Prehistoric Investigations in Iraqi Kurdistan

246 Pages·1960·29.11 MB·English

by  Robert J. Braidwood

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THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
STUDIES IN ANCIENT ORIENTAL CIVILIZATION * NO. 31
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PREHISTORIC
INVESTIGATIONS IN
IRAQI KURDISTAN
J.
BY ROBERT BRAIDWOOD
AND
BRUCE HOWE
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY HANS HELBAEK * FREDERICK R.
MATSON * CHARLES A. REED * HERBERT E. WRIGHT, JR.
THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
STUDIES IN ANCIENT ORIENTAL CIVILIZATION * NO. 31
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS * CHICAGO * ILLINOIS
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Library of Congress Catalog Number 60-8969
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, CHICAGO 37
Cambridge University Press, London, N.W. 1, England
The University of Toronto Press, Toronto 5, Canada
© 1960 by The University of Chicago. Published 1960
Composed by THE UNIVERSrrY OF CAHCAGO PRESS, Chicago,
Illinois, U.S.A., and printed by PHOTOPRESS, INC., Broad-
view, Illinois, U.S.A.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.................. ................. xi
LIST OF WORKS CITED ............ .......... ... . .. ......... .. xiii
I. THE GENERAL PROBLEM ................................ 1
II. SCENE OF THE FIELD WORK .................. ............. 9
III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE IRAQ-JARMO PROJECT'S FIELD ACTIVI-
TIES ...... ............ .............. ... ......... .. 19
IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE SITES ............ .... .... ......... 25
Gird Banahilk ... ................ ............ ..... . 25
Tell al-Khan ................. ..... ............ ... . 25
Tell Matarrah ... .................. .. ... . ......... 26
Gird Ali Agha ......... ........................... . 26
Qalat Jarmo and Possibly Germane Unexcavated Sites . ........ 26
Tell M 'lefaat..... .................. . .............. 27
Karim Shahir and Possibly Germane Unexcavated Sites .......... 28
Gird Chai ....... ............ .. .......... . . ....... .. 28
Ishkaft Palegawra . ....... . ...... .... ............ . 28
Ishkaft Barak ........... ........ ..... ........ .... 29
Ishkaft Hajiyah ............................. ....... . 29
Ishkaft Kaiwanian...... ...... .... ................. . 29
Ishkaft Babkhal ........ ........ ...... ............. . 29
Ishkaft Spilik ...................... ............... . 30
Telegraph Pole 26/22 and Serandur ...... . .............. . .. 30
Barda Balka and Possibly Germane Unexcavated Sites .......... 31
V. THE ARCHEOLOGICAL ASSEMBLAGES ....................... 33
Gird Banahilk ........ ................. ............. . 33
Tell al-Khan ................ ... ... ........ ...... .. . 35
Tell Matarrah ........................... ... ...... . 35
Gird Ali Agha ...................... .. .............. . 37
Qalat Jarmo .. ..... ...... . ... .......... ............ 38
Kani Sur, Khora Namik, Kharaba Qara Chiwar ................ 50
V
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Tell M 'lefaat...... ............. . ................. . . 50
Karim Shahir. . . . . . . . . . . . ........................... 52
Gird Chai ..... ............ . ................... .. . ... 54
Turkaka and Kowri Khan ............................... 55
Ishkaft Palegawra ................. . ................. 57
Ishkaft Barak, Ishkaft Hajiyah, Ishkaft Babkhal, and the Zarzian
Horizon . ........................................... 59
Ishkaft Babkhal, Ishkaft Spilik, and the Mousterian Horizon ........ 60
Telegraph Pole 26/22 and Serandur....................... 60
Barda Balka, Cham Bazar, Eski Kelik ...................... 61
VI. SPECIALIZED CERAMIC STUDIES AND RADIOACTIVE-CARBON TECH-
NIQUES. Frederick R. Matson .. ............... ........... . 63
The Ceramic Yield of the 1954/55 Season. ................... . 63
Qalat Jarm o .................................... 63
Gird Ali Agha ................................... 66
Tell al-Khan ............. ..... ................. 66
Pottery Thin Sections ............... ................. 67
Clay and Soil Studies ........ .... ..................... 67
Radiocarbon Dating .................................. 68
I
VII. CLIMATE AND PREHISTORIC MAN IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
Herbert E. Wright, Jr. .......... .......... ............... 71
Abstract.......................................... 71
Introduction ................ .. ............ ........ 72
The Problem ...................................... 73
The Levant ........................................ 74
Pleistocene..................................... 74
Mt. Carmel and the Climatic Trends of the Late Pleistocene . 74
Interior Palestine ............................. 75
-Kasr Akil ................................... 75
Strand Lines on the Coast of Lebanon ............... 76
Coastal Plain of Palestine ....... ................. 77
Yabrud........... ......................... ... 78
Problems of Chronology ............... . .......... 78
The Wurm Chronology of Europe ... ................ 78
Mediterraanean Climates on the Basis of Climatological
Theory..................................... .. 83
Fluctuations of Sea Level ........................ 84
Conclusions ................................. 86
Post-Pleistocene ................................. 87
The Interior ........ ............................... 88
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High Mountain Belt . .................. ........... 89
Foothills and Lowlands .................. ........... 90
Caves .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............... 90
Chemchemal Plain ................ ............. 91
Terraces of Major Rivers ................... .... 92
Other Features ...... ......................... 92
Desert Regions .. ............. .... .... ........ 93
Lakes . ....... . .......................... . 93
W adies .. . ................................ 93
Soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Dating ....... . . .. . .................. 94
Conclusions .................. ................... 95
VIII. THE PALEOETHNOBOTANY OF THE NEAR EAST AND EUROPE. Hans
Helbaek . .............................................. 99
Introduction ...................................... 99
History of the Cereals ............................ 100
W heat ....................................... 100
Emmer ................................... 101
Other Tetraploid Wheats........................ 104
Hexaploid Wheats............................. 104
Spelt ..................................... 105
Einkorn .................. .............. S 106
Barley ................................... ... 107
Two-Row Barley ........................... . 108
The Problem of the Origin of Six-Row Barley .......... 109
Naked Barleys .............................. 111
Millet ............................... ........ 112
Rye......................................... 113
Oats ...... .... ...... .... ...... .. .. ...... .. .. . 114
Noncereal Plants .................................. 115
Large-Seeded Legumes........................... 115
Flax ........... ......................... .. .. 115
Fruit .. ....... .. ...... ... ...... ... . ...... .. .. 116
Conclusions 117
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IX. A REVIEW OF THE ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE ON ANIMAL DOMES-
TICATION IN THE PREHISTORIC NEAR EAST. Charles A. Reed ..... . 119
Abstract......................................... 119
Introduction ...................................... 121
Dom estication ..................................... 123
D ogs ........................................ 126
The Wolf as Ancestor .......................... 126
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The Jackel as Ancestor ......................... 126
A '" ild Dog" as Ancestor........ ....... ......... 127
Diphyletic Origins . .......... ..... .... ....... . 127
Recommendations for Research ................... 127
The Domestic Dog in the Prehistory of the Near East. ..... 127
Sheep and Goats .................. .............. 129
Goats ................... ................ . 130
Sheep ........................ ... ... .... . 134
Wo ol . ... ... . . ... . . . .... ... . . . .... ... 137
Pigs .............. ................... ...... 138
Cattle ..................................... .. 141
X. THE BASIS FOR A TENTATIVE CHRONOLOGY .................. 147
Introduction ................. ...................... 147
Early Middle Paleolithic Food-Gatherers. .................. . .150
Open-Air Sites Indicating a More Evolved Middle Paleolithic Aspect
of Food-Gathering .................... .............. 152
The Developed Mousterian Horizon in Caves . ................ 152
The Upper Paleolithic Food-Collecting Horizon ............... . 153
The Zarzian or Terminal Aspect of the Food-Collecting Era ....... 155
The Cave Sites .................... ............ . 155
The Open-Air Sites ......... .. .... ........ ...... 156
The Era of Incipient Cultivation in Open-Air Sites . .......... .. 157
The Era of the Primary Village-Farming Community ......... 159
XI. TOWARD THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SEQUENCE
OF NORTHEASTERN IRAQ. Chares A. Reed and Robert J. Braidwood ... 163
Introduction .......................... ... ........ . 163
The Period of the Middle Paleolithic Food-Gatherers ........... 164
The Period of the Developed Mousterian in Caves .............. 165
The Upper Paleolithic Food-Collecting Horizon ................. 168
The Zarzian or Terminal Aspect of the Food-Collecting Era ....... 169
The Era of Incipient Cultivation in Open-Air Sites .......... ... . 170
The Era of the Primary Village-Farming Community ............ 170
The Jarmo Phase ................. ........... ... . 170
The Hassunah and Halaf Phases ....................... 173
Subsequent History ................... .............. . 173
XII. OBSERVATIONS,Q UESTIONS, AND PROSPECTS ................. 175
Introductory Remarks . . . . . . ... . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Natural History and Cultural History. .. . ...... . . . . . .. . . . 175
General Levels of Cultural Activity . .. 176
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ix
Cultural Influence, Change, and Population ................ 177
The Middle Paleolithic Food-Gatherers ..................... 178
Barda Balka ................ ................... 178
The Coarse Mousterian of Open-Air Sites ....... ......... .. 178
The Developed Mousterian Horizon in Caves . . .... ....... . 179
The Upper Paleolithic Food-Collectors . ............... . . .. . 179
The Broader Implications of the Trend from Gathering to Col-
lecting .......... ......... ............ ........ . 179
The Baradostian Horizon. ................. ..... ..... . 180
The Zarzian Horizon ................. ............... 180
The Transition to the Food-Producing Stage ... ............. .. . 181
General Considerations .............................. 181
The Era of Incipient Cultivation . .. ............. . . . ...... 182
The Era of the Primary Village-Farming Community ........... . 183
The Jarmo Phase....................... .. ......... . 183
The Developing Phases .... .......... ................ 184
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