Euphrates River Valley Settlement: The Carchemish Sector in the Third Millennium BC

edited by Edgar Peltenburg

Pre-state ceremonial monuments, rich mortuary arrangements, forts, walled settlements and temples: all these occur in a narrow stretch of the Euphrates River valley prior to the rise of Carchemish, one of the major capital cities of the Ancient Near East. This well-illustrated book examines recently discovered evidence from the hinterlands of archaeologically inaccessible Carchemish in its regional context. Amongst the 18 contributors Tony Wilkinson characterizes the neighbouring regions of Carchemish, Guy Bunnens elaborates on a site hierarchy within the valley and Gioacchino Falsone appraises unpublished records from excavations at Carchemish itself. These material culture studies are important for those interested in the emergence of complex societies that do not conform to the Mesopotamian paradigm.

Preface; Introduction New perspectives on the Carchemish sector of the Middle Euphrates River valley in the 3rd millennium BC (Edgar Peltenburg); Part one: Regional dimensions - overview Archaeological regions in the neighbourhood of Carchemish (T J Wilkinson); Site hierarchy in the Tishrin Dam area and third millennium geopolitics in Northern Syria (Guy Bunnens); Early Bronze Age burial types and social-cultural identity within the northern Euphrates Valley (Lisa Cooper); Part two: Settlements of the Middle Euphrates and Sajur River basins The 'champagne-cup' period at Carchemish: A review of the Early Bronze Age levels on the Acropolis Mound and the problem of the Inner Town (Gioacchino Falsone and Paola Sconzo); A 'high' terrace at Gre Virike to the north of Carchemish: power of local rulers as founders? (A Tuba Ikse); Was there a post-Uruk collapse in the Carchemish area? (Philippe Quenet); Establishment of a Middle/Upper Euphrates Early Bronze I culture from the fragmentation of the Uruk world. New data from Zeytinli Bah