The site of K & uuml;ltepe served as a major hub within the Assyrian trade network during the early second millennium BCE. Its expanding commercial activities, socio-economic diversity, and cosmopolitan population necessitated a structured process of urbanization. Although excavations since 1948 have revealed extensive data, the Lower Town Level II has not been evaluated holistically in terms of its settlement organization and urban layout. This study presents the first integrated reconstruction of this level's spatial pattern, drawing on planimetric data and the distribution of architectural remains. The findings demonstrate a dual urban fabric, comprising an organically developed zone around the mound and a more formally organized network in the eastern sector, characterized by coordinated streets, intersections, squares, and infrastructure. This analysis provides new insight into early urbanization processes in Central Anatolia and clarifies K & uuml;ltepe's position within broader discussions of ancient urbanism.
Khirbet Ras Al-Tin is located in the West Bank, 10 km southwest of Nablus. During a rescue excavation prompted by construction plans and conducted by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, a burial chamber was discovered. Subsequent analyses of a human skull and rib fragments from the tomb, including Accelerator Mass Spectrometry radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis, were performed at the HEKAL Laboratory in Hungary. The individual was determined to be an 18-23-year-old male from the local population exhibiting a metopic suture, and the remains were dated between ca. 430 and 600 CE. Moreover, facial reconstruction techniques were employed, providing a rare visual insight into the physical appearance of people living in the Palestinian highlands from the sixth century CE. Isotope analysis suggests a diet rich in legumes and vegetables, possibly supplemented by meat, consistent with that of wealthy populations or specific religious communities in the region.Please note: This article contains images of human skeletal remains.
The findings of archaeological excavations carried out within the scope of the conservation and restoration works initiated by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) at the Boukoleon Palace in 2021 led to the publication of this article. The historical and spatial evolution of the Boukoleon Palace, located on the coast of the Sea of Marmara, and the Marmara Seawall in this region are the focus. Archaeological data will be discussed in light of historical texts, with particular attention to how the palace and the seawall changed over time.
This article discusses ten stamped Rhodian amphora handles recovered from the Hellenistic layers of Ta & scedil;l & imath;gecit Mound in the northern Levant corridor. The stamps date from about 209-205 BCE (Euphranor) to about 169/167-140/138 BCE (Kallio), documenting five eponyms and five fabricants. Notably, one amphora features a previously unrecorded connection between the eponym Aristodamos II and the fabricant Nikasion, expanding the known activity range of the latter. Two additional stamps, belonging to Theuphanes II and Aristomachos I, are also published here for the first time. Along with Seleucid coins, these stamps form the main epigraphic evidence for the Hellenistic occupation of the mound. At the same time, associated ceramic groups reveal the site's material engagement with broader Hellenistic cultural practices. Despite the limited assemblage, it adds new, securely dated material to the broader collection of Rhodian amphora stamps. It also offers valuable data for understanding the inland distribution of Rhodian transport amphorae in South Anatolia and North Syria.
This article looks at a handful of Late Cypriot III "Normal Face" figurines that display Egyptianizing features in both posture and hairstyle. After discussing how these figurines are unique in the Cypriot corpus, it shows how the features under consideration can only come from Egyptian precedent. It ends with a discussion of how an understanding of the Egyptian prototype (especially the hairstyle) can offer new insights into the interpretation of Cypriot female figurines.
This study analyzes three Proto-Elamite clay sealings (ca. 3350-2800 BCE) from Tepe Sofalin, Iran, inscribed with written signs rather than traditional seals, to probe early administrative pracricultural practices, and cultural identity of Hellenistic Galilee. Five seasons of excavation revealed a wealthy agricultural estate that flourished in the early second century BCE, complete with storage facilities and evidence of advanced farming practices. The site's rich material culture reveals fascinating Mediterranean connections such as wine amphorae shipped from Rhodes and Kos, or fine tableware from the Phoenician coast and Asia Minor. The material culture and dietary habits point to a population with strong ties to the Phoenician coast, perhaps a genuine Phoenician population. Likely functioning as a royal land grant, the estate represents the flourishing agricultural economy that characterized Seleucid Galilee. The site's abrupt abandonment around 144 BCE is probably connected to the internal wars in the Seleucid kingdom, involving also the Maccabees.
The ancient city of Dara in northern Mesopotamia lies within the borders of the Dara/O & gbreve;uz village in the Artuklu district of Mardin province, T & uuml;rkiye. It was a garrison city established to protect the eastern borders of Byzantium against the Sassanids. Dara exemplifies unusual urban organization for the Byzantine period because a stream passed through the middle of the city, which was surrounded by walls, and the architecture of the city was shaped according to the route of that stream. Bridges were thus of great importance in the city's architectural organization. A total of three bridges have been identified within the city walls of Dara, while another bridge was built outside the southern gate of the ancient city. In this study, the Agora Bridge of Dara is examined in detail. In addition, the importance of bridges in construction activities in Dara during the period of Justinian I is evaluated.
This article discusses the function and symbolism of an iron axe from contemporary Ethiopia, and suggests insights regarding axes as tools, weapons, and symbolic items in the Bronze and Iron Age southern Levant.
This article investigates infant and child burial practices at Tell Muhammad (Baghdad) during the Old Babylonian period (1894-1595 BCE). Using previously published excavation reports, it examines 53 inhumations found within a 0.8 ha area of the ancient settlement. Raw data are evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively to provide summary statistics and highlight diachronic patterns, while accounting for limitations arising from the lack of detail in the original reports. Despite these gaps, the findings indicate that at the site, nonadult inhumations primarily consisted of jar burials placed in dedicated burial grounds, initially of a residential nature. Finally, this study outlines future research directions: on the one hand, the temporal distribution of the burials might have implications for the site chronology; on the other hand, they supplement data to known burials excavated elsewhere, which can be analyzed on a regional scale to gain more information on the Old Babylonian Mesopotamian funerary landscape.
Small intermontane valleys, like the Bavanat River Basin in southern Iran, are valuable for archaeological research due to their preservation of environmental and social changes. An archaeological survey in 2015 and excavations at the Hormangan site in 2016 revealed 200 sites dating from the Neolithic to the Islamic period. This article examines prehistoric settlements, cultural interactions at both regional and interregional levels, and the key factors influencing settlement formation in Bavanat, a secondary valley, during different prehistoric periods. Additionally, it explores the impact of climatic and social changes on prehistoric communities and their settlement patterns in small valleys. Archaeological evidence indicates that this region was seasonally occupied by hunter-gatherer communities during the Neolithic period as a result of climate changes associated with the 8.2 ka event. In the first half of the sixth millennium BCE, the area was abandoned but was resettled by farming communities in the late sixth millennium BCE. This way of life continued until the mid-fourth millennium BCE. With the rise of urbanization in Iran, settlements in this region, like many other parts of Fars, experienced a significant population decline.
The absolute dating and biblical association of Stratum VA-IVB at Megiddo, known for its two ashlar-built palaces and six-chambered gate, have been subjects of debate for years but are now clarified (see the article by Finkelstein in this issue). This city dates to the first half of the ninth century BCE, coinciding with the Omride dynasty (e.g., Finkelstein 2013: 105; Mazar 2020: 116). However, the nature of Stratum VB, which represents the early Iron IIA Megiddo, remained unclear. This phase is important for assessing the resurgence of the settlement after the demise of the Iron I city-state, and in evaluating the material culture, social dynamics, and early history of the kingdom of Israel.
A longside the important archaeological discoveries and historical insights gained by the excavations at Megiddo, the often behind-the-scenes work of conservation and site presentation have also played a crucial role in keeping public awareness of the significance of Tel Megiddo. The challenge of protecting the site's most important archaeological remains, some of which have been exposed to the elements and subject to gradual deterioration for a century, is enormous and requires continuous monitoring and conservation interventions on various scales. At the same time, the task of interpreting the site's most important monuments to a diverse audience of both local and international visitors requires attention to a wide range of historical and religious themes-and an understanding of the ongoing debates and changing insights of the scholarly literature.
Stratum IVA of the early Iron IIB (eighth century BCE) represents the second peak in the prosperity of Israelite Megiddo. The University of Chicago team investigated this layer in the early days of their work when they attempted to dig the entire area of the mound (Lamon and Shipton 1939). Hence much of this city was uncovered. It features the most peculiar urban layout among Iron Age cities in the Southern Levant, first and foremost because large parts of it were devoted to stables (fig. 1). The current excavations contributed to the understanding of this city in several ways: illuminating details of its chronology (beginning and destruction), shedding light on its monuments (gates, stables, and administration center), and, to a certain extent, adding to what we know about its water supply.
