Upper Tigris Region

The semantic context of the cultural patterns of the past is beyond our perception. This fact, regardless of time and space, thus, makes any type of social organizations that existed in the past complex and transitive. Bearing in mind this fact, this study aimed to analyze the Late Chalcolithic period (ca. 4500-3000 BC) in an extensive area of north Mesopotamia with archaeological traces of an increasing socio-cultural, socio-economic, and socio-political complexity through the Annales School of History paradigm, which divides time into geographical time, social time, and individual time. Within this division, geographical time (longue durée) refers to the role of environment and geography on the nature and development of the northern communities at the regional level. Social time (conjoncture) provides a perceptible rhythm of indigenous cultural phenomena in north Mesopotamia (ca. 4500-3700 BC) prior to the Uruk culture of southern Mesopotamian origin, and a certain degree of social mobility, history of communities and their ideologies (mentalité) after the Uruk expansion (ca 3700-3000 BC). The Uruk phenomenon in north Mesopotamia can be perceived in social time. At another level, individual time (évènement), which takes historical events as the reference, coincides with the establishment of the Uruk colonies at Tell Sheikh Hassan, Habuba Kabira Süd, and Jebel Aruda in the Middle Euphrates Basin. In comparison with the earlier assessments, this analysis shows that an interpretation of continuity and change in total history (histoire totale) of the Late Chalcolithic period of north Mesopotamia is possible with the Annales paradigm. It also shows that north Mesopotamia, in the long term, hosted a number of cultural patterns; thus, provides culturally accumulated continuity, while different cultural influences and interactions, in several cases, played a key role in cultural changes. The interpretation of this thesis based on archaeological excavations, surveys carried out in north Mesopotamia, as well as previous views on the Late Chalcolithic period.

N. Karul, 2013 'Eskidünya'nın İlk Köyleri: Yerleşik Avcılar' Atlas Dergisi 2013, 240
Dicle Havzası’nın son avcıları, yerleşik yaşama ilk adımı atanlardı. Barınakları konuta dönüştürdüler, avcıların zengin inanç dünyasını evlerin içine taşıdılar. Onlar yabani hayvanların kafataslarını duvarlarına asıyor, ölülerini dağkeçisi motifleri ile süslü taş kaplarla, binlerce boncukla uğurlayarak evlerin altına gömüyorlardı.

Yukarı Dicle havzasının arkeolojik varlığı ağırlıklı olarak Ilısu Barajı kurtarma kazıları projesi kapsamında 1999-2015 yılları arasında yürütülen kazı ve araştırmalarla anlaşılmıştır. Bölgenin insanlık tarihinin en eski dönemlerinden itibaren yaşam alanı olarak seçilmiş olması, zengin bir arkeolojik varlığın birikmesine neden olmuştur. Kuzey Mezopotamya’nın bir parçası olması, bölgenin Mezopotamya kültürünü yansıtmasında etken olmakla birlikte, Güneydoğu Toros Dağlarının çevrelediği geniş, verimli bir ovadan oluşması, bölgenin çağlar boyunca kendi yerel kültürlerini de geliştirmesini sağlamıştır.
Havzanın yerel kültürlerini yansıtan çağlarından biri de MÖ 5.-4. Binlerde gelişen Kalkolitik Çağdır. Kurtarma projesi kapsamında kazılan höyüklerden elde edilen bulgular, bölgenin yerel kültürünün tanımlanmasını ve Mezopotamya kültürleri ile hangi oranda ilişkiler kurduğunun da anlaşılmasını sağlamıştır. Kalkolitik Çağ kendi içerisinde dönemlere ayrılır. Bu dönemler geleneksel Mezopotamya kronolojisinde karşılığını bulmuş olmakla birlikte, Güneydoğu Anadolu’nun da içinde yer aldığı Kuzey Mezopotamya’nın çeşitli alt bölgeleri, kendi içinde farklılıklar gösterir. Bu bağlamda farklı kronoloji önerileri yapılandırılmış, Yukarı Dicle havzası da bu kronolojilere göre değerlendirilmiştir. Bölgenin Kuzey Mezopotamya’nın diğer bölgelerinden Karacadağ Volkanik kütlesi ile Mardin-Midyat Eşiği gibi, aşılması güç olmayan doğal bariyerlerle sınırlanması, Kuzey Mezopotamya’dakinden farklı gelişimler göstermesinde etken olmuştur.
Dr. Emrullah Kalkan tarafından doktora tezi olarak çalışılan Yukarı Dicle Havzası Kalkolitik Çağ kültürü ve kronolojisi, bir kitap haline getirilerek bilim dünyasına sunulmuştur. 

Prof. Dr. Ayşe Tuba ÖKSE

https://www.kitapyurdu.com/kitap/yukari-dicle-havzasinda-kalkolitik-cag--kronolojik-ve-kuramsal-sorunlar/610013.html

The region of the Upper Tigris serves as a key case study in understanding the early expansion of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Nevertheless, various aspects of its incorporation within the Neo-Assyrian pale remain obscure, particularly the date and nature of the establishment of the province of Amēdu or Na’iri, previously the Aramean polity of Bīt-Zamāni. After a summary of prior arguments and an investigation of the polity’s Middle Assyrian past, two overlapping and complimentary histories are written, one of the political interactions between Assyria and Bīt-Zamāni, and another of Assyria’s provincialisation of the Upper Tigris. The former finds that Bīt-Zamāni was remarkably resilient in the face of Assyrian aggression, while the latter argues that an early Assyrian presence at Damdammusa was replaced in 879 BC by the provinces of Sinābu/Na’iri and Tušḫan. These two histories are then supplemented by a prosopographical investigation of the Assyrian eponym of 849 BC, the first attested governor of Na’iri, one Ḫadi-libbušu or Iḫtadi-libbušu. It is demonstrated that the two contemporaneous variants of his name within the Assyrian textual corpus may be explained as an ambiguity in translating the Aramaic personal name *ḥdhlbbh into Akkadian for use as an eponym date. It is hence likely that Ḫadi-/Iḫtadi-libbušu was an indigenous potentate made governor, and thus that the polity of Bīt-Zamāni serves as a previously unrecognised example of the Postgatian ‘transitional case’ within the Early Neo-Assyrian Empire analogously to Bīt-Baḫiāni/Gūzāna. Indeed, it is argued that a similar phenomenon of translating the transitional ruler/governor’s name into Akkadian for limmu dating may here be attested for Gūzāna’s two initial governors. In light of these findings, their broader implications for the use of Aramaic in correspondence or record-keeping within 9th century Assyria are considered, and it is suggested that Ḫadi-/Iḫtadi-libbušu’s correspondence was conducted in Aramaic, whence scribes must have had recourse in spelling this potentate’s name. This would mark the ear-liest use of Aramaic within the Neo-Assyrian bureaucracy presently known. It is then finally concluded that the threat of Urarṭu in the last years of Aššur-nāṣir-apli II’s reign may well have compelled him to enter in a manner of compact with Bīt-Zamāni, and that the indigenous rulers were thereafter made Assyrian governors, only to be unseated in favour of Ninurta-kibsī-uṣur, šāqiu rabiu to Salmānu-ašarēd III just prior to Amēdu’s rebellion in the succession war of 826-820 BC, after which it was conclusively incorporated. Some insufficiencies of present theories of Neo-Assyrian imperialism in explaining this complex historical scenario are finally highlighted.

Yukarı Dicle Vadisi, 1900 km uzunluğu ile tüm Mezopotamya boyunca akan Dicle
Nehri’nin Türkiye’nin Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi içerisinde oluşturduğu
vadilerden biridir. Ülkemizde bir kalkınma projesi olarak Ilısu Barajı’nın inşasının
gündeme gelmesi ile arkeolojik açıdan son 30 yıldır araştırılmaya başlanan
vadideki arkeolojik merkezlerin Kalkolitik Döneme ait materyal kültürlerinin bir
bölümünü de ölü gömme gelenekleri oluşturmaktadır. Bu geleneğin en
karakteristik özelliği vadinin yerel Kalkolitik kültürüne ait olmasının bir getirisi
olarak yapıların temelleri ve tabanları altına gömülen urne türü kapların içerisine
defnedilen bebek iskeletleridir. Bu ve diğer Kalkolitik materyal kültür geleneği
araştırmacılar için vadideki Kalkolitik dönem karakteristiği, kronoloji ve terminoloji
problemleri konusunda önemli bilgiler vermektedir.

With its location on the Upper Tigris Valley and its layers of the Late Chalcolithic period, Başur Höyük, Siirt is an important north Mesopotamian settlement which is being excavated within the scope of the dam project particularly like many other south-east Anatolian settlements in Turkey. The Late Chalcolithic layers represented with many phases at the mound are divided into two main cultural periods. The earliest phase is the local Late Chalcolithic period that represents the societies which used plant-tempered pottery. This period is followed by the layers of the Uruk culture of south Mesopotamian origin, which used mineral-tempered pottery. We may state that Başur Höyük is a settlement in which answers can be sought to many archaeological problems such as to what extent and how the inter-regional interaction between the Uruk culture, which had carried out colonization activities in northern Mesopotamia for a long period of time, and the local societies of northern Mesopotamia was. Its possession of a quite wide variety of pottery repertoire and other small finds in both periods is among the phenomena which make it important to study the Late Chalcolithic pottery of Başur Höyük.

Located in the Upper Tigris Region, within the borders of Diyarbakır-Bismil,Aşağı Salat is a höyük (mound) situated on the banks of the Tigris River. The cemetery of Aşağı Salat, which was revealed as a result of salvage excavations carried out in 2000-2002 and 2009-2010 for five years, presented the richest archeological data at the höyük. Featuring unique characteristics in terms of the grave type, grave goods, and the burial customs, with 53 graves discovered, Aşağı Salat Cemetery is also the largest cemetery of the period discovered in the region. The Ninevite 5 potteries, vessel forms that are mostly known to belong to the Late Uruk Period, and other small finds discovered in the cemetery indicate that the cemetery can be dated to the Late Uruk-Early Bronze Age Transitional period (3300-2900 B.C.). Within this dating range, the finds of Aşağı Salat make significant contributions to the Late Uruk and Early Bronze Age chronology of both the Upper Tigris Region and other cultural sites such as Karababa, Northern Syria, Ancient Mosul, and the Upper Euphrates. Standardization of grave types, grave goods and burial customs suggests formation of a complex society. The differences and similarities of burial customs observed in Aşağı Salat Cemetery with the other cemeteries of the same period enrich the understanding of cemetery and the other world of the era.

Assyrian hegemony in the Upper Tigris Valley beginning with the 13th century BC, except for an interruption in the Early Iron Age, had continued until the end of the Assyrian State. This region, conquered by the military campaigns, was transformed into an Assyrian province through social, economic, demographic and administrative reconstitutions. Upper Tigris Valley, governed from the provincial centre of Tušhan, was used as a military base for the campaigns in the region, and for supply of resources. This paper examines the Assyrian expansion in the Upper Tigris Valley and the imperial practices during this expansion, in the light of the data acquired from the written sources and Ilısu Dam Salvage Excavations.

M.Ö. 13. yüzyıl itibariyle Yukarı Dicle Vadisi’nde görülen Assur egemenliği Erken Demir Çağ’da yaşanan kısa bir kesintinin ardından, Assur Devleti’nin yıkılışına kadar devam etmiştir. Askeri seferlerle ele geçirilen söz konusu bölge sosyal, ekonomik, demografik ve idari alanlardaki yeniden yapılandırmalarla Assur eyaleti haline getirilmiştir. Eyalet merkezi Tuşhan’dan yönetilen Yukarı Dicle Vadisi, hem yakın çevreye yapılan seferlerde askeri bir üs hem de Assur ülkesi için ekonomik kaynak bölgesi olarak kullanılmıştır. Yazılı kaynaklardan edinilen söz konusu bilgilerin Ilısu Barajı Kurtarma kazılarından elde edilen veriler ile harmanlanmasıyla hazırlanan bu çalışmada Yukarı Dicle Vadisi’ndeki Assur yaylımı ve bu yayılım esnasındaki emperyalist uygulamaları incelenmeye çalışılmıştır.

Upper Tigris River Valley is a river valley of Southeastern Turkey and it has 1900 km lenght and flows throughout the Mesopotamia. This valley has been researched with Ilısu Dam Rescue Project just during last 30 years and the burial customs from Chalcolithic settlement in valley are an important part of Chalcolithic assemblage. The most characteristic archaeological artefacts of this assemblage is infant burial that had been buried under Chalcolithic floores as a local Late Chalcolithic tradition. All of these supplies to understand for researchers the characteristic featues of Chalcolithic assemblage in valley and chronological-terminological problems about that.

Full Reference: Parker, B. J., C. P. Foster, K. Nicoll, J. R. Kennedy, P. Graham, A. Smith, D. E. Hopwood, M. Hopwood, K. Butler, E. Healey, M. B. Uzel, and R. Jensen. 2009. The Upper Tigris Archaeological Research Project (UTARP): A Preliminary Report from the 2007 and 2008 Field Seasons at Kenan Tepe. Anatolica 35: 85-152.

Büyük bir yer altı ve yer üstü zenginliğine sahip olan Yukarı Dicle Bölgesi bu çalışmanın coğrafi sınırlarını oluşturmaktadır. MÖ 11. yy. ile birlikte bölgede söz sahibi olmaya başlayan Asur Devleti, profesyonel devlet bilinci anlamında bir takım uygulamaların öncüsü olmuştur. MÖ 9. yy. ile birlikte parlak bir yükselme yaşayan Yeni Asur Devleti bölgede barınırken mükemmel bir idari yapılanmayı benimsemiş ve bir takım maddi kültür öğelerini de geride bırakmıştır. Mevcut malzemelerin yorumlanması, bölgedeki Asur varlığının hangi amaçlarla ortaya çıktığına katkı sağlayacaktır. Bunun ipuçları seramik gelenekleri, kaya kabartmaları, steller, kil tabletler, ölü gömme adetleri ve yazılı kaynakların yorumlanmasında yatmaktadır. Çalışmamızın kronolojik sınırlarını ise Yeni Asur dönemi oluşturmaktadır. Yeni Asur Devleti'nin bölgede konuşlanması neticesinde Nairi, Arami ve Şubria toplumları ile olan ilişkilerinin irdelenmesi, yayılım politikası hakkında bize önemli bilgiler sunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada bahsedilen coğrafya ve kronolojik sınırlar içerisinde öne sürülen bir takım yorumlar arkeolojik ve filolojik kaynakların birlikte değerlendirilmesi ile ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır.

The Upper Tigris Region, which has a large underground and overground richness, forms the geographical boundaries of this research. 11th century BC, The Assyrian State, which began to reign in the region, became the pioneer of a number of applications in the sense of professional state awareness. 9th century BC, the Neo Assyrian State has adopted a perfect administrative structure and has left behind a number of material cultural items while residing in the region. Interpretation of existing materials will contribute to what purpose Assyrian presence in the region emerges. The clues lie in the interpretation of ceramic traditions, rock reliefs, stellar, clay tablets, burial customs and philological sources. The chronological boundary of the our work includes the Neo Assyrian period. As a result of the deployment of the new Assyrian state in the region, the examination of its relations with the Nairi, Arami and Şubria societies provides us with important information about the propagation policy. A number of interpretations put forward within the geography and chronological boundaries mentioned in this study have been tried to be put forward together with archaeological and philological sources.

This study, titled “The Place and Importance of the Early Bronze Age I Cemetery of Aşağı Salat in Northern Mesopotamia”, includes the archaeological analysis of all graves and grave goods. The cemetery has been compared with similar archaeological sites located in Anatolia and Northern Mesopotamia. The differences and similarities tried to be recognized from the point view of burial customs.
Stone cist graves appeared at the end of Late Chalcolithic Period and beginning of the Early Bronze Age I in Southeastern Anatolia. This burial custom expanded in Southern Mesopotamia especially in Middle Bronze Age. Aşağı Salat Early Bronze Age I cemetery is among that kind of cemeteries revealed in Upper Tigris region. It has been recognized that Aşağı Salat stone cist graves have similar characteristics with the other graves dated to this period. Pottery recovered from the graves has similarities with Ninive 5 forms. Considering the pottery finds Aşağı Salat cemetery could be dated to the earlier period of Early Bronze Age I between 3200-3000 B.C.
Aşağı Salat Early Bronze I cemetery widens our perception with its similarities and differences to the other cemeteries of the same period. Aşağı Salat cemetery will have a distinctive place for the comparison of the burial customs of the Early Bronze Age I period.

The Neo-Assyrian Kingdom and the Urartian Kingdom were two important Near Eastern states in the Middle Iron Age (ninth to sixth centuries BC) that steered political developments and considerably transformed the lives of populations within their territories. This article aims to explore the origins of Urartian–Assyrian relations: the processes and ways through which Mesopotamian and Assyrian influences reached the eastern Anatolian highlands. The populations who founded the Urartian Kingdom lived mostly as semi-nomadic tribes in eastern Anatolia and surrounding areas during the Early Iron Age (thirteenth to ninth centuries BC). It is impossible to explain the emergence of the Urartian Kingdom in the Van region towards the mid-ninth century BC—which quickly became a powerful rival of its contemporaries—as a natural development of local culture. The main question at this stage is how and from where Assyrian influences were transmitted to the tribes who founded the Urartian Kingdom. Our...

Die spät-chalkolithischen Siedlungsschichten in Giricano vermitteln einen ununterbrochenen Überblick über die kulturelle Entwicklung im Tal des Oberen Tigris von der Obed-Zeit bis in die erste Hälfte des 3. Jahrtausends v. Chr. Die materielle Kultur der noch in der Phase Late-Chalcolithic (LC) 1 gegründeten Siedlung zeigt, dass die bisher hauptsächlich im heutigen Nordirak dokumentierte Kultur bis zum Fuß des Taurus reichte. Kurz vor der Wende vom 4. zum 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr. erreichte die Siedlung in der Phase LC 5 den Höhepunkt ihrer Entwicklung. Dieser ist durch ein monumentales Gebäude dokumentiert, das wahrscheinlich durch ein Erdbeben zerstört wurde. Eine Nachbesiedlung in der so genannten Nineveh 5-Periode ist wesentlich kleiner, bevor der Fundort aufgegeben wurde. Die Darstellung folgt der Entwicklung der Architektur, der Keramik und der Kleinfunde. Sie wird durch eine Diskussion der Integration der Siedlung in die überregionale Kulturentwicklung ergänzt.

Andreas Schachner is a member of the research staff of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI), responsible for Near Eastern Archaeology, since 2005. He completed his studies at the University of Munich in 1993, and obtained his PhD from Munich in 1999, followed by the Habilitation in 2005. As of 2006, Schachner is the director of the long-term project “The Excavations of Hattusha” on behalf of the DAI. Before attending the DAI Schachner conducted excavations at Giricano between 2000 and 2003 as part of a joint effort by the University of Munich and the Diyarbakır Archaeological Museum as well as archaeological and epigraphical surveys at the Tigris Tunnel (2004). Schachner is a corresponding member of the DAI, the Turkish Institute for Ancient Studies and an adjunct Professor at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg.

for further informations cf.: http://www.brepols.net/Pages/ShowProduct.aspx?prod_id=IS-9782503575360-1

Full Reference: Parker, B. J. 2010. “Networks of Interregional Interaction during Mesopotamia's Ubaid Period: A Study Sponsored by the Curtiss T. and Mary G. Brennan Foundation,” in Beyond the Ubaid: Transformation and Integration in the Late Prehistoric Societies of the Middle East, Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 63. Edited by R. A. Carter and G. Philip. Pp. 339-360. Chicago: The Oriental Institute.