Papers by Zuzanna Wygnanska
PSAS, 2022
This paper summarizes the results of the Polish excavations in Area F at Saruq al-Hadid in Dubai ... more This paper summarizes the results of the Polish excavations in Area F at Saruq al-Hadid in Dubai (UAE), a well-known Iron Age site in the Rub al-Khali. The site was seasonally occupied by groups engaging in large-scale copper production. Despite the limited extent of the Polish study area, conclusions can be drawn regarding the organization of work, long-term changes in site use, and the spatial distribution of various artefact categories within the Iron Age II levels. Two distinct phases were discerned in this period: an older one with traces of extensive metal production, and a younger one with 'caches' of metal objects of economic nature and/or ritual significance but no evidence of metallurgical activity. The first phase included a series of charcoal piles, as well as vast quantities of metallurgical artefacts. The area was seemingly divided into specialized zones, each one displaying a different distribution of artefact categories. The disparity in the spatial distribution between different sectors suggests that mass production coexisted with small-scale manufacturing and/or trade activities. In the following phase, industrial practices were entirely abandoned and at some point, the area changed its character and became primarily a place for hoarding metal artefacts, a practice not recognized in earlier levels.
Levant, 2019
The cultural and occupational continuity between Early and Middle Bronze Ages in the Upper Khabur... more The cultural and occupational continuity between Early and Middle Bronze Ages in the Upper Khabur basin, north-eastern Syria has been investigated before with regard to pottery and settlement patterns. This paper addresses the question from the less commonly explored perspective of funerary behaviour and, in particular, material culture represented by grave finds from Tell Arbid in Syria. Material from five child graves dated to the late 3rd millennium BC, presented in this paper, and complementary data on other child graves from the region, provide grounds for discussion. This touches specifically upon jewellery placed in graves. Personal adornments from the late EBA child graves display a strong cultural affinity with those of the 3rd millennium BC, and are indicative of a distinctive social identity for their users. This differs from that of the population that continued to use the same burial ground in the early 2nd millennium BC. The material provides a thought-provoking case f...
ARCANE Interregional II: Artefacts, 2018
The second interregional volume of the ARCANE collection gathers fourteen contributions concernin... more The second interregional volume of the ARCANE collection gathers fourteen contributions concerning artefacts that were produced from Egypt to Iran and from Thrace to Southern Mesopotamia across the third millennium BCE.
These contributions, written by senior scholars and advanced doctoral students, are based primarily on artefacts from secure stratigraphical contexts. They present the most recent and complete update on Near and Middle Eastern artefact production throughout the Early Bronze Age.
As an integral component of the ARCANE Programme, the volume provides a careful examination of interregional contacts and allows for a deeper understanding and fine-tuning of the relative chronologies of the entire area.
The contributors relied on the methodology and interdisciplinary focus of the ARCANE Programme. As a result, scholars and students will find this volume an essential reference work for the interregional study of the material culture of the ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean world.
Egypt and the Levant , 2019
The paper focuses on the funerary customs attested in Middle Bronze Age (MBA) Mesopotamia, addres... more The paper focuses on the funerary customs attested in Middle Bronze Age (MBA) Mesopotamia, addressing the issue of common or distinctive characteristics and searching for potential evidence of assimilation of a new tribal-rooted identity. Specific burial practices, such as residential burials, use of vaulted chamber tombs and post-entombment rituals, were widely disseminated throughout the whole area during this period. Occurrence of donkey burials appears to be another distinctive trait in Upper Mesopotamia. Moreover, certain characteristic elements of these practices have been noted beyond Mesopotamia, in the Levant and as far as the eastern Nile Delta (Tell Daba’a), where they are associated with the Hyksos period. A puzzling resemblance between MBA funerary assemblages from Tell Arbid in upper Mesopotamia and the material from the distant region of Tell Daba’a (Avaris) was noted. This prompted a deeper study and presentation of the Mesopotamian MBA burials in a broader sociopolitical context, addressing issues of the character of similarities and discrepancies through comparison of relevant ritual variables throughout the area discussed. It confirmed a broad emergence of parallel mortuary behaviors focusing on kinship and ancestor commemoration. However, several areas do not fit this seemingly coherent picture of funerary customs, revealing distinctive regional identities. The changes in burial customs coincide with a sociopolitical transformation in Mesopotamia, resulting in the establishment of Amorite kingdoms and a profusion of pastoral tribes. It would seem, therefore, that the adoption of a new mortuary ideology and new constructed group identity was an answer to these sociopolitical developments.
Stories told around the fountain. Papers offered to Piotr Bieliński on the occasion of his 70th Birthday, 2019
Several infant burials dating to various phases of the Ninevite 5 period were found on Tell Arbid... more Several infant burials dating to various phases of the Ninevite 5 period were found on Tell Arbid, a site in northeastern Syria excavated by Piotr Bieliński from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw. They shed new light on child burials from a period that is otherwise poorly documented in this respect. Simple in type and lacking in grave goods, the infant graves may seem perfunctory at first glance and yet they appear to have a defined position in the mortuary landscape and social memory of the time as expressed by their special location, mostly under house floors, as well as by the attention and care invested in arranging for a formal burial. Even if not full-fledged society members nor
Levant, 2019
The cultural and occupational continuity between Early and Middle Bronze Ages in the Upper Khabur... more The cultural and occupational continuity between Early and Middle Bronze Ages in the Upper Khabur basin, north-eastern Syria has been investigated before with regard to pottery and settlement patterns. This paper addresses the question from the less commonly explored perspective of funerary behaviour and, in particular, material culture represented by grave finds from Tell Arbid in Syria. Material from five child graves dated to the late 3rd millennium BC, presented in this paper, and complementary data on other child graves from the region, provide grounds for discussion. This touches specifically upon jewellery placed in graves. Personal adornments from the late EBA child graves display a strong cultural affinity with those of the 3rd millennium BC, and are indicative of a distinctive social identity for their users. This differs from that of the population that continued to use the same burial ground in the early 2nd millennium BC. The material provides a thought-provoking case for recognizing a break in the cultural legacy between the EBA and MBA despite possible continuity in settlement. Adult burials from the period, which are fewer and mostly devoid of grave goods other than pottery, are largely excluded from the discussion as they do not contribute so effectively to our understanding of these changes.
Bulletin d'Archeologie et d'Architecture Libanaises, 2018
Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, 25–29 April 2016, eds. B.Horejs, Ch.Schwall, V. Müller, M. Luciani, M. Ritter, M. Giudetti, R. B. Salisbury, F. Höfl mayer and T. Bürge, Vienna, Harrassowitz Verlag · Wiesbaden, 2018
The site of Tell Fadous-Kfarabida (northern Lebanon), which covers an area of some 1.5ha, was no ... more The site of Tell Fadous-Kfarabida (northern Lebanon), which covers an area of some 1.5ha, was no ordinary village. Despite the fact that at least 40% of the mound had already been destroyed by bulldozers prior to excavation, fieldwork since 2004 has clarified the layout of what was apparently a regional centre for the gathering of agricultural produce during the EB (Early Bronze Age) III period and was probably linked to the site of Byblos, located 12km to the south. One of the excavated
structures appears to be unusually large and was apparently built for a specific purpose. Evidence of large-scale storage, of administrative procedures involving the sealing of goods and of a massive investment in architecture, are all equally apparent in the surviving eastern part of Building 4 on the western side of the mound. This paper aims to reconstruct circulation patterns and activity areas and to propose a function for rooms and spaces, particularly in the northern wing excavated between 2011 and 2015. Evidence for the existence of a second storey will also be summarised. In order to determine the function of the space in Building 4, the architecture, stratigraphy and finds will be briefly reviewed.
Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, 25–29 April 2016, Vienna, 2018
The paper presents new information about the distribution of pottery dated to the first half of t... more The paper presents new information about the distribution of pottery dated to the first half of the third millennium BC, Ninevite 5 pottery in particular, in the Upper Khabur region. It is the result of a preliminary study of pottery deriving from Khabur Basin Project surveys performed by Yale University under the direction of Prof. Frank Hole in the 1980s and 1990s. The area under consideration encompasses the surroundings of the Jebel Abd al-Aziz mountains west of the Khabur river, and sites located in the north-eastern part of Upper Khabur region. The main goal of this presentation is to add data on Early Jezireh 0–3 periods settlement in areas located far from the Khabur river, as well as supplement the existing data on the settlement of the Khabur Basin.
ARAM Periodical, Religious Offerings in the Ancient Near East (Aram Conference 2015), 2017
Equid and dog interments are a distinctive feature of the ritual landscape in Bronze Age Syria an... more Equid and dog interments are a distinctive feature of the ritual landscape in Bronze Age Syria and
Mesopotamia. Their ritual associations are the main topic of this paper. Another objective is to distinguish
between complete animal burials and depositions of selected bones in order to understand the implications
that these variations may involve. In the Early Bronze Age, animals occurred in elite burials and in contexts
associated with public rituals related to the closure of official buildings or contacting with the netherworld.
In the Middle Bronze Age, the context shifted toward the private sphere and the same set of animals was
found in important family burials. Both animals had a special, although different place in official rituals.
Neither of them was intended for consumption, but they were often deliberately killed on the occasion.
Equids were represented by different taxa and were of various age. A characteristic feature of the sacrificial
dogs is their recurrent young age. While equids have an attested role as status markers and were used as
sacrifices for the supernatural, dogs, puppies in particular, seem to have represented merely a component of
purgatory rituals. Equid and dog sacrifices did not represent a standard ritual set, but they occurred together
in official ceremonies associated with ending. Such shared burials disappeared after the Middle Bronze
Age. However, discrete equid or dog burials were continued. The latter were often associated with the cult
of healing deities. Apart from complete equid and dog offerings, there were also depositions of selected
bones. These were often accompanied by remains of other animals. Their meaning should be interpreted
differently than that of complete animal burials. The various age and species of the offered animals resulted
rather from their specific role in rituals, perhaps requiring a variety of animals, both wild and domestic.
Tumuli graves and other stone structures on the north coast of Kuwait Bay (Al-Subiyah 2007-2012), Ł. Rutkowski with contribution by M. Makowski, A. Reiche, A. Sołtysiak, Z. Wygnańska , 2015
Beyond ornamentation: Jewelry as an Aspect of Material Culture, Polish Archaeology in the Mediterrranean 23/2 Special Studies, Amir Golani, Zuzanna Wygnańska (eds.), Dec 2014
The article is focused on the diadems deriving from graves and hoards. A closer examination
of t... more The article is focused on the diadems deriving from graves and hoards. A closer examination
of their specific contexts, coupled with ethnographic observations, indicates their frequent use
as symbols of elevated position, but also as indications of non-vertical features of individual social
identity, such as, for example, affiliation with an ethnic or other social group. Iconographic studies
have demonstrated that plain and simple headbands may have indeed been perceived as symbols of
power (crowns), whereas frontlets and other forms of diadems not known from depictions could
have represented diverse social aspects of the wearer or acted as attributes of rites of passage.
Contextualising Grave Inventories in the Ancient Near East, Qatna Studien Supplementa Band 3, Peter Pfälzner, Herbert Niehr, Ernst Pernicka, Sarah Lange and Tina Köster (eds.) , 2014 Harrassowitz Verlag · Wiesbaden, 2014
In this paper I present considerations on a phenomenon of an ancestor cult evidenced by rituals a... more In this paper I present considerations on a phenomenon of an ancestor cult evidenced by rituals associated with vaulted chamber tombs located within the limits of Middle Bronze Age II settlement on Tell Arbid in NE Syria. The tombs were constructed with shafts, in the fill of which, remains of subsequent deposits of offerings were found on different levels. This fact, as well as the specific location of the tombs, and the amount of energy expended in their construction, convinced me that we are dealing here with practices characteristic for ancestor worship. The phenomenon appeared at the site suddenly in the first half of the second millennium BC and disappeared in mid-second millennium BC.
Looking North. The Socioeconomic Dynamics of Northern Mesopotamian and Anatolian Regions during the Late Third and Early Second Millennium B.C., Nicola Laneri, Peter Pfaelzner, Stefano Valentini (eds.), 2012
Światowit Annual of the Institute oF Archaeology of the University of Warsaw Vol. iX (l) (2011) Fascicle a Mediterranean and non-European Archaeology Warsaw2012, 2012
Several graves equipped with animal remains dated to the Middle Bronze Age were discovered at Tel... more Several graves equipped with animal remains dated to the Middle Bronze Age were discovered at Tell Arbid in years 1997-2008. The article presents results of archaeozoological studies of animal species. The second focus is an archeological interpretation of this category of finds. Animal bones were found mostly in grave chambers, next to the body of the deceased where they were interpreted as a food supplies for the last journey. In few cases, they were deposited also in dromoi of vaulted chamber tombs and they seem to represent traces of performing kispum rituals. There was also another category of animal finds: accompanying animal burials. These were apparently unique on Tell Arbid but they have parallels on other sites. It seems probable that they are traces of funeral ceremonies associated with the West Semitic milieu.
Polish Archaeology in the Meaditerranean 20 (Research 2008),, 2012
Eight seasons of excavations on the site of Tell Arbid in the basin of the Khabur River in
north... more Eight seasons of excavations on the site of Tell Arbid in the basin of the Khabur River in
northeastern Syria (1997–2005) resulted in the discovery of 29 graves of MBA date. An analysis
of this set of burials indicated that a new burial rite, characterized by strong family and clan ties,
had been introduced about the beginning of the second millennium BC. Parallels for MBA burial
practices have been recorded on neighboring sites in the Upper Khabur area and in southern
Mesopotamia. Equid burials accompanied some of the human graves and it seems that the custom
saw a revival in this period once again after the EBA. Close parallels for this custom as well as other
elements of the burial practices at sites in the eastern Nile Delta and in the southern Levant are interesting
to note. The spread of similar practices can be linked with high probability to the presence
and growing political dominance of the West Semites.
Conference Presentations by Zuzanna Wygnanska
54th Seminar for Arabian Studies, 2021
This presentation summarizes the results of the Polish excavations at Saruq al-Hadid, Dubai. The ... more This presentation summarizes the results of the Polish excavations at Saruq al-Hadid, Dubai. The site is a well-known seasonally occupied place in the Rub el-Khali desert used by groups engaged in a large-scale metal production. Despite the limited extent of our study area, new conclusions could be drawn in regard of work organization, long-term changes in site use, and the spatial distribution of various
artefact categories within the Iron Age II levels. Two distinct phases were discerned in this period: an older one with traces of extensive metal production, and a younger one, possibly ritual, with “caches” of metal objects but no evidence for metallurgical activity. The former contained a series of charcoal and ash heaps, as well as vast quantities of metallurgical by-products, semi-products and ready copper objects. This area was seemingly separated into specialized zones that each display different characteristics in the spatial distribution of artefact types. Beside copper products, various other goods were found, which were not produced in this area but were probably stored here for trade or perhaps represented personal belongings. Disparity in the spatial distribution of artefacts between different sectors suggests that mass production coexisted with small-scale manufacturing and/or trade activities performed by smaller specialist or kin-related groups. Seasonal industrial practices were at some point abandoned and replaced by depositing practice.
Saruq al-Hadid (UAE) - a desert site at Rub al-Khali, is most famous of its copper production.
T... more Saruq al-Hadid (UAE) - a desert site at Rub al-Khali, is most famous of its copper production.
This industrial production was accompanied, however also by other activities associated with trade and storing goods for further distribution. Beads of various materials represent by far the most abundant non-metallic products found at the site. Mostly unappreciated as minor objects of decorative value only, the beads from Saruq are counted in hundreds of thousands, an amount incomparable with any other site in the region. This abundance points to their significant role in trade that must have been conducted on an enormous scale in Saruq. The beads are made of semi-precious stones, shells a variety of vitreous and other materials. Some of them were imported as ready products. Recent studies revealed however, that there was also an intensive bead production at the site. The poster addresses questions where the beads and materials were coming from, and who could have been their final user.
We invite you to submit papers for the ‘On the bead road’ panel focused on beads and other perso... more We invite you to submit papers for the ‘On the bead road’ panel focused on beads and other personal ornaments circulating in the Red Sea and around the Arabian Peninsula to East Africa and India. The panel will be held at the Red Sea 8 conference, Warsaw, July 4-7.
Deadline for abstract April 30.
Details at: redsea8.uw.edu.pl
Uploads
Papers by Zuzanna Wygnanska
These contributions, written by senior scholars and advanced doctoral students, are based primarily on artefacts from secure stratigraphical contexts. They present the most recent and complete update on Near and Middle Eastern artefact production throughout the Early Bronze Age.
As an integral component of the ARCANE Programme, the volume provides a careful examination of interregional contacts and allows for a deeper understanding and fine-tuning of the relative chronologies of the entire area.
The contributors relied on the methodology and interdisciplinary focus of the ARCANE Programme. As a result, scholars and students will find this volume an essential reference work for the interregional study of the material culture of the ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean world.
structures appears to be unusually large and was apparently built for a specific purpose. Evidence of large-scale storage, of administrative procedures involving the sealing of goods and of a massive investment in architecture, are all equally apparent in the surviving eastern part of Building 4 on the western side of the mound. This paper aims to reconstruct circulation patterns and activity areas and to propose a function for rooms and spaces, particularly in the northern wing excavated between 2011 and 2015. Evidence for the existence of a second storey will also be summarised. In order to determine the function of the space in Building 4, the architecture, stratigraphy and finds will be briefly reviewed.
Mesopotamia. Their ritual associations are the main topic of this paper. Another objective is to distinguish
between complete animal burials and depositions of selected bones in order to understand the implications
that these variations may involve. In the Early Bronze Age, animals occurred in elite burials and in contexts
associated with public rituals related to the closure of official buildings or contacting with the netherworld.
In the Middle Bronze Age, the context shifted toward the private sphere and the same set of animals was
found in important family burials. Both animals had a special, although different place in official rituals.
Neither of them was intended for consumption, but they were often deliberately killed on the occasion.
Equids were represented by different taxa and were of various age. A characteristic feature of the sacrificial
dogs is their recurrent young age. While equids have an attested role as status markers and were used as
sacrifices for the supernatural, dogs, puppies in particular, seem to have represented merely a component of
purgatory rituals. Equid and dog sacrifices did not represent a standard ritual set, but they occurred together
in official ceremonies associated with ending. Such shared burials disappeared after the Middle Bronze
Age. However, discrete equid or dog burials were continued. The latter were often associated with the cult
of healing deities. Apart from complete equid and dog offerings, there were also depositions of selected
bones. These were often accompanied by remains of other animals. Their meaning should be interpreted
differently than that of complete animal burials. The various age and species of the offered animals resulted
rather from their specific role in rituals, perhaps requiring a variety of animals, both wild and domestic.
of their specific contexts, coupled with ethnographic observations, indicates their frequent use
as symbols of elevated position, but also as indications of non-vertical features of individual social
identity, such as, for example, affiliation with an ethnic or other social group. Iconographic studies
have demonstrated that plain and simple headbands may have indeed been perceived as symbols of
power (crowns), whereas frontlets and other forms of diadems not known from depictions could
have represented diverse social aspects of the wearer or acted as attributes of rites of passage.
northeastern Syria (1997–2005) resulted in the discovery of 29 graves of MBA date. An analysis
of this set of burials indicated that a new burial rite, characterized by strong family and clan ties,
had been introduced about the beginning of the second millennium BC. Parallels for MBA burial
practices have been recorded on neighboring sites in the Upper Khabur area and in southern
Mesopotamia. Equid burials accompanied some of the human graves and it seems that the custom
saw a revival in this period once again after the EBA. Close parallels for this custom as well as other
elements of the burial practices at sites in the eastern Nile Delta and in the southern Levant are interesting
to note. The spread of similar practices can be linked with high probability to the presence
and growing political dominance of the West Semites.
Conference Presentations by Zuzanna Wygnanska
artefact categories within the Iron Age II levels. Two distinct phases were discerned in this period: an older one with traces of extensive metal production, and a younger one, possibly ritual, with “caches” of metal objects but no evidence for metallurgical activity. The former contained a series of charcoal and ash heaps, as well as vast quantities of metallurgical by-products, semi-products and ready copper objects. This area was seemingly separated into specialized zones that each display different characteristics in the spatial distribution of artefact types. Beside copper products, various other goods were found, which were not produced in this area but were probably stored here for trade or perhaps represented personal belongings. Disparity in the spatial distribution of artefacts between different sectors suggests that mass production coexisted with small-scale manufacturing and/or trade activities performed by smaller specialist or kin-related groups. Seasonal industrial practices were at some point abandoned and replaced by depositing practice.
This industrial production was accompanied, however also by other activities associated with trade and storing goods for further distribution. Beads of various materials represent by far the most abundant non-metallic products found at the site. Mostly unappreciated as minor objects of decorative value only, the beads from Saruq are counted in hundreds of thousands, an amount incomparable with any other site in the region. This abundance points to their significant role in trade that must have been conducted on an enormous scale in Saruq. The beads are made of semi-precious stones, shells a variety of vitreous and other materials. Some of them were imported as ready products. Recent studies revealed however, that there was also an intensive bead production at the site. The poster addresses questions where the beads and materials were coming from, and who could have been their final user.
Deadline for abstract April 30.
Details at: redsea8.uw.edu.pl
These contributions, written by senior scholars and advanced doctoral students, are based primarily on artefacts from secure stratigraphical contexts. They present the most recent and complete update on Near and Middle Eastern artefact production throughout the Early Bronze Age.
As an integral component of the ARCANE Programme, the volume provides a careful examination of interregional contacts and allows for a deeper understanding and fine-tuning of the relative chronologies of the entire area.
The contributors relied on the methodology and interdisciplinary focus of the ARCANE Programme. As a result, scholars and students will find this volume an essential reference work for the interregional study of the material culture of the ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean world.
structures appears to be unusually large and was apparently built for a specific purpose. Evidence of large-scale storage, of administrative procedures involving the sealing of goods and of a massive investment in architecture, are all equally apparent in the surviving eastern part of Building 4 on the western side of the mound. This paper aims to reconstruct circulation patterns and activity areas and to propose a function for rooms and spaces, particularly in the northern wing excavated between 2011 and 2015. Evidence for the existence of a second storey will also be summarised. In order to determine the function of the space in Building 4, the architecture, stratigraphy and finds will be briefly reviewed.
Mesopotamia. Their ritual associations are the main topic of this paper. Another objective is to distinguish
between complete animal burials and depositions of selected bones in order to understand the implications
that these variations may involve. In the Early Bronze Age, animals occurred in elite burials and in contexts
associated with public rituals related to the closure of official buildings or contacting with the netherworld.
In the Middle Bronze Age, the context shifted toward the private sphere and the same set of animals was
found in important family burials. Both animals had a special, although different place in official rituals.
Neither of them was intended for consumption, but they were often deliberately killed on the occasion.
Equids were represented by different taxa and were of various age. A characteristic feature of the sacrificial
dogs is their recurrent young age. While equids have an attested role as status markers and were used as
sacrifices for the supernatural, dogs, puppies in particular, seem to have represented merely a component of
purgatory rituals. Equid and dog sacrifices did not represent a standard ritual set, but they occurred together
in official ceremonies associated with ending. Such shared burials disappeared after the Middle Bronze
Age. However, discrete equid or dog burials were continued. The latter were often associated with the cult
of healing deities. Apart from complete equid and dog offerings, there were also depositions of selected
bones. These were often accompanied by remains of other animals. Their meaning should be interpreted
differently than that of complete animal burials. The various age and species of the offered animals resulted
rather from their specific role in rituals, perhaps requiring a variety of animals, both wild and domestic.
of their specific contexts, coupled with ethnographic observations, indicates their frequent use
as symbols of elevated position, but also as indications of non-vertical features of individual social
identity, such as, for example, affiliation with an ethnic or other social group. Iconographic studies
have demonstrated that plain and simple headbands may have indeed been perceived as symbols of
power (crowns), whereas frontlets and other forms of diadems not known from depictions could
have represented diverse social aspects of the wearer or acted as attributes of rites of passage.
northeastern Syria (1997–2005) resulted in the discovery of 29 graves of MBA date. An analysis
of this set of burials indicated that a new burial rite, characterized by strong family and clan ties,
had been introduced about the beginning of the second millennium BC. Parallels for MBA burial
practices have been recorded on neighboring sites in the Upper Khabur area and in southern
Mesopotamia. Equid burials accompanied some of the human graves and it seems that the custom
saw a revival in this period once again after the EBA. Close parallels for this custom as well as other
elements of the burial practices at sites in the eastern Nile Delta and in the southern Levant are interesting
to note. The spread of similar practices can be linked with high probability to the presence
and growing political dominance of the West Semites.
artefact categories within the Iron Age II levels. Two distinct phases were discerned in this period: an older one with traces of extensive metal production, and a younger one, possibly ritual, with “caches” of metal objects but no evidence for metallurgical activity. The former contained a series of charcoal and ash heaps, as well as vast quantities of metallurgical by-products, semi-products and ready copper objects. This area was seemingly separated into specialized zones that each display different characteristics in the spatial distribution of artefact types. Beside copper products, various other goods were found, which were not produced in this area but were probably stored here for trade or perhaps represented personal belongings. Disparity in the spatial distribution of artefacts between different sectors suggests that mass production coexisted with small-scale manufacturing and/or trade activities performed by smaller specialist or kin-related groups. Seasonal industrial practices were at some point abandoned and replaced by depositing practice.
This industrial production was accompanied, however also by other activities associated with trade and storing goods for further distribution. Beads of various materials represent by far the most abundant non-metallic products found at the site. Mostly unappreciated as minor objects of decorative value only, the beads from Saruq are counted in hundreds of thousands, an amount incomparable with any other site in the region. This abundance points to their significant role in trade that must have been conducted on an enormous scale in Saruq. The beads are made of semi-precious stones, shells a variety of vitreous and other materials. Some of them were imported as ready products. Recent studies revealed however, that there was also an intensive bead production at the site. The poster addresses questions where the beads and materials were coming from, and who could have been their final user.
Deadline for abstract April 30.
Details at: redsea8.uw.edu.pl
The subtitle, “Coveted Treasure,” alludes to the main focus of the conference which is on the economy of natural resources. Issues related to their extraction, processing and subsequent trade, that stood behind a flourishing crafts industry throughout the long history of the region, will be discussed in the four main panels of the conference.
Further information regarding the planned panels, the Scientific Committee as well as registration details can be found on the conference website www.redsea8.uw.edu.pl