Near East Section Research
Staff
Richard L. Zettler, Ph.D. Associate Curator-in-Charge
Renata Holod, Ph.D. Curator
Holly Pittman, Ph.D. Curator
Brian J. Spooner, D.Phil. Curator
Philip Jones, Ph.D. Associate Curator
Lauren Ristvet, Ph.D. Dyson Assistant Curator
Patrick E. McGovern, Ph.D. Research Project Manager
Naomi F. Miller, Ph.D. Research Project Manager
Robert H. Dyson, Jr., Ph.D. Curator Emeritus
Katherine Blanchard Fowler/Van Santvoord Keeper
of Collections
Maude de Schauensee Associate Editor, Hasanlu Publications
Kimberly Leaman-Insua Senior Illustrator
Stephan Kroll, Ph.D. Dyson Fellow
Biomolecular Archaeology, the scientific analysis of ancient organic remains, has come of age in the past twenty-five years. Ancient foods, perfumes, dyes, and other organics, which could only be imagined from ancient writings, can now be detected and characterized by applying highly sensitive chemical techniques. This supremely interdisciplinary field promises to open up whole new chapters relating to our bio-cultural transformation over the past three million years, including our ancestry and genetic development, our cuisines and fermented beverages, and medical practice and other crafts. We are at the beginning of a process that will transform our understanding of our species and yield spectacular discoveries in the 21st century.
Where
Research areas span the world, with special concentration onthe Near East, China, the Mediterranean, Europe, and the Americas.
When
All periods, with special concentration on the Neolithic Period (following the end of the last Ice Age around 10,000 BCE in many parts of the world), and the Bronze and Iron Ages.
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This project aims to analyze, interpret, and prepare for publication the Bronze Age ceramic assemblages of Tepe Hissar. The site is the largest known urban settlement in northeast Iran, and is located between the East-West trade route. These ceramics will be used to establish a new chronology for the region. The archaeological evidence for this study is derived from excavations by Erich F. Schmidt (1931–1933) and Robert H. Dyson, Jr. et al. (1976).
Where
Middle East
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Tell es-Sweyhat was occupied throughout the 3rd millennium BCE or Early Bronze Age (EBA). Founded as a walled farmstead at the beginning of the EBA, it became a medium-sized city-state with a fortification at its core by the 3rd quarter of the 3rd millennium, and a major urban center consisting of a citadel surrounded by an extensive lower town by ca. 2150 BCE. The site offers important opportunities for understanding the dynamics of subsistence and settlement in marginal environments and the role of pastoralism in the emergence of early state societies, as well as the topography of northern Mesopotamian cities.
Where
Syria
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Excavations of the sites of Konar Sandal South and North near Jiroft in south-central Iran have revealed a hitherto unknown civilization of the Early Bronze Age that interacted with societies in Mesopotamia, the Indus valley and Central Asia. The new excavations have produced an extensive ceramic assemblage, and monumental, domestic, and craft production areas. Most interesting among the finds are more than 400 seal impressions of cylinder and stamp seals used in economic administration.
Where
Iran
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Naxcıvan is one of the first projects in the least explored area of the Near East. The Naxcıvan Archaeological Project, a joint American-Azerbaijani program of surveys and excavations, studies the north-eastern frontier of Greater Mesopotamia. Ongoing surveys reveal how the interaction between nomads, local centers and external empires created a unique political landscape in the Caucasus. Our work at Oglanqala, the largest archaeological site in Naxcıvan, Azerbaijan, analyzes economic and cultural imperialism at this fortress during the Achaemenid Persian Empire (550-330 BCE). Current excavations focus on unearthing the ancient imperial palace, where some of the first evidence of writing in Azerbaijan was found and exploring a neighborhood in order to understand how imperial policies affected everyday life.
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Bat Archaeological Project: Exploration of 3rd millennium structures and settlements at one of the most important sites in the Sultanate of Oman
Where
Modern village of Bat is in the Sultanate of Oman near the city of Ibri. This region in the past was known to Mesopotamians as "Magan", from which copper and other goods came.
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Hasanlu and Tepe Hissar, both archaeological sites located in the modern country of Iran, have yielded the remains of hundreds of skeletal persons. Many students and researchers have worked on these skeletal collections yielding many types of reports and publications.
Where
Hasanlu (Excavated by Robert Dyson 1957-1977) (on the southern edge of Lake Urmia in the Solduz Valley) and Tepe Hissar (excavated by Erich Schmidt 1931-1932; Dyson 1976) (near the modern city of Damghan) (see map) Northern Iran.
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Hasanlu: often called the Pompeii of the Iron Age Near East, the destruction level at the site offers a unique picture of the life of a large settlement in this period.
Where
The Hasanlu Project was centred around the Ushnu-Solduz valley, south of Lake Urmia, in the province of Western Azerbaijan, Iran.
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