Archaeological ceramics are a rich source of ancient biomolecules and their analysis provides val... more Archaeological ceramics are a rich source of ancient biomolecules and their analysis provides valuable information with regard to ancient diet. Traditionally, biomolecular analyses on archaeological ceramics have focused on lipid analysis, with milk, ruminant and non-ruminant adipose fats, plant resins, as well as both marine fish and marine mammals among the resources successfully identified. However, lipidomic analyses can underestimate the presence of lipid-poor resources (e.g. cereals and grains) and are usually less specific at tissue and taxonomic levels. Proteomic analysis can be complementary, allowing for the identification of a greater variety of resources and with increased specificity. Here, we analyse eight ceramic sherds from Tell Khaiber, a Sealand Dynasty (mid-2nd millennium BCE) settlement in modern day southern Iraq, using LC-MS/MS based shotgun proteomics. Our results provide the first proteomic evidence of soybeans from archaeological ceramics and confirmation of the early appearance of soybean products in the Middle East by the mid-second millennium BCE.
The obsidian mirror associated with the Elizabethan polymath and magus John Dee (1527-1608/1609) ... more The obsidian mirror associated with the Elizabethan polymath and magus John Dee (1527-1608/1609) has been an object of fascination for centuries. The mirror, however, has a deeper history as an Aztec artefact brought to Europe soon after the Spanish conquest. The authors present the results of new geochemical analysis, and explore its history and changing cultural context to provide insights into its meaning during a period in which entirely new world views were emerging. The biography of the mirror demonstrates how a complex cultural history underpins an iconic object. The study highlights the value of new compositional analyses of museum objects for the reinterpretation of historically significant material culture.
13TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, 2019
The ancient city of Charax Spasinou was situated in southern Iraq near Basra, between the rivers ... more The ancient city of Charax Spasinou was situated in southern Iraq near Basra, between the rivers Tigris and Eulaios, at the modern location Jebel Khayaber. It offers the opportunity to study the layout and functionality of a major urban city dating from the Seleucid to the Sasanian period. The city was originally founded by Alexander the Great and given the name Alexandria (Campbell et al. 2019: 215). After its destruction by flooding, it was re-founded in BC 166/165 by the Seleucid king Antiochos IV and re-named Antiochia. This settlement was again destroyed by flooding. It was rebuilt under Hyspaosines and named Charax Spasinou (ancient Greek for ‘palisade of [Hy]spa[o]sines’). Due to its favourable location Charax became a very important harbour in the Persian Gulf area and a major trading point between India and Babylonia, supplying goods further up to the Mediterranean (Campbell et al. 2019). Charax was first identified with Jebel Khayaber in 1965, when distinctive ramparts with an average height of 4m to 6m were documented (Hansman 1967: 39). In 2016 Jane Moon, Robert Killick and Stuart Campbell (University of Manchester), together with Stefan Hauser (University of Konstanz) and the Iraqi State Board for Antiquities & Heritage, started a project to document and protect the ancient city of Charax Spasinou. The aim is to investigate the site through an integration of remote sensing technologies and surface survey as well as limited excavations in order to reconstruct the city layout, its chronology and to document its state of preservation for purposes of conservation and site management.
Obsidian is often seen as a proxy for exchange and networking even though the relationship betwee... more Obsidian is often seen as a proxy for exchange and networking even though the relationship between these elements can be somewhat indirect. Nevertheless, recent studies which involve the provenance analysis of a large number of artefacts from a single site have opened up a number of avenues which are simply not visible when only a small number of artefacts can be provenanced. In this paper, after evaluating the efficacy of our pXRF protocol for the provenancing of large numbers of obsidian artefacts, we go on to use the data set we generated from Kenan Tepe, in SE Turkey, to discuss the wide range of sources present including the hitherto poorly understood Group 3d. Our integrated study of the techno-morphological and contextual aspects of the artefacts alongside the provenance analysis also allows us to track the use of obsidian through time and to profile the use of individual sources.
Contact across long distances is evident in the Neolithic of the Near East, whether driven by soc... more Contact across long distances is evident in the Neolithic of the Near East, whether driven by social networks, exchange links, or movement of individuals or populations. Movement of material, such as obsidian, can elucidate these processes but is often studied within a bounded world that places Mesopotamia at the center. This paper focuses on links that cut across the traditionally imposed boundaries between Northern Mesopotamia and the Caucasus. While Armenia is one of the world’s most obsidian-rich landscapes, reports of Armenian obsidians in Northern Mesopotamia are scarce. The confirmation (or lack thereof) of these rare reports has important consequences regarding the movement of people, material, and information out of the Caucasus. As discussed here, all but one report either cannot be corroborated or are demonstrably erroneous. For one archaeological site, data processing methods led to overlaps in the signals for different obsidian sources. For another site, one element used in source identification suffered from unsystematic error. For other sites, data and key details went unpublished at the time. To corroborate past work that had identified Armenian obsidian at Domuztepe, 66 artifacts were newly sourced by electron microprobe analysis and portable X-ray fluorescence. This sample was biased toward artifacts potentially from Armenia. Our analyses revealed that 15 artifacts match Pokr Arteni, one of the most used obsidian sources in Armenia. For reasons not yet clear, obsidian was brought to this Late Neolithic settlement over a distance of 670 km linearly and more than 800 km on foot. Additionally, there are artifacts from four other sources within the Kura-Araxes basin, lending extra support to movement of materials, if not people, between the Caucasus and Domuztepe. Furthermore, there are similar patterns in the two chemical varieties of Pokr Arteni obsidian at Domuztepe and at a Late Neolithic site in Armenia, reflecting similar processes or behaviors at this source.
in E. Healey, S. Campbell and O. Maeda (eds), The State of the Stone. Terminologies, Continuities and Contexts in Near Eastern Lithics. SENEPSE 13: 327-342. Berlin: ex oriente., 2011
This paper explores the possible links between rapid climate change (RCC) and social change in th... more This paper explores the possible links between rapid climate change (RCC) and social change in the Near East and surrounding regions (Anatolia, central Syria, southern Israel, Mesopotamia, Cyprus and eastern and central Sahara) during the ‘long’ 4th millennium (∼4500–3000) BC. Twenty terrestrial and 20 marine climate proxies are used to identify long-term trends in humidity involving transitions from humid to arid conditions and vice versa. The frequency distribution of episodes of relative aridity across these records is calculated for the period 6300–2000 BC, so that the results may be interpreted in the context of the established arid episodes associated with RCC around 6200 and 2200 BC (the 8.2 and 4.2 kyr events). We identify two distinct episodes of heightened aridity in the early-mid 4th, and late 4th millennium BC. These episodes cluster strongly at 3600–3700 and 3100–3300 BC. There is also evidence of localised aridity spikes in the 5th and 6th millennia BC. These results are used as context for the interpretation of regional and local archaeological records with a particular focus on case studies from western Syria, the middle Euphrates, southern Israel and Cyprus. Interpretation of the records involves the construction of plausible narratives of human–climate interaction informed by concepts of adaptation and resilience from the literature on contemporary (i.e. 21st century) climate change and adaptation. The results are presented alongside well-documented examples of climatically-influenced societal change in the central and eastern Sahara, where detailed geomorphological studies of ancient environments have been undertaken in tandem with archaeological research. While the narratives for the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean remain somewhat speculative, the use of resilience and adaptation frameworks allows for a more nuanced treatment of human–climate interactions and recognises the diversity and context-specificity of human responses to climatic and environmental change. Our results demonstrate that there is a need for more local environmental data to be collected ‘at source’ during archaeological excavations.
Stone Tools in Transition: From Hunter-Gatherers to Farming Societies in the Near East. Edited by Ferran Borrell, Juan José Ibáñez, Miquel Molist.Bellaterra (Barcelona) : Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei de Publicacions , 2013
"The obsidian artefacts from the Burnt House at Tell Arpachiyah, a sixth millennium site in North... more "The obsidian artefacts from the Burnt House at Tell Arpachiyah, a sixth millennium site in Northern
Mesopotamia, are exceptional in many respects and show complex life histories. Arpachiyah has also
been considered a regional centre. In this study we integrate provenance analysis, techno-typological
characteristics and skill-related attributes to re-appraise these artefacts and to examine their importance
for understanding the function and meaning of their context in an immediately pre-urban period
in which complex societies are beginning to emerge."
An overview of what has been discovered at new excavations in souther Iraq, at the Old Babylonian... more An overview of what has been discovered at new excavations in souther Iraq, at the Old Babylonian settlement of Tell Khaiber. Displayed at the 9th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East in Basel, 2014.
Benjamin W. Porter and Alexis T. Boutin (eds) Remembering and Commemorating the Dead: Recent Contributions in Bioarchaeology and Mortuary Analysis from the Ancient Near East, 2014
Human burial is generally treated as a discrete category of behavior, something that is distincti... more Human burial is generally treated as a discrete category of behavior, something that is distinctive and unique. While this may be partially true in contemporary Western society, it was not necessarily the case in the past. This chapter seeks to link patterns of human burial with a wider pattern of burial and structured disposal of things, drawing particularly on the archaeological record of late Neolithic Domuztepe in southeast Turkey. Parallels can be observed in the way in which some animal remains were disposed of,
particularly striking with dogs and feasting debris, as well as a broader practice of the deliberate burial of certain types of objects. This suggests a new view, both of the meanings attached to the things buried and of the practice of burial itself, which can in turn inform our understanding of the treatment of human remains in this time period and the close ties of commemoration and remembering/forgetting with physical acts of burial. Central to these meanings may be processes through which attachment to place was defined and links to past events were embedded in particular locations within the settlement.
In the Near East obsidian is of particular interest to archaeologists because it is an exotic mat... more In the Near East obsidian is of particular interest to archaeologists because it is an exotic material and best known for is use in tool manufacture, but it is also occasionally used to make items of personal adornment. Some of these items are very highly finished, while others appear much more rudimentary though it is by no means obvious why this should be. Here we will review such artefacts at two contemporary late Neolithic communities, Domuztepe in SE Anatolia and Tell Arpachiyah in northern Iraq. Both have seemingly unusually high numbers of such objects as well as evidence for obsidian tool production on site. At Domuztepe some objects are highly finished while others appear much more ad hoc. At Arpachiyah on the other hand, the objects appear very similar to each other so as to seem standardised or at least the product of a single workshop. Our main aim in this paper is to try to unravel the evidence needed to determine whether they were produced on site, or whether they were acquired as finished objects (or both).
Archaeological ceramics are a rich source of ancient biomolecules and their analysis provides val... more Archaeological ceramics are a rich source of ancient biomolecules and their analysis provides valuable information with regard to ancient diet. Traditionally, biomolecular analyses on archaeological ceramics have focused on lipid analysis, with milk, ruminant and non-ruminant adipose fats, plant resins, as well as both marine fish and marine mammals among the resources successfully identified. However, lipidomic analyses can underestimate the presence of lipid-poor resources (e.g. cereals and grains) and are usually less specific at tissue and taxonomic levels. Proteomic analysis can be complementary, allowing for the identification of a greater variety of resources and with increased specificity. Here, we analyse eight ceramic sherds from Tell Khaiber, a Sealand Dynasty (mid-2nd millennium BCE) settlement in modern day southern Iraq, using LC-MS/MS based shotgun proteomics. Our results provide the first proteomic evidence of soybeans from archaeological ceramics and confirmation of the early appearance of soybean products in the Middle East by the mid-second millennium BCE.
The obsidian mirror associated with the Elizabethan polymath and magus John Dee (1527-1608/1609) ... more The obsidian mirror associated with the Elizabethan polymath and magus John Dee (1527-1608/1609) has been an object of fascination for centuries. The mirror, however, has a deeper history as an Aztec artefact brought to Europe soon after the Spanish conquest. The authors present the results of new geochemical analysis, and explore its history and changing cultural context to provide insights into its meaning during a period in which entirely new world views were emerging. The biography of the mirror demonstrates how a complex cultural history underpins an iconic object. The study highlights the value of new compositional analyses of museum objects for the reinterpretation of historically significant material culture.
13TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, 2019
The ancient city of Charax Spasinou was situated in southern Iraq near Basra, between the rivers ... more The ancient city of Charax Spasinou was situated in southern Iraq near Basra, between the rivers Tigris and Eulaios, at the modern location Jebel Khayaber. It offers the opportunity to study the layout and functionality of a major urban city dating from the Seleucid to the Sasanian period. The city was originally founded by Alexander the Great and given the name Alexandria (Campbell et al. 2019: 215). After its destruction by flooding, it was re-founded in BC 166/165 by the Seleucid king Antiochos IV and re-named Antiochia. This settlement was again destroyed by flooding. It was rebuilt under Hyspaosines and named Charax Spasinou (ancient Greek for ‘palisade of [Hy]spa[o]sines’). Due to its favourable location Charax became a very important harbour in the Persian Gulf area and a major trading point between India and Babylonia, supplying goods further up to the Mediterranean (Campbell et al. 2019). Charax was first identified with Jebel Khayaber in 1965, when distinctive ramparts with an average height of 4m to 6m were documented (Hansman 1967: 39). In 2016 Jane Moon, Robert Killick and Stuart Campbell (University of Manchester), together with Stefan Hauser (University of Konstanz) and the Iraqi State Board for Antiquities & Heritage, started a project to document and protect the ancient city of Charax Spasinou. The aim is to investigate the site through an integration of remote sensing technologies and surface survey as well as limited excavations in order to reconstruct the city layout, its chronology and to document its state of preservation for purposes of conservation and site management.
Obsidian is often seen as a proxy for exchange and networking even though the relationship betwee... more Obsidian is often seen as a proxy for exchange and networking even though the relationship between these elements can be somewhat indirect. Nevertheless, recent studies which involve the provenance analysis of a large number of artefacts from a single site have opened up a number of avenues which are simply not visible when only a small number of artefacts can be provenanced. In this paper, after evaluating the efficacy of our pXRF protocol for the provenancing of large numbers of obsidian artefacts, we go on to use the data set we generated from Kenan Tepe, in SE Turkey, to discuss the wide range of sources present including the hitherto poorly understood Group 3d. Our integrated study of the techno-morphological and contextual aspects of the artefacts alongside the provenance analysis also allows us to track the use of obsidian through time and to profile the use of individual sources.
Contact across long distances is evident in the Neolithic of the Near East, whether driven by soc... more Contact across long distances is evident in the Neolithic of the Near East, whether driven by social networks, exchange links, or movement of individuals or populations. Movement of material, such as obsidian, can elucidate these processes but is often studied within a bounded world that places Mesopotamia at the center. This paper focuses on links that cut across the traditionally imposed boundaries between Northern Mesopotamia and the Caucasus. While Armenia is one of the world’s most obsidian-rich landscapes, reports of Armenian obsidians in Northern Mesopotamia are scarce. The confirmation (or lack thereof) of these rare reports has important consequences regarding the movement of people, material, and information out of the Caucasus. As discussed here, all but one report either cannot be corroborated or are demonstrably erroneous. For one archaeological site, data processing methods led to overlaps in the signals for different obsidian sources. For another site, one element used in source identification suffered from unsystematic error. For other sites, data and key details went unpublished at the time. To corroborate past work that had identified Armenian obsidian at Domuztepe, 66 artifacts were newly sourced by electron microprobe analysis and portable X-ray fluorescence. This sample was biased toward artifacts potentially from Armenia. Our analyses revealed that 15 artifacts match Pokr Arteni, one of the most used obsidian sources in Armenia. For reasons not yet clear, obsidian was brought to this Late Neolithic settlement over a distance of 670 km linearly and more than 800 km on foot. Additionally, there are artifacts from four other sources within the Kura-Araxes basin, lending extra support to movement of materials, if not people, between the Caucasus and Domuztepe. Furthermore, there are similar patterns in the two chemical varieties of Pokr Arteni obsidian at Domuztepe and at a Late Neolithic site in Armenia, reflecting similar processes or behaviors at this source.
in E. Healey, S. Campbell and O. Maeda (eds), The State of the Stone. Terminologies, Continuities and Contexts in Near Eastern Lithics. SENEPSE 13: 327-342. Berlin: ex oriente., 2011
This paper explores the possible links between rapid climate change (RCC) and social change in th... more This paper explores the possible links between rapid climate change (RCC) and social change in the Near East and surrounding regions (Anatolia, central Syria, southern Israel, Mesopotamia, Cyprus and eastern and central Sahara) during the ‘long’ 4th millennium (∼4500–3000) BC. Twenty terrestrial and 20 marine climate proxies are used to identify long-term trends in humidity involving transitions from humid to arid conditions and vice versa. The frequency distribution of episodes of relative aridity across these records is calculated for the period 6300–2000 BC, so that the results may be interpreted in the context of the established arid episodes associated with RCC around 6200 and 2200 BC (the 8.2 and 4.2 kyr events). We identify two distinct episodes of heightened aridity in the early-mid 4th, and late 4th millennium BC. These episodes cluster strongly at 3600–3700 and 3100–3300 BC. There is also evidence of localised aridity spikes in the 5th and 6th millennia BC. These results are used as context for the interpretation of regional and local archaeological records with a particular focus on case studies from western Syria, the middle Euphrates, southern Israel and Cyprus. Interpretation of the records involves the construction of plausible narratives of human–climate interaction informed by concepts of adaptation and resilience from the literature on contemporary (i.e. 21st century) climate change and adaptation. The results are presented alongside well-documented examples of climatically-influenced societal change in the central and eastern Sahara, where detailed geomorphological studies of ancient environments have been undertaken in tandem with archaeological research. While the narratives for the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean remain somewhat speculative, the use of resilience and adaptation frameworks allows for a more nuanced treatment of human–climate interactions and recognises the diversity and context-specificity of human responses to climatic and environmental change. Our results demonstrate that there is a need for more local environmental data to be collected ‘at source’ during archaeological excavations.
Stone Tools in Transition: From Hunter-Gatherers to Farming Societies in the Near East. Edited by Ferran Borrell, Juan José Ibáñez, Miquel Molist.Bellaterra (Barcelona) : Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei de Publicacions , 2013
"The obsidian artefacts from the Burnt House at Tell Arpachiyah, a sixth millennium site in North... more "The obsidian artefacts from the Burnt House at Tell Arpachiyah, a sixth millennium site in Northern
Mesopotamia, are exceptional in many respects and show complex life histories. Arpachiyah has also
been considered a regional centre. In this study we integrate provenance analysis, techno-typological
characteristics and skill-related attributes to re-appraise these artefacts and to examine their importance
for understanding the function and meaning of their context in an immediately pre-urban period
in which complex societies are beginning to emerge."
An overview of what has been discovered at new excavations in souther Iraq, at the Old Babylonian... more An overview of what has been discovered at new excavations in souther Iraq, at the Old Babylonian settlement of Tell Khaiber. Displayed at the 9th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East in Basel, 2014.
Benjamin W. Porter and Alexis T. Boutin (eds) Remembering and Commemorating the Dead: Recent Contributions in Bioarchaeology and Mortuary Analysis from the Ancient Near East, 2014
Human burial is generally treated as a discrete category of behavior, something that is distincti... more Human burial is generally treated as a discrete category of behavior, something that is distinctive and unique. While this may be partially true in contemporary Western society, it was not necessarily the case in the past. This chapter seeks to link patterns of human burial with a wider pattern of burial and structured disposal of things, drawing particularly on the archaeological record of late Neolithic Domuztepe in southeast Turkey. Parallels can be observed in the way in which some animal remains were disposed of,
particularly striking with dogs and feasting debris, as well as a broader practice of the deliberate burial of certain types of objects. This suggests a new view, both of the meanings attached to the things buried and of the practice of burial itself, which can in turn inform our understanding of the treatment of human remains in this time period and the close ties of commemoration and remembering/forgetting with physical acts of burial. Central to these meanings may be processes through which attachment to place was defined and links to past events were embedded in particular locations within the settlement.
In the Near East obsidian is of particular interest to archaeologists because it is an exotic mat... more In the Near East obsidian is of particular interest to archaeologists because it is an exotic material and best known for is use in tool manufacture, but it is also occasionally used to make items of personal adornment. Some of these items are very highly finished, while others appear much more rudimentary though it is by no means obvious why this should be. Here we will review such artefacts at two contemporary late Neolithic communities, Domuztepe in SE Anatolia and Tell Arpachiyah in northern Iraq. Both have seemingly unusually high numbers of such objects as well as evidence for obsidian tool production on site. At Domuztepe some objects are highly finished while others appear much more ad hoc. At Arpachiyah on the other hand, the objects appear very similar to each other so as to seem standardised or at least the product of a single workshop. Our main aim in this paper is to try to unravel the evidence needed to determine whether they were produced on site, or whether they were acquired as finished objects (or both).
An overview of what has been discovered at new excavations in souther Iraq, at the Old Babylonian... more An overview of what has been discovered at new excavations in souther Iraq, at the Old Babylonian settlement of Tell Khaiber. Displayed at the 9th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East in Basel, 2014.
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Mesopotamia, are exceptional in many respects and show complex life histories. Arpachiyah has also
been considered a regional centre. In this study we integrate provenance analysis, techno-typological
characteristics and skill-related attributes to re-appraise these artefacts and to examine their importance
for understanding the function and meaning of their context in an immediately pre-urban period
in which complex societies are beginning to emerge."
particularly striking with dogs and feasting debris, as well as a broader practice of the deliberate burial of certain types of objects. This suggests a new view, both of the meanings attached to the things buried and of the practice of burial itself, which can in turn inform our understanding of the treatment of human remains in this time period and the close ties of commemoration and remembering/forgetting with physical acts of burial. Central to these meanings may be processes through which attachment to place was defined and links to past events were embedded in particular locations within the settlement.
and best known for is use in tool manufacture, but it is also occasionally used to make items of
personal adornment. Some of these items are very highly finished, while others appear much more
rudimentary though it is by no means obvious why this should be. Here we will review such artefacts
at two contemporary late Neolithic communities, Domuztepe in SE Anatolia and Tell Arpachiyah in
northern Iraq. Both have seemingly unusually high numbers of such objects as well as evidence for
obsidian tool production on site. At Domuztepe some objects are highly finished while others appear
much more ad hoc. At Arpachiyah on the other hand, the objects appear very similar to each other so
as to seem standardised or at least the product of a single workshop. Our main aim in this paper is to
try to unravel the evidence needed to determine whether they were produced on site, or whether they
were acquired as finished objects (or both).
Mesopotamia, are exceptional in many respects and show complex life histories. Arpachiyah has also
been considered a regional centre. In this study we integrate provenance analysis, techno-typological
characteristics and skill-related attributes to re-appraise these artefacts and to examine their importance
for understanding the function and meaning of their context in an immediately pre-urban period
in which complex societies are beginning to emerge."
particularly striking with dogs and feasting debris, as well as a broader practice of the deliberate burial of certain types of objects. This suggests a new view, both of the meanings attached to the things buried and of the practice of burial itself, which can in turn inform our understanding of the treatment of human remains in this time period and the close ties of commemoration and remembering/forgetting with physical acts of burial. Central to these meanings may be processes through which attachment to place was defined and links to past events were embedded in particular locations within the settlement.
and best known for is use in tool manufacture, but it is also occasionally used to make items of
personal adornment. Some of these items are very highly finished, while others appear much more
rudimentary though it is by no means obvious why this should be. Here we will review such artefacts
at two contemporary late Neolithic communities, Domuztepe in SE Anatolia and Tell Arpachiyah in
northern Iraq. Both have seemingly unusually high numbers of such objects as well as evidence for
obsidian tool production on site. At Domuztepe some objects are highly finished while others appear
much more ad hoc. At Arpachiyah on the other hand, the objects appear very similar to each other so
as to seem standardised or at least the product of a single workshop. Our main aim in this paper is to
try to unravel the evidence needed to determine whether they were produced on site, or whether they
were acquired as finished objects (or both).