Art history and Archaeology

Depuis 1996, une mission conjointe de la Direction Générale des Antiquités et du Centre Polonais d’Archéologie Méditerranéenne de l’Université de Varsovie mène des travaux archéologiques sur le site antique de Chhîm-Merjiyat. Les vestiges d’un village romain et byzantin comprennent un sanctuaire païen ainsi qu’une basilique byzantine, des maisons, des huileries et une nécropole située au Nord-Ouest de la zone habitée. Les fouilles dévoilent une image très rich d’un établissement rural situé entre Béryte et Sidon et qui florissait entre le Ier et le VIIIème siècle ap. J.-C.

The ninth field season at Chhîm, conducted jointly by the Direction Générale des Antiquités and the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of Warsaw University (PCMA), took
place between August 16 and October 1, 2004.1 Archaeological work was a continuation of previous activities in the two sectors: temenos A (courtyard in front of the Roman temple) and the towers in the northern part, north and northeast of said temple. The chief objectives included completing the exploration of the temenos (new data on layout and chronology) and furthering knowledge of the village plan and its development. Studies on the material were also continued during the season.

Excavations at Mentesh Tepe, western Azerbaijan, have unearthed Neolithic levels dated to an early stage of the Shomu-Shulaveri Culture, with a specific material culture and several inhumations among which a multiple burial. At that stage, already a full domestication of plants and animals is evident. Many questions have been raised concerning the origins of this culture, and its end is also still obscure. Relations with societies in the north-Mesopotamian area have again recently been evidenced at its beginnings. Mentesh Tepe, with its exceptional succession of occupations from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, could help providing some clues for the links between the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic periods. The site is presented here under different points of views (architecture, burials, material culture) but in a preliminary stage since many studies are still in progress. Questions are raised about the climate and the apparent absence of pre-and post-Shomu-Shulaveri Culture possibly due to silting or erosion processes linked with the mobility of the Caspian Sea level.

The mechanisms responsible for the emergence of a farming economy in Transcaucasia have been the subject of much debate since the 1970's. This debate has focused particularly on the role played by Near-Eastern influences in the development of the Shulaveri-Shomu culture, which emerged in the Kura Basin at the end of the 7th millennium BC. Recently, archaeological investigations have been conducted by a Georgian-French team in Gadachrili Gora, one of four " Shulaveri group " tells located on a tributary of the Chrami River in the Kvemo-Kartli plain of Georgia. Dating evidence clearly places the first levels of this tell in an early phase of the development of the culture, between 5920 and 5720 Cal BC. These investigations provide new evidence regarding the processes of neolithisation, especially in terms of settlement organisation and the architectural techniques used at the time. Several occupation levels feature connected circular units, of various sizes, together with " courtyards " , which were used as circulation e or waste disposal areas. The density and organisation of these structures display different patterns for the two distinct levels of occupation preserved. Evidence from the deepest occupation levels suggests a high density of occupation in the settlement, with complex episodes of destruction and rebuilding. Several building techniques were used, including different types of bricks laid in various patterns depending on wall types. In addition, there is evidence for the use of the " bauge " construction technique, which was unknown in the region until now. Parallels established with the construction techniques of Northern Iran and Mesopotamia contribute to the discussion regarding the processes underlying the emergence of the Shulaveri culture. Moreover, the high number of storage structures and the discovery of organized built spaces dedicated to storage raise many questions about the status of the site, the organisation of agricultural practices, and the relationship of these populations to the hydro-graphic network within the area.

Excavations at Mentesh Tepe, western Azerbaijan, have unearthed Neolithic levels dated to an early stage of the Shomu-Shulaveri Culture, with a specific material culture and several inhumations among which a multiple burial. At that stage, already a full domestication of plants and animals is evident. Many questions have been raised concerning the origins of this culture, and its end is also still obscure. Relations with societies in the north-Mesopotamian area have again recently been evidenced at its beginnings. Mentesh Tepe, with its exceptional succession of occupations from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, could help providing some clues for the links between the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic periods. The site is presented here under different points of views (architecture, burials, material culture) but in a preliminary stage since many studies are still in progress. Questions are raised about the climate and the apparent absence of pre-and post-Shomu-Shulaveri Culture possibly due to silting or erosion processes linked with the mobility of the Caspian Sea level.

Relationships between Mesopotamia and the Caucasus were first studied in the mid-20th century by Soviet archaeologists after the discovery of artefacts seemingly Mesopotamian in style at Kültepe, Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan), or more recently at Aknashen-Katunarkh, Armenia. However it was only in the 1990s that scholars started more detailed investigations on the different aspects of this southern presence.
This presentation will offer an overview of the architectural techniques (foundations, buildings techniques, covering and roofing) used during the Late Neolithic in the Caucasus and in Mesopotamia. We will highlight both the heterogeneous nature of the architectural traditions and the similarities of techniques observed in the Shulaveri-Shomu culture (at Mentesh Tepe, Göy Tepe, Gadachrili Gora, Aruchlo, Aknashen-Katunarkh…) and in the Halaf culture (at Tell Sabi Abyad, Tell Arpachiyah, Yarim Tepe, Tell Yunus…) at the beginning of the sixth millennium B.C.
From precise archaeological examples, we will try to determine possible relationships between these two cultures. Hopefully, this should contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the genesis of the Shulaveri-Shomu culture.


Résumé
Les relations entre la Mésopotamie et le Caucase furent au cœur des problématiques des archéologues soviétiques dès le milieu du XXe siècle, et cela du fait de la découverte d’objets de style mésopotamien retrouvés sur le site de Kültepe, au Nakhichevan (Azerbaidjan), et plus récemment sur le site d’Aknashen-Katunarkh, en Arménie. Cependant, il faudra attendre les années 1990 pour que des équipes internationales entreprennent des recherches plus détaillées sur les différents aspects de cette présence exogène sur les sites caucasiens. 
Cet article est l’occasion de faire un bilan des techniques architecturales (fondations, techniques de construction, couvrement et couverture) utilisées au Néolithique dans la région du Caucase et en Mésopotamie. Nous mettrons en lumière l’hétérogénéité des techniques architecturales, ainsi que leurs similarités, observés sur les sites de la culture de Shulaveri-Shomu (à Mentesh Tepe, Göy Tepe, Gadachrili Gora, Aruchlo, Aknashen-Katunarkh…) et de la culture de Halaf (à Tell Sabi Abyad, Tell Arpachiyah, Yarim Tepe, Tell Yunus…) au début du 6e millénaire avant notre ère.
À partir d’exemples archéologiques précis, nous tenterons de définir les relations culturelles entre ces deux entités au travers une analyse chrono-culturelle des techniques architecturales, dans le but de comprendre les mécanismes qui ont conduit à l’éclosion de la culture de Shulaveri-Shomu.