Archaeological perspectives on houses and households in third millennium Mesopotamian society / by Alessandra Salvin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Salvin, Alessandra, author.

Contributor:

ProQuest ebook central.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dwellings--Iraq--History--To 1500.

Dwellings.

History.

Iraq--Antiquities.

Iraq.

Antiquities.

Iran--Antiquities.

Iran.

Assyria--Antiquities.

Assyria.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xviii, 319 pages) : illustrations, maps, plans

Place of Publication:

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

There have been few studies in Ancient Near Eastern archaeology that have concentrated on domestic buildings, with little existent information about houses. This represents a serious lacuna in the knowledge of Mesopotamian culture, considering the importance of the house in society, as the main space of social dynamics. This book addresses this gap, analysing the characteristics and the variations of Mesopotamian houses in the third millennium, which represents a critical period for early urbanization. It identifies common aspects and differences, and relates those characteristics to the socio-economical history of the period to broaden the understanding of this interesting period in Mesopotamian culture. To examine variations and use of space, seven sites were analysed from north (Tell Melebiya, Titris Höyük, and Tell Taya), central (Khafajah and Tell Asmar) and south Mesopotamia (Tell Abu Salabikh and Shuruppak) for a total number of 68 house plans. Several aspects have been investigated, such as the size of households, the evidence of wealth, the concept of privacy, and the role of women in society. The database of houses collected in this book also offers a reference for other sites to analyse houses and households. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Theoretical Background 3

1.1 The Archaeological Significance of Houses 3

1.2 Research Context 5

1.3 Research Issues and Questions 9

1.3.1 How large were Mesopotamian residential groups? 10

1.3.2 How was space used in Mesopotamian houses? 11

1.3.3 What evidence is there of variation in the wealth of Mesopotamian houses? 12

1.3.4 What was private and public for the occupants of Mesopotamian houses? 13

1.4 Spatial Studies 14

1.5 House, Household and Society in Upper and Lower Mesopotamia 17

1.5.1 Lower Mesopotamia 19

1.5.2 Upper Mesopotamia 22

Chapter 2 Methodology 25

2.1 A Survey of Some Methodologies in Houses and Household Analysis 26

2.1.1 Typology 26

2.1.2 Features 27

2.1.3 Architectural Reconstruction 29

2.1.4 Texts 29

2.2 Ground Plan Analysis 30

2.3 Space Syntax 31

2.4 Ethnography and Ethnoarchaeology 34

2.4.1 Kramer's Village Ethnoarchaeology 36

2.4.2 Archaeological Ethnography in Western Iran 40

2.4.3 Home's Study of Village Spaces 51

2.4.4 Seeden's Analysis of Syrian Villages 56

2.4.5 Villages in Jordan 56

2.4.6 Cater Höyük 57

2.4.7 The Kurdish Woman's Life 57

Chapter 3 North Region Case Study: Tell Melebiya, Titris Höyük and Tell Taya 69

3.1 Tell Melebiya 70

3.1.1 House B1 75

3.1.2 House B2 78

3.1.3 House B4 80

3.1.4 House B7 83

3.1.5 House G1 86

3.1.6 House B6 89

3.1.7 House C2 90

3.1.8 House G2 92

3.2 Titris Höyük 96

3.2.1 Building Unit I 99

3.2.2 Building Unit II 101

3.2.3 Building Unit IV 103

3.2.4 Building Unit 1 110

3.3 Tell Taya 114

3.3.1 Area AAr 120

3.3.2 Area Py 121

3.3.3 Area Qaa 122

3.3.4 Area Qbb 123

3.3.5 Area Tcc 125

3.3.6 Area Ucc 126

3.3.7 Area Vx 127

3.3.8 Area Yr/s 129

3.4 Summary 131

Chapter 4 Central Region Case Study: Khafajah and Tell Asmar 133

4.1 Khafajah 133

4.1.1 Khafajah Mound A 137

4.1.2 Khafajah Mound B and C 174

4.1.3 Khafajah Mound D 174

4.2 Tell Asmar 175

4.2.1 Stratum Vc 178

4.2.2 Stratum Vb 191

4.2.3 Stratum Va 197

4.3 Summary 222

Chapter 5 South Region Case Study: Tell Abu Salabikh and Shuruppak 227

5.1 Tell Abu Salabikh 227

5.1.1 Building 5G65 231

5.1.2 Building 6H82 234

5.1.3 Southern Unit 237

5.1.4 Burned Building 242

5.2 Shuruppak 248

5.2.1 House Vlak-al 252

5.2.2 House Vlls-u 254

5.2.3 House XVa-d 259

5.2.4 House XVad 262

Chapter 6 Discussion 273

6.1 How Large were Mesopotamian Residential Groups? 273

6.2 How was Space used in Mesopotamian Houses? 277

6.2.1 Open Courtyard 277

6.2.2 Features in Rooms 281

6.3 What Evidence is there of Variation in the Wealth of Mesopotamian Houses? 293

6.4 What was Private and Public for the Occupants of Mesopotamian Houses? 296

Chapter 7 Conclusions 307.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [311]-319).

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI Available via World Wide Web.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781527516809

1527516806

Publisher Number:

99984207037

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.