Back to top: Ceramics
1. Bibliography on Urkesh/E-Library
This list displays in alphabetical order the authors of the contributions mentioned in the following list (each number links to a singular contribution).
For further information about ceramics at Urkesh, see the dedicated topical book “CERAMICS”.
For a punctual query, cf. pages “Keywords” and “SEARCH/Topics”.
Back to top: Ceramics
Alphabetical List
Bianchi, Alice: 1
Bonetti, Sophie: 1
Buccellati, Giorgio: 1; 2; 3; 4
Chavez Yates, Caitlin J.: 1
Frahm, Ellery: 1
Kelly-Buccellati, Marilyn: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12
Nikolaidou, Marianna: 1
Omar, Jamal: 1
Orsi, Valentina: 1
Recht, Laerke: 1; 2
Rova, Elena: 1
Schmidt, Conrad: 1
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Bibliographical entries
The following entries are displayed in chronological order; you can easily find above the publications listed in alphabetical order.
G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
2000
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“The Royal Palace of Urkesh. Report on the 12th Season at Tell Mozan/Urkesh: Excavations in Area AA, June-October 1999,”
Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft zu Berlin 132, pp. 133-183.
See full text
See abstract
Area AA (the Royal Palace) at Urkesh has been further investigated in the 12th season, in 1999; the results of this archaeological campaign are reported herewith: the finding on sealings of the name of Tar’am-Agade (Naram-Sin's daughter); the investigations in Area C2 with the discovery of a sealings cache; the interpretation of an iwan structure as a possible scribal installation; the description of some structures on the exterior of the palace; the excavation in the residential quarters of the time of the 'Bitumen Use Ceramic Tradition'; a clay statuette of a female figure is introduced; a paragraph is devoted to the description of the main ceramic typologies; eventually, computer network and digital photography, together with conservation strategies are presented.
[mDP – November 2019]
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
2002
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“Ein hurritischer Gang in die Unterwelt,”
Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft zu Berlin 134, pp. 131-148.
See full text
English version
See abstract
The underground necromantic pit called ābi is investigated in detail in this paper, suggesting the possible function of such a structure, discovered in 1999 campaign in Area A12 of the Royal Palace AP, dating between 2300 BC and 2100 BC. The author strengths the interpretation of the structure as a Hurrian ābi, describing the possible nocturnal rituals that could take place within the pit, outlining the historical meaning of the rituals performed in the ābi. The alleged triple equation Area A12 = ābi = KASKAL.KUR (as a passage to the Netherworld') seems to be validated by both textual and archaeological evidence.
[mDP – November 2019]
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S. Bonetti and G. Buccellati
2003
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“Conservation at the Core of Archaeological Strategy: The Case of Ancient Urkesh at Tell Mozan,”
Conservation, The Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter 18, pp. 18-21.
See full text
Alternative online version
See abstract
A new concept of 'conservation' is presented in this paper, describing innovative conservation technique adopted at Tell Mozan. To fulfil this goal, a strict relationship and collaboration between archaeologists, restorers and conservation is developed.
[mDP – November 2019]
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M. Kelly-Buccellati and J. Omar
2004-2005
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“Urkesh Ceramics from the Palace Area,”
Les annales archéologiques arabes syriennes: revue d'archéologie et d'histoire [Damascus: Ministère de la Culture, Direction Générale des Antiqués et des Musées] 47-48 (2004-2005), pp. 45-61.
ToC
[mDP – February 2021]
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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
2008
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“The Ceramics of Urkesh: Statistics for a Browser Edition,”
in D. Bonatz et al. (eds.), Fundstellen Gesammelte Schriften zur Archäologie und Geschichte Altvorderasiens ad honorem Hartmut Kühne, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, pp. 315-326.
See full text
See abstract
The peculiar 'digital thought', implying a 'digital edition' of data, is applied at Urkesh also for ceramic recording. This coherent system led to the creation of a 'digital database of pottery' which consists of 'minimal constituents', 'frequencies', and 'correlations' allowing a whole understanting of the ceramic assemblage at Urkesh.
[mDP – November 2019]
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E. Frahm, N. Nikolaidou, M. Kelly-Buccellati
2008
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“Using Image Analysis Software to Correlate Sherd Scans in the Field and X-Ray Element Maps in the Laboratory,”
Society for Archaeological Science Bulletin 31/2, pp. 8-12.
See full text
See abstract
This paper offers an overview on techniques applied at Urkesh for the analysis of the ceramic tradition: a huge amount of sherds recovered was from the mound and all this material is available to any scholar through the UGR webpage about Urkesh Ceramic Typology (where descriptive statistics of ceramic assemblages can be found).
[mDP – November 2019]
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M. Kelly-Buccellati
2010
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“Mozan/Urkesh in the Late Chalcolithic Period,”
in J. Becker, R. Hempelmann and E. Rehm (eds.), Kulturlandschaft Syrien - Zentrum und Peripherie - Festschrift für Jan-Waalke Meyer, AOAT 371, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, pp. 261-290.
See full text
See abstract
This paper explores the Late Chalcolithic Period at Mozan: evidences of LC pottery have been excavated since 2005, in a stratified context; the author presents the different contexts of the retrieval of LC material at Urkesh, namely the Temple BA, the Plaza JP, and the revetment wall in the central Terrace edge J3. Then, the author offers a general description of LC ceramic typologies and fabrics. In the end, the author underlines how climatic and geographical conditions allowed Urkesh to emerge in the framework of LC Northern Syria, mostly because of its peculiar position on the way towards Anatolia, where metal ores where situated.
[mDP – November 2019]
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V. Orsi
2010
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“The Passage from the Early Bronze to the Middle Bronze Age in Jezirah: a Parallel between Tell Mozan and Tell Barri Ceramic Sequences”,
in P. Matthiae, F. Pinnock, L. Nigro, N. Marchetti (eds.), Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. May, 5th-10th 2008, “Sapienza” – Università di Roma. Volume 1. Near Eastern archaeology in the Past, Present and Future. Heritage and Identity. Ethnoarchaeological and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Visual Expression and Craft Production in the Definition of Social Relations and Status, Wiesbaden, pp. 863-881.
See full text
See abstract
The transition between the Early and the Middle Bronze Age in Syria is the focus of this contribution, focusing on the Jezirah area, offering a proposal for a (still lacking at that time) calibration of ceramic sequences based on Tell Mozan and Tell Barri excavations. The author defines ceramic diagnostic types as embedded in their original emplacement, trying to determine a functional analysis of the shapes.
[mDP – October 2019]
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A. Bianchi
2012
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Comparative Studies on the Pottery of Sector AK of the Royal Building in Tall Mozan/Urkeš (Syria).
Studien zur Urbanisierung Nordmesopotamiens Supplement Serie D Band 2.
Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
Publisher webpage
Table of contents
This volume is wholly devoted to the presentation and comparative studies of the pottery coming from Sector AK of the Royal Palace of Tell-Mozan/Urkesh, according to data of the 1998-2001 excavation seasons.
{Review in Rova 2013}.
[mDP – July 2019]
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C. Schmidt
2012
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Ausgrabungen 1998-2001 in der Zentralen Oberstadt von Tall Mozan/Urkeš
Die Keramik der Früh-Jazira V- bis Alt-Jazira II-Zeit.
Studien zur Urbanisierung Nordmesopotamiens Serie A, Band 4.
Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
See full text [JSTOR]
Table of contents
“This publication is based on the pottery from a section of the levels of the excavations of the central upper city of Tell Mozan/Urkes in Northeastern Syria. The excavations were carried out between 1998 and 2001 by the Deutsche-Orient-Gesellschaft (DOG), Berlin under the supervision of Peter Pfälzner, University of Tübingen, and in cooperation with Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati, International Institute for Mesopotamian Area Studies (IIMAS), Los Angeles. The pottery examined here dates to the transitional period between the end of the Early Bronze Age and the start of the Middle Bronze Age” (from author's abstract on p.XXIII).
[mDP – January 2020]
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E. Rova
2013
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“Review to: Bianchi, Alice 2012, Comparative Studies on the Pottery of Sector AK of the Royal Building in Tall Mozan/Urkeš (Syria), Studien zur Urbanisierung Nordmesopotamiens Supplement Serie D Band 2, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 103, pp. 409-412.
See full text
“For many reasons, this volume is a must for any scholar interested in the archaeology of 3rd millennium Upper Mesopotamia. First of all, it represents the first analytical presentation of a late 3rd millennium BC stratified ceramic corpus from the Khabur region. It therefore fills an important gap in the relative chronology of the area, which even in the most recent published synthesis [...] remained rather vague, due to the dearth of well published available material. Secondly, it offers an example of careful and rigorous analysis of a large corpus of data, and provides a clear, well-structured and up-to-date synthesis of the topic, of which all future publications [...] will undoubtedly take much profit. Finally, it is very carefully produced, excellently illustrated, almost free from mistakes and, considering that it consists of more than 700 pages and that it contains a number of colour plates, not excessively expensive” (p. 409).
{Review to Bianchi 2012}.
[mDP – November 2022]
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C. Chaves Yates
2014
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“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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L. Recht
2014
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“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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L. Recht
2014
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“Tell Mozan ceramics: Munsell colours,”
Frankfurter elektronische Rundschau zur Altertumskunde 24, pp. 12-46.
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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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M. Kelly-Buccellati
2016
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“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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M. Kelly-Buccellati
2016
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“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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M. Kelly-Buccellati
2019
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“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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M. Kelly-Buccellati
2019
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“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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G. Buccellati and M. Kelly-Buccellati
2020
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“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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M. Kelly-Buccellati
2020
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“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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Back to top: Ceramics
2. Links to multimidia outside Urkesh/E-Library. AVASA
This section offers links to other relevant webpages regarding the topic of the present page (i.e., ceramics at Urkesh/Tell Mozan).
- Topical book "CERAMICS".
Back to top: Ceramics