Oratie uitgesproken door Prof.dr. B.S. Düring bij de aanvaarding van het ambt van hoogleraar in de Archeologie aan de Universiteit Leiden op maandag 27 Maart 2023
In this article we report on the taphonomic analysis of several Middle Assyrian tablet clusters to identify the way these objects ended up in the ground. Rather than in-situ archives that were left... Show moreIn this article we report on the taphonomic analysis of several Middle Assyrian tablet clusters to identify the way these objects ended up in the ground. Rather than in-situ archives that were left behind during some catastrophe, we argue that these tablets were often deliberately discarded. Specifically for the tablet clusters we examined, we propose that they were first temporarily discarded in “office bins.” We claim that the occurrence of clustered, homogenous tablet groups at our sites are the result of the occasional emptying of such bins. The methodology we present could be of value for the analysis of other similar tablet-bearing contexts. Show less
From 2015 to 2017 the first three excavation seasons took place at Chlorakas-Palloures, a Chalcolithic site in western Cyprus. Here we present the site stratigraphy, and the structures and burials,... Show moreFrom 2015 to 2017 the first three excavation seasons took place at Chlorakas-Palloures, a Chalcolithic site in western Cyprus. Here we present the site stratigraphy, and the structures and burials, excavated at the site. We also introduce the ground stone, figurines and chipped stone found during these first seasons. We also introduce the ground stone, figurines, and chipped stone found during these first seasons. We discuss the raw materials used, the formal and informal tool types, and the context in which these objects were found, as well as how they fit into the broader knowledge of the period. Finally we present the faunal evidence. The aim is to provide colleagues with a first assessment of our results rather than a final report. Not all our assemblages have been fully processed, and inevitably our interpretations of the site and its assemblages will change in future seasons, as we excavate additional trenches and analyse further assemblages. Nonetheless we feel that our data are providing a siginificant addition to our knowledge of Chalcolithic Cyprus that should therefore be published in this interim report. Show less
On the north bank of Wādī al-Zahaimi, east of the town of Liwaʾ in northern Oman, a remarkably well-preserved Bronze Age cultural landscape was discovered and documented in January 2018 by the Wadi... Show moreOn the north bank of Wādī al-Zahaimi, east of the town of Liwaʾ in northern Oman, a remarkably well-preserved Bronze Age cultural landscape was discovered and documented in January 2018 by the Wadi al-Jizzi Archaeological Project. It includes first, a well-preserved Umm an-Nar settlement with two circular tombs, a possible watchtower, and imported pottery from the Indus and Dilmun; second, a large transitional cemetery, with about 170 tombs dating to the late Umm an-Nar and early Wadi Suq periods, which has striking parallels with the famous linear alignments from ʿAsimah; and third, a small Wadi Suq settlement with stone-built houses. In this paper, we present this well-preserved Bronze Age cultural landscape and its relevance to our understanding of the late third and early second millennia BC in south-eastern Arabia Show less
