient Near East by examining the ways in which particular communities functioned and interacted and by moving beyond the broad neo-evolutionary models of social change which have characterised many earlier approaches. By focusing on issues of diversity, scale, and context, it considers the ways in which economy, crafts, technology, and ritual were organised; the roles played by mortuary practices and households in the structure and development of ancient societies; and the importance of agency, identity, ethnicity, gender, community and cultural interaction for the rise of socio-economic complexity. The contributors to this volume are well-known archaeologists in the field of Near Eastern studies; all are currently engaged in fieldwork or research in Cyprus, the Levant, or Turkey. The variety and depth of the research they present here reflect the richness of the archaeological record in the 'cradle of civilisation' and convey the vibrancy of current interpretive approaches within the field of Near Eastern prehistory today.
Download or read book Ancient Cities written by Charles Gates and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Well illustrated with nearly 300 line drawings, maps and photographs, Ancient Cities surveys the cities of the ancient Near East, Egypt, and the Greek and Roman worlds from an archaeological perspective, and in their cultural and historical contexts. Covering a huge area geographically and chronologically, it brings to life the physical world of ancient city dwellers by concentrating on evidence recovered by archaeological excavations from the Mediterranean basin and south-west Asia Examining both pre-Classical and Classical periods, this is an excellent introductory textbook for students of classical studies and archaeology alike.
Download or read book Early Enkomi written by Lindy Crewe and published by British Archaeological Reports Oxford Limited. This book was released on 2007 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The beginning of the Late Bronze Age on Cyprus saw a range of dramatic changes occurring in the settlement patterns and material culture of the island, accompanied by evidence for increased interaction with the surrounding region. These include population movements from small inland to larger, nucleated coastal settlements, an increase in social stratification and copper production, the first evidence for literacy, and Cyprus becoming increasingly involved in the complex exchange networks of the eastern Mediterranean. Central to any study of the island's prehistory is the coastal settlement of Enkomi, often considered to be the first state-like entity on the island and identified with the Alashiya of contemporary textual. The author's main goal in this volume is to examine the archaeological evidence for the beginnings of the transformation of Cypriot society as it stands, to seek to understand the individual aspects of the process and to separate this from the later LCIIC outcomes. The author utilises the Enkomi pottery assemblage to examine the introduction of wheelmade pottery and thereby investigate the processes through which Cypriot society became highly complex, including whether the evidence points to early centralized control or independent regional developments. However, in order to understand the pottery, it was necessary to investigate all types of archaeological evidence pertaining to the early history of the site and this volume also includes discussion of architecture, tombs and other aspects of material culture. Part 1 provides the theoretical background to investigations of social complexity and discusses the applications. Part 2 addresses the evidence for both settlement and ceramics during the Cypriot Bronze Age. Part 3 is devoted to the analysis of the Enkomi data. Part 4 presents the author's conclusions.
Download or read book The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East Volume III written by Karen Radner and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-04-21 with total page 1001 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East offers a comprehensive and fully illustrated survey of the history of Egypt and Western Asia (Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Iran) in five volumes, from the emergence of complex states to the conquest of Alexander of Great. The authors represent a highly international mix of leading academics whose expertise brings alive the people, places and times of the remote past. The emphasis lies firmly on the political and social histories of the states and communities under investigation. The individual chapters present the key textual and material sources underpinning the historical reconstruction, giving special attention to the most recent archaeological finds and how they have impacted our interpretation. The first volume covers the long period from the mid-tenth millennium to the late third millennium BC and presents the history of the Near East in ten chapters "From the Beginnings to Old Kingdom Egypt and the Dynasty of Akkad". Key topics include the domestication of animals and plants, the first permanent settlements, the subjugation and appropriation of the natural environment, the emergence of complex states and belief systems, the invention of the earliest writing systems and the wide-ranging trade networks that linked diverse population groups across deserts, mountains and oceans"--
Download or read book The Mediterranean Context of Early Greek History written by Nancy H. Demand and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-01-17 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mediterranean Context of Early Greek History p>“Drawing extensively on the latest archaeological data from the entire Mediterranean basin, Nancy Demand offers a compelling argument for situating the origins of the Greek city-state within a pan-Mediterranean network of maritime interactions that stretches back millennia.” Jonathan Hall, University of Chicago “Nancy Demand’s book is a remarkable achievement. Her Heraklian labors have produced stunning documentation of the consequences of the vast spectrum of interaction between the peoples surrounding the Mediterranean Sea from the Mesolithic into the Iron Age.” Carol Thomas, University of Washington Were the origins of the Greek city-state – the polis – a unique creation of Greek genius? Or did their roots extend much deeper? Noted historian Nancy H. Demand joins the growing group of scholars and historians who have abandoned traditional isolationist models of the development of the Greek polis and cast their scholarly gaze seaward, to the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Context of Early Greek History reveals the role the complex interaction of Mediterranean cultures and maritime connections had in shaping and developing urbanization, including the ancient Greek city-states. Utilizing, and enhancing upon, the model of the “fantastic cauldron” first put forth by Jean-Paul Morel in 1983, Demand reveals how Greek city-states did not simply emerge in isolation in remote country villages, but rather, sprang up along the shores of the Mediterranean in an intricate maritime network of Greeks and non-Greeks alike. We learn how early seafaring trade, such as the development of obsidian trade in the Aegean, stimulated innovations in the provision of food (the Neolithic Revolution), settlement organization (“political form”), materials for tool production, and concepts of divinity. With deep scholarly precision, The Mediterranean Context of Early Greek History offers fascinating insights into the wider context of the Greek city-state in the ancient world.
Download or read book New Directions in Cypriot Archaeology written by Catherine Kearns and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-15 with total page 469 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New Directions in Cypriot Archaeology highlights current scholarship that employs a range of new techniques, methods, and theoretical approaches to questions related to the archaeology of the prehistoric and protohistoric periods on the island of Cyprus. From revolutions in radiocarbon dating, to the compositional analysis of ceramic remains, to the digital applications used to study landscape histories at broad scales, to rethinking human-environment/climate interrelationships, the last few decades of research on Cyprus invite inquiry into the implications of these novel archaeological methods for the field and its future directions. This edited volume gathers together a new generation of scholars who offer a revealing exploration of these insights as well as challenges to big questions in Cypriot archaeology, such as the rise of social complexity, urban settlement histories, and changes in culture and identity. These enduring topics provide the foundation for investigating the benefits and challenges of twenty-first-century methods and conceptual frameworks. Divided into three main sections related to critical chronological transitions, from earliest prehistory to the development of autonomous kingdoms during the Iron Age, each contribution exposes and engages with a different advance in studies of material culture, absolute dating, paleoenvironmental analysis, and spatial studies using geographic information systems. From rethinking the chronological transitions of the Early Bronze Age, to exploring regional craft production regimes of the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, to locating Iron Age cemeteries through archival topographic maps, these exciting and pioneering authors provide innovative ways of thinking about Cypriot archaeology and its relationship to the wider discipline. List of Contributors: Georgia M. Andreou, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Classics, Cornell University Stella Diakou, Postdoctoral Fellow, Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus Maria Dikomitou-Eliadou, Postdoctoral Fellow, Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus David Frankel, Professor Emeritus of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University Artemis Georgiou, Marie Curie Research Fellow, Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus Catherine Kearns, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Chicago Sturt W. Manning, Goldwin Smith Professor of Classical Archaeology, Cornell University Eilis Monahan, PhD Candidate, Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University Charalambos Paraskeva, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of History and Archaeology, University of Cyprus Anna Satraki, Director of Larnaka District Museum, Department of Antiquities of Cyprus Matthew Spigelman, ACME Heritage Consultants, Partner
Download or read book Nomads of the Mediterranean Trade and Contact in the Bronze and Iron Ages written by Ayelet Gilboa and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2020-09-07 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three millennia of cross-Mediterranean bonds are revealed by 18 expert summaries in this book, shedding light on environmental factors; the formation of harbors; gateways; commodities; cultural impact; and the way to interpret the agents such as Canaanites, "Sea Peoples," Phoenicians and pirates.
Download or read book A Linguistic History of Ancient Cyprus written by Philippa M. Steele and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-11-07 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pioneering volume approaches the languages and scripts of ancient Cyprus from an interdisciplinary point of view, with a primarily linguistic and epigraphic approach supplemented by a consideration of their historical and cultural context. The focus is on furthering our knowledge of the non-Greek languages/scripts, as well as appreciating their place in relation to the much better understood Greek language on the island. Following on from recent advances in Cypro-Minoan studies, these difficult, mostly Late Bronze Age inscriptions are reassessed from first principles. The same approach is taken for non-Greek languages written in the Cypriot Syllabic script during the first millennium BC, chiefly the one usually referred to as Eteocypriot. The final section is then dedicated to the Phoenician language, which was in use on Cyprus for some hundreds of years. The result is a careful reappraisal of these languages/scripts after more than a century of sometimes controversial scholarship.
Download or read book A Companion to the Archaeology of Early Greece and the Mediterranean written by Irene S. Lemos and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-11-14 with total page 1128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Companion that examines together two pivotal periods of Greek archaeology and offers a rich analysis of early Greek culture A Companion to the Archaeology of Early Greece and the Mediterranean offers an original and inclusive review of two key periods of Greek archaeology, which are typically treated separately—the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. It presents an in-depth exploration of the society and material culture of Greece and the Mediterranean, from the 14th to the early 7th centuries BC. The two-volume companion sets Aegean developments within their broader geographic and cultural context, and presents the wide-ranging interactions with the Mediterranean. The companion bridges the gap that typically exists between Prehistoric and Classical Archaeology and examines material culture and social practice across Greece and the Mediterranean. A number of specialists examine the environment and demography, and analyze a range of textual and archaeological evidence to shed light on socio-political and cultural developments. The companion also emphasizes regionalism in the archaeology of early Greece and examines the responses of different regions to major phenomena such as state formation, literacy, migration and colonization. Comprehensive in scope, this important companion: Outlines major developments in the two key phases of early Greece, the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age Includes studies of the geography, chronology and demography of early Greece Explores the development of early Greek state and society and examines economy, religion, art and material culture Sets Aegean developments within their Mediterranean context Written for students, and scholars interested in the material culture of the era, A Companion to the Archaeology of Early Greece and the Mediterranean offers a comprehensive and authoritative guide that bridges the gap between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age.
Download or read book Exploring the Materiality of Food Stuffs written by Louise Steel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-11-10 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From remote antiquity to contemporary contexts, food and the ‘stuff’ of food remains central to people’s daily experiences as well as their sense and expression of identity. This volume explores the materiality of foodstuffs past and present, examining humanity’s intriguingly complex relationships with, and experiences of, food. The book also makes a fresh contribution to our understanding of materiality through a novel focus on material culture, analysing objects used to prepare, wrap, serve and consume food and the tactile experiences involved in its production and consumption. Considering a wide range of cultures, spanning from ancient China to modern-day Kenya, this broad collection of interdisciplinary chapters reveal the multiple interplays between foods, bodies, material worlds, rituals and embodied knowledge that emerge from these encounters and which, in turn, shape the material culture of food. Exploring the Materiality of Food 'Stuffs' makes an important contribution to this burgeoning field and will be of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists working in the key area of food research.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean written by Eric H. Cline and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2010 with total page 968 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Oxford handbook provides a comprehensive overview of our current understanding of the Bronze Age Aegean (ca. 3000-1000 BC) and describes the most important debates and discussions within the discipline. 66 articles in 4 sections cover topics ranging from chronological and geographical to thematic to site-specific.
Download or read book Ancient Building in Cyprus written by G.R.H. Wright and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2022-11-07 with total page 587 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ancient Building in Cyprus written by George R. H. Wright and published by BRILL. This book was released on 1992 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The wealth of excavation in Cyprus conducted across a period of nearly a century and a half has revealed much evidence of ancient building of all functional categories. This picture extends over a vast range of time (ca. 10,000 years) since Cyprus is probably the place where the earliest substantial building known, the Neolithic round house style is better presented than anywhere else in the world. It is the aim of this book to set forth and document the building tradition which hitherto has received no detailed exposition. The book will fill several gaps in the library shelves at one and the same time: architectural history that presents all the archaeological evidence.
Download or read book Mortuary Ritual and Society in Bronze Age Cyprus written by Priscilla Keswani and published by Equinox Publishing Ltd.. This book was released on 2004 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A ground-breaking investigation of burial practices and social transformations in the era when Cypriot agricultural communities moved from village to urban life and became major players in the eastern Mediterranean copper trade. The author develops an innovative theoretical and methodological approach that enables her to define and elucidate the shifting spatial relationships between tombs and habitation areas, the elaboration of rituals involving secondary treatment and collective burial, and changing patterns of mortuary expenditure and symbolism throughout the Bronze Age. Keswani proposes that during the Early-Middle Bronze periods, the growing elaboration of mortuary festivities and their crucial importance in negotiating status hierarchies contributed to the intensification of Cypriot copper production and the expansion of interregional exchange relations. Subsequent changes in mortuary practice suggest that the importance of collective burial rites and traditional modes of ritual display diminished over the course of the Late Bronze Age, as urban institutions multiplied and the bases of social prestige were transformed.
Download or read book I Will Speak the Riddles of Ancient Times written by Amihay Mazar and published by Eisenbrauns. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 939 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ami Mazar has gained a reputation as one of the most prolific and reliable archaeologists doing work in Israel during the last 40 years. Not only has he participated in and directed excavations at many sites, his professional standards are of the first order, and what's more, his publication record is enviable: he has never begun a new major project before the final publication of the previous excavation was well underway. Here, more than 55 colleagues gather to honor him with a wide range of essays, organized in 7 sections: I. Early Bronze Age Studies II. Middle and Late Bronze Age Studies III. Philistine/Sea Peoples Studies IV. Iron Age Studies V. Historical, Biblical, and Epigraphic Studies VI. Jerusalem Studies VII. Post-Iron Age Studies An international group of contributors includes: E. Braun, I. Finkelstein, D. Ussishkin, P. M. Fischer, R. Gophna, D. Gazit, R. Greenberg, P. de Miroschedji, B. Sass, M. Sebbane, E. Yannai, M. Artzy, M. Bietak, A. Caubet, M. Yon, T. Dothan, M. Jasmin, E. H. E. Lass, J.-C. Margueron, P. Matthiae, R. S. Merrillees, R. A. Mullins, A. F. Rainey, E. D. Oren, A. Gilboa, A. Cohen-Weinberger, Y. Goren, A. Maeir, I. Shai, S. Sherratt, L. E. Stager, E. Stern, O. Borowski, J. M. Cahill, W. G. Dever, A. Faust, S. Gitin, L. G. Herr, V. Karageorghis, A. E. Killebrew, R. Kletter, Z. Lederman, S. Bunimovitz, S. M. Ortiz, N. Panitz-Cohen, R. E. Tappy, D. Edelman, A. Fink, V. Fritz, A. Lemaire, W. M. Schniedewind, I. Singer, A. G. Vaughn, C. Dobler, E. Mazar, S. M. Paul, R. Reich, E. Shukron, J. R. Zorn, H. Eshel, B. Zissu, L. Horowitz, A. Kloner, E. M. Meyers, and S. A. Rosen.
Download or read book The Philistines and Aegean Migration at the End of the Late Bronze Age written by Assaf Yasur-Landau and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-06-16 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this study, Assaf Yasur-Landau examines the early history of the biblical Philistines who were among the 'Sea Peoples' who migrated from the Aegean area to the Levant during the early twelfth century BC. Creating an archaeological narrative of the migration of the Philistines, he combines an innovative theoretical framework on the archaeology of migration with new data from excavations in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel and thereby reconstructs the social history of the Aegean migration to the southern Levant. The author follows the story of the migrants from the conditions that caused the Philistines to leave their Aegean homes, to their movement eastward along the sea and land routes, to their formation of a migrant society in Philistia and their interaction with local populations in the Levant. Based on the most up-to-date evidence, this book offers a new and fresh understanding of the arrival of the Philistines in the Levant.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia written by Sharon R. Steadman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 1193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia is a unique blend of comprehensive overviews on archaeological, philological, linguistic, and historical issues at the forefront of Anatolian scholarship in the 21st century. Anatolia is home to early complex societies and great empires and was the destination of many migrants, visitors, and invaders. The offerings in this volume bring this reality to life as the chapters unfold nearly ten thousand years (ca. 10,000-323 BCE) of peoples, languages, and diverse cultures who lived in or traversed Anatolia over these millennia. The contributors combine descriptions of current scholarship on important discussion and debates in Anatolian studies with new and cutting edge research for future directions of study. The 54 chapters are presented in five separate sections that range in topic from chronological and geographical overviews to anthropologically-based issues of culture contact and imperial structures and from historical settings of entire millennia to crucial data from key sites across the region. The contributers to the volume represent the best scholars in the field from North America, Europe, Turkey, and Asia. The appearance of this volume offers the very latest collection of studies on the fascinating peninsula known as Anatolia.
