Luca Volpi
CIVIS3i-MSCA Post-doctoral fellow (2022-EnEAp-231) at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Luca Volpi is an archaeologist of Western Asia specialised in material culture studies, with active collaborations in Iraq, Türkiye, and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Luca holds a Ph.D. from Sapienza Università di Roma. His current project focuses on the conservation and restoration practices of archaeological earthen architectures in Western Asia.
Postdoctoral researcher at Sapienza Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità, for the project: “Wetlands. Per un’analisi storico-archeologico del paesaggio antico della regione dell’Iraq sud-orientale”/"Wetlands. For an archaeological-historical analysis of the ancient landscape of south-eastern Iraq". PRIN 2017 “Fluid Crescent. Water and Life in the Societies of the Ancient Near East”.
Short-term Postdoctoral Fellow at the Orient-Abteilung of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI), Berlin, Germany, with a research entitled: “Earthen Architecture Conservation and Restoration Practices in Western Asia: an Analysis”.
Research Fellow at Sapienza University of Rome (Near Eastern Archaeology). My research interests centre on Near Eastern archaeology over the long durée, with a special focus for the period between the VI and the end of the III Millennium BC (Prehistory and Early Bronze Age). As a pottery specialist, my research focuses on early pottery traditions, both in terms of chrono-morphology and technology (chaîne opératoire).
My PhD research focuses on the analysis of the ‘Ubaid’/‘Black-on-Buff’ pottery in both the southern Mesopotamia and the Greater Mesopotamia. I developed a careful reconstruction of the entire ‘Ubaid’ pottery sequence in southern Mesopotamia, and I proceeded to the identification of distinctive ‘ceramic regions’ within the ‘Ubaid’/‘Black-on-Buff’ Horizon in the Greater Mesopotamia. On a larger scale, through my study I have contributed to significantly expand the knowledge about the interaction patterns of ancient communities in their landscapes.
I am currently involved with several excavations: in Iraq, at the sites of Tell Zurghul/Nigin (2015-present) and Nuffar/Nippur (2024-present), in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (ReLand project; 2023-present), and in Türkiye, at the site of Domuztepe (2019-present).
Luca Volpi is an archaeologist of Western Asia specialised in material culture studies, with active collaborations in Iraq, Türkiye, and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Luca holds a Ph.D. from Sapienza Università di Roma. His current project focuses on the conservation and restoration practices of archaeological earthen architectures in Western Asia.
Postdoctoral researcher at Sapienza Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità, for the project: “Wetlands. Per un’analisi storico-archeologico del paesaggio antico della regione dell’Iraq sud-orientale”/"Wetlands. For an archaeological-historical analysis of the ancient landscape of south-eastern Iraq". PRIN 2017 “Fluid Crescent. Water and Life in the Societies of the Ancient Near East”.
Short-term Postdoctoral Fellow at the Orient-Abteilung of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI), Berlin, Germany, with a research entitled: “Earthen Architecture Conservation and Restoration Practices in Western Asia: an Analysis”.
Research Fellow at Sapienza University of Rome (Near Eastern Archaeology). My research interests centre on Near Eastern archaeology over the long durée, with a special focus for the period between the VI and the end of the III Millennium BC (Prehistory and Early Bronze Age). As a pottery specialist, my research focuses on early pottery traditions, both in terms of chrono-morphology and technology (chaîne opératoire).
My PhD research focuses on the analysis of the ‘Ubaid’/‘Black-on-Buff’ pottery in both the southern Mesopotamia and the Greater Mesopotamia. I developed a careful reconstruction of the entire ‘Ubaid’ pottery sequence in southern Mesopotamia, and I proceeded to the identification of distinctive ‘ceramic regions’ within the ‘Ubaid’/‘Black-on-Buff’ Horizon in the Greater Mesopotamia. On a larger scale, through my study I have contributed to significantly expand the knowledge about the interaction patterns of ancient communities in their landscapes.
I am currently involved with several excavations: in Iraq, at the sites of Tell Zurghul/Nigin (2015-present) and Nuffar/Nippur (2024-present), in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (ReLand project; 2023-present), and in Türkiye, at the site of Domuztepe (2019-present).
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Papers by Luca Volpi
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EN: Conservation and restoration of archaeological earthen architecture in the countries of Western and Central Asia is critical but challenging due to the tendency of earthen architecture to deteriorate once exposed to weathering and other decay agents. The paper presents a comparative analysis of the practices carried out in the area, with the use of satellite environmental and climatic data about rainfall, snow-ice cover, and average land surface temperature data for day and night. The aim is to propose an approach that gives the opportunity to compare the different practices employed and their effectiveness on the basis of various climatic and environmental elements.
Link: https://publications.dainst.org/journals/efb/article/view/4316
DAI-Journal-Viewer: https://lens.idai.world/?url=/repository/eDAI-F_2023-2/02_eDAI-F_2023-2_Volpi.xml
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34780/cp19-f480
Ongoing studies on the “Ubaid pottery” are leading to overcome the early attention towards the painted decorative motifs favouring a more detailed analysis aiming to reconstruct the peculiar and intrinsic features of the repertoire (in terms of morphology, technology, and decoration).
Technological analyses aimed at identifying how those vessels were made can play a significant part. The recognition of specific traits for identifying primary forming techniques and secondary refining procedures are suggestive of peculiar technological choices which have a value for understanding who realised those vessels.
The case-study here proposed is based on some pottery materials found in situ on the floor-level L.364 from the newly excavated site of Tell Zurghul, Southern Mesopotamia.
The preliminary results lead to the identification of different technological “ways of doing things” that might be the consequence of various traditions inherited within different social groups (in this case, different families producing their pots and living together within the same site).
The preliminary analysis here presented represents just the first step in the process, and it is meant to be of encouragement for building up our knowledge of the technological procedures employed by the potters producing the “Ubaid” repertoire and for investigating the social stratus hidden behind it.
URL: https://editorial.ugr.es/libro/new-insights-in-ceramic-metallurgical-technologies_139371/?fbclid=IwAR0x7U9w9KYJW4hzrvWLkWuhhQNn1UvnhSC4SKr6jOtIn25cOnzq6x9RBl0
Résumé: Trois décennies après les dernières fouilles préhistoriques dans le sud de la Mésopotamie, de nouvelles fouilles dans l'Area B de Tell Zurghul/Nigin ont révélé une série de structures superposées datées du cinquième millénaire avant notre ère (phase Obeid 4). Sur la base d'une approche typochronologique, l'article fournit un aperçu actualisé du matériel céramique collecté lors des campagnes 2015-2019 sur le site, ainsi qu'une réanalyse du matériel céramique et des contextes provenant de sites coexistants dans le sud de la Mésopotamie (en particulier Tell al-Muqayyar/Ur). Les résultats obtenus questionnent partiellement la classification des phases (Obeid 0-5) proposée précédemment sur la base d'une approche stylistique, et constituent un premier pas en direction d'une périodisation céramique basée sur des aspects morphologiques et strictement liée à la stratigraphie.
Paléorient 48-1, pp. 175 - 199.
Full version available here: https://journals.openedition.org/paleorient/1765
Alternatively, if interested, please email me.
Published in: R. Özbal, M. Erdalkiran, and Y. Tonoike (eds.), Neolithic Pottery from the Near East. Production, Distribution and Use - Third International Workshop on Ceramics from the Late Neolithic Near East 7-9 March, 2019 – Antalya, İstanbul, pp. 117-140.
If interested, please email me.
Published in: M. Arntz and M. Lewis (eds.), The Chaîne Opératoire: Past, Present and Future (Archaeological Review from Cambridge 35.1), Cambridge, pp. 90-111.
determinants for dating selected grave contexts.
Iraq 82, pp. 227 - 257.
Full version available here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/iraq/article/royal-cemetery-at-ur-during-the-second-half-of-the-third-millennium-bc-pottery-analysis-through-the-use-of-archival-data-a-case-study/51308BB79009DC48575BBF17302257E0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/irq.2020.2
Alternatively, if interested, please email me.
Published in D. Nadali and A. Polcaro (eds), The Italian Archaeological Excavations at Tell Zurghul, ancient Nigin, Iraq. Final Report of the Seasons 2015-2017 (Quaderni di Vicino Oriente XVI), Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, pp. 53-87.
TALKS by Luca Volpi
Luca Volpi – Sapienza Università di Roma
Session: Field Report
Since 2015, the Italian Archaeological Expedition at Tell Zurghul/Nigin is involved in the excavation of the lower Mound of the site, where a late ‘Ubaid’ settlement (Ubaid 4) appeared immediately below the surface.
The present paper is dedicated to the presentation of the results obtained in the excavation campaigns 2021 and 2022.
The 2021 excavation has focused on the excavation of a “Step Trench” on the northern side of the mound, with the aim to comprehend the extent and dating of the earlier occupation of the mound.
The 2022 excavation has resumed the excavation of the top of the mound, where three architectural phases have already been detected. The aim of the excavation was to clarify the nature of the second architectural phase (Phase II), as well as investigating in detail the third architectural one (Phase III).
The results of the new excavations, together with a detailed pottery analysis, have contributed to expanding the knowledge of the “Ubaid” settlement at Tell Zurghul.
4th ICMA , 8–9 March 2023
UNIVERSITY OF AL-QADISIYAH, DIWANIYAH, IRAQ
Since 2015, the Italian Archaeological Expedition at Tell Zurghul/Nigin is involved in the excavation of the lower Mound of the site, where a late ‘Ubaid’ settlement (Ubaid 4) was identified immediately below the surface.
Five seasons of excavations have investigated several phases of continuous occupation of the mound, unearthing a building characterized by a central hall with adjoining side rooms. The fittings (i.e., seven entire incense burners) leads to the suggestion that this was a templar structure similar to the one at Tell Abu Shahrein/Eridu. However, this is the first time a similar structure dated to the late 5th millennium BCE is recovered in the Lagash region.
Having the opportunity to reconsider the Ubaid phase in the light of recent stratified data, the present paper is dedicated to the presentation of the results obtained from research in Area B at Tell Zurghul. The results are also contributing to expanding the knowledge of the prehistory of the Lagash region.
Organized by Anna Falke and Florian Neitmann
Universität Münster (WWU) - Münster School of Ancient Cultures (MSAC)
29.07.-30.07.2022
The Tigris is the second largest river in Western Asia and, along with the Euphrates, has contributed to the formation of an environmental system known as the ‘Fertile Crescent’, in which the earliest civilizations of the Near East were formed. However, unlike the Euphrates, which flows more gently and with a sinuous flow, the Tigris has an almost straight and more impetuous course.
Speaking in terms of mobility, the Tigris’ attributes made it an advantage (in terms of mobility along the river’s course) but also an obstacle (in terms of crossing over) for ancient peoples.
In a study area around the modern city of Mosul, this study investigates the various possible ways of crossing the Tigris River through the analysis of archaeological, historical, and cartographic data, with the aim of determining the ‘most favourable’ crossing points and their use over time.
Considering that even in historical and modern times and with advanced technical knowledge traversing the Tigris River in the Mosul area was not an easy task, the paper addresses the question of how and where it was possible to cross it in prehistoric times, given the fact that (as natural) there is evidence of contacts between the two banks.
Theme 3: Hammering the material world.
New Perspectives in the Analysis of “Ubaid” Pottery Materials from Southern Mesopotamia: Recent Analyses from the Excavations in Area B, Tell Zurghul (Iraq).
Since 2015, the Italian Archaeological Expedition to Tell Zurghul/Nigin, led by Sapienza University of Rome and University of Perugia, is conducting excavations in the area of Mound B. The area, previously investigated by R. Koldewey through a trench in 1887, has so far revealed an occupation dated to the Middle Chalcolithic period and ascribed to the Ubaid 4 - Late Ubaid phase. The works at Tell Zurghul fit into the panorama of the renewed investigations in Southern Iraq and represent an opportunity to reconsider the Ubaid phase in the light of recent data in context. The paper is dedicated to the analysis of the pottery materials found during the excavations in Area B. A morphological analysis is accompanied by a technological approach, in order to identify different technological “ways of doing things” in the production of the Ubaid painted and unpainted assemblage. The analyses of the pottery materials from Tell Zurghul will contribute to shed new light on the Ubaid horizon of Southern Mesopotamia.
Sapienza Università di Roma
18-19 febbraio 2021
Sapienza Università di Roma
12-14 febbraio 2020
Granada (online), 5-9 October 2020
A Technological Perspective in the Analysis of the Ubaid Pottery from Southern Mesopotamia through Visual and Scientific Approaches
Luca Volpi - Sapienza University of Rome
The so-called “Ubaid pottery” is a prehistoric assemblage dated to the late VII - V Millennium BC of Southern Mesopotamia, well-known for its characteristic “black-on-buff” painted decorations. The assemblage has been analysed mainly on the basis of its “stylistic” features, referring to the term “style” only as limited to decorative features, and leaving aside other aspects related to the morphology and the technology of this repertoire. Broadening the definition of the term “style”, it can be considered as an integral element of a “way of doing things,” encompassing at the same time the way of processing raw materials, the production techniques, the morphological choices made by the potters, the functional mode of use and the decorative attributes.
In this perspective, the reconstruction of technological aspects related to the preparation of raw materials, primary forming and secondary finishing processes, and firing processes is relevant for broadening our knowledge of the Ubaid pottery.
The results here proposed are derived from the visual observation of vessels and sherds from the sites of Tell Zurghul (under excavation), Tell al-Muqayyar – Ur (British Museum of London and Penn Museum of Philadelphia), Warka – Uruk (Vorderasiatisches Museum of Berlin) and Qal’at Hajji Muhammad (Vorderasiatisches Museum of Berlin) in Southern Mesopotamia, and from scientific analyses (petrography and x-radiography) in progress for the sites of Tell Zurghul and Tell al-Muqayyar – Ur.
See the website: https://sites.google.com/go.ugr.es/ceramicmetallurgictechnology/home
Ceramic Studies in the Lagash Region and Beyond: Connecting Legacy Data with New Fieldwork
Sponsored by the Center for Ancient Studies University of Pennsylvania
Penn Museum
Classroom 2
September 7, 2019
10 AM - 3 PM
The Prehistory of the Lagash Region: Ubaid Ceramic Materials from Area B, Tell Zurghul
Luca Volpi - Sapienza Università di Roma
Starting from the expeditions of R.C. Thompson at Tell Abu Shahrain/Eridu and by H.R. Hall and C.L. Woolley at Tell al-‘Ubaid in the 20’s, the knowledge of the “Ubaid” prehistoric phases of Southern Mesopotamia has increased. However, the understanding of this phase in the Lagash region is an open problem, due to an almost complete lack of data. Moreover, the ceramic horizon of the Early and Middle Chalcolithic period (end of the 7th - end of the 5th Mill. BC) is still not clearly defined, due to outdated archaeological researches and to an overstated interest to the painted materials in comparison to the unpainted assemblage.
The excavations in Area B at Tell Zurghul, conducted in two campaigns in 2015 and 2017, has so far revealed an occupation dated to the Middle Chalcolithic period and ascribed to the Ubaid 4 - Late Ubaid phase.
Dealing in particular with the pottery assemblage, the present paper represents an opportunity to reconsider the Ubaid phase in the light of recent stratified data.
Although the pottery materials from the site are still few, the work aims to discuss the issues related to the analysis of these materials and to contribute to the debate with some preliminary considerations on morphological and technological aspects of the assemblage.
Antalya, 7-9 March 2019
The Third International Workshop on Late Neolithic Pottery from the Ancient Near East is jointly organized by Koç University, Ege University and Yale University. The workshop is hosted by Koç University’s Suna and İnan Kıraç AKMED Research Institute for Mediterranean Civilizations in Antalya on 7-9 March 2019.
See the website: https://neolithic.ku.edu.tr/
Sapienza Università di Roma
30-31 gennaio 2019
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EN: Conservation and restoration of archaeological earthen architecture in the countries of Western and Central Asia is critical but challenging due to the tendency of earthen architecture to deteriorate once exposed to weathering and other decay agents. The paper presents a comparative analysis of the practices carried out in the area, with the use of satellite environmental and climatic data about rainfall, snow-ice cover, and average land surface temperature data for day and night. The aim is to propose an approach that gives the opportunity to compare the different practices employed and their effectiveness on the basis of various climatic and environmental elements.
Link: https://publications.dainst.org/journals/efb/article/view/4316
DAI-Journal-Viewer: https://lens.idai.world/?url=/repository/eDAI-F_2023-2/02_eDAI-F_2023-2_Volpi.xml
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34780/cp19-f480
Ongoing studies on the “Ubaid pottery” are leading to overcome the early attention towards the painted decorative motifs favouring a more detailed analysis aiming to reconstruct the peculiar and intrinsic features of the repertoire (in terms of morphology, technology, and decoration).
Technological analyses aimed at identifying how those vessels were made can play a significant part. The recognition of specific traits for identifying primary forming techniques and secondary refining procedures are suggestive of peculiar technological choices which have a value for understanding who realised those vessels.
The case-study here proposed is based on some pottery materials found in situ on the floor-level L.364 from the newly excavated site of Tell Zurghul, Southern Mesopotamia.
The preliminary results lead to the identification of different technological “ways of doing things” that might be the consequence of various traditions inherited within different social groups (in this case, different families producing their pots and living together within the same site).
The preliminary analysis here presented represents just the first step in the process, and it is meant to be of encouragement for building up our knowledge of the technological procedures employed by the potters producing the “Ubaid” repertoire and for investigating the social stratus hidden behind it.
URL: https://editorial.ugr.es/libro/new-insights-in-ceramic-metallurgical-technologies_139371/?fbclid=IwAR0x7U9w9KYJW4hzrvWLkWuhhQNn1UvnhSC4SKr6jOtIn25cOnzq6x9RBl0
Résumé: Trois décennies après les dernières fouilles préhistoriques dans le sud de la Mésopotamie, de nouvelles fouilles dans l'Area B de Tell Zurghul/Nigin ont révélé une série de structures superposées datées du cinquième millénaire avant notre ère (phase Obeid 4). Sur la base d'une approche typochronologique, l'article fournit un aperçu actualisé du matériel céramique collecté lors des campagnes 2015-2019 sur le site, ainsi qu'une réanalyse du matériel céramique et des contextes provenant de sites coexistants dans le sud de la Mésopotamie (en particulier Tell al-Muqayyar/Ur). Les résultats obtenus questionnent partiellement la classification des phases (Obeid 0-5) proposée précédemment sur la base d'une approche stylistique, et constituent un premier pas en direction d'une périodisation céramique basée sur des aspects morphologiques et strictement liée à la stratigraphie.
Paléorient 48-1, pp. 175 - 199.
Full version available here: https://journals.openedition.org/paleorient/1765
Alternatively, if interested, please email me.
Published in: R. Özbal, M. Erdalkiran, and Y. Tonoike (eds.), Neolithic Pottery from the Near East. Production, Distribution and Use - Third International Workshop on Ceramics from the Late Neolithic Near East 7-9 March, 2019 – Antalya, İstanbul, pp. 117-140.
If interested, please email me.
Published in: M. Arntz and M. Lewis (eds.), The Chaîne Opératoire: Past, Present and Future (Archaeological Review from Cambridge 35.1), Cambridge, pp. 90-111.
determinants for dating selected grave contexts.
Iraq 82, pp. 227 - 257.
Full version available here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/iraq/article/royal-cemetery-at-ur-during-the-second-half-of-the-third-millennium-bc-pottery-analysis-through-the-use-of-archival-data-a-case-study/51308BB79009DC48575BBF17302257E0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/irq.2020.2
Alternatively, if interested, please email me.
Published in D. Nadali and A. Polcaro (eds), The Italian Archaeological Excavations at Tell Zurghul, ancient Nigin, Iraq. Final Report of the Seasons 2015-2017 (Quaderni di Vicino Oriente XVI), Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, pp. 53-87.
Luca Volpi – Sapienza Università di Roma
Session: Field Report
Since 2015, the Italian Archaeological Expedition at Tell Zurghul/Nigin is involved in the excavation of the lower Mound of the site, where a late ‘Ubaid’ settlement (Ubaid 4) appeared immediately below the surface.
The present paper is dedicated to the presentation of the results obtained in the excavation campaigns 2021 and 2022.
The 2021 excavation has focused on the excavation of a “Step Trench” on the northern side of the mound, with the aim to comprehend the extent and dating of the earlier occupation of the mound.
The 2022 excavation has resumed the excavation of the top of the mound, where three architectural phases have already been detected. The aim of the excavation was to clarify the nature of the second architectural phase (Phase II), as well as investigating in detail the third architectural one (Phase III).
The results of the new excavations, together with a detailed pottery analysis, have contributed to expanding the knowledge of the “Ubaid” settlement at Tell Zurghul.
4th ICMA , 8–9 March 2023
UNIVERSITY OF AL-QADISIYAH, DIWANIYAH, IRAQ
Since 2015, the Italian Archaeological Expedition at Tell Zurghul/Nigin is involved in the excavation of the lower Mound of the site, where a late ‘Ubaid’ settlement (Ubaid 4) was identified immediately below the surface.
Five seasons of excavations have investigated several phases of continuous occupation of the mound, unearthing a building characterized by a central hall with adjoining side rooms. The fittings (i.e., seven entire incense burners) leads to the suggestion that this was a templar structure similar to the one at Tell Abu Shahrein/Eridu. However, this is the first time a similar structure dated to the late 5th millennium BCE is recovered in the Lagash region.
Having the opportunity to reconsider the Ubaid phase in the light of recent stratified data, the present paper is dedicated to the presentation of the results obtained from research in Area B at Tell Zurghul. The results are also contributing to expanding the knowledge of the prehistory of the Lagash region.
Organized by Anna Falke and Florian Neitmann
Universität Münster (WWU) - Münster School of Ancient Cultures (MSAC)
29.07.-30.07.2022
The Tigris is the second largest river in Western Asia and, along with the Euphrates, has contributed to the formation of an environmental system known as the ‘Fertile Crescent’, in which the earliest civilizations of the Near East were formed. However, unlike the Euphrates, which flows more gently and with a sinuous flow, the Tigris has an almost straight and more impetuous course.
Speaking in terms of mobility, the Tigris’ attributes made it an advantage (in terms of mobility along the river’s course) but also an obstacle (in terms of crossing over) for ancient peoples.
In a study area around the modern city of Mosul, this study investigates the various possible ways of crossing the Tigris River through the analysis of archaeological, historical, and cartographic data, with the aim of determining the ‘most favourable’ crossing points and their use over time.
Considering that even in historical and modern times and with advanced technical knowledge traversing the Tigris River in the Mosul area was not an easy task, the paper addresses the question of how and where it was possible to cross it in prehistoric times, given the fact that (as natural) there is evidence of contacts between the two banks.
Theme 3: Hammering the material world.
New Perspectives in the Analysis of “Ubaid” Pottery Materials from Southern Mesopotamia: Recent Analyses from the Excavations in Area B, Tell Zurghul (Iraq).
Since 2015, the Italian Archaeological Expedition to Tell Zurghul/Nigin, led by Sapienza University of Rome and University of Perugia, is conducting excavations in the area of Mound B. The area, previously investigated by R. Koldewey through a trench in 1887, has so far revealed an occupation dated to the Middle Chalcolithic period and ascribed to the Ubaid 4 - Late Ubaid phase. The works at Tell Zurghul fit into the panorama of the renewed investigations in Southern Iraq and represent an opportunity to reconsider the Ubaid phase in the light of recent data in context. The paper is dedicated to the analysis of the pottery materials found during the excavations in Area B. A morphological analysis is accompanied by a technological approach, in order to identify different technological “ways of doing things” in the production of the Ubaid painted and unpainted assemblage. The analyses of the pottery materials from Tell Zurghul will contribute to shed new light on the Ubaid horizon of Southern Mesopotamia.
Sapienza Università di Roma
18-19 febbraio 2021
Sapienza Università di Roma
12-14 febbraio 2020
Granada (online), 5-9 October 2020
A Technological Perspective in the Analysis of the Ubaid Pottery from Southern Mesopotamia through Visual and Scientific Approaches
Luca Volpi - Sapienza University of Rome
The so-called “Ubaid pottery” is a prehistoric assemblage dated to the late VII - V Millennium BC of Southern Mesopotamia, well-known for its characteristic “black-on-buff” painted decorations. The assemblage has been analysed mainly on the basis of its “stylistic” features, referring to the term “style” only as limited to decorative features, and leaving aside other aspects related to the morphology and the technology of this repertoire. Broadening the definition of the term “style”, it can be considered as an integral element of a “way of doing things,” encompassing at the same time the way of processing raw materials, the production techniques, the morphological choices made by the potters, the functional mode of use and the decorative attributes.
In this perspective, the reconstruction of technological aspects related to the preparation of raw materials, primary forming and secondary finishing processes, and firing processes is relevant for broadening our knowledge of the Ubaid pottery.
The results here proposed are derived from the visual observation of vessels and sherds from the sites of Tell Zurghul (under excavation), Tell al-Muqayyar – Ur (British Museum of London and Penn Museum of Philadelphia), Warka – Uruk (Vorderasiatisches Museum of Berlin) and Qal’at Hajji Muhammad (Vorderasiatisches Museum of Berlin) in Southern Mesopotamia, and from scientific analyses (petrography and x-radiography) in progress for the sites of Tell Zurghul and Tell al-Muqayyar – Ur.
See the website: https://sites.google.com/go.ugr.es/ceramicmetallurgictechnology/home
Ceramic Studies in the Lagash Region and Beyond: Connecting Legacy Data with New Fieldwork
Sponsored by the Center for Ancient Studies University of Pennsylvania
Penn Museum
Classroom 2
September 7, 2019
10 AM - 3 PM
The Prehistory of the Lagash Region: Ubaid Ceramic Materials from Area B, Tell Zurghul
Luca Volpi - Sapienza Università di Roma
Starting from the expeditions of R.C. Thompson at Tell Abu Shahrain/Eridu and by H.R. Hall and C.L. Woolley at Tell al-‘Ubaid in the 20’s, the knowledge of the “Ubaid” prehistoric phases of Southern Mesopotamia has increased. However, the understanding of this phase in the Lagash region is an open problem, due to an almost complete lack of data. Moreover, the ceramic horizon of the Early and Middle Chalcolithic period (end of the 7th - end of the 5th Mill. BC) is still not clearly defined, due to outdated archaeological researches and to an overstated interest to the painted materials in comparison to the unpainted assemblage.
The excavations in Area B at Tell Zurghul, conducted in two campaigns in 2015 and 2017, has so far revealed an occupation dated to the Middle Chalcolithic period and ascribed to the Ubaid 4 - Late Ubaid phase.
Dealing in particular with the pottery assemblage, the present paper represents an opportunity to reconsider the Ubaid phase in the light of recent stratified data.
Although the pottery materials from the site are still few, the work aims to discuss the issues related to the analysis of these materials and to contribute to the debate with some preliminary considerations on morphological and technological aspects of the assemblage.
Antalya, 7-9 March 2019
The Third International Workshop on Late Neolithic Pottery from the Ancient Near East is jointly organized by Koç University, Ege University and Yale University. The workshop is hosted by Koç University’s Suna and İnan Kıraç AKMED Research Institute for Mediterranean Civilizations in Antalya on 7-9 March 2019.
See the website: https://neolithic.ku.edu.tr/
Sapienza Università di Roma
30-31 gennaio 2019
Luca Volpi – Sapienza Università di Roma
International Conference
"The World in Motion: Language, Culture, and Intercultural
Communication in Asian and African Studies"
University of Warsaw
Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28
00-927 Warsaw, Poland
30.09.2016
Studies on domestic contexts allow us to know more about ancient society than any other archaeological context. This is even more true in Near Eastern Archaeology, mostly based on the analysis of major public buildings, like palaces and temples.
The so called “Uruk period” (3900 – 3100 BC ca) develops in Southern Mesopotamia at the beginning of the IV millennium BC and gradually spreads all over the “Greater Mesopotamia”: from the Middle Euphrates to the medium and high valley of Tigris, From the Susiana to the Arabic/Persian Gulf.
How this spread happened is not clear enough: in fact we have evident examples of new foundations (it is the case of the so called “Uruk colonies”); but we could have also cases in which Uruk and local elements coexist inside a tripartite structure or cases in which they coexist where the architecture is completely different from what we would expect.
The aim of this preliminary work is to analyze the problems involved in the reconstruction of these contexts in this specific period and to focus also on the architecture of these private buildings. From at least the ‘80s indeed is taken for granted that the tripartite model of the houses was one of the distinctive features of Uruk culture all over the “Greater Mesopotamia” as well as the fundamental role of the southerners in the cultural development of this region compared to the minor one of the northerners. The selection of archaeological sites analyzed offer a more complex view of the problem and could let us to suggest for a more ancient development of the tripartite scheme and for a more complex interaction between local societies and Uruk people.
Usually, sealings are quite largely made of clay with seal impressions on the front, while the use of bitumen is less evident and for that reason, the materials from ancient Nigin represent a significant contribution to the study and analysis of storage and management of goods.
Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), 3–7 April 2018
Luca Volpi – Sapienza Università di Roma
63rd Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale
Philipps-Universität Marburg
Marburg, Germany
July 24-28, 2017
Excavations at Ur, conducted by Sir L. Woolley between the '20s and' 30s of the XX century, immediately attracted the attention of scholars of Near Eastern Archaeology and non-experts.
The discovering of the so-called “Royal Cemetery” is one of the most exciting; the necropolis is located in the south-eastern part of the sacred area of Ur and most of the burials presents elite signs and symbols: in terms of grave goods, because of the built structure of some of these graves and the collective death rituals that were carried out in some tombs considered as “royal”.
From a chronological perspective, the oldest tombs belong to the Jemdet Nasr period. The largest group of burials is rather dated from ED IIIA period, encompassing 660 graves in Woolley’s reconstruction, to the ED IIIB period. This is the phase of to the so-called "Royal Tombs".
Finally, there are two additional burial groups: those so-called "Sargonid" graves, the latest according to Woolley, and a small group of graves belonging to the period of the "Second Dynasty of Ur". In terms of relative chronology these are between the ED period and the "Sargonid" period.
A reconsideration of the relative chronology of the cemetery were made by scholars such as B. Buchanan, H.J. Nissen and S. Pollock, who, despite proposing very different dating, pointed out the existence of a burial phase belonging to the last centuries of the III Millennium B.C.
This work aims to re-analyze the burials from the "Royal Cemetery" of Ur belonging to this terminal phase of the III Millennium B.C. Priority will be given to stratigraphy and material culture, trying to provide a sequence of post-Akkadian/neo-Sumerian phases of the necropolis. The documentation mostly consists of the original writings of Sir L. Woolley and the objects kept in the British Museum of London.
Therefore, the study proposes to fix and analyze critically the documentation related to the burials in question and to provide a ceramic sequence and a sequence of the most important materials found within these burials, comparing them with the sequences available from recent excavations, and proposing an updated classification of this post-Akkadian/neo-Sumerian phase of the “Royal Cemetery”.
Luca Volpi – Sapienza Università di Roma
Graduate Archaeology Oxford (GAO) 2017
“Movement and Conflict in Archaeological Research”
University of Oxford
Merton College,
Merton Street
Oxford OX1 4JD
United Kingdom
10th-11th March, 2017
During the second half of the IV Millennium BC a great movement of people occurred in the area of “Greater Mesopotamia”. From the South, characterized by Uruk culture, people moved to the upper areas of Northern Tigris and to the Middle Euphrates Valley. The modality and reasons of this movement are not yet clear enough; nor the relationships between locals and southern people. In particular, the sites of Habuba Kabira and Jebel Aruda are noteworthy: with little local influences concerning material culture, they seem to be “Colonies” inhabited exclusively by southern people.
What is their function? Many scholars interpreted them as Trade Colonies, focusing on commerce as the main reason for these settlements. Nevertheless the archaeological data especially coming from the South are not sufficient to interpret these colonies as commercial sites.
The present paper intends to better define what a Trade Colony is: as to test or deny this assumption, other archaeological contexts will be taken into account. Starting from methodological studies based on acknowledged trade centres, the research aims to outline the peculiar traits of commercial sites trying to understand if the definition of the Uruk “Colonies” outside southern Mesopotamia as trade settlements is still valid.
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Broadening Horizons (BH) is a series of international conferences organized by and dedicated to graduate, postgraduate students, and early-career researchers dealing with the broad field of the human past in Western Asia and Egypt, including pre-Classical and Classical periods.
The seventh edition - Broadening Horizons 7 (BH7) - has as its overall theme "Changes, Challenges and New Frontiers" and will be hosted at Sapienza University of Rome, February 10-14, 2025. The 5-day conference will take place in a hybrid format, both in-person and online.
The conference is structured in five parallel thematic sessions, which promote the scientific exchange between scholars from different fields, including archaeological, anthropological, historical, philological, and cultural heritage studies, as well as related interdisciplinary fields.