Tra le montagne anatoliche e le steppe siriane: problemi di archeologia nell’alta valle del fiume Tigri tra Bronzo Antico ed Età del Ferro

Field research undertaken during the last years has significantly improved our understanding of the material culture and settlement patterns in the Upper Tigris valley, offering new evidence that deserves further investigation. Recent archaeological findings have raised new issues on the development of local cultures and the interaction between communities settled along the Upper Tigris river and those settled in neighbouring regions. Although the new stratigraphic sequences brought to light in the recent excavations have substantially enhanced the archaeological profile of some sites, a comprehensive and coherent picture of the nature and development of the settlements with their ceramic assemblages between the 3rd and 1st millennium BC is still lacking; this is mainly due to the very limited number and the limited size of settlements excavated to date. Starting from a detailed analysis of the published data, from excavations as well as regional surveys, in order to outline the main characteristics of the local cultural tradition throughout time, some of the key issues about ceramic sequences, regional links, chronology and settlement patterns will be treated. In particular, the analysis will focus on specific topics related to the Early Bronze Age – Middle Bronze Age transitional period; the archaeological visibility of Late Bronze Age sites; the settlement pattern at the time of the Assyrian conquest at the end of 2nd millennium; the identification of local and Assyrian related sites during the Iron Age. Ceramic categories as Dark Rimmed Orange Bowls, Red Brown Wash Ware, Grooved pots and Assyrian standard types will be used in defining the profile and the development of the settlements scattered throughout the valley. This paper offers a general overview of the archaeological evidence in the Upper Tigris river valley and aims to provide a critical analysis of the latest results emphasizing the principal tenets of the cultural and chronological sequence and some of the open questions in reconstructing the archaeology of these territories.