Dissertations / Theses: 'Forensic archaeology – Middle East'

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Alsharekh, Abdullah M. S. "The archaeology of central Saudi Arabia : investigations of lithic artefacts and stone structures in northeast Riyadh." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1995. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/271969.

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Vesela, Martina. "Alois Musil (1868-1944) : archaeology of Late Antiquity and the beginning of Islamic archaeology in the Middle East." Thesis, Paris 1, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014PA010718/document.

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Cette thèse est une analyse comparée des approches théoriques et des méthodes de recensement élaborées par Alois Musil. Elle se fonde sur des sources historiographiques et archéologiques, ainsi qu’une analyse de la personnalité d’Alois Musil en tant qu’archéologue, dans le contexte des travaux scientifiques conduits au Proche-Orient. Cette thèse compare les résultats de ses travaux pionniers dans les domaines de l’archéologie et de l’anthropologie, avec les méthodes de recherche élaborées par plusieurs autres chercheurs, ainsi qu’avec leurs systèmes respectifs permettant la documentation des sites et leurs apports à la connaissance contemporaine. Bien que Musil ne se considérait pas lui-même comme archéologue, ses découvertes extraordinaires, de même que ses compétences en matière de documentation et d’interprétation ont permis ses écrits de traverser le temps et d’être toujours abondamment cités aujourd’hui. Toutefois, ce travail aborde également les limites de l’exploration de sites supposés Romains par Musil, dans la mesure o un certain nombre de lieux, classifiés comme Romains voire ‘indubitablement Romains’, n’étaient en réalité qu’une fraction du réseau résidentiel omeyyade à Bilād al-Shām. Par ailleurs, les découvertes archéologiques de Musil, en particulier celle de QuṣayrʿAmra, furent étroitement liées aux Bédouins. A ce titre, cette thèse aborde également le versant anthropologique de son œuvre, et sa contribution au développement de la recherche ethnographique sur le Proche-Orient. Enfin, ce travail décrit le développement des recherches sur les forteresses Omeyyades, ainsi que l’évolution des hypothèses et des méthodes développées par Musil. Elle comporte une base de données incluant les sites archéologiques visités et documentés par celui-ci. Elle repose aussi sur la comparaison des classifications et des recueils de données élaborés par Musil, avec les recherches de ses contemporains et, lorsque cela est possible, avec les travaux les plus récents
This thesis is a comparative analysis of Alois Musil’s theoretical approaches and recording methods, based on historical and archaeological sources and the evaluation of the personality of Alois Musil as an archaeologist in context of scholarly work conducted in the Near East. It compares the results of his pioneering work in the field of archaeology and anthropology with the methods of research of several scholars, within the range of their work, with their system of site documentation and the contributions of their results to contemporary knowledge and revised prospections and excavations. Musil did not consider himself an archaeologist, nevertheless because of his extraordinary discoveries, documentary and interpretative abilities he is quoted to this day. The work is dealing with Musil’s exploration of the Roman limes as well, because some localities classified by Musil and his contemporaries as Roman or even, undoubtedly Roman were in reality a part of the network of Umayyad residential structures in Bilad al-Sham. Musil’s archaeological discoveries, including his discovery of Qusayr Amra, were bound with Bedouins, so this work also deals with Musil as an anthropologist and the developmet of ethnographic research in the Near East. The work describes the development of research of Umayyad castles, Musil’s hypothesis and the evolution of research, and it contains a database of archaeological sites visited and documented by Musil, the comparison of classification and documentation with the researches of his contemporaries and, where possible, with modern researches

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Overmann, Karenleigh Anne. "Materiality in numerical cognition : material engagement theory and the counting technologies of the ancient Near East." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:1d0e3925-5207-4858-9820-681ba97c6867.

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Using the Material Engagement Theory of Cognitive Archaeologist Lambros Malafouris as its framework, the thesis offers a unique synthesis of data from neuroscience, ethnography, linguistics, and archaeology to outline how number concepts are realized, manipulated, and elaborated. The process is described as an interactivity of psychological processes like numerosity, behaviors that manipulate objects into concept-generating stimuli, and material objects with semiotic qualities distinct from those of language and agency distinct from that of brains and bodies. The counting technologies of the Ancient Near East (ANE) are then analyzed through archaeological and textual evidence spanning the late Upper Paleolithic to the Bronze Age, from the first realization of number concepts in a pristine original condition to their elaboration into one of the ancient world's greatest mathematical traditions, a foundation for mathematical thinking today. Insights from the way numbers are realized through psychological-behavioral-material interactivity are used to challenge three dominant conceptualizations of ANE numbers: first, the idea that the ANE numerical lexicon would have counted only to very low numbers; second, that Neolithic tokens were the first counting technology; and third, that numbers were 'concrete' before they became 'abstract'. Considering archaeological evidence from the Epipaleolithic Levant and drawing on linguistic and ethnographic evidence to characterize the regional prehistory, the thesis suggests that the numerical lexicon would have included relatively high numbers prior to the Neolithic; that finger-counting (linguistically attested) and tallies (archaeologically attested) would have preceded tokens; and that numbers are 'abstract' concepts whose content changes in conjunction with the incorporation and use of different material forms. The evidence provided to support these alternatives implies that numbers may have originated in the late Upper Paleolithic and arithmetic early in the Neolithic, pushing the onset of these capabilities further back than is commonly held. In addition to tallies and tokens, the thesis explores fingers and numerical notations as material artifacts, enabling an analysis of how materiality might structure numerical concepts, influence a number system's capabilities, limitations, and elaboration potential, and affect brains and behavior over cultural spans of time. Insights generated by the case study are then applied to the role of materiality in cognition more generally, including how concepts become distributed across multiple material forms; the reasons why materiality might be transparent (or invisible) in cognition; and the differences between thinking through and thinking about materiality.

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Greenan, Michele Anne. "Three early-middle Woodland mortuary sites in East Central Indiana : a study in paleopathology." Virtual Press, 1999. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1137663.

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The study of paleopathology is intrinsic to the study of past human societies. Through analyzing gross bone abnormalities in the individuals of a population group, one can discover occurrences of specific diseases. Diseases are often associated with diet, demography, environment, and culture of a population group. Understanding the types of diseases present can therefore lead to much information about a population group. The intent of this research is to analyze the skeletal remains from three mortuary sites to ascertain the occurrences of particular diseases. The New Castle site (12Hn1) the White site (121-In10), and Windsor Mound (12R1) represent a sample of the Early-Middle Woodland population from east central Indiana.
Department of Anthropology

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Lic, Agnieszka. "Christian stucco decoration in southern Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf region, sixth to ninth centuries." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2017. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:23636a63-9682-4a2a-b27b-49f2f3df59ac.

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Christian archaeology and art of the region under the jurisdiction of the Church of the East in the Late Antique and early Islamic period is an underresearched field of studies, which exists in between more developed disciplines such as Byzantine and Syriac studies as well as Early Christian, Sasanian and Islamic archaeology and art history. However, archaeological excavations of the last century, especially in southern Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf region, now allow research to be conducted on the most important medium of artistic expression of the region - stucco. Considered from the technological, stylistic and iconographic point of view and within the aforementioned cultural contexts, it reveals that the Christian stucco production of the region was shaped by Sasanian traditions and contemporary Byzantine and Islamic influences, but also that it developed an innovative and highly creative vocabulary of forms and motifs. It was especially among the Gulf communities of Sir Bani Yas, al-Qusur and other sites that this transformative approach towards traditional and contemporary artistic models manifested itself within a short period between the late seventh and the early ninth centuries. Slightly more conservative is the character of Christian art of southern Mesopotamia in the eighth and early ninth centuries. An interesting exception is a relief found at a church in Koke in the region of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, in which the Sasanian technique of deep relief is combined with the Byzantine dress of the person represented. This fusion of culturally divergent elements testifies to the double identity of the Christians living under the Sasanians - and later, in the early Islamic caliphate - who were recognized as a part of society but distinctive for their religion.

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Shen, Jingyi. "Chemical and isotopic analysis in the investigation of glazes from northern China and the Middle East, 7th-14th centuries AD." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2017. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48201/.

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Both Chinese and Islamic glazed ceramics played a significant role in the history of ancient ceramic production. Moreover, it was innovation in glazes that made the Chinese and Islamic ceramics constantly innovative in various categories with different manufacturing techniques. This study applies chemical and isotopic analyses to investigate the manufacturing techniques and provenances of different types of glazes from Northern China and the Middle East, and extends the use of Sr isotopic analysis to investigate raw materials and glaze recipes used to making lime/alkaline glazes in Northern China and the Middle East for the first time. By chemical compositions of the lead glazes, the glazing techniques used to produce Chinese Tang Sancai lead glazes and splashed lead glazes from the Middle East have been identified. The mixture of lead oxide plus quartz/quartz sand was used for making both Chinese Tang Sancai glazes and Islamic splashed lead glazes. Besides, for the Chinese lead glazes, the trace element and lead isotopic analyses of them have been effective in grouping glazes made in different production kiln sites, and hence associating the Tang Sancai wares excavated from archaeological sites of unknown origin with their production centres. Furthermore, by comparing the lead isotopic ratios of Islamic lead glazes and those of lead ore deposits, the possible sources of lead used for making lead glazes can be determined, although more than one source was suggested due to the overlap of Pb isotopic ratios of different lead ore sources in some cases. This study is the first time that Sr isotopic analysis has been applied to the lime/alkaline glazes from Northern China and the Middle East. It has revealed that Sr isotopic compositions of lime/alkaline glazes from Northern China and the Middle East have been very effective in providing information on the glaze recipes and characteristics of raw materials used for making them. Based on Sr isotopic compositions, the case study of Nothern Chinese lime glaze has identified that the Yaozhou celadon glaze was probably produced by local ‘Fuping glaze stone’ combined with botanic ash. Besides, the case study of the Middle East alkaline glaze has suggested that the Raqqa ware glaze was probably made by ‘Cenozoic sand’ containing a certain content of limestone grains and feldspar and that botanic ash was used as a flux.

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Van, Der Stede Véronique. "Les pratiques de stockage au Proche-Orient du Natoufien au Dynastique Archaïque I (12.500 - 2700 av. J.-C.)." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/211379.

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Thornton, Amara Alexandra. "British archaeologists, social networks and the emergence of a profession : the social history of British archaeology in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East 1870-1939." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2011. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1318140/.

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My research into the history of archaeology centres on the lives and social networks of five British archaeologists: George and Agnes Horsfield, John and Molly Crowfoot and John Garstang, and explores various themes in the development of archaeology from 1870-1939. These themes include the education of archaeologists, the development of archaeological training institutions, and the institutionalisation of archaeology at university level; the relationship between archaeology and architecture/architects in the development of departments of antiquities in the unofficial British empire; the relationship between archaeologists, art historians and artists; fundraising and patronage, and networks in the history of archaeology. Exposing the facets of the connections between archaeologists, politicians and practitioners of various disciplines broadens our understanding of how archaeological knowledge was collected. It illuminates the social historical context to archaeological work conducted by Britons abroad, specifically those archaeologists working in Egypt, the Sudan, Palestine and Transjordan. It also highlights the differences and similarities between men and women in archaeology. Using broad categories to map and highlight different kinds of connections between people, places and organisations, I examine the development of archaeology as a discipline, including a wide variety of practitioners often overlooked in traditional histories of archaeology. These connections have their roots in the social and political history of Britain and the British Empire, the context of a large proportion of late 19th and early 20th century archaeology. This research proposes that, as archaeological work, unlike many other scholarly activities, was conducted with the permission, aid and/or oversight of government officials, politicians, military officers, patrons, art historians, architects and artists - they all contributed to the development of archaeological methods and practice. The history of archaeology should reflect the complex network of organisations, transactions and personal relationships which make up the reality of archaeological work, while illuminating the historical, political and economic context in which such work took place.

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Reusch, Kathryn. ""That which was missing" : the archaeology of castration." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:b8118fe7-67cb-4610-9823-b0242dfe900a.

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Castration has a long temporal and geographical span. Its origins are unclear, but likely lie in the Ancient Near East around the time of the Secondary Products Revolution and the increase in social complexity of proto-urban societies. Due to the unique social and gender roles created by castrates’ ambiguous sexual state, human castrates were used heavily in strongly hierarchical social structures such as imperial and religious institutions, and were often close to the ruler of an imperial society. This privileged position, though often occupied by slaves, gave castrates enormous power to affect governmental decisions. This often aroused the jealousy and hatred of intact elite males, who were not afforded as open access to the ruler and virulently condemned castrates in historical documents. These attitudes were passed down to the scholars and doctors who began to study castration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, affecting the manner in which castration was studied. Osteometric and anthropometric examinations of castrates were carried out during this period, but the two World Wars and a shift in focus meant that castrate bodies were not studied for nearly eighty years. Recent interest in gender and sexuality in the past has revived interest in castration as a topic, but few studies of castrate remains have occurred. As large numbers of castrates are referenced in historical documents, the lack of castrate skeletons may be due to a lack of recognition of the physical effects of castration on the skeleton. The synthesis and generation of methods for more accurate identification of castrate skeletons was undertaken and the results are presented here to improve the ability to identify castrate skeletons within the archaeological record.

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Denham, Simon. "The meanings of late Neolithic stamp seals in North Mesopotamia." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2013. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-meanings-of-late-neolithic-stamp-seals-in-north-mesopotamia(6593a3bd-eb74-4a28-8435-afd3f4f56cd2).html.

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The late Neolithic of North Mesopotamia has long been held up as the first example of a ‘global’ culture with aspects of shared material culture, most notably pottery styles and subsistence strategies, spread across North Mesopotamia, the Northern Levant, and parts of south-east Anatolia. Increasing research in the past twenty years has illustrated that the material similarities visible in the late Neolithic do not represent a closed cultural community, but instead reflect a network of loosely connected groups who were members of imagined communities that linked people within shared cosmologies. Since their discovery in the early decades of the twentieth century stamp seals have been treated as a type artefact of the late Neolithic (particularly one of its constituent parts the Halaf) where they have been used to argue for the presence of sealing systems based around administrative storage of personal or communal property and possibly trade relations. However, except for a thesis published in 1990, late Neolithic stamp seals have never been comprehensively studied or interpreted primarily within their own context. Instead previous studies of stamp seals have tied stamp seals into a modernist narrative of progression that implicitly culminates in modern, Western, Nation States. This research challenges and deconstructs this narrative to demonstrate there is little evidence that seals in the late Neolithic were used for administrative purposes. To this end it gathered and re-classified the available data on provenanced stamp seals using a classificatory ontology called prototype theory that allows for more reflexive classification then the existing Aristotelian classifications. The thesis argues that stamp seals were indexical symbols with their symbolism being used to link members of imagined communities within real communities across the late Neolithic ‘world’. These people were members of a perceived descent group originating in shifting relationships to place during the change from sedentary farming communities in the eighth millennium BC to more mobile communities in the seventh millennium BC. At the same time as negotiating these supra-community identities seals were also used indexically in a variety of sub-community ways being used for a variety of magical (primarily apotropaic and talismanic) uses. As part of this I argue sealing practices in the late Neolithic relate to specific events of efficacious sealing using the power in the seal’s design.

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Wood, Rachel K. L. "After the Achaemenids : exchange, transmission and transformation in the visual culture of Babylonia, Iran and Bactria c.330-c.100 BC." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2012. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:0fc15b6c-0436-4d17-81d3-31f69b77313e.

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This thesis examines the art of Babylonia, Iran and Bactria after the Macedonian conquest, from c.330 to c.100 BC, in light of current developments in archaeological theory of cultural interaction. In order to illustrate the character and scale of these interactions, the thesis presents a discussion of iconographic material ranging from architectural ornament and sculpture to minor arts. Chapters II-IV discuss the material from each site, highlighting regional characteristics and differences between media. Chapters V-VII use three cross-sections to examine cultural interaction visible in material used for different social functions (‘spheres’). The ‘sphere of gods’ discusses religious architectural ornament and iconography, and the implications for our interpretation of cult in Babylonia, Iran and Bactria in this period. The ‘sphere of kings’ considers ruler representation and the physical appearance of ‘royal space’ while the ‘sphere of citizens and subjects’ discusses material made and used by the wider populace. Macedonian rule and the influx of settlers to Babylonia, Iran and Bactria developed networks of exchange, transmission and transformation creating ‘visually multi-lingual’ societies. The adoption of new artistic influences did not replace all existing traditions or necessarily infringe ethnic identities. There was selective adoption and adaptation of iconography, styles and forms to suit the new patrons and contexts. This cultural co-existence included some combinations of features from different artistic traditions into individual compositions, emphasising how visual languages were not closed-off, rigidly defined or static. Patrons were not confined to using the visual language associated with their ethnicity or current location. There was flexibility of use and meaning, which may present a useful model in the study of other areas of cultural interaction in the Hellenistic period.

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Heinz, Sanda Sue. "The statuettes and amulets of Thonis-Heracleion." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:db17df52-6f5b-41e5-a650-f6ad268b2c60.

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This study catalogues and analyses 329 statuettes and amulets from Thonis-Heracleion, a sunken city off the coast of Egypt that flourished between the 7th and 2nd centuries BC. This is the first study of votive statuettes and amulets from the Late and Ptolemaic Periods that presents a comprehensive corpus from a single site, complete with detailed catalogue entries and photographs. Although some of the most exceptional pieces were previously published in an exhibition catalogue, the majority are unpublished and it is the first time they have been studied and viewed as a whole. The material includes not only Egyptian-style bronzes, which are typical dedications of this period, but also a range of other materials including lead, terracotta, faience, and limestone. Some figures are represented in foreign style and attest to a small hellenized community at the site. By viewing multiple categories of votive material laterally and in context, important conclusions about cultural interactions and cult practice at Thonis-Heracleion come to light. Chapter One details the find context of the statuettes and amulets, followed by a discussion of their types and the cults to which they attest in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 outlines the objects’ primary functions and demonstrates the ways that lead and bronze were utilised differently. Chapter 4 focuses on bronze and lead production methods, particularly methods of replicable production that are indicative of technological exchange with other Mediterranean cultures. Finally, in Chapter 5, I look at how the votives reflect the cultural community at Thonis-Heracleion, and how they compare to others at sites throughout Egypt. Each chapter highlights how the archaeological context informs us about cultural interactions between Egyptians and Greeks and about the dynamics of cult practice at a Delta site in the Late and Ptolemaic Periods.

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Amanat, Shayda. "Iran and the Arab World Through A Female Lens: Deconstructing Western Phantasms and Terrors." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2014. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/428.

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This thesis explores how today’s Sheherazades, in this case women photographers from the Middle East, create alternative representations that constitute new meanings and understandings of life, gender, and politics in Iran and the Arab world.

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Gurjazkaite, Karolina. "Vegetation history and human-environment interactions through the late Holocene in Konar Sandal, Kerman, SE Iran." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för tema, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-140094.

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The Jiroft valley, in southeastern Iran, was an important agricultural centre since the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BCE). The valley is characterized by harsh environmental settings: hot climate with poor rainfall. However, more optimal conditions may have prevailed earlier that supported ancient settlements. A 250-cm sediment core was retrieved from a peat-land at Konar Sandal, a major archaeological find attributed to Jiroft culture. The palynological data from this core was combined with geochemical and sedimentological proxies aimed at establishing the human-environment interactions in the area. The study focus was directed at vegetation history and landscape evolution, hydroclimatic changes and past human activities, that started just after the projected collapse of the Jiroft (4 ka) and extended all the way from the late Bronze Age to the Mongol invasion (0.6 ka). The results indicate that the valley was dominated by Saharo-Sindian open pseudo-savannah vegetation for the last 4000 years. However, due to anthropogenic clearance and intensified agro-pastoral activities, and also climatic factors, the land cover shifted from open xeric scrubland forests to more open, degraded landscapes. The principal human practice in these early settlements was cereal cultivation. But it is likely that during the more arid periods, communities retreated and abandoned agriculture, facilitating successional processes. Such droughts occurred in 4-3.8 ka and 3.4-2.8 ka and were supported by palynological data, C/N and Fe2O3 content. Peat formation was characteristic to the wetland during these arid periods. These droughts corresponded to drought phases detected in other studies, and were attributed to changes in Siberian Anticyclones. Dynamics of Artemisia and desert shrubs indicate milder climate around 3.8-3.4 ka and 2.8-0.6 ka. In the latter episode, during the rule of Persian Empire (ca. 550 BCE-650 CE) and Islamic epoch, the highest vegetation degradation state and most intensive human activities were observed. Some inconspicuous human practices, such as date cultivation, may have occurred on site as an adaptation to extreme environmental conditions.
High-resolution paleolimnological records from Lake Jazmurian: Climate-culture evolution at Jiroft in southeast Iran during the Holocene

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Pontbriand, Ségolène de. "La résidence des Lysias à Europos-Doura (Syrie) et les grandes demeures urbaines privées au Proche-Orient, des Séleucides à l 'arrivée des Sassanides." Thesis, Paris 1, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015PA010635.

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Cette recherche est consacrée à la plus grande demeure privée du site d'Europos-Doura en Syrie, la résidence du gouverneur Lysias, stratège et épistate de la ville. Ce bâtiment, entièrement dégagé dans les années trente par la mission américano-française de l'Université de Yale, est resté à l'abandon durant un demi-siècle. En reprenant les travaux sur le site, la Mission Franco-Syrienne d'Europos-Doura a fait de la publication de cette résidence l'un de ses objectifs scientifiques. Le cadre historique de cette étude s'étend sur quatre siècles depuis la création de la ville vers 150 av. n. è. jusqu'à la prise de celle-ci par les Sassanides vers 256 de n. è. Première partie : l'histoire, les méthodes et les résultats de l'exploration archéologique du bâtiment par la Mission de Yale, puis la reprise de l'étude, à partir de 2006, en présentant les différents éléments d'analyse mis en place au cours de cette recherche. Deuxième partie : l'étude architecturale de la résidence de Lysias dans son dernier état présente les différents espaces et les éléments architecturaux qui la composent et permet également de déterminer des ensembles aux caractéristiques spécifiques. Troisième partie : l'évolution architecturale de la résidence à travers les différents états qu'elle a connus et la chronologie relative du bâtiment. Quatrième partie : comparaisons avec d'autres monuments semblables du site d'Europos-Doura et les grandes demeures de même période dans l'Orient hellénisé. Conclusion : la résidence de Lysias illustre le caractère particulier de l'architecture de prestige qui s'est développée à Europos-Doura, reflet d'une inspiration locale et de traditions gréco-mésopotamiennes
This research is dedicated to the largest private house of Europos-Dura in Syria, the Residence of the Governor Lysias, strategos and epistates of the city. This building has been excavated in the Thirties by the American-French expedition of Yale University and has remained abandoned during a half century. lt has never been published. The resumption of work by the French-Syrian expedition in Europos-Dura has made it as one of its scientific objectives. The historical context of this study spans four centuries since the creation of the city around 150 B. C. to the Sasanian siege and the death of the city circa 256 A. D. First part : history, methods and results of the archaeological excavations ofthis building by the Yale expedition and the resumption of the work since 2006, presenting the various elements and orientations of the study set up during this research. Second part : the architectural study of Lysias' Residence in its final state. A description of the different spaces and architectural elements that compose it allows us to identify sectors that have specific functions. Third part : the architectural evolution of the residence through the different states it has known and the relative chronology of the building. Fourth part : comparisons with other similar monuments of Europos-Dura and with other large dwellings of same period in the hellenized Orient. Conclusion : Lysias' Residence shows the uniqueness of the prestigious architecture that developed in Europos-Dura, which is a picture of a local inspiration and of Greco-Mesopotamian traditions

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Kanhoush, Yasmin. "L’habitat urbain de Syrie au Bronze moyen : analyses technique, fonctionnelle et sociologique." Thesis, Lyon, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019LYSE2122.

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Les maisons sont une oeuvre architecturale, certes, mais elles sont aussi le cadre de vie des hommes, le reflet de leurs connaissances techniques, de leurs exigences de confort, de leurs coutumes, de leurs manières de vivre et de leurs rapports avec la mort. Toutefois, ce type de vestiges a souvent été ignoré devant les grands bâtiments prestigieux de plus grand intérêt. D’où vient notre intérêt de mener une étude synthétisée à ce sujet. De plus, l’habitat de Syrie au Bronze moyen n’a fait l’objet, jusqu’à présent d’aucune étude détaillée malgré l’importance stratégique de cette région et celle de la période du point de vue du développement urbain. En effet, la fin du IIIe millénaire (ou Bronze ancien) correspond à un abandon de nombreux sites ou à une réduction très importante de leur taille et de leur complexité, alors que le Bronze Moyen II (entre 1800 et 1500 av. J.-C.), la période qui nous concerne, apparaît une époque florissante.Notre thèse s’articule en deux grandes parties distinctes. La première est consacrée à une analyse approfondie et critique de la documentation disponible issue de 36 sites situés dans quatre régions différentes, à savoir la Syrie du Nord-Ouest, la moyenne vallée de l’Oronte, la moyenne vallée de l’Euphrate et la Syrie du Nord-Est. Cette recherche a été enrichie par des données inédites issues des anciennes fouilles allemandes sur le site de Tell Halawa A sur la moyenne vallée de l’Euphrate et des travaux archéologiques que nous avons menés sur le site de Tell Mishrifeh/l’ancienne Qatna en Syrie occidentale.L’ensemble des données archéologiques disponibles a été exploité (relevés architecturaux, photographies de fouille, notes de terrain, articles déjà parus…), ainsi qu’un certain nombre de données textuelles (notamment celles mises au jour dans le chantier T de Qatna). Ils forment un ensemble d’éléments intéressants pour mieux restituer la volumétrie et l’histoire des maisons antiques.La deuxième partie de nos travaux est fondée sur la comparaison et le croisement des différents résultats obtenus qui nous a permis de mettre au jour les grandes caractéristiques des maisons de cette époque aux plans technique, typologique et fonctionnel. Nous avons mis en évidence les différences régionales et une possible évolution des formes du bâti et de ses usages. Nous avons cherché également, autant que possible, à considérer l’habitat dans son environnement urbain et à restituer à l’architecture domestique sa dimension sociale à travers la hiérarchie et les relations de voisinage qu’elle est susceptible de révéler
Whilst houses are certainly a work of architecture, they are also Man’s lived environment that reflect their technical expertise, home comforts, customs, way of life and their relationship with death. However, this type of vestige is often overlooked in favour of large, prestigious buildings of greater interest. Furthermore, Syria's Middle Bronze Age habitat has not yet been the subject of any detailed study, despite the strategic importance of this region and the period from an urban development perspective. In fact, the end of the third millennium (or Early Bronze) saw the abandonment of many sites, or at least a very significant reduction in their size and complexity, whereas the Middle Bronze II (between 1800 and 1500 B.C.), the period which concerns us, appears to have been a flourishing time.Our thesis is divided into two distinct parts. The first focuses on a thorough and critical analysis of the available materials from 36 sites located in four separate regions, these being Northwest Syria, the Middle Orontes Valley, the Middle Euphrates Valley and Northeast Syria. This research has been enriched by unpublished data from previous German excavations on the site of Tell Halawa A on the Middle Euphrates valley, and archaeological work that we conducted on the site of Tell Mishrifeh / the ancient Qatna in Western Syria.All the available archaeological data has been used (architectural surveys, excavation photographs, field notes, articles already published, etc.), as well as certain pieces of textual data (notably those found in Area T at Qatna). These were interesting points of comparison that helped us to reconstruct more fully the history and the volumetry of the ancient houses.The second part of our work is based on the comparison and cross-referencing of the various results obtained, which enabled us to uncover the main technical, typological and functional characteristics of the houses of that period. We have highlighted regional differences and a possible evolution of the types of buildings and their uses. We have also sought, as far as is possible, to consider housing in its urban environment and to restore the social dimension of domestic architecture through the hierarchy and neighbourhood relations that it is likely to reveal

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Harrison, Tracy Elizabeth. "Visualizing Complexity : A Spatial Analysis of Decorative Geometric Pattern in the Islamic World, 900-1400 AD." PDXScholar, 2005. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2434.

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This study explores how the use of complex decorative geometric patterns in Islamic architecture spatially relates to advances in the fields of science and philosophy in the Islamic world between the ninth and fourteenth centuries. This project examines hypotheses developed by vario~s scholars on the forces that shaped the use of these patterns (known as the geometric mode) in Islamic architecture. The prevailing assumption that advances in mathematics contributed to the use of the geometric mode is used as a starting point for subsequent analysis. For this study, two spatial databases were created. One contains over two hundred and twenty monuments of Islamic architecture exhibiting the geometric mode, while the other contains over one hundred records of activity in the sciences and philosophy. From these databases, decorative geometric pattern types were classified and ranked, and scholarly activities were classified. Density maps were developed from these classes and ranks for each century, and were compared in a series of analytical overlay maps. Each map depicts the spatial relationships of the activities in question over a span of three centuries, enabling a spatio-temporal analysis of the connections between disciplines within the context of the broader cultural elements at work. These maps allow for examination of these disciplines in a new way; there has never been a spatial analysis testing the existing hypotheses until now. The density overlay maps show that some of the prevailing hypotheses are partially supported by the data, but the primary hypothesized relationship-that activity in mathematics prompted use of the geometric mode-is not applicable to all regions of the Islamic world during this time period. The spatial analysis exposes the previously overlooked possibility that the geometric mode could have influenced activity in the sciences and philosophy. This study provides tools to better understand the complex relationships among art, science, and philosophy: two spatial databases, a geographic information systems (GIS) model, and resulting analytical overlay maps. The maps produced in this project reveal examples where the quality of contact among disciplines in these very specific times and places is worth examining in greater detail.

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Pretorius, Johan. "Weapons, warfare and skeleton injuries during the Iron Age in the Ancient Near East." Diss., 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/27556.

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Due to the nature of war, persons are killed with various types of weapons. Throughout the history of humanity, weapons were used in this regard and these weapons left injuries on the victims that are distinguishable. The type of force conveyed by the ancient weapons effected injuries that enable modern-day bioarchaeologists to extrapolate which weapons caused which injuries. The Assyrians depicted their wars and battles on reliefs. An analysis of these depictions, with an extrapolation of the lesions expected in skeletal remains, could contribute to better understanding of the strategies of war in ancient times. This dissertation will discuss how the evaluation of human remains in comparison to Assyrian reliefs may contribute to the chronological knowledge of war and warfare in the Iron Age Ancient Near East – especially at Lachish. A discourse of the approaches available to researchers regarding access to data in the forensic bioarchaeological field will be presented.
Biblical and Ancient Studies
M.A. (Biblical Archaeology)

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Bushozi, Pastory. "Lithic technology and hunting behaviour during the Middle Stone Age in Tanzania." Phd thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10048/1744.

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In this dissertation, I examine the representation of projectile points in the Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) of Tanzania, and the way in which such tools were used over time and space. This study reviews the different strategies used to produce points during the MSA and LSA. It also examines the mechanisms involved in raw material procurement, hafting technology, and the use of these tools as projectile weapons and how they evolved over time. It is clear that there were different kinds of multi-weapon systems in use in Tanzania during the MSA, LSA and the transition between them. The points examined are from three archaeological sites: Mumba, Nasera and Magubike. They reveal that triangular blanks were preferred for the production of points. Most of them were modified on their proximal ends to provide a suitable binding portion for hafting and aerodynamic movement. Results from the Tip Cross Section Area (TCSA) and weight values suggest that spear and arrow projectiles coexisted in these sites during the MSA and MSA/LSA transition. Both local and exotic rocks were used for the production of points. In previous studies, the appearance of exotic rocks in the archaeological assemblages was correlated with trade and exchange. But here the use of exotics seems to be influenced by functional values such as durability, sharpness and brittleness. Sharp and durable rocks such as chert and quartzite were needed for spears because of their high compression strength. This makes them better able to withstand unintentional breakage after being stressed by the force of impact. Points made of brittle rocks, such as quartz and obsidian, were mainly used for light duty projectiles such as throwing spears (darts) and arrows, because they penetrate the body of an animal better and sometimes break more easily. The presence of points made of exotic or local rocks shows that functional variables were important for projectile technologies. The overall morphological and technological patterns revealed in this study suggest that foragers who made and used points had elaborate technological skills, abstract thinking and developed behavioural capability similar to those of other modern foragers.

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Croucher, Karina T. "Keeping the dead close: grief and bereavement in the treatment of skulls from the Neolithic Middle East." 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/17077.

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Yes
Theories of Continuing Bonds, and more recently, the Dual Process of Grieving, have provided new ways of understanding the bereavement process, and have influenced current practice for counsellors, end-oflife care practitioners and other professionals. This paper uses these theories in a new way, exploring their relevance to archaeological interpretation, with particular reference to the phenomenon of the plastering of skulls of the deceased in the Neolithic of Southwest Asia (the Middle East/Near East), suggesting that traditional archaeological interpretations, which focus on concepts of status and social organisation, may be missing a more basic reaction to grief and a desire to keep the dead close for longer.

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Alexander, Brent D. "Core and periphery in the Middle Woodland Midwest : an analysis of the earthworks of east central Indiana and south central Ohio." 2011. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1661166.

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The proposed thesis titled “Core and Periphery in the Middle Woodland Midwest: An Analysis of the Earthworks of East Central Indiana and South-Central Ohio” will examine Middle Woodland earthwork sites in South Central Ohio and East Central Indiana. Expanding upon current ideas about core and periphery currently used by many prehistoric archaeologists this thesis hopes to change the way archaeologists define core and periphery by putting core and periphery into the proper context of a mini-system. Using the original works of Wallerstein and his vaguely defined concept of a mini-system and further defining this concept through examination of the notion of a gift based economy this thesis hopes to discern not only core and periphery areas in the Middle Woodland Midwest, but also to discern if one mini-system or multiple mini-systems existed in the Middle Woodland Midwest. Through analysis of quantitative data gathered from the Scioto, Licking, Upper White, and Big Blue River valleys the thesis will demonstrate new methodologies for establishing the extant of mini-systems. Statistical analysis to be used includes linear regression testing and the analysis of power law distributions. These tests, coupled with analysis of the data sets, using a comparative framework, are hoped to provide deeper analysis of core and periphery relationships
The prehistoric eastern woodlands, Middle Woodland archaeology and core/periphery -- Core and periphery in non-capitalist societies -- Maps, mounds and measurements -- Results from maps, mounds and measurements -- Core and periphery, Middle Woodland mini-systems and the Midwest : south central Ohio and east central Indiana discerned.
Department of Anthropology

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Depew, Patricia Ruth. "The archaeological sources which elucidate the history of the northern kingdom and neighboring lands: from Omri (876 BCE) to the exile (721 BCE)." Thesis, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/2065.

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This dissertation provides a survey of the available archaeological sources that have been discovered that help illuminate the history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel from King Omri (876 BCE) into the Assyrian Exile (721 BCE) of the Iron II a and b periods. This history is given in the Hebrew Scriptures as found in 1 Kings 16:16 to 2 Kings 17:6. To accomplish this research, several resources have been organized in a systematic approach. The artifacts and physical remains are examined in categories including: pottery, town planning, architecture, literacy and inscriptions, temples, gods, cult objects, metallurgy, weapons and warfare, weights and measures, farming, food preparation, music, jewelry, art, and burial. Photographs of several artifacts are included. With the background developed on the material culture, the next topic of importance to be considered is the archaeological sites and their relationship to this historic period. The relevant archaeological excavations and in-situ artifacts surveyed were found in areas of the former cultures including: Israel, Judah, Sinai, Edom, Moab, Amman, Lebanon, Syria, Aram, Assyria, Babylon and Persia. A vast number of these sited reveal information regarding the time period from King Omri, his son King Ahab and Ahab's wife, Queen Jezebel. There was interaction between Israel and Judah, and the kingdoms in Moab, Ammon, Lebanon, Aram, and Assyria. Eventually in 721 BCE many people were taken from the Israel into Exile and captivity by the Assyrians. The conclusion of this dissertation ties together the findings of the material sources with the historic events. The material sources have given considerable light on the history of the Northern kingdom as was given in the Hebrew Scriptures as is presented in this final section of the dissertation.
Religious Studies and Arabic
D.Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)

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Grobler, Estelle Cornelia. "Ikonografiese studie van Ou Nabye-Oosterse ivoor gedurende die Ystertydperk, 1200 v.C. - 538 v. C." Diss., 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18931.

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Die Bybel is die boek wat die meeste gelees word en tog is dit moeilik om die leefwêreld van daardie era te verstaan. My doel is om ’n nuwe blik te gee op ’n paar Ou-Testamentiese simbole. Die ontdekking van ivoorobjekte in die middel negentiende eeu in Nimrud se paleise het tot groot opwinding gelei, aangesien dit met die literatuur ooreenstem. Die ivoorstukke het ’n “verhaal” kom vertel. Deur die streke se kuns te bestudeer kan ons ’n prentjie vorm van die kuns wat in die Ystertydperk in Mesopotamië en Palestina se paleise en welaf huise voorgekom het. Die ikonografie word ontrafel deur ’n paar ivoorstukke te “lees.” Ikonografie is die beskrywing en verklaring van beelde wat op bepaalde onderwerpe betrekking het. Sekere beelde kom herhaaldelik voor in Mesopotamië. In dié studie word hoofsaaklik die Gevleuelde Wesens, die Boom van Lewe, die Gevleuelde Sonskyf asook Rosette beskryf.
The Bible is widely read but it is difficult to understand the world and culture of the era that it is set in. It is my aim to provide new insight into a few Old Testament verses with their symbolic meaning. When ivory was discovered at Nimrud the discovery elicited huge excitement. The ivory pieces came to tell a story. Through studying the art of the different cultures a picture begins to appear of the palaces and homes of the wealthy in the Levant. The iconography could be “read.” Iconography is the science of interpreting the message the art wants to convey to the viewer. A few images are repeatedly showing up in the Levant during the Iron Age. In this study I am focusing mainly on The Tree of Life, the Winged Disc, the Rosette and Winged Spiritual Beings. I am attempting to discern the meaning behind these images.
Biblical & Ancient Studies
M.A. (Ou Nabye-Oosterse Studies)

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Mailhot, Étienne. "2000 ans d’occupation préhistorique sur l’Ile Verte : les traditions céramiques, l’organisation de la technologie lithique et les réseaux d’interactions au Sylvicole moyen." Thèse, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1866/20664.

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25

Thompson, Lynn. "David and Solomon : investigating the archaeological evidence." Diss., 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/16203.

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The historicity of the United Monarchy has recently come under attack. The biblical 'minimalists' say that a reconstruction of ancient Israel is impossible with the sources that we have access to, and the glory and wealth of Solomon's empire is mere fiction. They disregard the Bible as a reliable source, and archaeology because it is mute and open to interpretation. Some scholars have suggested lowering the traditional dates on certain archaeological strata, resulting in an entirely different picture of the tenth century BCE. Other scholars say that the United Monarchy definitely did exist and consider the Bible a valuable historical source. The evidence for the tenth century and the United Monarchy as shown by the Hebrew Bible and archaeology is investigated as well as various key sites in Israel. The conclusion is that the traditional chronology and viewpoint of the United Monarchy still needs to be respected.
Biblical and Ancient Studies
M.A. (Biblical Studies)

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Forensic archaeology – Middle East'

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