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2014
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F. Buccellati
“Understanding Households - A Few Thoughts,”
in F. Buccellati, T. Helms and A. Tamm (eds.),Houses and Households in ancient Mesopotamia, Oxford: Archaeopress, pp. 35-42.
See full text
See abstract
This papers analyses patterns of urban organization and the role of landscape for ancient Urkesh: “The site is located close to stone sources in nearby foothills, as well as other natural resources in the mountains such as wood and especially copper from the Ergani area. Notably it was important to be near but not too near the Mardin Pass” (p. 149). This strategic position of Tell Mozan represents one of its key-points in the relationships with both the Northern (Anatolian and Transcaucasian) and the Southern (Mesopotamian) milieus; this geographical space also shaped human thought and ancient space organization and the mythological background related to Urkesh guaranteed a clear meaning of the site as a cultic place and as an ancestral land (as the city of the god Kumarbi).
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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F. Buccellati
“Diachronic Developments at the Central Monumental Complex of Ancient Urkesh (Tell Mozan),”
in P. Bieliński, M. Gawlikowski, R. Kolinski, D. Lawecka, A. Soltysiak and Z. Wygnanska (eds.), Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. 30 April - 4 May 2012,University of Warsaw. Volume 1. Plenary Sessions, Township and Villages, High and Low. The Minor Arts for the Elite and for the Populace, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, pp. 313-319.
See full text
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2014
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G. Buccellati
“Konservierung der archäologischen Stätte Urkesh,”
Antike Welt: Zeitschrift für Archäologie und Kulturgeschichte [online journal].
See full text
Alternative online version
See abstract
The interpretation and presentation of the archaeological site of Urkesh are here discussed from the very beginning of the discovery to the current strategies of conservation and valorization, underlining the innovation of the browser edition of archaeological data and the innovative preservation system for architectural remains.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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G. Buccellati
“Courage among the Ruins: A Sustainable Conservation Program in Time of War,”
Backdirt, December 2014, pp. 102-112.
See full text
Alternative online version
See abstract
The interpretation and presentation of the archaeological site of Urkesh are here discussed from the very beginning of the discovery to the current strategies of conservation and valorization, underlining the innovation of the browser edition of archaeological data and the innovative preservation system for architectural remains.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
“... Nor North: The Urkesh Temple Terrace,”
in P. Butterlin et al. (eds.), Mari, ni Est, ni Ouest, Beirut: Institut français du Proche-Orient, pp. 441-461.
See full text
See abstract
The monumental Temple Terrace is the topic of this paper, focusing on EDIII and Mittani period and adding new results on structures pertaining the fourth millennium BC; two final paragraphs are devoted to the discussion of 'echoes of the mountain hinterland', underlining the connections between Urkesh and the surrounding mountainous area of the Tur-Abdin.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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P. Camatta
“High Temples in the Northern Mesopotamian Landscape,”
in P. Bieliński, M. Gawlikowski, R. Kolinski, D. Lawecka, A. Soltysiak and Z. Wygnanska (eds.), Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. 30 April - 4 May 2012,University of Warsaw. Volume 1. Plenary Sessions, Township and Villages, High and Low. The Minor Arts for the Elite and for the Populace, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, pp. 411-424.
Flyer
“Constructing a temple on a raised position was a common practice in ancient Syro-Mesopotamia, at least from the 4th Millennium B.C. onward. A main temple located on top of a 5 to 10 m high mud brick platform often characterized the urban landscape of southern Mesopotamian cities (Uruk, Uquair, Susa, just to mention a few examples). However, free standing platforms were not common in northern Mesopotamia (few examples are Tell Brak, Tell Halawa B, Mari). Instead of constructing huge platforms, temples were erected on top of artificial mounds often enclosed by temenos walls in the center of the settlement, thus in a prominent position (Tell Chuera, Tell es-Sweyhat, Jebel Aruda, Tell Mozan, Tell Arbid). On the base of comparative study, a consistent definition of 'platform', 'terrace', and 'temple foundation' will be advanced and a typological classification of 'High Temples' will be presented in this paper. The analysis of Tell Mozan Temple Terrace will be integrated in this framework. Finally the perception of 'High Temples' will be analyzed within the urban and surrounding landscape” (author's flyer).
[mDP – January 2020]
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2014
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C. Chaves Yates
“Neighborhoods in the Outer City of Tell Mozan, Ancient Urkesh: A Case Study from Survey Data,”
in F. Buccellati, T. Helms and A. Tamm (eds.), Houses and Households in ancient Mesopotamia, Oxford: Archaeopress, pp. 43-52.
See full text
See abstract
'Household', the topic of the present contribution, is defined as “as an individual unit, [...] then a building block of larger society, in this case, cities” (p. 43). A discussion about the concept itself of 'household' is offered in this paper, aiming at define the social and cultural aspects of this topic as for the peculiar case of Urkesh; the analysis is mostly based on actual artefacts (above all, the pottery), found at Tell Mozan.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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E. Frahm
“Buying local or ancient outsourcing? Locating production of prismatic obsidian blades in Bronze-Age Northern Mesopotamia,”
Journal of Archaeological Science 41, pp. 605-621.
See full text
See abstract
This paper considers the prismatic obsidian blades from Urkesh, investigating the different patterns of exchange and the technical production of such items, within a specific chronological horizon (ca. 3300-1200 BC); then, the focus moves particularly to the identification of the most important ores for Urkesh's obsidians.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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A. Kharobi, G. Buccellati, P. Courtaud and H. Duday
“Le Feu et la Mort: Des Structures de Combustion Associées à des Sépultures à Tell Mozan (Nord-Est de la Syrie) au Bronze Moyen,”
Paléorient 40/1, pp. 135-147.
See full text
See abstract
This paper considers the prismatic obsidian blades from Urkesh, investigating the different patterns of exchange and the technical production of such items, within a specific chronological horizon (ca. 3300-1200 BC); then, the focus moves particularly to the identification of the most important ores for Urkesh's obsidians.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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A. Kharobi, P. Courtaud and H. Duday
“The Place of Children in the Ancient Society of Urkesh (Tell Mozan, Northeastern Syria) in the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BC): An Archeothanatological Approach,”
in P. Bieliński, M. Gawlikowski, R. Kolinski, D. Lawecka, A. Soltysiak and Z. Wygnanska (eds.), Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. 30 April-4 May 2012,University of Warsaw. Volume 2. Excavation and Progress Reports, Posters, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, pp. 667-675.
See full text
See abstract
The present paper presents a discussion about children's burial at Urkesh, dating to the Khabur Ware period (ca. 2000-1600 BC). The osteological observation of these human remains “has provided evidence of age-related characteristics. Indeed, the funerary treatment of the children has proven to have been different from that of the adults” (p. 59, abstract). After an introduction about Urkesh itself, the authors move to describe the two main burial strategies of children, i.e. the 'jar burials', and the 'earth pits'.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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L. Recht
“Perfume, women and the underworld in Urkesh: exploring female roles through aromatic substances in the Bronze Age Near East,”
Journal of Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Archaeology 1/2014, pp. 11-24.
See full text
See abstract
After a general introduction on Urkesh, the author discusses the necromantic pit known as ābi and its connection with a 'lady', represented by a small ceramic anthropomorphic vessel (A12.108) portraying a female figure. The author describes the item in detail and then moves to interpretation of its function: as already proposed by M. Kelly-Buccellati, “this anthropomorphic vessel [...] has suggested contained perfumed oil used during rituals taking place in the ābi”. In conclusion, “the ancient texts make it clear that aromatic substances existed and were used in a variety of contexts beyond modern cosmetic usage [...]. This must also have been the case at ancient Urkesh and the broader region of northeastern Syria. The most likely vessels that may have contained such liquids or ointments come from cult contexts, including the monumental channel to contact the deities of the netherworld. The perfumes may have had not only cosmetic uses, but also have been appreciated for their medicinal properties and therefore part of healing rituals” (p. 21).
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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L. Recht
“Tell Mozan ceramics: Munsell colours,”
Frankfurter elektronische Rundschau zur Altertumskunde 24, pp. 12-46.
See full text
See abstract
In this paper, the ceramics found at Tell Mozan are analysed on the basis of the 'Munsell Soil Color Charts'. The specific procedure applied at Tell Mozan is explicated and some specimens of actual analysis are then provided, offering statistics about Tell Mozan's ceramic exterior colours and the relationship (of equivalence or diverging) between exterior and interior colours, also connecting shapes and ware types with respective colours. Furthermore, pottery is compared (as regards the colour) with other fire clay objects from Tell Mozan (i.e., miniature wheels, discs, sealings, sling balls, plaques, human and animal figurines).
[mDP – November 2019]
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2014
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J. Zarins and R. Hauser
The Domestication of Equidae in Third-Millennium BCE Mesopotamia
Bethesda (Maryland): CDL Press.
See full text
Authors' abstract
See abstract
This book presents a comprehensive discussion of the philological, historical, and archaeological evidence for the range of equidae known now from much of Western Asia after a century of intense study and excavation. The study provides a unique perspective from the viewpoint of field archaeologists on the complex issues associated with the physical study of the remains of equidae and their associated terminology in cuneiform sources as well as their artistic representation. The study integrates diverse and recently excavated data, which reflect a wide geographical and chronological range, with cuneiform sources and new artistic finds to create a synthesis that will serve as a basis for all future research on the subject. The volume includes numerous illustrations, photos, and charts that enhance the presentation of the data: equid representations recovered in Royal Storehouse AK at Urkesh are as well included in this catalogue. - [Summary adapted by mDP from authors' abstract].
[mDP – November 2019]
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2015
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G. Buccellati
“L'archeologia come presenza morale a Tell Mozan in Siria,”
Bollettino dell'Associazione Archeologica Ticinese 27, pp. 20-25.
See full text
See abstract
In a period of war, archaeology can represent an effective link between local communities in Syria and the entire world: thanks to the promotion of local involvement and the valorization of local crafting manufacture, today, the community of Tell Mozan deeply contributes to the conservation and the presentation of the site, towards a new vitality and a constant hope for the future.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2015
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G. Buccellati
“Tensional factors and compositional analysis: Crossovers between linguistics and art criticism,”
in P. Ciafardoni and D. Giannessi (eds.), From the Treasures of Syria, Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, pp. 289-298.
See full text
See abstract
Linguistic analysis and archaeological data can be usefully linked and can communicate towards an effective shaping of ancient cultural features. 'Tensionality' represents here a key-point of this interpretative system, based on both linguistic and iconographic floors.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2015
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R. Hauser
“Reading Figurines from Ancient Urkeš (2450 B.C.E.): A New Way of Measuring Archaeological Artifacts, with Implications for Historical Linguistics,”
in A. Archi (ed.), Tradition and Innovation in the Ancient Near East, Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, pp. 105-120.
See full text
See abstract
This paper analyses some figurines portraying equids presenting a new reading approach, taking into account figurines dating to ca. 2450 BC and coming from the Royal Building AK: such an approach is based on “an innovative [...] strategy for measuring the objects, and rigorous evaluation standards for secondary characteristics [working out] methodology and typology in tandem” (p. 106). The final section of the paper deals with topics connecting archaeology and linguistics, linking material culture and language.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2015
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Power and Identity Construction in ancient Urkesh,”
in P. Ciafardoni and D. Giannessi (eds.), From the Treasures of Syria, Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, pp. 111-130.
See full text
See abstract
This paper tries to reconstruct both the ancient political and personal identities of Urkesh and its inhabitants, analysing both an 'urban' and a 'personal' identity. After an introduction about the definition of the concept of 'identity', here perceived as both 'relational' and 'contextual', the author shows how these two features can be outlined thanks to Urkesh evidence and, above all, throughout its rich glyptic material.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2015
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L. Recht
“Identifying Sacrifice in Bronze Age Near Eastern Iconography,”
in N. Laneri (ed.), Defining the Sacred, Oxford: Oxbow Books, pp. 24-37.
See full text
Flyer
See abstract
This paper deals with the identification and reconstruction of ancient sacrificial practices in the ancient Near East and at specifically at Urkesh, using as main sources the archaeological and glyptic evidence from Tell Mozan: “Careful criteria sensitive to the wide array of religious practices in the ancient Near East can be set up to identify sacrifice in the iconography, and combined with other ancient material such as written sources and archaeological contexts, and theories proposed by modern scholars, these can be used to suggest further depictions and references to sacrificial rituals and their individual elements. Once carefully identified, we can begin to make inferences about the content of the practices of sacrifice in the ancient Near East - occasion, manner of killing, equipment used, participants (both animal and human), functions and locations” (p. 34).
[mDP – November 2019]
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2016
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G. Buccellati
“Urkesh: For a Semiotics of the Hurrian Sacred,”
in P. Matthiae and M. D'Andrea (eds.), Ebla e la Siria dall'età del Bronzo all'età del Ferro, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei: Atti dei convegni Lincei 304, Roma: Bardi Edizioni, pp. 117-35.
See full text
“The particularity of the morphological organization of the sacred urban space can be understood in the light of an understanding of the forms as signs of an equally coherent religious vision, one that contrasts deeply with that of the Mesopotamian south, in spite of the partial similarity of forms. The glyptics of the royal court displays a naturalistic style that, by setting itself off from the religious sphere, enhances the latter's distinctiveness. The Temple Terrace is a mountain in ways that match the concept embodied in the southern ziggurat and yet differs sharply from it: it is the urban echo of a landscape that remains alive in the conscience of the people, in ways that contrast with the highly stylized southern realizations. The abi reflects a conception of the divine that is based on the close interaction of a one to one relationship: it is the sign of a conduit to the absolute that the southerners explicitly eschewed, in favor of a conception based on the recurrence of patterns. The coherence of the outward forms, and their longevity, are thus rooted in their association with values of which these forms are the outward signs. The sometimes nebulous concept of ethnic identity emerges here with clear and explicit formal traits.” (author's abstract on p. 117).
[mDP – January 2020]
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2016
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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
“26. Tell Mozan/Urkesh (Hassake),”
in Y. Kanjou and A. Tsuneki (eds.), A History of Syria in One Hundred Sites, Oxford: Archeopress Publishing Ltd., pp. 111-114.
See full text
A brief introduction about Urkesh, as for its history, architectural remains, and its main archaeological finds (sealings, a stone plaque showing Gilgamesh and Enkidu [A7.36]), and conservation trategies applied at the site.
[mDP – January 2020]
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2016
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Women's Power and Work in Ancient Urkesh,”
in S.L. Budin and J.M. Turfa (eds.), Women in Antiquity: Real Women across the Ancient World, Routledge, pp. 48-63.
See full text
See abstract
This contribution is devoted to an analysis of the role and figure of women in ancient Urkesh's society, as depicted via glyptic material and clay figurines. The author underlines the peculiarity of the women depictions at Urkesh: “From the immediacy of the Urkesh seal iconography, combined with the seal inscriptions, we can obtain a glimpse of the life of the women at that court. This is only the case of the Urkesh women-not the Urkesh men. The seal impressions we have for Tupkish himself [...] are realistic, but the male members of the court [...] all have heraldic scenes which do not reflect their 'work.' Even though these seal impressions all came from the same contexts as those of Uqnitum and her attendants, these male retainers have chosen to represent themselves only with more conventional designs” (p. 60).
[mDP – November 2019]
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2016
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Urkesh: The Morphology and Cultural Landscape of the Hurrian Sacred,”
in P. Matthiae and M. D'Andrea (eds.), Ebla e la Siria dall'età del Bronzo all'età del Ferro, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei: Atti dei convegni Lincei 304, Roma: Bardi Edizioni, pp. 97-115.
See full text
“Hurrian religious concepts differed notably from Mesopotamian ones. In the ancient city of Urkesh (modern Tell Mozan) we have found, through our excavations, evidence for the awareness and ritual adoption of both Hurrian and Mesopotamian religious practices. Most notable for Hurrian religion is the monumental abi constructed as an underground shaft lined with stones and containing a series of stratified magic circles. The abi rituals, known from Hurrian texts found in later Hittite archives, focus on calling up deities of the Netherworld. Mesopotamian religious practices are exemplified by an Akkadian period seal with a scene of the enactment of a sacrifice and by altanni vessels of which we have excavated one complete and a number of incomplete examples. The 4th millennium temple terrace had already constructed on it a niched building on a low platform, presumably a temple of a type known in the south. Temple BA and a stone revetment wall were built in Early Dynastic III. Serious efforts were made to protect the base of this wall. The Temple Plaza has a unique stratigraphy in that it was kept clean for over a thousand years. The explanation for this enigma connects Urkesh with the Kura-Araxes culture to the north” [author's abstract on p. 97].
[mDP – January 2020]
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2016
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“The Urkesh Ceramics Digital Book,”
in Paola Corò, Elena Devecchi, Nicla De Zorzi, and Massimo Maiocchi with the collaboration of Stefania Ermidoro and Erica Scarpa (eds.), Libiamo ne' lieti calici. Ancient Near Eastern Studies Presented to Lucio Milano on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday by Pupils, Colleagues and Friends
Alter Orient und Altes Testament, Vol. 436
Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2016. pp. 721-733.
See full text
The paper describes the development of the project of digital publication of the corpus of ceramics found at Urkesh/Tell Mozan (see also the related webpage Urkesh Ceramic Analysis).
[mDP – February 2021]
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2017
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G. Buccellati
“Iconology in the Light of Archaeological Reason,”
in Pavel S. Avestisyan and Yervand H. Grekyan (eds), Bridging Times and Spaces: Papers in Ancient Near Eastern, Mediterranean and Armenian Studies: Honouring Gregory E. Areshian On the Occasion of His Sixty-Fifth Birthday, Oxford: Archaeopress, pp. 49-60.
See full text
The thrust of the iconological approach was to identify a unifying point of reference behind the formal details of
iconography. This can help us approach cultural traditions for which there are no longer any living carriers. 'Archaeological
reason' defines the conditions of possibility for reaching behind the gap and suggests ways to re-appropriate the lost experience.
In this way we develop a semiotics that can be controlled formally, particularly through distributional and perceptual analysis. [Author's abstract].
[mDP – May 2022]
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2017
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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Conserviamo il futuro,”
in Tracce, febbraio 2017, pp. 36-39.
See full text
A discussion about preservation and conservation of archaeological sites in Syria during wartime, aiming at describing different efforts of local archaeologists (and common people, too) to defend the archaeological heritage of ancient Syria.
[mDP – January 2020]
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2017
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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Community Archaeology 1984: At the Interface between Practice and Theory,”
in Backdirt 2017, pp. 34-38.
See full text
See abstract
The paper offers a discussion about the efforts undertaken by the Urkesh/Tell Mozan team to enhance the practice of a "community archeology", following four main goals: “1. Conservation: The exposed architecture continues to be in perfect condition, thanks to the simple but very effective conservation system we developed at the start of excavations in 1984, entirely based on local resources and know-how. 2. Site presentation: Our extensive signage system has been fully reactivated with around 200 signs explaining the site to visitors. In addition, in December 2016 we published an 80-page booklet in English, Arabic, and Kurdish. We get a considerable number of visitors at the site, all from the surrounding region. 3. Research: Three of our local assistants continue to work on the data in our archives and on the ceramics stored in the expedition house. Together with the local university, we host seminars where students can work on our material, both at the university and at our site, which is the only excavation site effectively available for such purposes. 4. Economic development: We support local women who produce traditional handicrafts (clothes, dolls, jewelry), which they can sell locally or ship to us” (from p. 34).
[mDP – February 2021]
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2017
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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
Archaeology for a Young Future: The New Syrian Life of the Ancient City of Urkesh,”
Research Award 2017, pp. 227-243 (in English and Chinese).
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 2017 Shanghai Archaeology Forum.
See full text
The paper, presented on the occasion of the delivery of the 2017 Shangai Archaeology Forum Award and published in the ceremony catalogue, describes in brief the history of the archaeological research at Urkesh/Tell Mozan, from its discovery to the present time, offering an overview on the methodological approaches applied in studying artefacts and in dealing with the engagement of local community of Mozan in the conservation of the ancient city of Urkesh.
[mDP – February 2021]
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2017
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A. Kharobi and G. Buccellati
“The Dignity of the Dead. The Case of Ancient Urkesh and Modern Tell Mozan, Syria (2000-1600 BC),”
Paléorient 43/2, pp. 165-175.
See full text
See abstract
After a discussion of the concept of 'ancient perception', i.e. the way through which ancient people perceived and considered themselves and their life experiences, the topic of this paper moves directly on graves at Urkesh. Human burials are considered within a 'territorial legacy', i.e., also today, when excavating a tomb, archaeologists have to face the problem of been dealing with human remains (i.e. men or women) of people who settled at Urkesh many centuries ago. A final discussion deals with the comparison between archaeological and anthropological observations and 'funeral' texts from second- and first-millennium Mesopotamia.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2018
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G. Buccellati
“A Children's Hermeneutics,”
Backdirt, December 2018, pp. 32-37.
See full text
See abstract
In time of war (any war and anytime), children need to be perceived as a focus for any human being: under this respect, also an archaeologist has to ask how to behave and to contribute to the benefits of children in local communities affected by political and military conflicts. A concrete example is here presented, i.e. the involving of children from Italy and Tell Mozan in a 'dialogue program', exchanging ideas on themes such as 'heritage' and 'identity'. A simple (but brave) way of fighting war and sharing hope.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2018
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A. Kharobi
“Les vivants et les morts d'Urkesh (nord de la Syrie) : les différents modes d'inhumation au bronze moyen,”
Meded. Zitt. K. Acad. Overzeese Wet/Bull. Séanc. Acad. R. Sci. Outre-Mer 64/2, pp. 201-226.
[DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4066520]
See full text
“Discovered between 1998 and 2004, the funerary area of Tell Mozan, located in the upper town of Urkesh (the Hurrian's political and economic capital), has delivered a hundred graves dating from the early second millennium BC and remained until now unpublished. The archaeo-anthropological study that I carried out on this remarkable ensemble aimed, at first, to shed light on new funerary practices for this period in this Mesopotamian region, then in a second time, to present a complete vision funerary conceptions and the relation to death in the ancient society of Urkesh. This study relies, on the one hand, on the archaeo-thanatological data (setting up deposits and analysis of the environment of the tomb), and on the other hand, on the biological data (age, sex and condition health of the deceased). While the majority of Urkesh burial sites fall within the funerary norms of the period and the region, others are more atypical, such as the disposition of the corpse and the number of associated objects. In addition, fire structures and deposits of animal remains associated with the graves seem to be related to the biological identity of the deceased. In addition, the study of the organization of the funeral space highlights groupings according to the age and sex of the deceased. Finally, there seems to be an evolution of funerary practices between the two phases of use of the necropolis that reflects changes in social organization during this transition” [author's abstract].
[mDP – February 2021]
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2018
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Celebrating Life in Mesopotamia,”
Celebrating Archaeology. Tributes to Lloyd Cotsen.
Backdirt, Annual Review of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA, December 2018, pp. 58-64.
See full text
Full volume
See abstract
Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati discusses in this paper the role and the meaning of celebrations in ancient Mesopotamia, with a focus on the site of Urkesh (Tell-Mozan). Indeed, celebrations and festivals were not only perceived as mere “spare time”, but as “occasions to affirm connections among the people, their gods, and their city” (p. 58). Such as occasions (connected with religious festivals, weddings and funerals) are attested by mean of different architectonical, iconographical and textual sources: aside of public feasts, also personal celebrations are documented in evidences from three Syrian sites, namely Urkesh, Ebla, and Mari. Furthermore, the role of women within these celebrations is particularly stressed and analyzed, mostly for what regards the role played by the queen within the royal couple.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2018
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Urkesh Insights into Kura-Araxes Social Interaction,”
in Attilla Batmaz, Giorgi Bedianashvili, Aleksandra Michalewicz and Abby Robinson (eds.), Context and Connection. Studies on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East in Honour of Antonio Sagona, (OLA 268), Peeters: Leuven, Paris, Bristol (CT), pp. 107-123.
See full text
See abstract
“The core values of the Kura-Araxes culture are seen as a fundamental driver for the long continuity of the culture and allowed them to successfully negotiate their interactions with new cultural environments and social groups. New data from the Mozan/ancient Urkesh excavations in the Khabur plains is interpreted as resulting from the presence in the
city of Kura-Araxes groups. Their integration into the Urkesh urban culture is contrasted with their negative experience in Arslantepe. It is suggested that the contrast is due to the Kura-Araxes social and cultural affinities with the urbanised Hurrians in Urkesh. The Kura-Araxes long association with mountainous environments and emphasis on fire rituals show a strong identification with the volcanic nature of these mountains. The Kura-Araxes primordial memory of volcanic eruptions are reflected in the Hurrian myths of Kumarbi and his son Ullikummi” [author's abstract].
[mDP – December 2019]
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2018
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L. Recht
“'Asses were buried with him': Equids as markers of sacred space in the third and second millennia BC in the Eastern Mediterranean,”
in Louis Nebelsick et al. (eds.), Sacred space: Contributions to the archaeology of belief,
Warsaw: Institute of Archaeology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, pp. 65-94.
See full text
Alternative online version (Academia.edu)
See abstract
The paper focuses on the sacrifice and deposition of asses or equids together with an important deceased (as in the case, e.g., of Ur-Nammu's burial). After an introduction devoted to the story of the introduction and diffusion on equids in the Mediterranean, the author devotes two paragraphs to the analysis of the different species attested by archaeological samples and to the identification of equid remains according to osteological analyses. The concept of 'liminality' of equid burials is then analysed, describing this peculiar burial system connected to specific tombs at Urkesh. An appendix reports a catalogue including equids in graves in the Aegean and in the Near East.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2019
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F. Buccellati
“Perception in Palatial Architecture: The Case of the AP Palace at Urkesh,”
in Manfred Bietak, Paolo Matthiae and Silvia Prell (eds.), Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Palaces. Volume II. Proceedings of a workshop held at the 10th ICAANE in Vienna, 25-26 April 2016, CAENL 8, Harrassowitz Verlag: Wiesbaden, pp. 31-40.
See full text
See abstract
This paper contributes in providing a description on how the perception of architecture can be retrieved and understood on the base of the archaeological and architectonical evidence. The author offers a 'perceptional description' of the Royal Palace AP at Urkesh, underlining how it was a focal point in the landscape of Urkesh, with specific functional issues, such as the storage of materials and the public displaying of the royal power.
[mDP – December 2019]
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2019
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G. Buccellati
“The First Gilgamesh. Conjectures About the Earliest Epic,”
in Pavel S. Avetisyan, Roberto Dan and Yervand H. Grekyan (eds.), Over the Mountains and Far Away. Studies in Near Eastern history and archaeology presented to Mirjo Salvini on the occasion of his 80th birthday, Archaeopress Publishing Ltd: Oxford, pp. 114-119.
See full text
See abstract
“Out of the elements of the Sumerian cycle about Gilgamesh, a complex new epic was fashioned at the high point of
the Akkadian period. The paper argues in favor of such a high date for the first composition of the epic as a literary whole, and situates it in the context of the Akkadian imperial experiment” [author's abstract]. – As for Urkesh, the author displays a plaque (A7.36) depicting the friendly encounter between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
[mDP – December 2019]
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2019
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G. Buccellati
“From Urkesh to Mozan. The itinerary of a project in wartime,”
in A. Pieńkowska, D. Szeląg and I. Zych (eds.), Stories told around the fountain. Papers offered to Piotr Bieliński on the occasion of his 70th birthday, Warsaw: University of Warsaw Press; PCMA UW., pp. 187-204.
DOI
See full text
See abstract
“Building on a long experience with community engagement in prewar times, the Urkesh Extended Project has faced the problems caused by the current war in Syria by expanding the range of its activities and involving on many different levels the local communities. Here I touch first on a theoretical consideration: the notion of territorial legacy as linking the modern with the ancient inhabitants of the area of ancient Urkesh. I then illustrate two particular aspects of our work, namely, conservation and site presentation: both continued unabated during the war, and were even expanded. The response of the local people has been a major measure of success, with large numbers of visitors still coming to the site for a surprising form of war tourism” [author's abstract].
[mDP – December 2019]
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2019
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G. Buccellati
“Persistence of Tradition at Urkesh. The Temple Terrace from Protoliterate to Mittani,”
in Caucasian Mountains and Mesopotamian Steppe. On the Dawn of the Bronze Age. Festschrift in Honour of Rauf M. Munchaev's 90th Birthday
Moscow: ИАРАН, pp. 340-354.
DOI
See full text
“The Temple Terrace of Urkesh had an extremely long history, spanning over more than two millennia. This is surprising because the structure, while monumental in scope, presents several features that are relatively ephemeral in nature, and could have been preserved only through special care and maintenance. The article outlines the configuration of the Temple Terrace, highlighting its structural make-up and coherence, which allowed for incidental changes in its component parts – until the moment, in its final century, when the structure itself was affected by a more radical change. Possible reasons are suggested that may explain this cultural phenomenon” [author's abstract].
[mDP – Febraury 2021]
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2019
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C. Chaves Yates
“Tell Mozan's Outer City in the Third Millennium BCE,”
in SANEM 3, pp. 113-121.
See full text
“During the third millennium B.C.E., Tell Mozan, ancient Urkesh, expanded to include an extensive outer city˻
A variety of investigations in the outer city reveal a complex urban environment, a mix of planned and unplanned activity with the environment and large municipal works acting as constraining factors on more localized activity” [author's abstract on p. 113].
[mDP – August 2020]
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2019
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R. Hauser
“Learning from Canis 203. Impressions of an Absent Artifact,”
in SANEM 3, pp. 219-226.
See full text
“In a sense, the Мorpus of terra-cotta figurines published in 2007/8 as the fifth volume in Urkesh/Mozan Studies is hostage. Hostilities of a complex war deny access to the artifacts, preventing study and possible re-evaluation. This paper revisits a miniscule example from the collection in memory if not in fact” [author's abstract on p. 219].
[mDP – August 2020]
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2019
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Images of Work in Urkesh,”
in M. D'Andrea, M.G. Micale, D. Nadali, S. Pizzimenti and A. Vacca (eds.), Pearls of the Past. Studies on Near Eastern Art and Archaeology in Honour of Frances Pinnock, marru, Studies in Near and Middle Eastern Archaeology 8, Münster: Zaphon, pp. 413-427.
See full text
See abstract
The sealings found at Urkesh provide us with information not only about the royal couple and its courtiers, but also valuable data about working activities at the site. After a description of the main features of Urkesh's glyptics, the author presents sealings related to common people and describes craft production at Urkesh. The conclusions stress the importance of such an evidence in reconstructing ancient (palatial or not) crafting and service activitie at Urkesh, remarking the peculiar realism and expressionism of these representations.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2019
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Urkesh ceramic evidence for function,”
in A. Pieńkowska, D. Szeląg and I. Zych (eds.), Stories told around the fountain. Papers offered to Piotr Bieliński on the occasion of his 70th birthday, Warsaw: University of Warsaw Press; PCMA UW., pp. 285-304.
DOI
See full text
See abstract
“A14 is a well defined stratigraphic space, adjacent to a ceremonial platform and to the abi, the underground passage to the Netherworld. Some significant ceramic assemblages were found there, and an analysis of their function suggests that they were used for storage of dry goods in function of events that would take place in connection with
the ceremonial features nearby” [author's abstract].
[mDP – December 2019]
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2019
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Emulation as a Strategy of Urkesh Potters and its Long Term Consequences,”
in Caucasian Mountains and Mesopotamian Steppe. On the Dawn of the Bronze Age. Festschrift in Honour of Rauf M. Munchaev's 90th Birthday
Moscow: ИАРАН, pp. 355-361.
DOI
See full text
“The purpose of this article is the examination of the ceramics from Urkesh Phase 4 (dated to ca 2100–1900 B.C.) from the point of view of a fundamental aspect of the ceramic production in this time period, emulation and experimentation. This research leads to broader conclusions regarding the development of painted pottery first within the later part of Phase 4 and then continuing to emerge as the most important type of ceramic decoration throughout much of the second millennium. In other words I am reconstructing a situation within which the reemergence of painted ceramic decoration began in Phase 4b with an emulation of ceramics produced by ancient potters. This emulation conditioned the sensitivity of local potters and set the stage for them to take up the idea of painted ceramic decoration when it was reintroduced” [author's abstract].
[mDP – Febraury 2021]
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2019
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Y. Mahmoud
“Through the Eyes of the Ancients. The Perception of Beauty in 3rd Millennium Syria,”
in SANEM 3, pp. 255-261.
See full text
“The archaeological record is a channel that leads to the understanding of ancient life and the evolution of
thought, in this case through the corpus of human representations from the cities of Ebla, Mari and Urkesh. We take a look through their eyes, and see what they deemed as beautiful” [author's abstract on p. 255].
[mDP – August 2020]
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2019
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L. Recht
“Animals as social actors: Cases of equid resistance in the ancient Near East,”
Cambridge Archaeological Journal 29/4 (November), pp. 1-14.
See editor's webpage
DOI
See abstract
After a general introduction to the topic, the author analyses the relationship between humans and other animals, the 'danger of animal', the concept of a 'social actor' at Urkesh. Afterwards, she investigates the presence of equids in the Bronze Age Near East, pushing back in time their encounter with human beings, mentioning terracotta equid figurines from Tell Mozan, together with other figurines (or depictions) from Mary, Ur, Nippur and Egypt.
[mDP – November 2019]
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2020
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G. Buccellati
“Degrees of Digitality. The Case of Excavation Reports,”
in Nadja Cholidis, Elisabeth Katzy, and Sabina Kulemann-Ossen (eds.),
Zwischen Ausgrabung und Ausstellung. Beiträge zur Archäologie Vorderasiens. Festschrift für Lutz Martin, marru: Studien zur Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, Vol. 9, Münster: Zaphon, pp. 247-258.
ISBN 978-3-96327-108-3 (Book) / ISBN 978-3-96327-109-0 (E-Book)
See full text
This paper presents many issues concerning the topic of digital publication of an excavation report. After a discussion about the very concept of “digital” and conceptual digitality, involving themes such as those of categorization and exo- and endogenous dimension of digitality (static vs. dynamic), the author moves to the presetation of the case of a browser edition offering as an example that of the Urkesh Global Record (UGR) [see here for a video on this topic]; this system allows to reach a better and dynamic data gathering, leading to this final conclusion: “Thus it is that the question of digitality becomes imperative for data gathering more than in perhaps any other case, given the necessity of having a system that maintains every single observation ever made during the excavation process. True digitality becomes then an issue that goes well beyond theory and abstraction, and becomes instead a most concrete imperative for keeping the archaeological process within the framework of an arguable analytical process.” (p. 255).
[mDP – December 2020]
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2020
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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Archaeological Digital Narratives: The Case of Urkesh Ceramics,”
in Alexander Ahrens, Dörte Rokitta-Krumnow, Franziska Bloch, and Claudia Bührig (eds.), Drawing the Threads Together. Studies on Archaeology in Honour of Karin Bartl, marru: Studien zur Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, Vol. 10, Münster: Zaphon, pp. 380-397.
ISBN 978-3-96327-120-5 (Book) / ISBN 978-3-96327-121-2 (E-Book)
See full text
The paper offers an overview on the project of digitalization of the cermic material found at Urkesh/Tell Mozan on the Urkesh Global Record (UGR) [see here for a video on this topic], a digital publication of the ceramics in a browser version (see Urkesh Ceramic Typology). After a discussion on the topic of the concept of digital narrative, the authors describe the many functions of the browser, providing the reader with a guide to the utilization of the corpus of ceramic material from Urkesh (based on the notions of uni- and multi-linearity, on hyperlinks connecting the various information, on a systemic digital narrative), leading to the presentation of a specific ware narrative and a peculiar horizon narrative. Furthermore, this systes allows to create specific coda associated to each ceramic type, gaining a uniform and coherent categorization and description of all pottery from the site as a Urkesh Ceramic Universe.
[mDP – December 2020]
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2020
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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
“'I'm again not doing well...',”
in Backdirt 2020 (December) Archaeology and Pandemics, pp. 72-73.
See full text
The paper presents an hommage in memory of Gregory Areshian. mostly focusing on his own personal and scientific attitude towards archaeology and specifically on his work at Terqa.
[mDP – March 2021]
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2020
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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Distancing: One-on-One Heritage Archaeology across Three Continents,”
in Backdirt 2020 (December) Archaeology and Pandemics, pp. 92-97.
See full text
In this contribution the authors describe how to keep a strong contact and commitment with an archaeological site (namely Urkesh/Tell Mozan) even during a period of war and many troubles and even at distance. Three keywords are underscored: 1) conservation; 2) publication; public presentation. A new program is then described, named Urkesh One-to-One Project, particularly focusing on the possibility of maintaining a strong and effective contact to the site and the local community and encouraging the role of young scholars, students, and people engaged with the ancient city, distant in time but close in crossing continents and boundaries defined by the present war and pandemic situation.
[mDP – March 2021]
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2020
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“The Urkesh Mittani Horizon: Ceramic Evidence,”
in Michele Cammarosano, Elena Devecchi and Maurizio Viano (eds.), talugaeš witteš. Ancient Near Eastern Studies Presented to Stefano de Martino on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday, Kasion. Publikationen zur ostmediterranen Antike/Publications on Eastern Mediterranean Antiquity 2, Münster: Zaphon, pp. 237-256.
See full text
See abstract
This contribution, presented on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Stefano de Martino, describes the ceramic evidence at Urkesh related to the Mittani period; the author mostly focuses on pottery found on the Temple Terrace, triyng to reconstruct the Mittanian occupation at Urkesh, by analyzing ceramic samples with typical Mittanian shape, decoration, and ware types.
[mDP – May 2020]
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2020
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“Continuity and Innovation at Urkesh in the ED III Period,”
in Maria Elena Balza, Paola Cotticelli-Kurras, Lorenzo d’Alfonso, Mauro Giorgieri, Federico Giusfredi e Alfredo Rizza (eds.),Città e Parole, Argilla e Pietra. Studi offerti a Clelia Mora da allievi, colleghi e amici,
Biblioteca di Athenaeum 65, Bari: EDIPUGLIA, pp. 296-310.
ISBN 9788872289389 / ISSN 1721-3274
See full text
This contribution, presented within the Festschrift for Clelia Mora, describes (through the analysis of the ceramic evidence), the continuity of culture at Urkesh/TellMozan in the ED III Period, specifically on the area of the Temple Terrace.
[mDP – December 2020]
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2020
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
“To Sift or Not to Sift... Research on the Effectiveness of Sifting,”
in Nadja Cholidis, Elisabeth Katzy, and Sabina Kulemann-Ossen (eds.),
Zwischen Ausgrabung und Ausstellung. Beiträge zur Archäologie Vorderasiens. Festschrift für Lutz Martin, marru: Studien zur Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, Vol. 9, Münster: Zaphon, pp. 259-265.
ISBN 978-3-96327-108-3 (Book) / ISBN 978-3-96327-109-0 (E-Book)
See full text
This contribution discusses about the importance of sifting soil on an archaeological excavation, this case Urkesh, in order to ensure that any small find, specifically unbaked seal impressions at Urkesh, can be correctly recognised and collected. A specific method has been applied: “We decided to conduct an experiment whereby all the soil from a small locus was first processed by using our usual methods. These usual methods mean that in every locus the objects are recorded individually and boxed separately. The other items (ceramics, lithics and bones) are collected in their entirety and stored separately. These groups are given q-lot numbers with a designation indicating their content. The letter q in this case stands for 'quantity', that is objects collected in quantity and triangulated within a relatively small matrix [...]. The excavator of a given feature collects the material in separate bags labeled with the q-lot numbers pertinent to that feature. Each bag is used for only one type of object [...]. In a second step we sifted the excavated dirt to see what had been missed. In addition to the information we received on what was missed, our sifting experiments gave us an insight into how long it takes to sift a given amount (with our mechanized system [...] a relatively short period of time) and the manpower needed to do this.” (p. 259).
[mDP – December 2020]
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2022
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H. Qassar
“Engaging young generation in cultural heritage: Urkesh One-on-One Project,”
DirittoPolitecnico.it, 2022, online.
Online version
“A great deal of the archaeological work is about discovery and interpretation. We discover the physical remains and then develop a narrative of history based on these remains. When the Syrian upheaval started in 2011, the archaeological team of Tell Mozan/ancient Urkesh was no longer able to return to the site to excavate. However, during the years of the physical absence from the site, other discoveries in Syria took place, through the moral and virtual presence of the Urkesh archaeological team. And a whole new narrative of modern history, related to Urkesh and its local communities, has been written in the last decade. This article will present the Urkesh One-on-one project as a model of an outreach program to engage youngsters in cultural heritage. It will then present a reflection on the broader social impact of the program.” (Author's abstract).
[mDP – October 2023]
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2023
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G. Buccellati and H. Qassar
“Urkesh Community Archaeology Project: A Sustainable Model from Syria,”
in R. Bonnie, M. Lorenzon and S. Thomas (eds), Living Communities and Their
Archaeologies in the Middle East,,
Helsinki: Helsinki University Press, pp. 211-238.
See full text
DOI
“This chapter discusses the community archaeology approach in Urkesh, which has been instrumental in turning the site into a source of pride and common identity for a mosaic of communities living next to it. It discusses the sustainability of the Urkesh community project, showing how these communities became more engaged in site activities despite the physical absence of the archaeological team. The concept of inheritance as tied to living inheritors is illustrated with examples from the interaction between archaeologists and the local communities. Finally, the chapter illustrates the resilience of the project in adapting to a situation of crisis, highlighting one particular programme designed to empower local young people amid the global pandemic and the impact of Syrian conflict on their lives” (Authors' abstract, p. 211).
[mDP – October 2023]
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