"Walled up to heaven" : the evolution of Middle Bronze Age fortification strategies in the Levant / by Aaron A. Burke.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Burke, Aaron A., author.

Series:

Studies in the archaeology and history of the Levant ; 4.

Harvard Semitic Museum Publications E-Book Collection, ISBN ; 9789004365230.

Studies in the archaeology and history of the Levant ; 4

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fortification--Middle East--History--To 1500.

Fortification.

Bronze age--Middle East.

Bronze age.

History.

Middle East.

Antiquities.

Military architecture.

Siege warfare.

Middle East--Antiquities.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xix, 362 pages) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Winona Lake, Ind. : Eisenbrauns, 2008.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

As the first comprehensive study of fortification systems and defensive strategies in the Levant during the Middle Bronze Age (circa 1900 to 1500 B.C.E.), Walled up to Heaven is an indispensable contribution to the study of this period and of early warfare in the ancient Near East. Although archaeologists and ancient historians alike have discussed a variety of theories regarding the origin and cultural significance of the construction of earthen ramparts during the Middle Bronze Age, only this work addresses these questions in detail. In a tour de force, Burke traces the diachronic evolution and geographic distribution of the architectural features and settlement strategies connected with the emergence of Middle Bronze Age defenses in the Levant. By synthesizing historical and archaeological data from Mesopotamia and Egypt as well as the Levant, he reveals the interconnectedness of the Near Eastern world during the first half of the second millennium to an extent not recently considered. The result is a detailed employment of cognitive, social, and dirt archaeology to reconstruct the political, social, military, and cultural implications of the construction of monumental defenses and the development of defensive networks during the period of Amorite hegemony in the Levant.

Contents:

Preliminary Material / Aaron A. Burke

Researching Middle Bronze Age Fortifications / Aaron A. Burke

Weaponry and the Art of WAR (CA. 2500-1500 B.C.) / Aaron A. Burke

Middle Bronze Age Fortifications / Aaron A. Burke

A History of Warfare in the Levant (CA. 2500-1460 B.C.) / Aaron A. Burke

Defensive Strategies and Political Organization / Aaron A. Burke

The Socioeconomic Impact of Fortification Construction / Aaron A. Burke

Conclusions / Aaron A. Burke

Northwestern Mesopotamia (CA. 3000-1500 B.C.) / Aaron A. Burke

The Levant (CA. 2400-1500 B.C.) / Aaron A. Burke

Egypt / Aaron A. Burke

Bibliography / Aaron A. Burke

Index / Aaron A. Burke.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 321-349) and index.

Other Format:

Print version: Walled Up to Heaven: The Evolution of Middle Bronze Age Fortification Strategies in the Levant

ISBN:

9789004376687

OCLC:

191865735

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004376687 DOI

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.