The Neolithic witnessed the inception of dedicated trade networks which encompassed vast distances, over 3000 years prior to the invention of the wheel and before the domestication of traditional...Show moreThe Neolithic witnessed the inception of dedicated trade networks which encompassed vast distances, over 3000 years prior to the invention of the wheel and before the domestication of traditional beasts of burden such as horses, donkeys and camels. Communities were able to transport large quantities of material by land and water through use of a mixture of purposely created equipment and techniques. Strangely, few attempts have been made to retrace these networks of transport and attempt to postulate how material was moved from one place to another. Theoretical models of exchange are well attested, but this does not extend into practical application. This thesis will attempt to perform this application through the case study of Tell Sabi Abyad, a Late Neolithic settlement in northern Syria. The presence of bitumen and obsidian at the site have been determined to have arrived from over 300km in distance. As such, this body of research will attempt to break down such journeys and establish how they eventually arrived at a site, either by direct acquisition or otherwise. It will attempt to establish – assuming groups were indeed undertaking expeditions directly to the source – how long such a journey would have taken and by what means material was transported. The tracing of such networks of exchange provides an intriguing insight into the interconnectedness of Late Neolithic communities, and what levels of organisation existed in the facilitation of this activity.Show less
Since the very beginnings of archaeology as a science graves have fascinated archaeologists and have proven to be important sources of information. The approaches used to study graves however, have...Show moreSince the very beginnings of archaeology as a science graves have fascinated archaeologists and have proven to be important sources of information. The approaches used to study graves however, have often not included the personal, intimate aspects of death, nor the persons in the past involved. Also, funerary practices are often set apart from other aspects of society, and the interconnectedness of the individual with society neglected. The concept of personhood can be used to bridge this divide that has formed within archaeology between people and society, as it enables the investigation of the persons in the past through their relationships. This study aims to explore the relationships of the Late Neolithic inhabitants of Tell Sabi Abyad with their social, cultural, material and natural environments. The main focus lies on the grave goods, a not yet studied aspect of the Late Neolithic cemeteries at the site, as they can be regarded elements of identity and personhood of the deceased, but also of the living community. The cemeteries at Tell Sabi Abyad, dated to ca. 6400-5800 BC, hold tremendous potential to add to the emerging image of death and burial during the Late Neolithic in the Near East. Owing to the presence of secure chronological control, extensive documentation and an unusually large burial sample, we are able to investigate practices surrounding death and burial from a bottom-up approach. Within the present research, it becomes clear that the Late Neolithic cemeteries at Tell Sabi Abyad, Operation III, offer ample opportunity to go further than the mere analyses of social complexity and the creation of typologies of burial practice, and to investigate aspects of mortuary behavior related to the person. As deduced from the burial record, personhood at Tell Sabi Abyad seems to have been experienced in terms of both relational and individual identities. Within the grave good assemblages we see expressions of the wide variety of relationships held by the prehistoric inhabitants of the site. These relationships range from supra-regional, to the most intimate of relations, such as those between mother and child.Show less
In the recent decades, the study of the archaeology of ethnicity has become increasingly important throughout the field of archaeology. Many books and articles have been written which address the...Show moreIn the recent decades, the study of the archaeology of ethnicity has become increasingly important throughout the field of archaeology. Many books and articles have been written which address the questions of what is ethnicity, what is an ethnic group, and can we see ethnicity in material culture? Questions pertaining to ethnicity have been of great importance in the archaeology of the Southern Levant as scholars have debated over the ethnic identity and labels of such groups as the Canaanites and Israelites. There is a great debate over the difference between “Canaanite” and “Israelite” material culture, and if these ethnicities can even be seen in the archaeological record. The purpose of this research is to investigate material culture from the Southern Levant during the Iron I Period to see if it truly does represent the ethnicities of “Canaanite” and “Israelite” and if these ethnic labels are correctly attributed to the material culture. I will address two main questions in this research which are: Does material culture represent ethnicity, and should archaeologists apply ethnic labels to material culture? My attempt at answer these questions will be divided into five chapters. In the first chapter, I will present a brief of the history of archaeological investigation in the Southern Levant with it bases in Biblical studies. The second chapter will focus on examining the past and current theories of ethnicity and how these affect our understanding of ethnicity in the archaeological record as well as shaping our current paradigms. Chapter three will be an examination of the specific theories regarding the Canaanite and Israelite identities and how scholars have identified them in the past in the archaeological record and in historical texts. In chapter four, I will present material culture from Iron I strata of two case studies, Beth Shean and Hazor, which have been given by scholars the ethnic labels of Canaanite and Israelite respectively. The focus will be upon certain architectural elements and the ceramic assemblage. Finally, in the fifth chapter, I will critically examine the material culture from Beth Shean and Hazor in light of the theoretical framework established in the prior chapters to determine if the material culture truly can be called ethnically “Canaanite” or Israelite. In this process, I will attempt to answer my two research questions. Thus, the purpose of this research is to critically examine the ethnic labels which have been given to the material culture from the Southern Levant during the Iron I Period.Show less