Nomads, Tribes and the State in the Ancient Near East: Cross-disciplinary Perspectives

304 Pages·2009·6.259 MB·English

by  Jeffrey Szuchman

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Nomads, Tribes, aNd The sTaTe
iN The aNcieNT Near easT
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iii
Nomads, Tribes, aNd The sTaTe
iN The aNcieNT Near easT
cross-discipliNary perspecTives
edited by
jeffrey szuchman
with contributions by
jeffrey szuchman, hans Barnard, robert ritner, steven a. rosen, Benjamin
a. saidel, eveline van der steen, anatoly m. Khazanov, abbas alizadeh,
Thomas e. Levy, Bertille Lyonnet, anne Porter, Daniel e. fleming,
Donald Whitcomb, and frank hole
The OrienTaL insTiTuTe Of The universiTy Of chicagO
OrienTaL insTiTuTe seminars • numBer 5
chicagO • iLLinOis
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Library of congress control number: 2008943404
isBn-13: 978-1-885923-61-5
isBn-10: 1-885923-61-9
issn: 1559-2944
© 2009 by The university of chicago. all rights reserved.
Published 2009. Printed in the united states of america.
The Oriental Institute, Chicago
The universiTy Of chicagO
OrienTaL insTiTuTe seminars • numBer 5
Series Editors
Leslie schramer
and
Thomas g. urban
with the assistance of
Katie L. johnson
Cover Illustrations
Front: semitic tribe in traditional costume and egyptians. egyptian painting. 19th century b.c.e.
mural from the tomb of Beni-hassan. Photo credit: erich Lessing / art resource, ny.
Kunsthistorisches museum, vienna, austria
Back: figure (on right) with open cloak. rock art from the site of uan amil, Libya.
figure 3.5 in this volume. Photo by robert ritner
Publication of this volume was made possible through generous funding
from the arthur and Lee herbst research and education fund
Printed by Edwards Brothers, Ann Arbor, Michigan
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of american national standard for informa-
tion services — Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
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v
TaBLe Of cOnTenTs
LisT Of aBBreviaTiOns ........................................................................................................... vii
LisT Of figures .......................................................................................................................... ix
LisT Of TaBLes ............................................................................................................................ xiii
Preface ......................................................................................................................................... xv
inTrODucTiOn
1. integrating approaches to nomads, Tribes, and the state in the ancient near east ............ 1
Jeffrey Szuchman, University of Chicago
secTiOn One: inTegraTing meThODs: hisTOricaL, archaeOLOgicaL,
anD eThnOgraPhic DaTa
2. The archaeology of Pastoral nomads between the nile and the red sea ............................ 15
Hans Barnard, University of California, Los Angeles
3. egypt and the vanishing Libyan: institutional responses to a nomadic People ................ 43
Robert Ritner, University of Chicago
4. history Does not repeat itself: cyclicity and Particularism in nomad-sedentary
relations in the negev in the Long Term ............................................................................. 57
Steven A. Rosen, Ben-Gurion University
5. Pitching camp: ethnoarchaeological investigations of inhabited Tent camps
in the Wadi hisma, jordan ................................................................................................... 87
Benjamin Adam Saidel, East Carolina University
6. Tribal societies in the nineteenth century: a model .......................................................... 105
Eveline van der Steen, University of Liverpool
secTiOn TWO: inTegraTing ParaDigms Of TriBe-sTaTe inTeracTiOn
7. specific characteristics of chalcolithic and Bronze age Pastoralism
in the near east ..................................................................................................................... 119
Anatoly M. Khazanov, University of Wisconsin-Madison
8. Prehistoric mobile Pastoralists in south-central and southwestern iran ............................. 129
Abbas Alizadeh, University of Chicago
9. Pastoral nomads and iron age metal Production in ancient edom .................................... 147
Thomas E. Levy, University of California, San Diego
10. Who Lived in the Third-millennium “round cities” of northern syria? ............................ 179
Bertille Lyonnet, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
11. Beyond Dimorphism: ideologies and materialities of Kinship as Time-space
Distanciation ......................................................................................................................... 201
Anne Porter, University of Southern California
12. Kingship of city and Tribe conjoined: zimri-Lim at mari ................................................. 227
Daniel E. Fleming, New York University
13. from Pastoral Peasantry to Tribal urbanites: arab Tribes and the foundation
of the islamic state in syria .................................................................................................. 241
Donald Whitcomb, University of Chicago
v
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vi TABLE OF CONTENTS
secTiOn Three: resPOnse
14. Pastoral mobility as an adaptation ...................................................................................... 261
Frank Hole, Yale University
inDex ............................................................................................................................................. 285
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vii
LisT Of aBBreviaTiOns
ca. circa
cf. confer, compare
cm centimeter(s)
col(s). column(s)
diss. dissertation
e.g. exempli gratia, for example
esp. especially
et al. et alii, and others
etc. et cetera, and so forth
fig(s). figure(s)
ha hectare(s)
ibid. ibidem, in the same place
i.e. id est, that is
km kilometer(s)
lit. literally
m meter(s)
mm millimeter(s)
n(n). note(s)
n.d. no date
no(s). number(s)
obv. obverse
p(p). page(s)
pers. comm. personal communication
pl(s). plate(s)
rev. reverse
sq. square
vs. versus
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LisT Of figures
Divider Page. seminar Participants
2.1. Md¯˙.w (medjay) is written with the bound prisoner or the throw stick and seated
man determinatives, in this context signifying enemies of egypt, or with the foreign
land determinative, indicating a geographical area outside the egyptian heartland ................... 29
2.2. map of southern egypt and northern sudan, showing the distribution of pan-graves,
as well as the approximate territories of the modern Bedouin tribes in the area ........................ 29
2.3. Layout of a typical pan-grave with associated finds ................................................................... 30
2.4. Bucranium decorated with blocks and bands of red and black paint; white dots have
been applied to the red areas ....................................................................................................... 30
2.5. examples of eastern Desert Ware (eDW) ................................................................................. 31
2.6. map of southern egypt and northern sudan, showing the distribution of eastern
Desert Ware, as well as the approximate territories of some of the modern Bedouin
tribes in the area .......................................................................................................................... 32
2.7. The headrests used by the Beja show great similarity with those found in ancient
egyptian tombs and have been interpreted as evidence for cultural continuity, despite
evidence to the contrary .............................................................................................................. 33
3.1. scene of cattle (uan amil) ......................................................................................................... 50
3.2. rare depiction of a goat (Tadrart acacus) ................................................................................. 50
3.3. figure with hair feather and throwstick (Tadrart acacus) ......................................................... 51
3.4. scene of dressing frontal hair lock (uan amil) ......................................................................... 51
3.5. figure with Open cloak (uan amil) ......................................................................................... 52
4.1. map showing surveys of the negev on which analyses are based ............................................. 70
4.2. schematic of the fluctuating boundary of systematic agricultural practice in the negev ........... 71
4.3. Distribution of early Bronze age and Byzantine agriculture in the negev ............................... 71
4.4. estimated extent of systematic agricultural exploitation in different periods in the negev ....... 72
4.5. schematic of the fluctuating boundaries of pastoral tribal presence in the negev .................... 73
4.6. Distribution of the tribal pastoral and agricultural systems of the middle ages ....................... 73
4.7. Distribution of the tribal pastoral and agricultural systems of the middle Bronze age,
circa 1800 b.c. ............................................................................................................................ 74
4.8. increase in number of desert sites in the third millennium b.c. ................................................. 75
4.9. classical complex architecture .................................................................................................. 76
4.10. Distribution of Byzantine/early islamic pastoral encampments versus agriculture sites
in and around the ramon crater ................................................................................................ 77
5.1. map from google earth showing location of survey universe area in southern jordan ............ 96
5.2. survey universe and location of community of Dabet hanout .................................................. 96
5.3. five animal pens at Bedouin tent camp located in jebel Thurga, jordan .................................. 97
5.4. Pen attached to Tent 428b lies on top of disused animal pen .................................................... 97
5.5. Topographic settings of inhabited tent camps ............................................................................ 98
5.6. Distribution of abandoned and inhabited tent camps in this portion of Wadi hisma ................ 98
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x LIST OF FIGURES
5.7. Tents of site 404 spread out along the Wadi ras en naqab ...................................................... 99
5.8. staggered layout of Tents at site 417 in Wadi hisma ............................................................... 99
5.9. Topographical settings of abandoned and inhabited tent camps ................................................ 100
5.10. site 412 and adjacent animal pens ............................................................................................. 100
5.11. Tent camps located on interfluves and on wadi terraces along Wadi ras en naqab ................. 101
5.12. Deposits of dung at sites 414 and 451 demarcated the location of abandoned
rectangular tents ......................................................................................................................... 101
8.1. map of southwest asia .............................................................................................................. 138
8.2. map of Deh Luran (Pusht-e Kuh) showing the locations of hakalan and Parchineh ............... 139
8.3. satellite image of Lowland susiana ............................................................................................ 140
10.1. satellite image of syria ............................................................................................................... 193
10.2. The modern isohyet curves and the Kranzhügel sites ................................................................ 193
10.3. mari, general plan of the actual mound ...................................................................................... 194
10.4. Tell Beydar, general plan ........................................................................................................... 194
10.5. Tell Beydar, buildings in the inner city ....................................................................................... 195
10.6. al-rawda, plan of the excavated houses ................................................................................... 195
11.1. map ............................................................................................................................................. 218
13.1. map of Qinnasrin area, with Tell chalcis and hadir sites .......................................................... 250
13.2. Plan of area K, hadir Qinnasrin excavations ............................................................................ 250
13.3. Winter residence near hadir Qinnasirin ..................................................................................... 251
13.4. Progression from tent site to village ........................................................................................... 251
13.5. Khirbet abu suwwana ................................................................................................................ 252
13.6. site of al-risha ........................................................................................................................... 252
13.7. Plan of Khirbet al-Karak ............................................................................................................. 253
13.8. Plan of the sinnabra qasr, with comparanda .............................................................................. 253
13.9. city plan of hims ........................................................................................................................ 254
13.10. reconstruction of early islamic jerusalem ................................................................................ 254
14.1. Winter camp of the Baharvand Lurs in the zagros mountains, iran .......................................... 271
14.2. acorn crusher in Luristan ........................................................................................................... 271
14.3. remnant of winter camp ............................................................................................................. 272
14.4. Typical campsite during migration ............................................................................................ 272
14.5. Kurdi tents surrounding a corral during spring migration .......................................................... 273
14.6. stone and brush-covered tent annex for penning of lambs and kids .......................................... 273
14.7. feed troughs for sheep and goats at a temporary camp ............................................................. 274
14.8. grain bins for storing the winter crop during migration ............................................................ 274
14.9. Dead fall bird trap ....................................................................................................................... 275
14.10. Typical pile of stones atop a difficult pass .................................................................................. 275
14.11. Typical Luri black tent made of strips woven from goat hair .................................................... 276
14.12. Donkey loaded with strips of tent cloth, reed screens, tent poles, and a kid .............................. 276
14.13. Kula, a summer shelter which would have surrounding reed screens when in use ................... 277