The pots of Assur in the land of Hanigalbat: the organization of pottery production in the Far West of the Middle Assyrian Empire

Abstract

The expansion of the Middle Assyrian state into new territories and the attempts of the Assyrian

administration to develop and ultimately integrate these areas and their populations into the Land of

Assur, the process of creating empire, have been the focus of several recent studies (Szuchman 2009a; 2009b; Tenu 2009; Postgate 2010; Fales 2011; Brown 2013; Tenu 2013). This paper aims to contribute to this discussion from the micro-perspective of pottery production at the Middle Assyrian dunnu of Tell Sabi Abyad in the Balikh valley. Through a ceramic lens, I would like to look at two aspects of the Assyrian ‘hegemonic practices’ in the western province: first, how did the Assyrians organize their operations; and, second, what were their relations and interactions with the people around them. Where possible I will discuss chronological developments, linking pottery dynamics to our current understanding of the historical dynamics of the period.