Between Mitannians and Middle-Assyrians: Changes and Links in Material Culture at Tell Barri and in Jazirah during the second half of 2nd Millennium B.C

The aim of this paper is to investigate some issues related to the ceramic production and cultural development happened in the Syrian Jezirah region during the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. This period is characterised by the collapse of the Mitanni kingdom and the almost contemporaneous arise of the Middle-Assyrian power. The pottery typology produced during the Mitanni period is quite different from the later in Middle Assyrian period, in morphology and technology. More specifically, the site of Tell Barri, by the light of a continuous stratigraphy, provides us with some important information in terms of both architectural and pottery data regarding the chronological sequence here considered. Therefore, starting from an analysis of the pottery assemblages, the paper will first explore the role of Tell Barri as part of the Mitanni kingdom, and, then, will analyse the results of the Middle Assyrian cultural influence. In conclusion, the social and cultural value of this sudden change in pottery production will be underlined and interpreted.