Animals, Ancestors, and Ritual in Early Bronze Age Syria
An Elite Mortuary Complex from Umm el-Marra
Published on 23. April 2024
Book
Hardback
718 pages
978-1-950446-42-1 (ISBN)
Description
This is a final report of the excavation of Tell Umm el-Marra in northern Syria, conducted in 1994--2010. It is likely the site of ancient Tuba, capital of a small kingdom in the Early and Middle Bronze periods, in the Jabbul plain between Aleppo and northern Mesopotamia. Its study advances our understanding of early Syrian complex society beyond the big cities of Antiquity. Of particular importance in the Early Bronze excavations from Umm el-Marra are the results from the site acropolis. The architecture, location, and contents of the tombs, including objects of gold, silver, and lapis lazuli, indicated that this necropolis contained the remains of high-ranking persons. The tomb area was in use for some three centuries or more, and included separate installations where equids were interred (kungas, donkey x onager hybrids), sometimes along with human infants. The kungas were expensive and prestigious animals associated with royalty and divinity and thus are apt inclusions in an elite necropolis. Their burial in separate tombs reveals their particular importance, and this site provides the first archaeological attestation of the kunga equids, unique in the archaeology of third-millennium Syria and Mesopotamia.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Los Angeles
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
69 Tables, unspecified; 449 Figures
Dimensions
Height: 279 mm
Width: 203 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
2569 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-950446-42-1 (9781950446421)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Glenn M. Schwartz
Animals, Ancestors, and Ritual in Early Bronze Age Syria
An Elite Mortuary Complex from Umm el-Marra
E-Book
02/2024
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press
€148.99
Available for download
Person
Glenn Schwartz is a Near Eastern archaeologist at Johns Hopkins University, whose research focuses on the emergence and early history of urban societies in Syria and Mesopotamia.
Content
Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Objectives. Glenn M. Schwartz
The Radiocarbon Chronology from Umm el-Marra. Lyndelle Webster and Glenn M. Schwartz
Chapter 2: Architecture and Stratigraphy. Glenn M. Schwartz
Chapter 3: The Pottery of Third-Millennium BC Umm el-Marra. Glenn M. Schwartz
Chapter 4: Small Finds. Sally S. Dunham, Albert Jambon, Anne-Sophie Laurent, Romain Prevalet, David S. Reese, Glenn M. Schwartz, and Avary Rhys Taylor
Glyptic. Sally S. Dunham
Clay Figurines. Avary Rhys Taylor and Glenn M. Schwartz
Baked Clay Model Vehicles and Miscellaneous Clay Objects. Glenn M. Schwartz
Model Wheels, Spindle Whorls, and Pierced Potsherd Disks. Glenn M. Schwartz and Sally S. Dunham
Metal Objects. Anne-Sophie Laurent
Gold Jewelry: A Technical Study. Romain Prevalet
A Meteoritic Iron Pendant from Umm el-Marra Tomb 1. Albert Jambon
Bone, Ivory, and Shell Objects. Glenn M. Schwartz, Sally S. Dunham, and David S. Reese
Stone Objects. Glenn M. Schwartz and Avary Rhys Taylor
Beads and Pendants. Glenn M. Schwartz
Chapter 5: Bioarchaeology at Tell Umm el-Marra. Ernest K. Batey, III
Chapter 6: The Faunal Remains from Third-Millennium Umm el-Marra. Jill A. Weber
Chapter 7: Discussion and Conclusions. Glenn M. Schwartz
The Radiocarbon Chronology from Umm el-Marra. Lyndelle Webster and Glenn M. Schwartz
Chapter 2: Architecture and Stratigraphy. Glenn M. Schwartz
Chapter 3: The Pottery of Third-Millennium BC Umm el-Marra. Glenn M. Schwartz
Chapter 4: Small Finds. Sally S. Dunham, Albert Jambon, Anne-Sophie Laurent, Romain Prevalet, David S. Reese, Glenn M. Schwartz, and Avary Rhys Taylor
Glyptic. Sally S. Dunham
Clay Figurines. Avary Rhys Taylor and Glenn M. Schwartz
Baked Clay Model Vehicles and Miscellaneous Clay Objects. Glenn M. Schwartz
Model Wheels, Spindle Whorls, and Pierced Potsherd Disks. Glenn M. Schwartz and Sally S. Dunham
Metal Objects. Anne-Sophie Laurent
Gold Jewelry: A Technical Study. Romain Prevalet
A Meteoritic Iron Pendant from Umm el-Marra Tomb 1. Albert Jambon
Bone, Ivory, and Shell Objects. Glenn M. Schwartz, Sally S. Dunham, and David S. Reese
Stone Objects. Glenn M. Schwartz and Avary Rhys Taylor
Beads and Pendants. Glenn M. Schwartz
Chapter 5: Bioarchaeology at Tell Umm el-Marra. Ernest K. Batey, III
Chapter 6: The Faunal Remains from Third-Millennium Umm el-Marra. Jill A. Weber
Chapter 7: Discussion and Conclusions. Glenn M. Schwartz