The Archaeology of Syria: From Complex Hunter-Gatherers to Early Urban Societies (c.16,000-300 BC)
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Illustrated, 1/7/2000
EAN 9780521796668, ISBN10: 0521796660
Paperback, 486 pages, 24.4 x 17 x 2.8 cm
Language: English
This was the first book to present a comprehensive review of the archaeology of Syria from the end of the Paleolithic period to 300 BC. Syria has become a prime focus of field archaeology in the Middle East in the past thirty years, and Peter Akkermans and Glenn Schwartz discuss the results of this intensive fieldwork, integrating them with earlier research. Alongside the major material culture types of each period, they examine important contributions of Syrian archaeology to issues like the onset of agriculture, the emergence of private property and social inequality, the rise and collapse of urban life, and the archaeology of early empires. All competing interpretations are set out and considered, alongside the authors' own perspectives and conclusions.
1. Introduction
2. Hunter-gatherers at the end of the Ice Age
3. A changing perspective
neolithic beginnings
4. The exploration of new horizons
5. Continuity and change in the late sixth and fifth millenium BC
6. The fourth millenium BC and the Uruk intrusion
7. Regionalization and local trajectories
8. The 'second urban revolution' and its aftermath
9. The regeneration of complex societies
10. Empires and internationalism
11. Iron age Syria
12. Conclusions.
'The information is presented in clear, jargon-free prose ... the end result is a pleasure to read, as well as thought provoking.' Minerva