Roman Mesopotamia

This book focuses on conflict, diplomacy and religion as factors in the relationship between Rome and Sasanian Persia in the third and fourth centuries AD. During this period, military conflict between Rome and Sasanian Persia was at a level and depth not seen mostly during the Parthian period. At the same time, contact between the two empires increased markedly and contributed in part to an increased level of conflict. Edwell examines both war and peace-diplomacy, trade and religious contact-as the means through which these two powers competed, and by which they sought to gain, maintain and develop control of territories and peoples who were the source of dispute between the two empires. The volume also analyses internal factors in both empires that influenced conflict and competition between them, while the roles of regional powers such as the Armenians, Palmyrenes and Arabs in conflict and contact between the two "super pow-ers" receive special attention. Using a broad array of sources, this book gives special attention to the numismatic evidence as it has tended to be overshadowed in modern studies by the literary and epigraphic sources. This is the first monograph in English to undertake an in-depth and critical analysis of competition and contact between Rome and the early Sasanians in the Near East in the third and fourth centuries AD using literary , archaeological, numismatic and epigraphic evidence, and one which includes the complete range of mechanisms by which the two powers competed. It is an invaluable study for anyone working on Rome, Persia and the wider Near East in Late Antiquity.

The proposed paper is a continuation to David Kennedy’s alternative explanation (ZPE 53 [1983], 214-216) to the numerals of cohors XX Palmyrenorum and cohors XII Palaestinorum. It will suggest that cohors IX Maurorum belongs to the same recruitment pattern as the two other units and thus its numeral indicates the size of the auxiliary garrison in the province of its origin and the ethnic name refers to the original cadre of recruits. Instead of associating the place of recruitment with any of the African provinces as has been occasionally done, it will be argued that the unit was recruited in the very province from where we have the only evidence of its existence – namely the province of Mesopotamia. The contradiction between the ethnic name and the province of origin will be explained by a further suggestion that the original cadre was drawn from the men serving in the numeri Maurorum, which are well documented in the Eastern provinces, just as cohors XX Palmyrenorum was most likely created from troops already serving in numeri Palmyrenorum, instead of raw recruits. If accepted, the hypothesis would seem to imply that the early Severan garrison of Mesopotamia included in addition to the two legions (i.e. I and III Parthica) originally eight auxiliary cohorts, which were soon supplemented by creation of the ninth unit.

A review of the archaeological evidence relating to the Sasanian period in northern Iraq and combining both old and nineteenth century finds with results from then recent work in the Eski Mosul Dam Salvage Project. This arose from the author's own work in that project and D.Phil. thesis (unpublished), entitled 'Aspects of the Archaeological Evidence for the Sasanian period in Mesopotamia'. More information on the cultural significance of the Late Sasanian stamp-decorated pottery mentioned in this paper is explored in a more recent paper (see above: "Rams, stags and crosses"; preliminary evaluations of excavated Sasanian glass and archaeological evidence for a Christian presence at Nineveh are also the subjects of separate papers (see above). Final reports on the results of investigations at three of the sites mentioned in the Eski Mosul dam project (Babneet, Qara Dere, Khirbet Deir Situn) are forthcoming.

[TR] Yukarı Dicle vadisinin Roma İmparatotluk Dönemi'neki durumu ve Ilısu askeri yerleşiminin konumuna ilişkin değerlendirme..
[ENG] A historical and geographical view of upper Tigris valley and military settlement at Ilısu in Roman Imperial period..

This paper presents the results of the first season of the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey (EPAS) directed by Harvard University and the Directorate of Antiquities for the Kurdistan Regional Government, in collaboration with Groningen University. The project combines a study of historical satellite and aerial photographs with on the ground survey, to be undertaken in the summer of 2012. Located in the Seleucid heartland and in the zone of conflict and interaction between Romans and Parthians, investigation of the hinterland of ancient Arbela offers the opportunity to provide new insights about past imperial landscapes.
EPAS aims to collect archaeological and topographic data related to all periods, from the early prehistory to the Mesopotamian and Iranian empires, up to the period of Saddam Hussein’s destructions in the 1980s and the current phase of population growth and agricultural intensification. Special emphasis, however, lies on the reconstruction of the impact of ancient empires on local landscapes, as evidenced by settlement structures, hydraulic engineering, agricultural and husbandry practices, and trade patterns. Research in the surrounding territories of Mesopotamia and Syria has demonstrated the deep imprint of, for instance, the Assyrian, Roman, and Abbasid empires on urbanization, waterways, agriculture, and the local economy as a result of monetization, taxation, and the redirection or intensification of trade routes. Imperial architecture in the form of victory monuments, roads, and military camps filled the conquered territories.

This paper concentrates on the period between the 3rd c BCE and the 3rd c CE. Although close to the setting for the Battle of Gaugamela, little is known about the development of the region as part of the Seleucid empire, and its integration into the wider Hellenistic world. Excavations of military colonies at Dura Europos and Jebel Khalid in Syria have shown how the population combined architectural elements from the Greek world and pottery from the eastern Mediterranean with local and Mesopotamian traditions in, for instance, temple construction. The same region underwent changes in settlement patterns, with a movement and increase of agricultural communities. The Parthian period presents even a larger gap in our knowledge of Upper Mesopotamia and the Erbil region. Through the investigation of pottery assemblages, subsistence practices, and changes in settlement patterns, the long-term aims of EPAS are to reconstruct the interaction of local communities with towns in nearby Roman territory, their participation in long-distance trade, and the impact of Parthian-Roman wars on the local economy.

In August 2012, the first season of the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey (EPAS) took place in North Iraq (Kurdistan). This project, directed by Jason Ur (Harvard University) in collaboration with Groningen University, aims at understanding the long-term impact of ancient empires on the rural landscape of North Iraq. Located in the Hellenistic heartland and, subsequently, in the zone of conflict between Romans and Parthians, investigation of the hinterland of Erbil provides new insights about the lives of local villagers between the 3rd c BC and the 3rd c AD.
The project combines a study of historical satellite and aerial photographs with on the ground survey. In the first season, we identified 93 new archaeological sites, as well as numerous remnants of irrigation canals. The results tell us that the Erbil region initially (3rd-2nd c BC) was isolated, displaying little interaction with the larger cities or trade networks of the Hellenistic world. In the subsequent four hundred years, the Erbil plain gradually filled with new people. New artifacts, in glass and pottery, were introduced in the villages of North Iraq. Despite the constant warfare between armies of the Roman and Parthian Empires close to Erbil, the towns in the plain flourished.

Deze lezing biedt een overzicht van het nieuwe onderzoeksproject rond Erbil in Irakees Koerdistan  uitgevoerd door Harvard University in samenwerking met de universiteit van Groningen. Het Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey project verzamelt materiaal van alle perioden, met een nadruk op ‘Imperial landschapes’ ten tijden van de Assyriërs, Hellenistische koningen, Vroeg-Islamitische kaliefen en de recente Baath-partij. De lezing zal ingaan op de nederzettingspatronen in de Hellenistische periode (3e en 2e eeuw v. Chr.) en de resultaten van het eerste seizoen.