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Copyright of Insāniyāt / Revue Algérienne d'Anthropologie et de Sciences Sociales is the property of Centre de Recherche en Anthropologie Sociale et Culturelle (CRASC) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Evaluation of a volume of English renderings of Akkadian-language texts concerning treatment of illness in ancient Assyria and Babylonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the social and political aspects of awarding of statues to Romans within Greek cities in the ancient world, including in regard to the democracy in Greek cities. An overview of the prosecution of the Governor of ancient Sicily, Italy Gaeus Verres by the the Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero, including in regard to Verres' allegedly corrupt methods of awarding statues, is provided.

In this article, a Mycenaean pottery sherd from Liman Tepe is discussed. The piece, which was locally produced, probably belongs to a ring-based crater (FS 281). Comparisons with other, similar sherds suggest that warriors aboard a ship are depicted. As one of the few examples of its period decorated in this way, the sherd has been dated to the early or middle phase of LH III C, belonging to the period after the collapse of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia and the Mycenaean kingdoms in mainland Greece. The depictions on this sherd are highly significant, as they contribute to the corpus of evidence for migrations from the western to the eastern Mediterranean and the unrest which characterized the period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, material characteristics of glass mosaic tesserae from Antandros ancient city, western Turkey, were investigated. The main objective of this study was to determine the compositional group of the glass tesserae. Their color, mineralogical, chemical and microstructural characteristics were determined using colorimeter, x-ray diffraction, x-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscope. The results show that all the Antandros glasses were produced by using coastal sand as Levantine I glasses and exhibit similar compositions with natron type glasses (Roman type glasses), except for lower natron levels. Lower natron levels indicate that Antandros mosaic glass may have been produced in 7th century AD or natron may have been provided from a new flux source due to the shortage of Egyptian mineral soda or due to economic reasons glass manufacturers succeeded to produce same glass with low flux addition. Antandros glass tesserae were all opacified with antimony oxides and colored with transition metal oxides which are common used in Roman Period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The find spots of eight scarabs of the Hyksos Pharaoh Sheshi from Tell el-Ajjul in southwest Palestine, excavated by Petrie, are re-examined in detail and found not to agree with the levels attributed to them by Aaron Kempinski in 1983. He argued that these scarabs related to the founding of City II, but some of them actually came from the earlier City III. This may have implications for the correct relationship between two transitions, that from Middle Bronze Age II to Late Bronze Age I in Palestine and that from Dynasty fifteen to eighteen in Egypt. An appendix considers scarabs of Pharaoh Apophis at Ajjul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reconstruction of Pompeii's water-supply system is currently the focus of much debate. This debate is fueled by complicated and growing archaeological evidence for the water system within the town as well as three different proposed configurations of Pompeii's aqueduct. The new synthesis of archaeological evidence presented here reveals three successive phases of piped distribution. The first, Augustan phase was altered considerably in a second phase to keep it operating, albeit with reduced supply, in the town's last decades. At the time of the eruption of Somma-Vesuvius in 79 C.E., a wholly new, third phase was under construction. A new interpretation of the archaeological remains around Ponte Tirone shows that the water that supplied Pompeii's distribution system came from either the Aqua Augusta or Somma-Vesuvius, but probably not from the Abella aqueduct. In addition, there is evidence in Ponte Tirone for a minimum ground uplift of approximately 30 cm on the flanks of the volcano prior to the eruption and greater deflation afterward. This uplift reduced and then stopped water supply to towns around the Bay of Naples, but whether it affected Pompeii remains unclear. This analysis further develops a new method of reconstructing past vertical ground movements via their impact on shallow-gradient, gravity-powered water systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades archaeologists have recognized that Khonkho Wankane was an important monumental site in the Bolivian Andes, and most have interpreted it as a Tiwanaku regional center A decade of research indicates that Khonkho Wankane was an important Late Formative center that engendered Tiwanaku's Middle Horizon urbanism and ritual-political centrality. It was neither a Tiwanaku regional center nor Tiwanaku's second city. Furthermore, recent research at Khonkho suggests a critique of the "one center one polity" model of political complexity. Rather than being the singular center of a spatially bounded multi-community polity, Khonkho was one of multiple interacting Late Formative centers in an emergent macro-community that gave rise to Tiwanaku urban centrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the Moldovan border city -- Tiraspol, belonging to the Eastern extremity of Latinity; de facto, being situated in the secessionist region of Transnistria. Tiraspol has developed next to the ruins of the ancient Greek city Tyras, founded about 600 B.C. by people from Miletus. Tiraspol is analysed as a border city of Eastern Latinity, following its legal status, name, geographical position, history, people, demographics, ethnic structure, international relations, cross-border relations, EUBAM mission. The city is presented through the prism of the Transnistrian conflict, an artificial and frozen conflict, which affects the natural socio-economic development of Moldova and afflicts the security of Europe in this region of the continent. From the geographical, historical and cultural points of view, the Europeaneity of Tiraspol can play a crucial role in developing an appropriate matrix at the border of Eastern Latinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo discurre sobre las rancherías, presidios y empresas comerciales en el sur de Texas. El autor comenta sobre la ciudad antigua de Lipantitlán en Texas, la cual representó un centro comercial y un sitio importante de Texas y México, porque se encuentra en la frontera entre los dos países. También se considera la historia de la ciudad, incluyendo la Batalla de Liptantitlán como parte de la Revolución de Texas.

This article examines the development of urban forms of community organization on the north-central coast of Peru during the 1st millennium B.C. Recent mapping and excavations at the Early Horizon center of Caylán, in the Nepeña Valley, provide insights into the nucleation of human groups at an extensive valley floor complex. The results indicate the establishment of an urban core around cross-cutting avenues, while architectural data point towards the existence of multi-functional residential stone-and-mud walled compounds. The density of the architectural remains combined with the abundance of refuse is indicative of a significant urban population. The Caylán research sheds light on the development of urbanism after the demise of the Chavín sphere of interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizing the traditional architecture of Hejaz in Saudi Arabia and is considered as its emblem, the Roshan is the most obvious element in most of the Historical Jeddah's heritage buildings. The city has witnessed continued degradation during the past which has caused the loss hundreds of these balconies. This research focuses on the study of a strategy combining various computer applications of surveying, photogrammetry, virtual modeling of complex forms and visualization with others traditional, posed to the educational application, in order to dispose resources and experts, with the capacity to document hundreds of the Roshans, intricately ornamented, are in danger of disappearing and generate with them a multi-record database, integrated into the existing city. We have conducted . a feasibility study and testing over the evaluation of that strategy with local students of architecture which has demonstrated the validity of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo discurre sobre el sitio arqueológico conocido como Huitzilopochco, actualmente nombrado Churubusco, en México. La autora comenta sobre la importancia de esta ciudad antigua en el intercambio mexicano de la época prehispánica. También se considera su ubicación geográfica y su influencia en la cultura indígena mexicana.

In the vicinity of the small village of Pawāyā in Madhya Pradesh lie the ruins of Padmāvatī, an important city in ancient times. To date, only one large mound has been excavated at the site, revealing a monumental pyramidal brick structure built in two stages with the earliest phase of construction dating either to the late Nāga or early Gupta period. A temple dedicated to Viṣṇu once crowned the terraces, and although this temple is lost, many interesting and unusual stone and terracotta sculptural fragments survive, most notably an extraordinary lintel once belonging to a gateway of the temple. The aim of this paper is to build up a picture of the architectural form of the terraces and the iconographic themes of the temple. Moreover, insofar as is possible at present, the monument will be situated within its historical context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

El artículo discurre sobre las excavaciones arqueológicas del sitio de Calakmul en México, las cuales revelan información acerca del sistema política de la ciudad antigua. Los autores comentan sobre los hallazgos que ofrecen una mirada en la conformación política de Calakmul. También se considera la entidad política de Kaanu'l, el linaje de reyes durante el periodo del Clásico Temprano.

El artículo discurre sobre la ciudad maya de Calakmul, actualmente un sitio arqueológico localizado en Campeche, México. El autor comenta sobre la importancia de esta ciudad en la cultura maya durante el periodo conocido como el Clásico. También se provee una cronología detallada de la ocupación de Calakmul desde aproximadamente 551 a.C.

The world's first cities emerged on the plains of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Syria) in the fourth millennium bc. Attempts to understand this settlement process have assumed revolutionary social change, the disappearance of kinship as a structuring principle, and the appearance of a rational bureaucracy. Most assume cities and state-level social organization were deliberate functional adaptations to meet the goals of elite members of society, or society as a whole. This study proposes an alternative model. By reviewing indigenous terminology from later historical periods, it proposes that urbanism evolved in the context of a metaphorical extension of the household that represented a creative transformation of a familiar structure. The first cities were unintended consequences of this transformation, which may seem ‘revolutionary’ to archaeologists but did not to their inhabitants. This alternative model calls into question the applicability of terms like ‘urbanism’ and ‘the state’ for early Mesopotamian society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Few subjects have excited the imagination of archaeologists working in ancient complex societies as have monumentality and urban planning. Yet the two topics are rarely explicitly theorized in a sustained integrated investigation within a single study, despite the fact that monumental architecture is often considered a primary basis for identifying the presence of urban planning. This article makes the related methodological arguments that both phenomena benefit from a more full consideration of one another, and that the meaningful aspect of monumentality and urban symbology needs to be considered in conjunction with the formal aspect of monuments and urban layouts. These positions are then implemented in a study of the Syro-Anatolian city-state system that existed in the ancient Near East during the early first millennium bc. The capital cities of these polities were characterized by a program of monumentality that brought royalty, city walls, gates and monumental sculpture into an unmistakable constellation of associations. The consistency of this pattern of monumentality and urban form suggests that at least a degree of urban planning existed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Archivo de Prehistoria Levantina is the property of Museu de Prehistoria de Valencia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present paper aims at investigating the role of court officials in the judicial system of Umma during the Ur III period. For this purpose, a prosopographical study of judges, commissioners, military men, merchants, and other members of the royal, provincial and local administrations has been made. In conclusion, a judicial system with the governor as the highest authority, but with a strong presence of the royal administration, and particularly of the military, is sketched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basilica which is the subject of our study is located in the territorium of the ancient city of Idyma (in Akyaka, a province of Muğla). Here illicit digs have been carried out and two Turkish tombs and some architectural remains of the Early Christian Period were uncovered. Thereafter, a rescue excavation was carried out for two seasons by the Muğla Archaeological Museum. Excavations brought to light a three-aisle basilical church with three apses and a narthex to the west, small finds of architectural sculpture as well as mosaic pavements in opus tessellatum technique. The central nave is paved with mosaics from the doorway of the narthex to the beginning of the apse. The mosaic is worked in opus tessellatum technique with tesserae cut from marble, brick and basalt. Alongside the animal figures, the decoration comprises floral and geometric motifs. Although poorly preserved, the extant parts reveal the characteristics and favorite themes of the period. In the bema, on the other hand, are panels decorated with peacocks, geometric arrangements, pomegranate and symmetrical wild goats flanking a tree, all framed with floral and geometric borders. The most important document dealing with the Çatalcam mosaics appears in the inscription. The inscription is dated to the 6th century according to the characteristics of its letters. The figurative and geometric decorations of the mosaic are common and analogically can be dated to the same century as the inscription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses archaeological excavations undertaken in the ancient city of Tlatelolco located in present-day Mexico City, Mexico, with a particular focus on the discovery of historic mission buildings. The author describes the objects uncovered at the Tlatelolco site, especially the Caja de Agua (Water Box) within the convent. According to the author, the Caja de Agua served as the water supply for the indigenous population within the city. The mural artwork painted on the sides of the basin as well as along the walls of the room, which depict Christian and secular imagery, is also examined.

The article discusses research concerning religious services in the first century A.D. desert city of Hatra, located in present-day Iraq, within the social and political context. According to the author, the kings of Hatra used gods in order to bind inhabitants and nomads to the city, in particular the sun god which engendered a form of cohesive, commonly shared social and religious identity. Other topics include archeological research, the Roman historians Cassius Dio and Herodianus, and the Roman Emperor Trajanus.

Copyright of Architectus is the property of Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Wroclawskiej and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the societal function of the ancient city Jezreel, Israel and its symbolism within books 1-2 of the Old Testment's "Hosea." The relationship between the names of the biblical prophet Hosea's children, including Jezreel, Lo-ruhammah and Lo-ammi, and the city of Jezreel is discussed. An overview of the role that the God of Israel YHWH played within "Hosea," including in providing agriculture to the Israelites and in seeking the elimination of Israel's military, is provided. The prophet Hosea's desire for the Israelites' submission to YHWH is also discussed.

On the ancient ramparts of the city of Dhār, overlooking the moat, is the tomb of a saint called Shaykh Changāl (Fig. 1). The tomb has been rebuilt in recent times, but stands on a high stone platform dating to the fifteenth century. The long staircase up to the tomb has two arched gates. A Persian inscription is placed in the upper gate over the door and is protected nowadays by a metal door. Written in forty-two verses, it is dated ah 859/ 1454–55. The verses were composed in the reign of the Maḥmūd Shāh Khaljī, the Sultan of Mālwā from 1436 to 1469. The purpose of this essay is to provide the text of this inscription with a new translation and commentary. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reports on the excavation of Archaic houses (6th-early 5th century B.C.) in 2005 and 2006 at Azoria in eastern Crete. Five houses are discussed: four on the South Acropolis on the periphery of the civic center, and one on the North Acropolis. Well-preserved floor deposits provide evidence for room functions and permit a preliminary analysis of domestic space. The houses fill a lacuna in the published record of the 6th and early 5th centuries B.C. and contribute to our understanding of the form of Archaic houses in the Aegean and the integration of domestic space into an urban context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the ancient town of Oropos in Attica, Greece. The author argues that although normally Athenian colonies of cleruchy type were specifically associated with administration of Athenian possessions outside of Attica, this town was effectively also run as a cleruchy due to its role in relations with the ancient Greek city of Thebes.

The article discusses the history and archaeology of the ancient cult city of Efestia, since extinct, on the island of Lemnos, Greece, in the Aegean Sea during the archaic and Classical periods. Among other topics addressed are the dating of the material culture associated with the city as an archaeological excavation site, the nature of the religious practice there which the author connects to the ancient goddess called the Magna Mater, and changes of population in the ancient city of Efestia over time.

Qâni’, the main seaport for the export of goods from South Arabia, was founded by the Hadramawt kingdom in the first century BC. A geomorphological survey and a general surface reconnaissance of Qâni’ have revealed a new image of the site. Originally a royal entrepôt in a fortress on an ancient island, separated from the mainland by a silted channel lined with a mangrove forest, Qâni’ gradually grew and spread around the beach fronting the mooring place of the trade ships that arrived by sea. Sacred spaces, cemeteries, dwellings and trade quarters appear to be well-defined areas forming a real town within the limits imposed by the surrounding sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the history and development of hospitals in early Byzantium, early medieval Western Europe and to the early Islamic caliphate and in Jewish communities. Hospitals in the ancient city; Indications of social and religious history; Problem of Christianization; Hospital chronology.

Investigates the history of the ancient city of Karkinitis. Confusion that arose from the attempts to locate Karkinitis during the 19th century; Factors that have led some people to seek the city beyond the confines of the Taurica; Hypothesis on the relocation of the city to Crimea, Ukraine during the 4th century B.C.

The article offers information regarding the role of legends in the making of history. Legends were the spiritual foundations of every ancient city, empire, people and the promising safe guidance through the limitless space of the future. Legendary explanations of history served as corrections of facts and real events which are needed because they hold man responsible for the deeds he had not done and for the consequences he had never foreseen.

El artículo pretende separar la verdad de la ficción en cuanto a las posibles causas para la caída de Tenochtitlán, una ciudad central para los aztecas de México. El autor comenta sobre el impacto de la llegada de los conquistadores españoles en 1519. También se consideran los problemas económicas experimentadas por los aztecas durante este periodo.

This article describes archaeological research conducted on a pit in the ancient city of Dor. The authors employed several techniques such as the décapage method. Microscopic evidence was also gathered using an infrared fourier transform spectrometer. Tiny remnants of iron work were found using a strong magnet. Other methodology discussed include scanning electron microscopes and X-ray fluorescence spectrometers. The authors contend the site is a rare example of a metal workshop in the Iron Age.