The assemblage of Late Bronze Age burials from Tell Sabi Abyad provides us with a unique window into the burial customs of the burgeoning Middle Assyrian Empire in the former lands of Hanigalbat.... Show moreThe assemblage of Late Bronze Age burials from Tell Sabi Abyad provides us with a unique window into the burial customs of the burgeoning Middle Assyrian Empire in the former lands of Hanigalbat. Our understanding of the settlement is aided by the fact that the site has been more or less completely excavated, and because we have rich in situ contexts that include nearly 400 cuneiform tablets. The burial assemblage is remarkable because of the diverse nature of the burial customs attested at the site. This diversity can be seen in the different types of interment and in treatment of the body, as well as in the nature of the grave goods. In this paper, we will provide an overview of this diversity, and we will discuss what it can tell us about Middle Assyrian society at the site of Tell Sabi Abyad and beyond. Show less
Flint and amber artefacts from Dutch Funnelbeaker (3400-2900 cal BC) megaliths were examined from a biographical perspective, also involving microwear analysis. It is shown that both flint and... Show moreFlint and amber artefacts from Dutch Funnelbeaker (3400-2900 cal BC) megaliths were examined from a biographical perspective, also involving microwear analysis. It is shown that both flint and amber contributed to the materiality of Funnelbeaker burial practices, which above all stressed the collective identity of the local community. This is evident in the selection of agricultural tools for deposition. Agriculture was of course an important collective task. There are also indications that flint knapping took place around the tomb. A third observation concerns the enigmatic scratches on the transverse arrowheads and flakes, forming regular patterns that cannot have a post-depositional origin. Lastly, both the axes and the amber beads ended up in the grave in a used state, indicating a previous life. However, prior to deposition both items were reground, obliterating any traces of individual ownership before they could be deposited in the communal burial ground. Show less
