Summary This thesis investigates the Middle Assyrian jewel assemblage from Tell Sabi Abyad, which comprises a period of about 110 years from 1225 BC to at most 1115 BC. The dunnu with only 900...Show moreSummary This thesis investigates the Middle Assyrian jewel assemblage from Tell Sabi Abyad, which comprises a period of about 110 years from 1225 BC to at most 1115 BC. The dunnu with only 900 people belonging to it was quite a small village; however its significance was based on the location. Its significance is demonstrated by the fact that the dunnu was ruled by powerful, high ranking officials who were members of the royal family. The western provinces of the Assyrian empire were essential for agricultural production. Moreover the tell was not only situated close to the border of the Hittite empire, but was also located at an important trade route from the Levant, North Syria and Anatolia to Aššur. This is mirrored in the jewelry assemblage, which shows far reaching trading connections with raw stones, shells and manufactured products. There is evidence for stone and shell processing for jewelry purposes, but metal items were likely received from bronze working centers like Tell Brak, Chuera or Aššur. On Tell Sabi Abyad graves with cremations and inhumations were encountered. Often the graves yielded, beside various objects, jewelry. Not all graves contained jewelry and the graves with jewelry showed considerable variations in abundance. Two cremation graves have striking similarities in abundance and types of jewelry. Especially figurative, exotic types such as scarabs, frogs, duck weights and pomegranates are found in this context. Jewels were worn by females, males and children and often given into their graves. Women possessed likely the majority, but also man owned bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings and needles. Striking is the find of two necklaces inside the tower of the fort. Some beads of the necklaces were in shape of phallus symbols and two small combs were likely pendants. Possibly these items belonged to prostitutes who lived in the tower, perhaps in captivity. The design resembles that of other treasures from that region; but Tell Rimah and Aššur show more variety and more wealth than those of the small village Sabi Abyad. Jewels from Sabi Abyad are not exceptional but are designed in Assyrian style typical for that region and period.Show less
This paper seeks to give a plausible range of population figures for second century A.D. Antioch in Roman Syria. The first chapter estimates the physical extent of the city and its suburbs. The...Show moreThis paper seeks to give a plausible range of population figures for second century A.D. Antioch in Roman Syria. The first chapter estimates the physical extent of the city and its suburbs. The second chapter studies the size and productivity of Antioch’s territory. On the basis of urbanisation rates, urban and rural population densities and ‘carrying capacity’ various scenarios are sketched to determine more and less likely figures. In the final chapter several ideas are considered towards explaining the population of Antioch and its hinterland.Show less
This thesis is inspired by the will to understand why the international community stands by while mass atrocities are committed by the Syrian government. My research question ‘Why does the...Show moreThis thesis is inspired by the will to understand why the international community stands by while mass atrocities are committed by the Syrian government. My research question ‘Why does the international community not intervene in the humanitarian crisis in Syria?’ forms the premise for this thesis. My main argument is that because of the non-consensus within the international community about R2P as a norm, there is a lack of political will to intervene in the situation in Syria. Furthermore, I argue that this lack of consensus is caused by the protection of the national interests of the states involved, especially the security of their sovereignty. These arguments are substantiated by the acceptance of my hypotheses which are based on the core assumptions of realism, liberalism, and constructivism. These hypotheses show that the protection of sovereignty, the lack of a common interest, and the non-consensus about R2P are crucial aspects in the decision not to intervene in the humanitarian crisis in Syria.Show less
When Middle Assyrians conquered the land of Hanigalbat during the 14th and 13th century, they did several changes in the settlement systems of the area. This paper is mainly concerned with the...Show moreWhen Middle Assyrians conquered the land of Hanigalbat during the 14th and 13th century, they did several changes in the settlement systems of the area. This paper is mainly concerned with the changes happened during the transitional phase from the Mitanni to the Middle Assyrian period. Several works have been lately published about the Middle Assyrians in general but the Mitanni period has been generally neglected. The research of this paper tackles the subject through a bibliographical overview of the current archaeological data concerning the period. The questions which are going to be investigated in this paper about the transition from Mitanni to Middle Assyrians are: What changes did the Middle Assyrians brought to the administrative system of the area? What changes do we see in the settlement system? How did the agricultural economy evolved, what are the results of the intensification of agriculture and how did this affect the changes in settlement systems? In order to answer those questions the paper is divided in 4 chapters. In the first chapter I do a historical overview of the periods from the 15th to the 13th century BC. The historical overview is important to create the context in which I am going to work and it provides crucial information about the names of certain sites which will be investigated. In the first chapter I also provide a brief state of the archaeological research of the periods. In the second chapter I thoroughly investigate three areas, t e Balīḫ Valley, the Upper Ḫābūr Valle and t e Upper igris regi n. I pr vide general information of the areas and examination of certain sites which are used as examples. At the end of each subchapter there are conclusions concerning each specific region. The third chapter deals with agriculture and the changes of agriculture during the early period of the Middle Assyrian Empire. In order to examine the subject of agriculture I use two well documented sites, Tell Sabi Abyad and Dūr-Katlimmu. These sites have been chose because they provide us with important textual evidence and allow the reconstruction of their agricultural productivity. The study of agriculture allows us to see the role of agriculture in the settlement changes of the period.In the final chapter I firstly present a discussion in order to create a theoretical framework for the changes on settlement systems. In this part I discuss the policies used by Middle Assyrian in each region and the reasons behind certain decisions on changing the settlement patterns of an area. The last part of the chapter contains the conclusions and results of the research. The purpose of this MA thesis is to recreate certain aspects of the transitions from the Mitanni Empire to the Middle Assyrian Empire with main focus on the changes of settlement patterns.Show less
This BA thesis investigates the worked-bone assemblage of Late Bronze Age (LBA) Tell Sabi Abyad (ca. 1230-1150 B.C), a settlement mound located in the Raqqa province of Northern Syria. The LBA...Show moreThis BA thesis investigates the worked-bone assemblage of Late Bronze Age (LBA) Tell Sabi Abyad (ca. 1230-1150 B.C), a settlement mound located in the Raqqa province of Northern Syria. The LBA settlement comprises a Middle Assyrian stronghold. It was a military and administrative centre which primarily functioned as a fortified farmstead, named a dunnu by the Assyrians. The goal of this thesis is to determine the character of the assemblage and to shed light on the function and role of the bone artefacts in the LBA society. In addition I have performed a diachronic analysis to find out whether the assemblage changed through time. The worked-bone assemblage is a relatively small but diverse. It comprises approximately 105 artefacts. A preliminary classification, based on morphology, is presented. The assemblage consists of three categories: bone tools, bone ornaments and other bone objects. The category bone tools comprise awls, combs, needles, spatulas and nails. The bone ornaments exist from beads, inlay, plaques and a bracelet. The other bone objects comprise discs, polished knucklebones and a number of miscellaneous objects. First, the function of the artefacts is analysed based on their morphology and when possible, traces of use. For some artefacts, the analysis of the morphology could not shed light on a plausible function. To further elucidate their function and role, the context of the artefacts was analysed. I have tried to elucidate in which areas of the LBA settlement the bone artefacts were used. From the context and morphology it appears that the worked-bone artefacts were used in domestic buildings, workshops and in open areas of the Late Bronze Age settlement. They were probably used for pottery production and in the production of basketry, matting and leather working. The bone objects had a diverse role in society as they were used as tools, jewellery, personal ornaments, game pieces and grave goods. They were present in every phase of the LBA occupation. The worked-bone objects of LBA Tell Sabi Abyad may have been small in numbers but were used in all dimensions of society for a large variety of activities.Show less
In the past, the threat of nuclear arms and the states and actors that might gain access to such technology has resulted in the pre-emptive use of military force against states. Israel attacked...Show moreIn the past, the threat of nuclear arms and the states and actors that might gain access to such technology has resulted in the pre-emptive use of military force against states. Israel attacked Iraq (Operation Opera in 1981) and Syria (Operation Orchard in 2007) in order to prevent or forcefully disrupt their nuclear proliferation efforts. Currently, concern about Iran’s nuclear program has raised debate about the possibility of an Israeli pre-emptive attack. This thesis employs hypotheses from realist, constructivist and liberal theory to explain the use of force in counter-proliferation, using a strategy of within-case and across-case analysis of both prior attacks. I locate determining conditions that led Israel to use force in counter proliferation. The hypotheses explore conditions such as uncertainty about state identity, the perception of threat, the risk of shift in regional power balance, prior military hostility, hostile public statements made by state leaders, undeterrability and the domestic support of state leaders. Most of these conditions are present in the current case of Iran, when considering the possibility of a pre-emptive Israeli attack. If Iran’s military support to Hezbollah is interpreted as indirect military hostility, all the conditions for an Israeli pre-emptive attack would be present, when considering the conditions leading to the previous two Israeli attacks in counter proliferation. The analysis suggests there is a high chance that this will cause Israel to use pre-emptive force in order to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, as the “Begin Doctrine”, on which Israel’s security policy is based, will not accept such high security risks.Show less
This thesis discusses the impact of opposition movements in effecting regime transition in Syria and Egypt during the Arab Spring, analyzing their organizational structure, objectives, strategies,...Show moreThis thesis discusses the impact of opposition movements in effecting regime transition in Syria and Egypt during the Arab Spring, analyzing their organizational structure, objectives, strategies, legitimacy, and de facto power. It starts out from the premise that it is crucial that the opposition influences 'soft-liners' within the regime to undermine its internal cohesion and stability. It is argued that the opposition in both countries has been durable due to intrinsic motivations of the participants and widespread social dissatisfaction, and their diffuse yet coherent grassroots forms of organization have rendered them hard to repress by the regime. In both countries, however, the opposition was unable to overthrow the regime by itself since it did not have sufficient military power resources to pose a real threat to the regime's survival. In Syria, the opposition could not generate enough division among the elite, while in Egypt, division already existed among the elite and this was augmented by the opposition, with the acquiescence of the military proving crucial in the regime transition. The extent of influence of the opposition was heavily constrained by the political opportunity structures in which they operated, with repression by the regime playing a large role and curtailing agency.Show less
This paper utilizes unpublished excavation data from Leiden University’s excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria to examine two types of figurines from the site’s Late Bronze Age Middle Assyrian...Show moreThis paper utilizes unpublished excavation data from Leiden University’s excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria to examine two types of figurines from the site’s Late Bronze Age Middle Assyrian occupation in the late 13th and 12th centuries BCE. Beyond the contextual and analytical presentation of new material to the archaeological community, it reestablishes an understudied typology through the promotion of a geographical, chronological, cultural, and functional frameworks. This study uses the figurines as a base to explore issues inherent in their find contexts and preservation. After establishing typologies and object catalogs, it explores the archaeological visibility of intentional material disregard, the dynamism of contemporary value attributions to representative material culture, and the interplay of ancient peoples with their local histories. In highlighting the functionality of a symbolic material culture that existed outside the settlement’s imperial sphere, this thesis uses the figurines to reveal the cosmopolitan nature of the common people at Tell Sabi Abyad.Show less
This BA Thesis concerns stone axes, adzes and chisels, generally referred to as celts, from Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria, a site dated to the Late Neolithic Period, ca. 7000-5300 cal BC. It aims to...Show moreThis BA Thesis concerns stone axes, adzes and chisels, generally referred to as celts, from Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria, a site dated to the Late Neolithic Period, ca. 7000-5300 cal BC. It aims to investigate the economic and social meaning of these stone tools at the Neolithic settlement excavated there, by examining the tools' morphological and technological features, their provenance, and the context in which they were found. In this thesis, it is stressed that a wide variety of different types of stone celts were used at Tell Sabi Abyad. Many of these celts seam to have been imported from hundreds of kilometers away. Many celts must have been used for a number of economic activities, but some celts seam to have had a more symbolic meaning. Finally, this thesis shows that the way in which stone celts were used during the Late Neolithic was not static, but changed through the course of time.Show less
