Books by Angelo Di Michele
Studi di Archeologia Siriana 7, Le Lettere, 2022
Tell Afis is located at the southern edge of the Jazr plain in the Idlib region of northern Syria... more Tell Afis is located at the southern edge of the Jazr plain in the Idlib region of northern Syria. The site, measuring 570m x 500m, consists of a very large lower city with an acropolis on its northern edge. After initial excavation in the 1970s, fieldwork resumed in 1986 under a mission jointly directed by Stefania Mazzoni and Serena Maria Cecchini.
This volume concerns the excavation of area N, the eastern part of the acropolis. The first chapter describes these field investigations from 2001 until 2007. A detailed analysis of the occupation of the area during the Bronze Age follows. The Middle Bronze Age fortifications are discussed (Chapter II - phase XIf-a), followed by the Middle Bronze to Late Bronze Age transition (Chapter III - phase X) and Late Bronze Age occupation, including various architectural phases dating mainly to Late Bronze II (Chapter IV- phase IX-VIIb), the transition between Late Bronze and Iron Age I (Chapter IV - phase VIIa). Chapter V is entirely dedicated to the occupation sequence of the Iron Age I period of which six major phases with related sub-phases were identified (phases VI-I). Chapter VI compares the ceramic sequences between areas N and E, located in the
western part of the acropolis. The final chapter (Chapter VII) places the excavation results in a historical context and re-analyses site B, located in the northern sector of the lower city. The volume concludes with an appendix giving a detailed analysis of the faunal remains of Area N by Barbara Wilkens, in addition to an itemized abstract in Arabic.
Each chapter includes an examination of the stratigraphic and architectural data, and the objects found in each context. This is followed by a detailed section examining the pottery from each phase. Extensive illustrations (comprising phased plans, sections, photographs and ceramic tables, accompanied by additional tables and graphs) supplement the text.
Peer-reviewed publications by Angelo Di Michele
Humans, 2024
Girsu, the modern site of Tello (southern Iraq), represents one of the earliest known urban centr... more Girsu, the modern site of Tello (southern Iraq), represents one of the earliest known urban centres of the ancient world, along with Uruk, Eridu, and Ur. During the 3rd millennium BCE (3000–2000 BCE), Girsu was revered as the sanctuary of the Sumerian heroic deity Ningirsu, who fought with supernatural beasts and made possible the introduction of irrigation and agriculture in Sumer. While much is known about the gods, their roles, and rituals inside the temples, there is little textual or archaeological evidence concerning the rituals that took place in the large open-air plazas adjacent to the temples. These areas within the sacred precinct were where the general population would gather to participate in festivals and ceremonies to honour the gods. To better understand the ancient cultic realm in southern Mesopotamia, an in-depth investigation of a favissa (ritual pit) discovered within the sacred precinct at Girsu was undertaken. The excavations recovered a large quantity of ceramics and animal remains that had been used for ritual purposes. Through the study of archaeological remains of cultic spaces at Girsu, information on ritual behaviour such as sacrificial animal slaughtering and consumption for the purpose of feasting, the types of libations provided to quench the thirst of the gods, and the distance travelled to take part in the annual festivals to pay homage to the patron god of their sacred city were explored. Analysis of the associated ceramics, cuneiform texts, and zooarchaeological remains (including stable isotope data), allowed a multifaceted and integrative approach to better understand ceremonial behaviour and ritual feasting in this sacred city. New insights into communal and performative participation in ceremonies, especially by non-elite individuals, are generated. These data increase our knowledge not only of how Girsu’s citizens organised their sacred spaces and religious festivals, but also of how they behaved in order to satisfy the ever-demanding needs of their gods.
American Journal of Archaeology, 2023
Suburbs and other zones of urban sprawl are not recent phenomena; they are as old as cities thems... more Suburbs and other zones of urban sprawl are not recent phenomena; they are as old as cities themselves. However, archaeological investigation of them has been relatively scarce, biasing reconstructions of the scale and diversity of early urban populations, industries, and economies, as well as reconstructions of ancient cities’ size and form. Here, we use aerial and satellite imagery in combination with ground survey to identify and charac- terize the extramural areas of one of the world’s earliest cities, Ur (Tell al-Muqayyar), in southern Iraq. The results suggest the need for some revisions of earlier impressionistic ideas about the extent, location, and dates of Ur’s suburbs. The distributions of ceramics of periods spanning the fifth to first millennium BCE suggest that Ur may have been founded in the fifth to fourth millennium BCE as a pair of spatially separate settlements that grew at different rates, only one of which developed into the city’s highly mounded core; that more distant suburbs formed by the third millennium BCE; and that intensity of occupation of various extramural zones covering hundreds of hectares shifted throughout the third to first millennium BCE. Overall, the data challenge characterizations of Ur as more compact and spatially continuous than other early Mesopotamian cities.
[This paper is open access; please click on the DOI to download it from the AJA website]
Radiocarbon, 2023
Mesopotamia is often regarded the "cradle of civilization." The development of water management p... more Mesopotamia is often regarded the "cradle of civilization." The development of water management practices in the region is thought to have played a key role in the emergence of these early civilizations. We present the first direct dating of a palaeo-canal system at the ancient city of Girsu, Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) (occupied between 4800 and 1600 BC). We describe the use of archaeological and radiocarbon (14 C) dating techniques to establish the age of this canal system. Our results show considerable differences between shell 14 C dates on the one hand and charcoal 14 C dates and archaeological evidence on the other. This likely reflects the impact of freshwater reservoir effects from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Although the FRE from rivers is widely acknowledged, its impact on 14 C dates in Mesopotamia is rarely discussed and poorly understood. Our results provide a first indication of its variability and magnitude. With the publication of our results we aim to highlight the problem and re-initiate collaborative research efforts in improving 14 C dating in this important region.
Journal of Field Archaeology, 2022
Archaeological research in Iraq of the past three decades emphasized landscape archaeology with m... more Archaeological research in Iraq of the past three decades emphasized landscape archaeology with many newly initiated survey projects next to the more traditional excavations of archaeological sites. The utility of survey data, collected in the 1950-1980s, to address specific historical questions has been impaired by the lack of a representative and sufficiently detailed pottery chronology, particularly for southern Mesopotamia. Based on the initial results of the Umma Survey Project, we argue that systematic sampling strategies have the potential to reduce or overcome those limitations and contribute to building a representative pottery typology of the region with a higher chronological resolution. We argue that landscape archaeology's contribution to the reconstruction of Mesopotamian history can only be fully realized by considerably improving the existing pottery sequences. Furthermore, the systematic mapping of occupation areas on the sites provides important insights into settlement behavior responding to changing environments.
Papers by Angelo Di Michele
Radiocarbon
ABSTRACTMesopotamia is often regarded the “cradle of civilization.” The development of water mana... more ABSTRACTMesopotamia is often regarded the “cradle of civilization.” The development of water management practices in the region is thought to have played a key role in the emergence of these early civilizations. We present the first direct dating of a palaeo-canal system at the ancient city of Girsu, Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) (occupied between 4800 and 1600 BC). We describe the use of archaeological and radiocarbon (14C) dating techniques to establish the age of this canal system. Our results show considerable differences between shell 14C dates on the one hand and charcoal 14C dates and archaeological evidence on the other. This likely reflects the impact of freshwater reservoir effects from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Although the FRE from rivers is widely acknowledged, its impact on 14C dates in Mesopotamia is rarely discussed and poorly understood. Our results provide a first indication of its variability and magnitude. With the publication of our results we aim to highligh...
Cover illustration: Impression of a third millennium BC cylinder seal from Tell Arbid in Syria co... more Cover illustration: Impression of a third millennium BC cylinder seal from Tell Arbid in Syria combined with the depiction of a mermaid -a motif from Warsaw's coat of arms. Designed by Łukasz Rutkowski.
Edited Conference Proceedings by Angelo Di Michele
Book Reviews by Angelo Di Michele
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Books by Angelo Di Michele
This volume concerns the excavation of area N, the eastern part of the acropolis. The first chapter describes these field investigations from 2001 until 2007. A detailed analysis of the occupation of the area during the Bronze Age follows. The Middle Bronze Age fortifications are discussed (Chapter II - phase XIf-a), followed by the Middle Bronze to Late Bronze Age transition (Chapter III - phase X) and Late Bronze Age occupation, including various architectural phases dating mainly to Late Bronze II (Chapter IV- phase IX-VIIb), the transition between Late Bronze and Iron Age I (Chapter IV - phase VIIa). Chapter V is entirely dedicated to the occupation sequence of the Iron Age I period of which six major phases with related sub-phases were identified (phases VI-I). Chapter VI compares the ceramic sequences between areas N and E, located in the
western part of the acropolis. The final chapter (Chapter VII) places the excavation results in a historical context and re-analyses site B, located in the northern sector of the lower city. The volume concludes with an appendix giving a detailed analysis of the faunal remains of Area N by Barbara Wilkens, in addition to an itemized abstract in Arabic.
Each chapter includes an examination of the stratigraphic and architectural data, and the objects found in each context. This is followed by a detailed section examining the pottery from each phase. Extensive illustrations (comprising phased plans, sections, photographs and ceramic tables, accompanied by additional tables and graphs) supplement the text.
Peer-reviewed publications by Angelo Di Michele
[This paper is open access; please click on the DOI to download it from the AJA website]
Papers by Angelo Di Michele
Edited Conference Proceedings by Angelo Di Michele
Book Reviews by Angelo Di Michele
This volume concerns the excavation of area N, the eastern part of the acropolis. The first chapter describes these field investigations from 2001 until 2007. A detailed analysis of the occupation of the area during the Bronze Age follows. The Middle Bronze Age fortifications are discussed (Chapter II - phase XIf-a), followed by the Middle Bronze to Late Bronze Age transition (Chapter III - phase X) and Late Bronze Age occupation, including various architectural phases dating mainly to Late Bronze II (Chapter IV- phase IX-VIIb), the transition between Late Bronze and Iron Age I (Chapter IV - phase VIIa). Chapter V is entirely dedicated to the occupation sequence of the Iron Age I period of which six major phases with related sub-phases were identified (phases VI-I). Chapter VI compares the ceramic sequences between areas N and E, located in the
western part of the acropolis. The final chapter (Chapter VII) places the excavation results in a historical context and re-analyses site B, located in the northern sector of the lower city. The volume concludes with an appendix giving a detailed analysis of the faunal remains of Area N by Barbara Wilkens, in addition to an itemized abstract in Arabic.
Each chapter includes an examination of the stratigraphic and architectural data, and the objects found in each context. This is followed by a detailed section examining the pottery from each phase. Extensive illustrations (comprising phased plans, sections, photographs and ceramic tables, accompanied by additional tables and graphs) supplement the text.
[This paper is open access; please click on the DOI to download it from the AJA website]