CHILD INHUMATIONS ON THE ISLAND OF MOTYA. NEW EVIDENCE FROM THE ARCHAIC CEMETERY

The aim of this paper is to shed light on the interpretation of human remains and funerary rituals recently uncovered in the Archaic Necropolis of Motya. During the 20th century about 350 graves were brought to light by earlier explorations, showing that – apart from rare exceptions – adult cremation was the most common rite performed in archaic times (ca. 730-550 BC). This picture can be now changed in the light of the results of our recent fieldwork (seasons 2013-2017), showing that a large quantity of graves strikingly house remains of sub-adult individuals (i.e. foetuses, perinatals and children). While a few of them are cremated, the numerous inhumations recovered show clear patterns o…

Le campagne di scavo presso il sito di Tell Shiyuk Tahtani. Syria, regione di Aleppo.

Report on the first season of German-Kurdish excavations at Muqable in 2015

In 2015, a new excavation project entitled “Kurdish-German Archaeological Mission in Dohuk” (KUGAMID) was launched. It is organized as a joint project between the University of Tübingen and the Department of Antiquities of Dohuk and is jointly directed by Peter Pfälzner (Tübingen) and Hassan Ahmad Qasim (Dohuk). Three sites were selected for excavation: Bassetki, Muqable I and Muqable III. The following report will summarize the results of the first season of excavations at the two neighbouring mounds of Muqable I and Muqable III, located approximately 5 km southeast of Bassetki and 23 km west of Dohuk in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan in Iraq. The first season of excavations at Muqable…

First Results of the Eastern Ḫabur Archaeological Survey in the Dohuk Region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Season of 2013

The University of Tübingen began an archaeological survey in the westernmost part of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region of Iraq, in the province of Dohuk, in 2013. The survey area covers highly diverse ecological zones from the Tigris across the East-Tigridian plain to the high Zagros ranges along the border with Turkey. Historically, the region witnessed the expansion of Mesopotamian states since the 3rd mill. BC and was a border region between Assyria and Urartu in the 1st mill. BC.

Beyond subsistence? Settlement strategies of the Late Chalcolithic period in the Selevani Plain (Upper Iraqi Tigris)

The aim of this paper is to provide an integrated overview of the settlement and social dynamics present in the upper sector of the Iraqi Tigris River Valley and its immediate hinterland during the Late Chalcolithic period. This has been achieved by processing and interpreting the results of two extensive regional survey projects, namely the Eastern Ḫabur Archaeological Survey (EHAS) and the Land of Nineveh Archaeological Project (LoNAP), recently undertaken along the eastern bank of the river. These results mark a significant advancement in the study of settlement patterns and cultural history compared to what was previously known of this region, which was mostly terra incognita prior to t…

The Eastern Ḫabur Archaeological Survey in Iraq Kurdistan. A preliminary report on the 2014 Season

The Eastern Ḫabur Archaeological Survey in Iraq Kurdistan.

Human remains and funerary rites in the Phoenician Necropolis of Motya (Sicily)

The aim of this paper is to examine the fresh evidences retrieved in the early cemetery or "archaic necropolis" of the island of Motya, one of the main Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean.