Pre-state ceremonial monuments, rich mortuary arrangements, forts, walled settlements and temples: all these occur in a narrow stretch of the Euphrates River valley prior to the rise of Carchemish, one of the major capital cities of the Ancient Near East. This well-illustrated book examines recently discovered evidence from the hinterlands of archaeologically inaccessible Carchemish in its regional context. Amongst the 18 contributors Tony Wilkinson characterizes the neighbouring regions of Carchemish, Guy Bunnens elaborates on a site hierarchy within the valley and Gioacchino Falsone appraises unpublished records from excavations at Carchemish itself. These material culture studies are important for those interested in the emergence of complex societies that do not conform to the Mesopotamian paradigm.
Preface
Introduction: New perspectives on the Carchemish sector of the Middle Euphrates River valley in the 3rd millennium BC (Edgar Peltenburg)
Part one: Regional dimensions - overview
Archaeological regions in the neighbourhood of Carchemish (T J Wilkinson)
Site hierarchy in the Tishrin Dam area and third millennium geopolitics in Northern Syria (Guy Bunnens)
Early Bronze Age burial types and social-cultural identity within the northern Euphrates Valley (Lisa Cooper)
Part two: Settlements of the Middle Euphrates and Sajur River basins
The 'champagne-cup' period at Carchemish: A review of the Early Bronze Age levels on the Acropolis Mound and the problem of the Inner Town (Gioacchino Falsone and Paola Sconzo)
A 'high' terrace at Gre Virike to the north of Carchemish: power of local rulers as founders? (A Tuba Ökse)
Was there a post-Uruk collapse in the Carchemish area? (Philippe Quenet)
Establishment of a Middle/Upper Euphrates Early Bronze I culture from the fragmentation of the Uruk world. New data from Zeytinli Bahçe Höyük (Urfa, Turkey) (Marcella Frangipane)
The Tilbes Project (Birecik Dam, Turkish Euphrates): the Early Bronze evidence (Jesús Gil Fuensanta)
Dynamics, diagnostic criteria and settlement patterns in the Carchemish area during the Early Bronze period (Christine Kepinski)
The Early Bronze Age in the Syrian north-west Jezireh: the Tell es-Sweyhat region (Michael D Danti and Richard L Zettler)
Part three: Carchemish sector material culture in its broader context
The metalwork of the Carchemish region and the development of grave repertories during the third millennium BC (Graham Philip)
Regional culture and metal objects in the area of Carchemish during the Early Bronze Age (Filomena Fausta Squadrone)
Is there a Carchemish regional glyptic style? Reflections on sealing practices in the northern Euphrates region (Andrew McCarthy)
The Carchemish region in the Early Bronze Age (Catherine Marro)
Fruit stands and the definition of a cultural area around Carchemish (Kemal Sertok)
Plain and luxury wares of the third millennium BC in the Carchemish region: two case-studies from Tell Shiyukh Tahtani (Paola Sconzo)
The Carchemish region as a ceramic province in the Early Bronze Age: analysis of the ceramics from the Carchemish Dam focusing on the material of Gre Virike (Atilla Engin)
