Robert Kar
Wed, Jan-17-07, 06:16
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New details of first major urban battle emerge Obsidian
manufacture may have led to urban civilization New details in
the tragic end of one of the world's earliest cities as = well
as clues about how urban life may have begun there were
revealed in = a recent excavation in northeastern Syria that
was conducted by the = University of Chicago and the Syrian
Department of Antiquities.
"The attack must have been swift and intense. Buildings
collapsed, = burning out of control, burying everything in
them under vast pile of = rubble," said Clemens Reichel, the
American co-director of the = Syrian-American Archaeological
Expedition to Hamoukar. Reichel, a = Research Associate at the
University's Oriental Institute, added that = the assault
probably left the residents destitute as they buried their =
dead in the ruins of the city.=20
Reichel made that assessment of the battle that destroyed
Hamoukar about = 3500 B.C. after an excavation was conducted
in September and October at = the site near the Iraqi border.
The team uncovered further evidence of = the accomplishments
of the inhabitants among the remains of the walled = city
dating to the fourth millennium B.C.=20
In addition to the wall, the team has uncovered
quasi-industrial = installations and two large administrative
buildings that had been = destroyed by an intense fire. It was
at the site that, mixed in with the = debris from the
collapsed wall, that over 1,000 egg-shaped sling bullets =
were found in 2005, leading the excavators to conclude that an
early act = of warfare had caused the end of the
settlement.=20
Work in this past season may explain how powerful the early
weapons = were. "We literally have them at all stages of use,
from manufacture to = impact," Reichel said, pointing out that
the team found a sling bullet = that had pierced the plaster
of a mud brick wall. The team also found 12 = graves in the
debris, very likely of people killed in the battle.
The team discovered several rooms with walls up to six feet
high in = which more than 1,100 sling bullets were found mixed
in with collapsed = walls and roofs. They also found a shallow
pit into which a water jar = had been buried to its rim in the
floor of one of the rooms. This pit, = ordinarily used to soak
discarded clay sealings to recycle them into = fresh sealing
clay, was used to make sling bullets during the city's = final
hours. This was indicated by two dozen sling bullets than were
= lined up neatly along its edge.=20
"It looks as if they were--quite literally--throwing
everything they = could find against the aggressors,"
Reichel said.=20
Hamoukar was on a key trade route that led from Anatolia
(modern-day = Turkey) across Northern Syria and the river
Tigris into Southern = Mesopotamia. Some evidence of this
long-lasting trade was found in an = area to the south of
Hamoukar's main site-- a large mound. The team = found
obsidian fragments in an area of over 700 acres (280
hectares), = which they dated to 4,500 - 4,000 B.C. using
pottery fragments found = with the obsidian. In addition to
tools and blades, the team found large = amounts of production
debris such as cores, a discovery that is even = more
significant than finding actual tools.=20
"Finding cores and other production debris tells us that they
are not = just using these tools here, they are making them
here," Salam = al-Kuntar, the Syrian co-director of the
expedition, explained. Obsidian = does not occur around
Hamoukar but had to be brought in from Turkey with = the
nearest sources being over 70 miles away.=20
The discovery of an obsidian processing center is
significant, Reichel = added, for it could explain the
emergence of a city in this location at = such an early time.
A large-scale export of tools to Southern = Mesopotamia would
have resulted in significant revenue and accumulation = of
wealth. "This could have been the incentive that pulled
people off = their fields. People specialized instead of
ploughing their own fields = they bought their food supplies
from surrounding villages. And once = people accumulated a
fortune they want a walled enclosure to protect = it--your
first city." Unlike in southern Mesopotamia, therefore, the =
prime mover towards urbanism appears to have been economic
incentive, = not coercion.
The obsidian workshops were located off the main mound and
predate the = destroyed city by several hundred years, but
numerous older levels have = already been noted below the
destroyed buildings in small test trenches. = "We have no
clear idea how far the first city at Hamoukar goes back in
= time," Reichel said. "It could be much earlier than
3,500 B.C."
By the time the city was destroyed, he added, copper had
started to = replace obsidian as key raw material for tools.
The discovery of = numerous copper tools in the ruins of
Hamoukar might indicate that = Hamoukar had followed developed
from an obsidian into a copper = processing center, possibly
also exporting copper tools to the south.=20
The discovery could lead the way to providing an additional
explanation = for how civilization developed in the Fertile
Crescent. In the south, = urban society emerged in the Uruk
culture in response to the needs of = providing organization
to an economy supported by an irrigation-based =
agriculture.=20
The latest findings from Hamoukar suggest that the specialized
= mass-production of goods for trade could have been a similar
driving = force in the North.
Source: University of Chicago http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_r-
eleases/2007-01/uoc-ndo011607.php
--=20 Posted by Robert Karl Stonjek
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<STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY>
<DIV><H1 class=3Dtitle><FONT size=3D5>New details of first
major urban battle =
emerge</FONT></H1> <H2 class=3Dsubtitle><FONT
size=3D4>Obsidian manufacture may have led to = urban=20
civilization</FONT></H2>
<DIW>New details in the tragic end of one of the world's
earliest cities = as well=20 as clues about how urban
life may have begun there were revealed in a = recent=20
excavation in northeastern Syria that was conducted by
the University of = Chicago=20 and the Syrian Department
of Antiquities.</P>
<DIX>"The attack must have been swift and intense. Buildings
collapsed, = burning=20 out of control, burying
everything in them under vast pile of rubble," = said=20
Clemens Reichel, the American co-director of the
Syrian-American = Archaeological=20 Expedition to
Hamoukar. Reichel, a Research Associate at the =
University's=20 Oriental Institute, added that the
assault probably left the residents = destitute=20 as
they buried their dead in the ruins of the city. </P>
<DIY>Reichel made that assessment of the battle that destroyed
Hamoukar = about 3500=20
DIY.A. after an excavation was conducted in September and
October at the = site near=20 the Iraqi border. The
team uncovered further evidence of the =
accomplishments of=20 the inhabitants among the
remains of the walled city dating to the = fourth=20
millennium B.C. </P>
<DIZ>In addition to the wall, the team has uncovered
quasi-industrial=20 installations and two large
administrative buildings that had been = destroyed by=20
an intense fire. It was at the site that, mixed in with
the debris from = the=20 collapsed wall, that over 1,000
egg-shaped sling bullets were found in = 2005,=20 leading
the excavators to conclude that an early act of warfare
had = caused the=20 end of the settlement. </P>
<DIZ>Work in this past season may explain how powerful the
early weapons = were. "We=20 literally have them at all
stages of use, from manufacture to impact," = Reichel=20
said, pointing out that the team found a sling bullet
that had pierced = the=20 plaster of a mud brick wall.
The team also found 12 graves in the = debris, very=20
likely of people killed in the battle.</P>
<DIZ>The team discovered several rooms with walls up to six
feet high in = which=20 more than 1,100 sling bullets
were found mixed in with collapsed walls = and=20 roofs.
They also found a shallow pit into which a water jar had
been = buried to=20 its rim in the floor of one of the
rooms. This pit, ordinarily used to = soak=20 discarded
clay sealings to recycle them into fresh sealing clay,
was = used to=20 make sling bullets during the city's
final hours. This was indicated by = two=20 dozen sling
bullets than were lined up neatly along its edge. </P>
<DIZ>"It looks as if they were--quite literally--throwing
everything they = could=20 find against the aggressors,"
Reichel said. </P>
<DIZ>Hamoukar was on a key trade route that led from Anatolia
(modern-day = Turkey)=20 across Northern Syria and the
river Tigris into Southern Mesopotamia. = Some=20
evidence of this long-lasting trade was found in an area
to the south of =
Hamoukar's main site-- a large mound. The team found obsidian
fragments = in an=20 area of over 700 acres (280 hectares),
which they dated to 4,500 =96 = 4,000 B.C.=20 using pottery
fragments found with the obsidian. In addition to tools =
and=20 blades, the team found large amounts of production
debris such as cores, = a=20 discovery that is even more
significant than finding actual tools. </P>
<DIZ>"Finding cores and other production debris tells us that
they are not = just=20 using these tools here, they are
making them here," Salam al-Kuntar, the = Syrian=20
co-director of the expedition, explained. Obsidian does
not occur around =
Hamoukar but had to be brought in from Turkey with the nearest
sources = being=20 over 70 miles away. </P>
<DIZ>The discovery of an obsidian processing center is
significant, = Reichel added,=20 for it could explain the
emergence of a city in this location at such an =
early=20 time. A large-scale export of tools to Southern
Mesopotamia would have = resulted=20 in significant
revenue and accumulation of wealth. "This could have been
= the=20 incentive that pulled people off their fields.
People specialized = instead of=20 ploughing their own
fields they bought their food supplies from =
surrounding=20 villages. And once people accumulated a
fortune they want a walled = enclosure to=20 protect
it--your first city." Unlike in southern Mesopotamia,
therefore, = the=20 prime mover towards urbanism appears
to have been economic incentive, = not=20 coercion.</P>
<DIZ>The obsidian workshops were located off the main mound
and predate = the=20 destroyed city by several hundred
years, but numerous older levels have = already=20 been
noted below the destroyed buildings in small test
trenches. "We = have no=20 clear idea how far the first
city at Hamoukar goes back in time," = Reichel said.=20
"It could be much earlier than 3,500 B.C."</P>
<DIZ>By the time the city was destroyed, he added, copper had
started to = replace=20 obsidian as key raw material for
tools. The discovery of numerous copper = tools=20 in the
ruins of Hamoukar might indicate that Hamoukar had
followed = developed=20 from an obsidian into a copper
processing center, possibly also = exporting copper=20
tools to the south. </P>
<DIZ>The discovery could lead the way to providing an
additional = explanation for=20 how civilization
developed in the Fertile Crescent. In the south, urban =
society=20 emerged in the Uruk culture in response to the
needs of providing = organization=20 to an economy
supported by an irrigation-based agriculture. </P>
<DIZ>The latest findings from Hamoukar suggest that the
specialized=20 mass-production of goods for trade could
have been a similar driving = force in=20 the North.</P>
<DIZ>Source: University of Chicago<BR><A=20 href=3D"http://ww-
w.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-01/uoc-ndo011607.php"=
>http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-01/uoc-ndo011607-
>.php</A></P>=
<DIZ><BR>-- <BR>Posted by<BR>Robert Karl
Stonjek</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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------=_NextPart_000_00E5_01C73A8D.5A588960 Content-Type:
text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding:
quoted-printable
New details of first major urban battle emerge Obsidian
manufacture may have led to urban civilization New details in
the tragic end of one of the world's earliest cities as = well
as clues about how urban life may have begun there were
revealed in = a recent excavation in northeastern Syria that
was conducted by the = University of Chicago and the Syrian
Department of Antiquities.
"The attack must have been swift and intense. Buildings
collapsed, = burning out of control, burying everything in
them under vast pile of = rubble," said Clemens Reichel, the
American co-director of the = Syrian-American Archaeological
Expedition to Hamoukar. Reichel, a = Research Associate at the
University's Oriental Institute, added that = the assault
probably left the residents destitute as they buried their =
dead in the ruins of the city.=20
Reichel made that assessment of the battle that destroyed
Hamoukar about = 3500 B.C. after an excavation was conducted
in September and October at = the site near the Iraqi border.
The team uncovered further evidence of = the accomplishments
of the inhabitants among the remains of the walled = city
dating to the fourth millennium B.C.=20
In addition to the wall, the team has uncovered
quasi-industrial = installations and two large administrative
buildings that had been = destroyed by an intense fire. It was
at the site that, mixed in with the = debris from the
collapsed wall, that over 1,000 egg-shaped sling bullets =
were found in 2005, leading the excavators to conclude that an
early act = of warfare had caused the end of the
settlement.=20
Work in this past season may explain how powerful the early
weapons = were. "We literally have them at all stages of use,
from manufacture to = impact," Reichel said, pointing out that
the team found a sling bullet = that had pierced the plaster
of a mud brick wall. The team also found 12 = graves in the
debris, very likely of people killed in the battle.
The team discovered several rooms with walls up to six feet
high in = which more than 1,100 sling bullets were found mixed
in with collapsed = walls and roofs. They also found a shallow
pit into which a water jar = had been buried to its rim in the
floor of one of the rooms. This pit, = ordinarily used to soak
discarded clay sealings to recycle them into = fresh sealing
clay, was used to make sling bullets during the city's = final
hours. This was indicated by two dozen sling bullets than were
= lined up neatly along its edge.=20
"It looks as if they were--quite literally--throwing
everything they = could find against the aggressors,"
Reichel said.=20
Hamoukar was on a key trade route that led from Anatolia
(modern-day = Turkey) across Northern Syria and the river
Tigris into Southern = Mesopotamia. Some evidence of this
long-lasting trade was found in an = area to the south of
Hamoukar's main site-- a large mound. The team = found
obsidian fragments in an area of over 700 acres (280
hectares), = which they dated to 4,500 - 4,000 B.C. using
pottery fragments found = with the obsidian. In addition to
tools and blades, the team found large = amounts of production
debris such as cores, a discovery that is even = more
significant than finding actual tools.=20
"Finding cores and other production debris tells us that they
are not = just using these tools here, they are making them
here," Salam = al-Kuntar, the Syrian co-director of the
expedition, explained. Obsidian = does not occur around
Hamoukar but had to be brought in from Turkey with = the
nearest sources being over 70 miles away.=20
The discovery of an obsidian processing center is
significant, Reichel = added, for it could explain the
emergence of a city in this location at = such an early time.
A large-scale export of tools to Southern = Mesopotamia would
have resulted in significant revenue and accumulation = of
wealth. "This could have been the incentive that pulled
people off = their fields. People specialized instead of
ploughing their own fields = they bought their food supplies
from surrounding villages. And once = people accumulated a
fortune they want a walled enclosure to protect = it--your
first city." Unlike in southern Mesopotamia, therefore, the =
prime mover towards urbanism appears to have been economic
incentive, = not coercion.
The obsidian workshops were located off the main mound and
predate the = destroyed city by several hundred years, but
numerous older levels have = already been noted below the
destroyed buildings in small test trenches. = "We have no
clear idea how far the first city at Hamoukar goes back in
= time," Reichel said. "It could be much earlier than
3,500 B.C."
By the time the city was destroyed, he added, copper had
started to = replace obsidian as key raw material for tools.
The discovery of = numerous copper tools in the ruins of
Hamoukar might indicate that = Hamoukar had followed developed
from an obsidian into a copper = processing center, possibly
also exporting copper tools to the south.=20
The discovery could lead the way to providing an additional
explanation = for how civilization developed in the Fertile
Crescent. In the south, = urban society emerged in the Uruk
culture in response to the needs of = providing organization
to an economy supported by an irrigation-based =
agriculture.=20
The latest findings from Hamoukar suggest that the specialized
= mass-production of goods for trade could have been a similar
driving = force in the North.
Source: University of Chicago http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_r-
eleases/2007-01/uoc-ndo011607.php
--=20 Posted by Robert Karl Stonjek
------=_NextPart_000_00E5_01C73A8D.5A588960 Content-Type:
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<HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type
content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META
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<STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY>
<DIV><H1 class=3Dtitle><FONT size=3D5>New details of first
major urban battle =
emerge</FONT></H1> <H2 class=3Dsubtitle><FONT
size=3D4>Obsidian manufacture may have led to = urban=20
civilization</FONT></H2>
<DIW>New details in the tragic end of one of the world's
earliest cities = as well=20 as clues about how urban
life may have begun there were revealed in a = recent=20
excavation in northeastern Syria that was conducted by
the University of = Chicago=20 and the Syrian Department
of Antiquities.</P>
<DIX>"The attack must have been swift and intense. Buildings
collapsed, = burning=20 out of control, burying
everything in them under vast pile of rubble," = said=20
Clemens Reichel, the American co-director of the
Syrian-American = Archaeological=20 Expedition to
Hamoukar. Reichel, a Research Associate at the =
University's=20 Oriental Institute, added that the
assault probably left the residents = destitute=20 as
they buried their dead in the ruins of the city. </P>
<DIY>Reichel made that assessment of the battle that destroyed
Hamoukar = about 3500=20
DIY.A. after an excavation was conducted in September and
October at the = site near=20 the Iraqi border. The
team uncovered further evidence of the =
accomplishments of=20 the inhabitants among the
remains of the walled city dating to the = fourth=20
millennium B.C. </P>
<DIZ>In addition to the wall, the team has uncovered
quasi-industrial=20 installations and two large
administrative buildings that had been = destroyed by=20
an intense fire. It was at the site that, mixed in with
the debris from = the=20 collapsed wall, that over 1,000
egg-shaped sling bullets were found in = 2005,=20 leading
the excavators to conclude that an early act of warfare
had = caused the=20 end of the settlement. </P>
<DIZ>Work in this past season may explain how powerful the
early weapons = were. "We=20 literally have them at all
stages of use, from manufacture to impact," = Reichel=20
said, pointing out that the team found a sling bullet
that had pierced = the=20 plaster of a mud brick wall.
The team also found 12 graves in the = debris, very=20
likely of people killed in the battle.</P>
<DIZ>The team discovered several rooms with walls up to six
feet high in = which=20 more than 1,100 sling bullets
were found mixed in with collapsed walls = and=20 roofs.
They also found a shallow pit into which a water jar had
been = buried to=20 its rim in the floor of one of the
rooms. This pit, ordinarily used to = soak=20 discarded
clay sealings to recycle them into fresh sealing clay,
was = used to=20 make sling bullets during the city's
final hours. This was indicated by = two=20 dozen sling
bullets than were lined up neatly along its edge. </P>
<DIZ>"It looks as if they were--quite literally--throwing
everything they = could=20 find against the aggressors,"
Reichel said. </P>
<DIZ>Hamoukar was on a key trade route that led from Anatolia
(modern-day = Turkey)=20 across Northern Syria and the
river Tigris into Southern Mesopotamia. = Some=20
evidence of this long-lasting trade was found in an area
to the south of =
Hamoukar's main site-- a large mound. The team found obsidian
fragments = in an=20 area of over 700 acres (280 hectares),
which they dated to 4,500 =96 = 4,000 B.C.=20 using pottery
fragments found with the obsidian. In addition to tools =
and=20 blades, the team found large amounts of production
debris such as cores, = a=20 discovery that is even more
significant than finding actual tools. </P>
<DIZ>"Finding cores and other production debris tells us that
they are not = just=20 using these tools here, they are
making them here," Salam al-Kuntar, the = Syrian=20
co-director of the expedition, explained. Obsidian does
not occur around =
Hamoukar but had to be brought in from Turkey with the nearest
sources = being=20 over 70 miles away. </P>
<DIZ>The discovery of an obsidian processing center is
significant, = Reichel added,=20 for it could explain the
emergence of a city in this location at such an =
early=20 time. A large-scale export of tools to Southern
Mesopotamia would have = resulted=20 in significant
revenue and accumulation of wealth. "This could have been
= the=20 incentive that pulled people off their fields.
People specialized = instead of=20 ploughing their own
fields they bought their food supplies from =
surrounding=20 villages. And once people accumulated a
fortune they want a walled = enclosure to=20 protect
it--your first city." Unlike in southern Mesopotamia,
therefore, = the=20 prime mover towards urbanism appears
to have been economic incentive, = not=20 coercion.</P>
<DIZ>The obsidian workshops were located off the main mound
and predate = the=20 destroyed city by several hundred
years, but numerous older levels have = already=20 been
noted below the destroyed buildings in small test
trenches. "We = have no=20 clear idea how far the first
city at Hamoukar goes back in time," = Reichel said.=20
"It could be much earlier than 3,500 B.C."</P>
<DIZ>By the time the city was destroyed, he added, copper had
started to = replace=20 obsidian as key raw material for
tools. The discovery of numerous copper = tools=20 in the
ruins of Hamoukar might indicate that Hamoukar had
followed = developed=20 from an obsidian into a copper
processing center, possibly also = exporting copper=20
tools to the south. </P>
<DIZ>The discovery could lead the way to providing an
additional = explanation for=20 how civilization
developed in the Fertile Crescent. In the south, urban =
society=20 emerged in the Uruk culture in response to the
needs of providing = organization=20 to an economy
supported by an irrigation-based agriculture. </P>
<DIZ>The latest findings from Hamoukar suggest that the
specialized=20 mass-production of goods for trade could
have been a similar driving = force in=20 the North.</P>
<DIZ>Source: University of Chicago<BR><A=20 href=3D"http://ww-
w.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-01/uoc-ndo011607.php"=
>http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-01/uoc-ndo011607-
>.php</A></P>=
<DIZ><BR>-- <BR>Posted by<BR>Robert Karl
Stonjek</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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