Middle Euphrates Research Articles

Conflict and Exclusivity in Early Bronze Age Societies of the Middle Euphrates Valley

Previous articleNext article No AccessConflict and Exclusivity in Early Bronze Age Societies of the Middle Euphrates ValleyEdgar PeltenburgEdgar PeltenburgUniversity of Edinburgh* Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of Near Eastern Studies Volume 72, Number 2October 2013 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/671468 Views: 149Total views on this site Citations: 7Citations are reported from Crossref © 2013 by The Journal of Near Eastern Studies. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Melissa A. Kennedy, Jane McMahon, Hugh Thomas, David D. Boyer, Rebecca Repper, Matthew Dalton, Khalid AlKhaldi Dating the pendant burials of north‐west Arabia: First radiometric results from the Khaybar Oasis, Saudi Arabia, Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 32, no.S1S1 (Aug 2021): 183–197.https://doi.org/10.1111/aae.12199Nicola Laneri Funerary Customs and Religious Practices in the Ancient Near East, (Oct 2020): 4412–4428.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30018-0_3257Nicola Laneri Funerary Customs and Religious Practices in the Ancient Near East, (Mar 2019): 1–17.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_3257-2Nicola Laneri Funerary Customs and Religious Practices in the Ancient Near East, (Aug 2018): 1–17.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_3257-1Alfonso Archi Religious Duties for a Royal Family: Basing the Ideology of Social Power at Ebla, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 76, no.22 (Oct 2017): 293–306.https://doi.org/10.1086/693720Yoko Nishimura A Systematic Comparison of Material Culture Between Household Floors and Residential Burials in Late Third-Millennium B.C.E. Mesopotamia, American Journal of Archaeology 119, no.44 (Dec 2021): 419–440.https://doi.org/10.3764/aja.119.4.0419Leigh Stork On pins and needles: understanding the role of metal pins in the Upper Euphrates Valley during the Early Bronze I–II, Levant 46, no.33 (Nov 2014): 321–338.https://doi.org/10.1179/0075891414Z.00000000049

MtDNA from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman Period Suggests a Genetic Link between the Indian Subcontinent and Mesopotamian Cradle of Civilization

Ancient DNA methodology was applied to analyse sequences extracted from freshly unearthed remains (teeth) of 4 individuals deeply deposited in slightly alkaline soil of the Tell Ashara (ancient Terqa) and Tell Masaikh (ancient Kar-Assurnasirpal) Syrian archaeological sites, both in the middle Euphrates valley. Dated to the period between 2.5 Kyrs BC and 0.5 Kyrs AD the studied individuals carried mtDNA haplotypes corresponding to the M4b1, M49 and/or M61 haplogroups, which are believed to have arisen in the area of the Indian subcontinent during the Upper Paleolithic and are absent in people living today in Syria. However, they are present in people inhabiting today’s Tibet, Himalayas, India and Pakistan. We anticipate that the analysed remains from Mesopotamia belonged to people with genetic affinity to the Indian subcontinent since the distribution of identified ancient haplotypes indicates solid link with populations from the region of South Asia-Tibet (Trans-Himalaya). They may have been descendants of migrants from much earlier times, spreading the clades of the macrohaplogroup M throughout Eurasia and founding regional Mesopotamian groups like that of Terqa or just merchants moving along trade routes passing near or through the region. None of the successfully identified nuclear alleles turned out to be ΔF508 CFTR, LCT-13910T or Δ32 CCR5.

The prevalence of medications uses without a prescription in Al-Najaf province

Objective: The study aim to identify the extent of spread the phenomenon of widespread use of medicines without a prescription. Methodology: This study surveys was conducted on (204) persons in the province of Najaf. (Sadr Medical City, Al-Hakim General hospital, Hospital of Middle Euphrates and Al-Zahra teaching Hospital). in (31 \ 4 \ 2012) to (1 \ 11 \ 2012) The total sample of study was 204 persons Where 102 ( 50% ) were males, especially young people, and 102 (50%) was females. Results:` 136 (66%) of the study samples are in the levels of education (primary schools (42), secondary schools (46), Tertiary schools (48), Technical Diploma (16), BSc (28) and illiterate (24). On the basis of geographic distribution, the results showed that (178) 87.3% were in residents of cities and (28) 12.7% was from the rural population. Depending on the basis of the using of prescription medicines or over-the-counter, drugs we found there were (134) 65.7% of the study sample used medicines without prescription, (70) 34.3% using medicines by prescription. 80 (59.7%) using correct dose, (72) 53.7% reading the pharmaceutical letter, (80) 59.7% ask about the complications result of medicines. When we investigate the types of medicines which be used without a prescription, the results of this study showed that there are 95 (70.9%) of the study sample was using antibiotics, (13) 9.7% using sexual activator and (26) 39.4% of women using contraceptives . When we asked about the reasons for the spread of this phenomenon. The results showed that (86) 42.2% laying blame on Ministry of Health, (79) 38.7% related to ignorance of the community and ( 39) 19% laying blame on public information circles responsibility in confronting of this phenomenon. Conclusion: The results showed that the phenomenon of using medicines without a prescription is a common in society of al-Najaf province. Recommendations: The formation of local committees that included physicians, pharmacists and health personnel, and concocting the training programs to them to teach them how to monitor and improve the use of medicines at all levels in the health system to work periodically in raising awareness about the risks from the indiscriminate use of drugs, especially drugs antibiotics.

“Funerary bundles” in the PPNB at the archaeological site of Tell Halula (middle Euphrates valley, Syria): analysis of the taphonomic dynamics of seated bodies

This paper presents the results of the taphonomic analysis of the burials from Tell Halula (Middle Euphrates Valley, Syria). The numerous burials recovered from this Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) settlement, in addition to the large volume of field documentation, have provided an opportunity to study burials in more depth than is usually allowed. This data set is important because of the unique mode of deposition, the exceptional preservation of the related assemblages (including fabrics, mats, and basketry) and the highly standardized nature of the funerary practices. Although the burials were found in various stages of preservation and articulation, we will show that they all represented the same type of funerary deposit, namely seated burials, often encased in bottle-shaped funerary bundles, and that the variability found during excavation can be attributed to post-depositional taphonomic effects. We provide a study of the different forms that result from these taphonomic influences and highlight the importance of doing this type of analysis. We hope that this paper will be a valuable contribution to the growing body of literature surrounding both seated burials and the taphonomy of burials.

Population history of the middle Euphrates valley: Dental non-metric traits at Tell Ashara, Tell Masaikh and Jebel Mashtale, Syria

Fifty-nine dental non-metric traits were scored using Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System on a sample of teeth from 350 human skeletons excavated at three sites in the lower middle Euphrates valley. The dataset was divided into six chronological subsets: Early Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age, Early Iron Age with Neo-Assyrian period, Classical/Late Antiquity, Early Islamic (Umayyad and Abbasid) period and Modern period. The matrix of Mean Measure of Divergence values exhibited temporal homogeneity of the sample with only dental non-metric trait scores in the Modern subset differing significantly from most other subsets. Such a result suggests that no major gene flow occurred in the middle Euphrates valley between the 3rd millennium BCE and the early 2nd millennium CE. Only after the Mongolian invasion and large depopulation of northern Mesopotamia in the 13th century CE a major population change occurred when the area was taken over in the 17th century by Bedouin tribes from the Arabian Peninsula.

Oil and gas play and prospect assessments of Babel, Diwania and Karbala Governorates (Middle Euphrates Region), Iraq

This study was based on the results of geochemical analysis of 332 core and 10 cutting rock samples from Triassic Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Triassic age, in addition to seismic sections, logs, initial drilling results, final reports of oil wells, and previous studies. Constructing models from these data are to assess new oil reservoirs, evaluation, and development of the existing oil reservoirs and hydrocarbon potential, and suggesting petroleum systems in order to reduce exploration risk and develop simple risk assessment of oil fields in the studied area. In general, Abu-Jir fault zone divides the studied area into two petroleum provinces: Mesopotamian Foredeep Basin and Widyan Basin–Interior Platform. The Mesopotamian Fordeep basin are thick stratigraphic sequences with no exploration for oil or gas source rock intervals within the Paleozoic sequence. while the Mesozoic sequence offers the best potential. The transitional sequence of the Triassic period is expected to contain occasional fair to good quantity of oil source rock intervals. The Widyan Basin–Interior Platform is an area with possible deployment of low to moderate risk of Paleozoic play and Lower Mesozoic plays with fair Triassic and Mesozoic objectives. Oil has generated and expelled into traps in the studied area during two phases; the first is during Early Palaeogene that accumulated in traps of the Cretaceous structural deformation, while the second is during Late Neogene.

Reclaiming Iraq: the 1920 revolution and the founding of the modern state

Acknowledgments Introduction 1: The 1920 Revolution in History 2: The Causes of the Revolution 3: The Revolution in the Middle Euphrates and Beyond 4: The Journalism of the Revolution 5: The Revolutionary Networks 6: The Revolution's Aftermath Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

Abstract 4782: Detection of EBV nucleic acid and expression of oncogenic protein LMP-1 in Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Abstract Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis and is implicated in the development of several human malignancies, such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL). While the incidence of Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Iraq is not yet investigated, according to the WHO Hodgkin's Lymphoma is one of the 10 most frequent types of cancer in Iraq (http://www.who.int/disasters/repo/10062.pdf). The present study aimed to determine the association between HL and EBV in middle Euphrates region of Iraq, and to determine whether it is related to certain age group or specific histologic subtypes. It also aims to compare the pattern with other developing or developed countries. This retrospective study includes 86 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from HL patients, these were compared with 35 patients with Reactive Follicular Hyperplasia, that were age and gender matched. All the samples belonged to the period between Jan.2008 to April2010. The presence of EBV DNA was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), while the expression of the oncogenic protein (LMP-1) in Reed-Sternberg cells by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The mean age group of HL patients was 28.5 old years with a median of 25 years old. There were 49 males and 37 females. Age group of 16-45 years was the largest one and represented 66.2%. The third decade took the peak incidence (26/86, 30.2%). patients aged less than 16 years were 17.5%, while 16.3% of patients were more than 45 years old. Mixed cellularity HL was the most common subtype represented 47.6% of all the cases, followed by nodular sclerosis (33.7%) while the lymphocyte-rich, and lymphocyte depleted subtypes were (8.1%, 7%) respectively, whereas Lymphocyte Predominant was seen in 3.48% of cases. EBV DNA was detected in 39.5% of the cases, while the expression of LMP-1 in Reed Sternberg cells was found in 85.3% of the EBV-positive HL. The highest rate of EBV was seen in the children age group (less than 16 years; 53.3%), while the lowest rate was among young adults (16-45 years; 35.08%). Older age group (more than 45 years) has a rate of EBV presented (39.5%) which was higher than the young adult patients, but lower than the children age group. Histologically, the most frequent viral association was observed in mixed cellularity subtype (56.1%), followed by lymphocyte-rich and lymphocyte depleted subtypes (42.9%, 33.3%) respectively. The least frequency of association was in nodular sclerosis type (20.7%), while lymphocyte predominant subtype showed negative relationship with EBV-positive HL. EBV positive cases were mostly males (40.81%) compared to females (37.8%). Citation Format: Dhiya S. Al-Shumary, Karrar A.A. Ali Beg, Alae A. Yaseen, Salman A. Al-Jibouri, Kaswer M. Al-Toriahi. Detection of EBV nucleic acid and expression of oncogenic protein LMP-1 in Reed-Sternberg cells of Hodgkin's lymphoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4782. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4782 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.

Preliminary report on human remains from Tell Masaikh and Tell Ashara. Season 2008

In the Middle Euphrates Valley, excavations are currently carried out at Tell Hariri (ancient Mari) and several sites near Tell Ashara. Our research area is Terqa and its surroundings. Terqa lies on the right bank of the Euphrates, about 60 km to the north-west from the ancient city of Mari. In 1996, excavation work was extended beyond ancient Terqa onto the area 6 km away to the north, to Tell Masaikh. Initially, it was rescue excavation, but with time it became regular archaeological work. This paper is a summary of anthropological research conducted in 2008. We have been excavated 82 human skeletons (58 individuals from Tell Masikh, and 24 from Tell Ashara).

Preliminary report on human remains from Tell Masaikh and Tell Ashara. Season 2009*

The middle Euphrates valley (Syria) is a very interesting and important region for the history of Mesopotamia. The excavations are currently carried out at Tell Ashara and Tell Masaikh. The first site is primarily the remains of a Bronze Age (2700–1500 BC). At Tell Masaikh were discovered the remains of a settlement from the Chalcolithic (4500 BC), and the Middle Bronze Age, as well as a huge governor’s palace from the times of the Assyrian empire’s days of glory (800–650 BC). The paper is a summary of anthropological research conducted in 2009. We have been excavated 80 human skeletons (50 individuals from Tell Masikh, and 30 from Tell Ashara).

Dental caries and chemical analyses in reconstruction of diet, health and hygienic behaviour in the Middle Euphrates valley (Syria)

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to use two methods, biological and chemical, to examine changes in diet and health in individuals from the Middle Euphrates valley (Syria). We determined the frequency distribution of dental caries. Chemical analyses were concerned with the presence of elements such as strontium, barium, calcium and stable carbon isotopes (13C/14C). We chose three consecutive periods: Late Roman (2nd–4th century AD), Islamic (600–1200 AD) and Modern Islamic (1850–1950 AD). Materials and methodsWe analysed the dental remains of 145 individuals, with a total of 2530 teeth. We used visual research (magnifying glass/sharp dental probe) and radiography. The frequencies of caries were calculated on the basis of the proportional correction factor of Erdal and Duyar. We chose 39 permanent second molars for chemical analyses. ResultsThe frequency of carious lesions was similar in all three periods (6–8%). In the Modern Islamic and Islamic periods, occlusal surfaces were infected with caries most often, while the cemento–enamel junction (CEJ) and approximal surfaces were affected to a lesser degree. However, in the Late Roman period, the CEJ and approximal surfaces showed caries most frequently, in contrast to occlusal surfaces, which seldom showed signs of caries. Chemical analyses showed lower Sr/Ca ratios and Observed Ratio index values for the Modern Islamic and higher values for the Islamic and Late Roman periods. Mean stable isotope (δ13C) analyses demonstrated that the Modern Islamic period was strongly divergent from the other periods. DiscussionThese data suggest a similar socio-economic status during the Late Roman and Islamic periods. The diet of the population living in the Late Roman and Islamic periods contained a larger number of products containing strontium than calcium. In the modern population these proportions have been reversed.

The Euphrates as a Boundary between Rome and Parthia in the Late Republic and Early Empire

AbstractIt is generally agreed that during the first century BC the Euphrates River came to represent a negotiated boundary of Roman and Parthian power in the Near East, and that this remained the case until the overthrow of the Parthians by the Sassanians in the third century AD. It was during the first century BC that the term imperium began to be used in the context of expressions of corporate Roman power; this eventually saw an additional important usage of the term evolve to that of an expression of physical territory, that is, empire, by the end of the reign of Augustus. This paper argues that it is possible to link the development of the Euphrates as a boundary of Roman and Parthian power in the first century BC with developments and changes in the usage of the term imperium. It traces the history of Roman and Parthian agreements and conflicts throughout the first century BC in the context of the development of the Euphrates as a boundary. The paper also argues that only the upper section of the Euphrates came to play this role and that previous analyses of the middle Euphrates have produced a misleading understanding of Roman and Parthian activity on this section of the river. The analysis of archaeological evidence from the first centuries BC and AD from the middle Euphrates site of Dura Europos is employed to illuminate the analysis of the Euphrates as a boundary. We arrive at a better understanding of Dura's history during this period if we considert Dura in the broader context of the Euphrates’ role in dividing Roman and Parthian power.

Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Landscapes of Settlement and Mobility in the Middle Euphrates: A Reassessment

Urbanization occupies an ambiguous position in the development of the Middle Euphrates region of Turkey and Syria, in part because the area frequently formed a contested region between other stronger Early Bronze Age polities. This paper aims to review evidence from a series of archaeological surveys to illustrate trends in settlement during the 4th and 3rd millennium BC. Re-analysis of survey data from three exemplar regions in the Middle Euphrates demonstrates that by including settlement away from the main Euphrates Valley we get a picture of two main zones of settlement corresponding to agro-ecological zones. In the northern zone, settlements underwent phases of nucleation and dispersal through time, but long-term configurations were relatively stable. In contrast, a southern zone, south of the Sajur Valley, was characterized by rapid colonization and some degree of boom and bust growth of towns, perhaps encouraged by the opportunities afforded by the high risk but high rewards of the ‘zone of uncertainty’. Although ecological conditions and climate change played a role in settlement growth and failure, in part by setting the parameters for agro-pastoral production, it is evident that socio-political circumstances, chronic conflict and sheer opportunism were probably key to both the growth and decline of the southern settlements.

14C chronology of human activities and possibilities of human migration from Tell Ghanem al-Ali site in the Bishri Region, Middle Euphrates, Syria

14C chronology of human activities and possibilities of human migration from Tell Ghanem al-Ali site in the Bishri Region, Middle Euphrates, Syria

Empires and resources: Central Anatolian obsidian at Urkesh (Tell Mozan, Syria) during the Akkadian period

Almost all of the obsidian used to craft stone tools in the Near East from the Palaeolithic onward originated from volcanoes in two geographic regions: Central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia. Five decades of obsidian sourcing has led to the view that Central Anatolian obsidians largely followed the Mediterranean coast and rarely reached farther east than the Middle Euphrates, whereas Eastern Anatolian sources almost exclusively supplied sites east of the Euphrates. This paper discusses the identification of Central Anatolian obsidian artefacts at the Bronze-Age site of Tell Mozan (Urkesh) in northeastern Syria. Most of the obsidians at Tell Mozan (97%) came from the Eastern Anatolian sources, as expected from established distribution models. Artefacts of Central Anatolian obsidian, however, were excavated from one well-constrained context: the deposits on a palace courtyard that date to the height of the Akkadian empire's influence at this third-millennium Hurrian religious and political centre. In particular, the obsidian came from the Kömürcü source of Göllü Dağ. Potential explanations for this exotic obsidian are discussed. This obsidian might have “piggybacked” on the distribution of Central Anatolian metals or arrived at this city as royal gifts or prestige items. Other discussed mechanisms include Akkadian-linked changes in either territoriality involving pastoral nomads responsible for the arrival of Eastern Anatolian obsidians or identity construction of elites based on involvement in Central Anatolian economic and political networks.

Use of Animal Fibres during the Neolithisation in the Middle Euphrates Valley (Syria): An Archaeozoological Approach

Since Gordon Childe highlights the importance of textile production from animal fibres in the Neolithic more than 75 years ago, several approaches from different fields dealt with this subject of study. This contribution summarize the investigation on the exploitation of animal fi bres designed from archaeozoology in south-west Asia in the last years, considering different aspects like the initial chronology of the use and exploitation, technical requirements for textile production and the organization of this craft industry at a community level. Special remark is done for the process of neolithisation in the Middle Euphrates Valley, using the site of Tell Halula (Middle PPNB) as a case study, complemented with other recent Halaf occupations references from Tell Amarna and Chagar Bazar, all of them in the Syrian Arab Republic.

Study on Clinical Mastitis (Bacteriological) in She-Camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Some Areas of Middle Euphrates in Iraq

The lack of information about mastitis in camels in Iraq has stimulated this research in desert lands of AL-Najaf and Al-Qadissiya provinces. The study is concerned with determining the overall infection, percentage of clinical mastitis according to age, stages of lactation and the number of calving, as well as detection the susceptibility of isolated microorganism to the antimicrobial drugs. 402 quarters of 141 lactating she-camels were examined.Result of this study show that percentage of clinical mastitis was 5.22 % and 11.35% for quarters and animals respectively. 23.81% and 18.75% of quarters and animals respectively were showed acute form of mastitis, whereas 57.15% and 56.25% which identified as chronic form for quarters and animals respectively, also result showed that 19.04% samples identified as bland teats.Gram positive bacterial isolates was (76.19%) including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus hycus, Streptococcus agalactiae , Micrococcus luteus, Arcanobacterium pyogenes, whereas gram negative bacterial isolates was (23.8%) which included Mannhiemia haemolytica Salmonilla spp and, Klibcilla pneumonia. The results of study showed that varieties of ages and number of calving were not significant differences (≤ 0.01) on clinical mastitis in Iraqi she-camels.Antimicrobial drugs against bacterial isolates showed high susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin, Doxycycline, sulphthazin/Trimethiprim, Gentamicin, and Tetracycline, others antimicrobial Chloramphenicol, and Streptomycin showed moderate sensitivity, while all bacterial isolates were found resistant to Ampicillin, Erthromycine and Trimethiprime

Agricultural expansion and settlement economy in Tell Halula (Mid-Euphrates valley): A diachronic study from early Neolithic to present

Modern Syria, and in particular the Middle Euphrates valley, has been occupied and overexploited since the beginnings of agriculture. Thus, the study of the economic and environmental characteristics of ancient settlements may offer new perspectives on the long-term effects of continuous agriculture in a fragile agroecosystem. In this work, we present a methodological framework that uses archaeological information to understand long-term effects of the extensification of agriculture in present-time arid areas. Specifically, we have compared the main economic features of a Neolithic site of the middle Euphrates, Tell Halula (ca. 10th millennium BP), with present-day data from the surrounding region. Population, crop distribution, cereal yields and arable land requirements during the first millennia after the emergence of agriculture were estimated from archaeological data and compared with a compilation of present-time official statistics and data derived from a field survey. We observed a trend towards a cereal-based farming during the Neolithic, associated to a decrease in the diversity of wild florae. This was accompanied by a growth in population during the earliest phases of the settlement (8200-7000 cal BCE), followed by a decline in population in the late phases (7000-5400 cal BCE), probably as a consequence of exceeding the capacity of the agroecosystem. A comparable situation to that found in early phases of Tell Halula was observed in modern communities, showing similar growth rates and a strong focus on cereal crops.

Chronology during the Bronze Age in the archaeological site Tell Qubr Abu al-‘Atiq, Syria

Archaeosediments are deposits with a direct or indirect anthropogenic component. They provide useful information about past human activities and interaction with the environment. When other materials, such as pottery, are present in archaeosediment layers, the combination of TL ages from pottery and OSL ages from sediments can provide complete data about the occupation and evolution of an archaeological setting. In Mesopotamia, tells are mounds formed by the debris of human occupation and the accumulation of muddy sediments mainly due to the decomposition of mud bricks in ancient towns. Many other materials such as pottery fragments, bones and charcoal can be found in the sediment layers. The combination of OSL, TL and radiocarbon ages can be very useful in the case of the Bronze Age Period in Syria, allowing the occupation sequence of such archaeological sites to be reconstructed. Tell Qubr Abu al-’Atiq, is located on the left bank of the Middle Euphrates River (Syria). The archaeological artefacts found in the sediment layers (pottery) collected during excavations in two areas of the site, indicated the occupation of the tell during the Early and Late Bronze Age by typological pottery classification. The radiocarbon ages of charcoal indicate that human occupation fits the archaeological hypothesis, providing an older and maximum occupation period between 2800 and 2300 BC and a younger period between 1400 and 900 BC. OSL dating of sediments shows ages younger than charcoal, while TL ages of pottery are generally older than sediment and charcoal ages. This can be explained as the different materials correspond to different events. The charcoal and pottery correspond to occupation periods, while sediments correspond to the further destruction of the site.

Anthropological analysis of the osteological material from an ancient tomb (Early Bronze Age) from the middle Euphrates valley, Terqa (Syria)

AbstractTerqa, situated on the right bank of the Middle Euphrates, is known to have been a site already in the third and second millennium BC. Excavations which take place in this region aim to provide answers for numerous significant issues connected with the origins of human civilisation. In 2008 season we found a tomb dated 2650–2450 BC, consisting of two chambers with stone domes. The smaller chamber contained many luxury grave goods. The other one was bigger and contained human skeletons.The first skeleton belonged to a man, 45/50 years old. It is extremely heavy and large. On the right humerus, near the proximal edge, we found two cuts. The healed edges of the wound suggest that the man from Terqa survived after the wound was inflicted. Many muscular attachments were clearly marked on the bones and bone robustness was far above the average, which may suggest that the skeleton belonged to a warrior. These observations correspond to the fact that the bronze part of a belt together with bronze weapon‐blades was found on the right side of the hip.The second skeleton, which belonged to a female who was about 40/44 years old, was found in an anatomical position. The chamber also contained an almost complete skeleton of a sheep. The morphology of the forearm of the female suggested strenuous activity. From this skeleton was successfully isolated HVR1 fragment. The main mutation indicated that the analysed mtDNA belonged to haplogroup K. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.