CONTENTS
Preface / vii
Chronological Phases used in the Text / ix
List of Figures / xi
List of Plates / xiii
List of Tables / xv
Chapter 1 Introduction and Background to the Project / 1
The Project / 1
The North Jazira Plain Today / 2
Layout of the Report / 2
Geomorphology / 3
The Soils / 5
Mineral Resources / 6
Climate / 6
The Ecology of Dry Farming ih the Jazira / 7
Flora and Fauna / 9
Water Resources / I 0
Routes / 12
The North Jazira in the 19th and 20th Centuries / 12
Chapter 2 The Archaeological Landscape I: Sites and Artifact Scatters / 15
Introduction / 15
Site Recognition and Definition / 15
Topographical Classification of Sites / 15
Artifact Scatters / 16
Soil Colour / 16
Survey Coverage / 17
Sample Techniques / 17
Tulul al-Biyadir (Sites 104 and 106): An Example of a Non-habitation Site / 18
Interpretation / 18
Off-site Archaeology and "Field Scatters" / 19
Sampling Techniques / 20
Results of the Field Scatter Sample Survey / 21
Dating the Field Scatters / 22
The Distribution of Kiln Slag / 23
Chapter 3 The Archaeological Landscape II: Hollow Ways / 24
Introduction / 24
Hollow Ways in the North Jazira / 24
Radial Systems / 24
Long-distance Systems / 26
Discussion / 26
Chapter 4 Water Exploitation in Relation to Site Distribution and Morphology / 29
Introduction / 29
Stages of Wadi Flow / 29
Water-holes and Related Features / 30
Tell Hilwa: Site 86 / 30
Gar Sur: Site 39 / 31
Discussion / 31
Wells / 3 l
Sites with Enclosed Depressions / 32
Mowasha: Site 15 / 32
Distribution and Chronology of Enclosed Depressions / 32
Discussion / 34
Chapter 5 The Prehistoric Village Period: Neolithic to Uruk / 36
Introduction / 36
Natural Environment and Land Use / 36
Early Neolithic Settlement / 37
Hassuna / 38
Halaf / 39
Ubaid / 40
Excavations at Khanijdal East: Site 66 / 41
Archaeological Features and Structures / 41
The Finds / 42
The Faunal Remains from Khanijdal East and Tell Hilwa (Summary) / 42
Discussion / 42
Northern Uruk / 43
Discussion: Settlement Density and Land Use / 45
Chapter 6 The Development of Bronze Age Urban Centres / 48
Introduction / 48
Ninevite 5 / 49
Discussion / 50
The Later Third Millennium BC / 50
Discussion / 52
Khabur (Old Assyrian) / 53
Route Systems / 54
Ninevite 5 / 54
Later Third Millennium / 54
The Khabur Period / 55
Land Use During the Third and Early Second Millennium BC / 55
Chapter 7 Assyrian Decline and Revival (Mid-2nd to mid-lst millennium BC) / 58
The Historical Background / 58
The Nuzi Period and Cultural Continuity / 59
Middle Assyrian Settlement / 59
The Late Assyrian Period / 60
Discussion / 62
Chapter 8 After the Assyrians: Stability and Decline / 63
Historical Background / 63
Post-Assyrian and Hellenistic Settlement / 64
The Settlement Pattern / 64
Routes / 65
Land Use / 66
Excavations at Khirbet 'Aloki: Site l 13 / 66
Discussion / 67
Parthian (100 BC - 250 AD) / 67
Discussion / 69
Sasanian and Islamic Settlement. / 69
Introduction / 69
Sasanian (c. 250 AD - early 7th century) / 69
Discussion / 70
The Islamic Period / 71
Land Use and Communications / 72
Discussion / 72
Chapter 9 Overview: Settlement, Land Use and Communications Through Time / 78
Introduction / 78
Settlement Change Through Time / 78
The Early Bronze Age Settlement Hierarchy / 81
Land-Use Intensity and Settlement Growth / 82
Settlement, Central Places and Travel Time / 85
The Settlement/Land-Use System and Environmental Change / 85
Transport, Trade and External Contacts / 86
Conclusions / 88
Appendix A, Part 1: Pottery Type Series / 89
Introduction / 89
Hassuna (Types 1, 2, 119, 124, 125, 126) / 90
Halaf (Types 3, 137) / 91
Ubaid (Types 4, 5, 135, 147, 148) / 91
Uruk (Types 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19A, 20, 21, 55, 106, 120,
121, 134, 138, 140, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153) / 92
Ninevite 5 (Types 18C, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 133) / 95
Later 3rd Millennium ("Akkadian/ Ur III") (Types 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 103, 154, 155) / 96
Khabur (Old Assyrian) (Types 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 109) / 97
Nuzi (Mitannian) (Types 43, 44, 45) / 98
Middle Assyrian (Types 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56) / 98
Late Assyrian (Types 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 105, 111, 112, 113, 114, 118, 132, 156) / 100
Post-Assyrian (Preliminary Assessment) (Types 102, 104, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 157) / 101
Hellenistic (Types64,65,66,67,68, 108,116,117,158, 159) / 102
Parthian (Types 76, 100, 107, 115, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 163, 164) / 103
Sasanian-Islamic / 105
Sasanian (Types 69, 70, 77, 78, 136) / 105
Sasanian-Early Islamic (Types 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 79, 139) / 105
Early Islamic (Types 80, 81, 83, 84, 123, 160, 161) / 106
Middle Islamic (Types 82, 122) / 107
Middle-Late Islamic (Types 91, 94, 97, 98) / 107
Later Islamic (Type 92, 93, 95, 96, 101) / 10'.7
Undifferentiated Islamic (Types 85, 86, 87, 89, 90) / 108
Other Types Not Specific to Period (Types 18B, 19B, 46, 88, 99, 141) / 108
Appendix A, Part 2: Type Series Pottery Catalogue / 109
Conventions and Abbreviations / 109
Hassuna / 109
Halaf / 109
Ubaid / 110
Uruk / 110
Local Earlier Uruk / 110
Amuq F Chaff-tempered Wares / 111
Northern Later Uruk Types / 11 l
Southern Late Uruk Types / 112
Other Uruk Types / 112
Ninevite 5 / 113
Later 3rd Millennium BC / 114
Khabur (Old Assyrian) / 114
Nuzi (Mitannian) / 115
Middle Assyrian / 115
Late Assyrian / 116
?Post-Assyrian / 117
Hellenistic / 118
Parthian / 119
Sasanian / 120
Sasanian-Early Islamic / 120
Early Islamic / 121
Undifferentiated Islamic / 121
Middle-Late Islamic / 122
Appendix A, Part 3: Concordance of North Jazira Pottery Types / 123
Appendix B. Selected Surface Finds from Survey / 124
Appendix C. Site Catalogue: Survey Area Sites 1-184 / 125
Introduction and Conventions / 125
Sites Collected in 1986 / 125
Sites Collected in 1987 / 127
Sites Collected in 1989-90 / 129
Cross References to Additional Sites in the Outer Area (Table 17) / 134
Bibliography / 135
Figures 1-81 / 147
Plates 1 a-6b / 223
Arabic Summary / at end |
