Ziyaret Tepe, the ancient city of Tušhan, was a provincial capital of the Assyrian Empire, in its day the greatest the world had ever seen. The excavations captured in this innovative book – the governor's palace, military barracks and mansions of the rich – chart the empire's history from its expansion in the early 9th century BC to its dramatic fall three centuries later, providing insights into the daily lives of both the commoners and Assyrian elites who inhabited this ancient frontier city. Fieldwork over 18 seasons uncovered areas of both the lower town and the great mound of Ziyaret Tepe which looms 22 metres above it, a record of thousands of years of human occupation. Today in southeast Turkey, near the Syrian border, Tušhan yielded exceptional finds, such as elaborate wall paintings, a hoard of luxury items burned in a cremation ritual 2,800 years ago, and a cuneiform tablet that hints at a previously unknown language. The story of the project is told by the specialists who dedicated years of their lives to it. Geophysicists, ceramicists, readers of cuneiform, experts in weaving, board games and Neo-Assyrian politics joined archaeologists, zooarchaeologists, archaeobotanists and many others. But this is no dry field book of dusty digging. Both accessible and scholarly, it is a lively, copiously illustrated record of teamwork, a compelling demonstration of the collaboration – the science, artistry and imaginative reconstruction – that makes modern archaeology so absorbing. Table of Contents Chapter 1 The origins of Assyria and its culture Assyria Cuneiform script The environmental overview GAP and the Ilısu Dam The mound at Ziyaret Tepe The operation areas Dating the occupation of the mound The abandonment of the city in the 11th century BC Assyrian ethnic diversity A long tradition of deportation The Assyrians in the northern territories Outpost of the Roman Empire The medieval period The Ottoman period The village of Tepe Chapter 2 The excavation team gets down to work Introducing the team A day in the life of the dig director Geophysics Registration of the finds Drawing at Tepe An artist in residence Photography on site Chapter 3 Work on the Tušhan excavations begins The royal palace Mud brick: unsung star of the archaeologist’s world The palace cremation burials Burial practices The gods of the land The Tušhan city wall Forts along the River Tigris The southern gate to the city The military barracks by the city wall Beer for the troops Elite residences Wine... the drink of the elite Evolution of the roof The administrative complex The pebble mosaics Preparing food and drink Feasts Bread Chapter 4 Ziyaret Tepe reveals its rich and varied finds The Tušhan archive The fall of the Empire Seals and sealings Weights and measures Tokens Board games Artefacts of ivory and bone Textiles and wool Archaeobotany: Farming and food production Zooarchaeology: Reading the bones Decorative ivoryReading the ceramics Ceramic disks The working of iron in the Middle Iron Age The humble nail Copper and bronze Jewellery Ground stone Chipped stone Sweeping the floors Beads Chapter 5 Conservation and communication Diyarbakır Museum Communicating the excavation results The new museum in Diyarbakır The end of the Assyrian Empire and the fall of Tušhan Director’s epilogue Appendix A: A-Z of the operation areas Appendix B: The team Index Sponsors

Ziyaret Tepe: Exploring the Anatolian frontier of the Assyrian Empire

History

Matney, Timothy

MacGinnis, John

Wicke, Dirk

Köroğlu, Kemalettin

Ancient Civilizations

Cornucopia Books/Caique Publishing

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