Books published by BAR Publishing

This book contains papers mainly in English (2 in French) and session abstracts in English, German and Spanish.

Paris Monographs in American Archaeology 11

This volume has been produced by the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) as a result of the contributions presented by different authors during the sessions held under the general heading of 'Architectural Archaeology' in Lisbon (Portugal) in 2000, and in Esslingen (Germany) in 2001. Archaeotecture: Archaeology of Architecture is a compilation of the majority of the papers presented during these sessions, organised according to their subjects or the chronological periods they cover. All nineteen papers share a common factor: the study of constructions and architectonic spaces, analysed from an archaeological perspective. One of the aims of this volume was to gather together the different analyses that have been carried out into all types of architecture, regardless of their chronology or type. The studies gathered in this volume cover a chronological period that starts with Prehistory and continues to the present day, concentrating equally on the analysis of wooden archaeological structures and monumental architecture built in stone. Another of the objectives of these sessions was to demonstrate that investigation and management are two inseparable elements within the study of heritage constructions, as demonstrated by some of the studies included that discuss the application of Architectural Archaeology in Heritage Management. Although this volume is not a compendium of all of the theoretical and methodological approximations, perspectives and proposals in use today in Architectural Archaeology, it does offer a detailed description of the different types of projects that have been carried out in Europe in recent years.

Section 10: Âge du Cuivre au Proche Orient et en Europe / Copper Age in the Near East and EuropeColloque / Symposium C 10.2The main emphasis of this book is water and its importance in prehistoric societies, and it looks at how people in the period from the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age exploited water in various ways. This ranges from the large scale utilisation of water for agricultural purposes, down to the design of bowls, materials and decorative figures. The study gives a broad outline of the cultural and physical impact of water upon societies during this period, and goes so far as to define water as a central element for the study of ancient societies. The argument is that as civilisation progressed out of the Neolithic, people gained a better control of wetlands and were able to colonise river valleys and drain marshes. The study begins by investigating the Neolithic in Mesopotamia and the Chalcolithic in the Balkans, stating how society had gained a developed management of water on different levels, and this is indicated by the design of settlements, houses and objects. The importance of water as a major influence over settlement patterns is shown in terms of water as a resource, but also as a means of communication and as a defensive barrier. Technological improvements relating to the collection, movement, storage, and usage of water are investigated in depth. These advances offered man a greater level of control over his environment, and allowed the control of seasonal flooding in the Near East, and more intensive agriculture in Temperate areas of Europe. Water trade routes from the Neolithic were still used in the Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age, but many other trade routes grew up as shipbuilding developed, with the cultures of Greece and Mesopotamia becoming seafarers. The study of certain objects such as figurines and temple offerings show that cultures considered the collection and storage of water to have a great importance, and attached ritual values to these practices. Often, owing to the importance of water in their lives, people would worship the springs and other water sources associated with their settlements. Some of the papers in this study infer that these primitive religions were based upon the fertility values of water in their society. For instance, in the Balkans many container vessels are in the shape of the female body, linking these to a fertility cult of water. However the main theme of this book is to look at the archaeology of water exploitation strategies, both on the macro and the micro-level.

Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology 55The focus of this study (number 55 in the Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology) is the impact of developments from the 13th-19th centuries on the Ìlàrè District of Central Yorubaland, SW Nigeria. The author's goal is to explain how the pan-regional interaction networks and historical processes shaped the settlement history, socio-political development, and transformations in the material aspects of cultural institutions in Ìlàrè District during the period studied. Although Ìlàrè District is recognized as a periphery in the interacting networks that linked several regional metropolises in Yorubaland, this study demonstrates that a regional history of these networks can be reconstructed by using the archaeological and oral historical data from Ìlàrè District. As the first archaeological investigation in this interesting area, this work extends the frontiers of academic research in Yorubaland, and contributes to the pool of data needed to construct a comprehensive cultural history for the region.

The subject of this work is the way that symbolism operates in official representations of the pharaohs' sons and daughters, during the historical period widely known as the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC). The use of symbols in different expressions of Egyptian culture has been widely mentioned, and has been discussed from many different angles. Scholars have also analysed the identity and function of various royal children through historical and genealogical works. However, there has been little attempt to associate general ideas about visual and verbal symbolism with a socially homogeneous group such as the royal children. The author therefore aims to explore and explain what lies beneath the choice, the variation and the evolution of symbols used in the royal children's iconography and imagery. The area of Egyptian culture that was most affected by this symbolism is essentially the royal ideology. In the course of the five chapters of this work the author explains not only the role of royal children in analogies between divine and royal families, but also how the royal children became an official link between the king and leading non-royals.

Petits échanges en familleLa culture Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain marque la fin des traditions danubiennes (Néolithique ancien) dans le nord de la France et en Belgique. Les onze sites étudiés sont localisés en Belgique. Deux aires d'implantation, distantes d'une centaine de km sont distinguées (en Hainaut et en Hesbaye). La mise en œuvre d'une analyse techno-économique de l'industrie lithique blicquienne visait à répondre à un double objectif: restituer l'organisation socio-économique de la production lithique et les relations entretenues entre les différentes zones de peuplement de cette culture. Cette étude souligne la structure duale de la production lithique et suggère une spécialisation intra- voire intercommunautaire de cette production laminaire. L'étude de la diffusion des matières premières illustre l'intensité des relations entre les villages, impliquant fréquemment le déplacement de tailleurs. Ce travail souligne à nouveau l'importance des échanges dans la vie socio-économique de ces premières communautés agro-pastorales.In the north of France and Belgium, the Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain culture marks the end of the Danube traditions (Early Neolithic Period). The eleven sites studied are all found in Belgium. Two settlement areas, separated by 100 km, are highlighted (in Hainaut and in Hesbaye). The author has performed an analysis of the technical and economical characteristics of the Blicquian lithic industry, in order to describe the socio-economic organisation relating to lithic production as well as the relationships between the different settlement areas of this culture. The study concludes that there were two distinct types of production and suggests some kind of specialisation in the laminar production in the community, or even among several communities. The study of the diffusion networks of siliceous raw materials illustrates the intensity of relations between villages, often involving the movement of knappers, demonstrating further the importance of exchanges for the socio-economical welfare of those agro-pastoral communities.

Sardinia preserves an exceptional record of its Final Neolithic and Copper Age cultures, with a diverse crafts repertory, henges and dolmens, statue-menhirs, chamber tombs - and the only known ziggurat in Europe. The present study provides a synthesis in English for a scholarly readership interested in Mediterranean adaptations during this earliest period of metallurgy. As elsewhere, the infusion of metallurgy had profound implications, as island cultures underwent a series of transformations tied directly or indirectly to it. Spanning two millennia, these changes are studied in terms of material cultures known as Ozieri, Sub-Ozieri, Filigosa-Abealzu, Monte Claro and Bell Beaker. A more overarching finding from this review is the periodic engagement between these cultures and geographically distant ones. Such punctuations of the insular condition had long-lasting effects on local expression, and some thoughts on how this might contribute to understandings of concepts like identity formation are presented by way of a conclusion.

This book represents the final report on the field work carried out in 2008 and 2009 by the Iranian-Italian Joint Archaeological Mission at the archaeological site of Persepolis West, where parts of the town adjacent to the well-known Achaemenid monumental terrace of Persepolis have been located. The eleven trial trenches excavated in areas indicated by the results of Iranian and Iranian-French geophysical surveys represent the first stratigraphic excavations ever carried out on this site, the dating of which is supported by a rich series of radiocarbon datings. Illustration of the excavations is preceded by an accurate geophysical study of the topographical context and accompanied by a detailed and richly illustrated analysis of pottery and other finds: the safe stratigraphic context makes these finds a particularly important source of evidence for our knowledge of the ceramics of Fars during the historic pre-Islamic age. The excavations largely confirm the location of the built-up area of Parsa indicated by geophysical surveys.

Questo libro è una raccolta di 10 saggi su vari temi di archeologia e museologia della Sicilia sud-orientale. I primi quattro capitoli sono incentrati su problematiche relative a musei, Patrimonio Culturale e paesaggio, e su alcuni aspetti poco noti concernenti la formazione e la personalità di alcuni celebri studiosi ed intellettuali del territorio siracusano. I rimanenti sei saggi riguardano temi di archeologia e topografia antica: le emergenze archeologiche gravitanti intorno alla Riserva Naturale Integrale Grotta Monello; nuove osservazioni di carattere storico sul santuario rupestre di Cibele ad Akrai; i rapporti tra Indigeni e Greci nell'entroterra siracusano sulla base delle nuove indagini archeologiche nei siti di Cugno Case Vecchie, Causeria e Olivella; l'analisi delle tipologie, funzioni e caratteristiche delle tombe monumentali paleocristiane a baldacchino e delle chiese rupestri medievali con iconostasi; lo studio e la valorizzazione dei castelli medievali della Sicilia sud-orientale.This book is a collection of 10 papers on Archaeology and Museology issues in south-eastern Sicily. Two papers are focused on issues related to museums, cultural heritage and landscape, and two present some notable aspects of the cultural education and personality of famous scholars and intellectuals of Syracuse. The remaining six papers are related to the archaeology and ancient topography of the Hyblean plateau: the archaeological discoveries in the Riserva Naturale Integrale Grotta Monello; new chronological observations on the rock sanctuary of Cybele in Akrai; relations between Greek and indigenous archaeological sites in the territory of Syracuse, on the basis of new archaeological surveys in the sites of Cugno Case Vecchie, Causeria and Olivella; an analysis of the typologies, functions and characteristics of early Christian monumental canopy tombs and medieval rock churches with iconostasis; and the study and valorization of the medieval castles of south-eastern Sicily.With contributions by Ray Bondin, Franco Dell'Aquila, Iorga Ivano Prato and Paolo Daniele Scirpo and preface by Lorenzo Guzzardi

Il Museo Egizio di Firenze possiede una delle più importanti collezioni di Ushabti d'Italia e d'Europa. La collezione consta di circa ottocento ushabti, in origine afferenti a diverse collezioni: Granducale, Nizzoli, Rosellini, Ricci, Schiaparelli. Altre raccolte minori afferiscono a differenti acquisizioni effettuate tra il 19° e il 20°. Il corpus di ushabti del Museo Egizio di Firenze è databile dal Secondo Periodo Intermedio fino all'Epoca Romana. Dal 2008 il "progetto ushabti" del Centro Studi di Egittologia e Civiltà Copta "J.F.Champollion" di Genova, in collaborazione con il Museo Egizio di Firenze, ha avviato uno studio completo dei reperti e la pubblicazione di un nuovo catalogo della collezione di ushabti. Questo secondo volume del catalogo conclude lo studio dei pezzi databili al Nuovo Regno: una raccolta di 128 schede relative agli ushabti e ai loro contenitori. Il volume si compone della simbologia ed abbreviazioni, delle schede, dell'apparato fotografico e di indici e bibliografia quali utili riferimenti finali. The Egyptian Museum of Florence has one of most important Ushabti collections in Italy, and in Europe as a whole. The collection contains around eight hundred ushabtis that originally belonged to different collections: Granducale, Nizzoli, Rosellini, Ricci and Schiaparelli. Other smaller groups contain objects of various origin, collected in the 19th and 20th centuries. The ushabtis in the museum at Florence date from the end of the Second Intermediate and Roman Period. Since the 'Ushabti Project' was started in 2008, the 'J.F. Champollion' Centre for Egyptology and Coptic Civilization Studies of Genoa, in cooperation with the Egyptian Museum of Florence, has been involved in a complete study and scientific publication of a new catalogue presenting the Ushabti collection. The catalogue is divided into several volumes, providing a complete documentation of the Florence ushabti collection. This second volume of the catalogue concludes the study of artefacts dating to the New Kingdom: a collection of 128 records pertaining to funerary statues and their boxes. The volume contains the abbreviations and textual codes, the records, a photographic section, a useful index and a bibliography. Catalogo degli Ushabti del Museo Egizio di Firenze, Volume I: II Periodo Intermedio - Nuovo Regno (Prima Parte) contains a general introduction about the history of the collection, the abbreviations and textual codes, the records, a photographic section, an index and a bibliography (BAR Publishing, S2828, 9781407314884, 2016).

Examining the use of Tholos Tomb C and Burial Building 19 and the role of illumination in relation to mortuary practices and the perception of life and death by the livingA virtual reconstruction of the Minoan Cemetery at Phourni, Archanes (Crete), examining the use of Tholos Tomb C and Burial Building 19 and the role of illumination, in relation to mortuary practices and the perception of life and death by the living. This computer-based research provides scientists with an alternative reading of the dataset from the Minoan cemetery at Phourni, Archanes; the analysis attempts to evaluate the tomb architecture, use, visual impact, and capacity over different time periods,as well as the contribution of light to determine not only practical purposes, but also philosophical and religious beliefs.

South American Archaeology Series No. 10

This detailed study compares the results of previously published excavations in what is termed the North Pontic region (Southern Russia and the Ukraine). It explores the question of whether a 'Scythian' ethnic grouping can be identified and its culture defined.

with French abstract

Proceedings of the Seventh Meeting of Postgraduate Researchers at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 21st -23rd February 200332 papersEdited by Camilla Briault, Jack Green, Anthi Kaldelis and Anna Stellatou

ARCHAEOLINGUA Central European Series 3This work aims to set up a research agenda to show how archaeology can contribute to an interdisciplinary study of society in the later Middle Ages, in this case in terms of a survey of the possibilities of using archaeology to study Hungarian nobility from the point of view of their living conditions and the functions of their residences. The author, drawn to this theme through an excavation in Pomáz (west of Budapest) in 1995, investigates the co-existence of various settlement types from the point of view of manorial buildings.

This study of the interaction of the southern Iberian early Iron Age communities with the eastern Mediterranean colonisers is based on archaeological evidence from the Guadalquivir valley, the adjacent Mediterranean coast, and a number of sites along the river Guadiana in the modern provinces of Huelva, Cadiz, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga, Almeria, Alicante, Jáen and Badajoz. In addition to the settlement and cemetery evidence, various types of artefacts, ivory objects, gold jewellery, bronze work and pottery are examined. The investigation concentrates on the time between the 8th and 6th centuries B.C., but the final Bronze Age and, to a lesser extent, the later early Iron Age is also taken into account as the basis for comparison of the settlement pattern, burial custom, and technological and social development.

It is only thanks to a concise reference in Pliny (NH,III,30) that we have any information on the granting of Latium status rights to Spain by Vespasian, the first of the Flavian emperors. The grant of these rights is important as regards explaining the history of the three Spanish provinces under the Flavian dynasty. Through this text -uniuersae Hispaniae Vespasianus Imperator Augustus iactatum procellis rei publicae Latium tribuit- we are today able to discuss the origin, chronology, causes and effects of this significant gesture. Indeed, it is so important that we cannot completely understand the future development of Flavian Spain, and the subsequent Spanish emperor 's activities also, without analysing it fully. This study explores the history of the Latin Right and the privileges granted by Vespasian to Spain, and the evolution of those grants in ancient Rome.Prologue by Francisco Beltrán Lloris

This work explores the way in which novel chemical criteria can be used to identify charred remains of grains of small-grained grasses used as food by pre-agrarian hunter-gatherers in south-western Asia but which have hitherto rarely been identified with any precision. The grass family Gramineae or Poaceae, is the most diverse, abundant and widespread family of higher plants on the planet. Grasses correspondingly have enormous ecological and economic importance worldwide. Their importance is reflected in the prominent role of grain from wild grasses in hunter-gatherer subsistence. In order to reconstruct past subsistence practices and diet, especially of arid-zone hunter-gatherers, it is important to identify the remains of grasses recovered from archaeological sites. However, the recovered grass remains are most often charred, therefore the interpretive potential can be realized only if these charred remains are accurately identified at the level of genus and, in some cases, species. There are enormous problems in identifying charred remains, particularly when relying totally on gross morphological criteria. There is therefore a need for alternative criteria, such as that utilized by chemical analytical techniques. The core rationale in applying the different chemical techniques is the same throughout: grains are taken from modern grasses of known identity and spanning a spectrum of taxa likely to include all the charred ancient specimens to be identified (the unknowns). These modern grains are then analysed to generate spectra. Equivalent spectra from unknowns are then compared with those from the modern grains to effect an identification. Standard practice has hitherto involved comparing the two sets of spectra (know and unknowns) by visual inspection; i.e. "by eye". However, identifications based on such comparisons are inevitably to some degree untestable and unrepeatable, and this represents a long-standing problem in chemistry generally. In the present project the author has therefore explored the use of chemometrics: i.e. the use of statistical systems to compare spectra in a manner that is rigorously testable and repeatable. This is an entirely new development, and has never previously been applied in the analysis of archaeological data.

Proceedings of the symposium held at the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznä (Poland), May 26-29 2002In the wealth of literature concerning Bell Beakers, the present volume is the first broad treatment of issues relating to their northeast frontier. The book has grown from papers read at the symposium Northeast Frontier of Bell Beakers held in the Institute of Prehistory, Adam Mickiewicz University, in Poznan on 26-29 May 2002. The symposium was co-organized by the AMU Foundation, AMU Institute of Eastern Studies, Archaeological Museum in Poznan and the Poznan Prehistoric Society.

Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology 57Volume 57 in the Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology focuses on the problems of chronological interpretation of two "faciès" from the North African Epipalaeolithic: Typical and Upper Capsian. Originally defined as two evolutionary phases, they are considered as contemporary following the development of the radiometric method in the 1950s. The author tackles the question of evolution or contemporaneousness from a systematic revision of cultural attribution, stratigraphy, and particularly the radiocarbon dates. Evidence is presented at the micro level from a new look at the lithic technology from the assemblages of Bortal Fakher, El-Mekta, Relilaï, and Aïn Dokkara, before widening to include the whole Capsian region for a global comparison of cultural attribution, chronology and lithic technology. By integrating what is known of the Capsian, from previous researches and these new results, the author proposes an evolutionary model that emphasizes the development of the Capsian until the Neolithic in the Maghreb. 243 figures, maps, plans, tables, drawings, illustrations; English abstract.With a preface by Jacques Tixier

The region of Chihuahua in North-Western Mexico is a relatively isolated area with a barren desert landscape. There is little in the way of the Settlement Archaeology typically found in the Southern regions of Mexico, for instance cities, roads, temples and other large stone structures. However, there is archaeological evidence present in this region that points to a significant culture, important due to the fact that it has a material and cultural merging of both Mesoamerican and Puebloan influences. Because of these combined influences there are different theories as to the origins of this culture, with either the Toltecs or the Anasazi being put forward. The study starts by discussing Chihuahuan Prehistory and ceramic research in this area, as well as the environment, geography, the archaeological record, and ceramic chronologies. Also discussed are the cultural boundaries, definitions and characteristics of the Medio period (1200-1450)A.D.). The role of decoration in ceramic reconstruction is also covered. The cultural implications of the decorative patterns on the Chihuahuan polychrome jars have up until now been largely ignored. These polychromes are part of a distinct pottery series, and Hendrickson uses the large number of vessels stored in many North American museums to carry out a whole range of contrastive analyses on these jars, both individually, as well as looking at general design patterns for cultural interpretation. The analysis of the design of the polychrome jars is carried out by contrasting levels of design, styles, and other tests, in order to fit individual samples into the typology. Importantly Hendrckson places these assemblages within geographical, cultural and temporal contexts.

Les populations des VIIIe-Xe siècles du nord-ouest de la France peuvent être analysées grâce à l'étude de leurs ossements. Pour ceci, la mise en pratique de l'anthropologie biologique (sexe, âge, santé, activité) nécessite une méthodologie rigoureuse et des critères nettement définis détaillés ici. La mise au point de nouvelles méthodes permettant des analyses spécifiques aux informations recherchées est proposée. Les sites archéologiques du corpus correspondent à des situations variées du point de vue de l'environnement et la topographie religieuse. La détermination de leur recrutement mais aussi l'étude de leur état sanitaire et de leur niveau d'activité donne la possibilité de les caractériser et de proposer des hypothèses sur leur nature. Ces données, confrontées aux études menées d'après les sources écrites et archéologiques, donnent alors une image précise des populations carolingiennes, permettent de comparer les divers ensembles funéraires et illustrent ainsi la grande variété mais aussi la hiérarchisation partielle des groupes populationnels carolingiens.The 8th to 10th century populations of the north-west of France can be better understood through the analysis of human remains. If biological anthropology is to be used for this purpose (to determine sex, age, health and activity level), it needs a rigorous methodology and clearly defined standards. The development of new methods of analysis specific to the research data is proposed in this volume. The archaeological sites of the corpus correspond to a variety of environmental, topographical and cultural contexts. Analysis of the selection (or acceptance) of individuals for burial at these sites and the study of their state of health and level of activity makes it possible to characterise the populations, and to suggest hypotheses about their origins. These methods, in comparison with studies of archaeological and written sources, can thus grant us a clear picture of Carolingian populations. The data allow us to compare various burial situations and thus to illustrate the large variety, but also the partially hierarchical organisation, of Carolingian population groups.

This study documents the corpus of terracotta figurines that were found during excavations at Tell Timai between 2009 and 2013. The study assesses the locations in which terracotta figurines have been found both at Tell Timai and across Egypt, and discusses their usage within the settlements of Pharaonic and Ptolemaic-Roman Egypt. In addition, a chronological discussion of terracotta usage in Egypt from the Pharaonic to the Ptolemaic-Roman Period is presented to place the Tell Timai terracottas in chronological order to highlight themes of continuity and change. The figurine catalogue provides a detailed examination of the types and forms represented at Tell Timai and highlights the manufacturing techniques and decoration schemes used for specific types. This analysis also provides a clearer idea of the type of domestic religious activities that were practised at Tell Timai by the local population and the choice of terracotta styles used at specific periods. The study also provides date ranges based on associated ceramic assemblages to provide clearer dating for Egyptian terracotta types in Egypt.

This book presents the analyses, technical interpretation and socio-economic contextualisation of the production remains of zinc distillation from three Ming sites in Fengdu and one Qing site in Shizhu, Chongqing, southwest China. Zinc ore, zinc metal, retorts and slag from these sites were analysed by OM, SEM-EDS, EPMA-WDS and XRD. Following on from a detailed technological reconstruction, some differences were found between the zinc distillation technologies in Fengdu and Shizhu, not only in technical efficiency but also in the organisation of production, which can be explained as adaptation of the zinc production for coinage to the different social, political and economic constraints affecting each group of sites. This book then contextualises and discusses the significance of Chinese zinc production with reference to coinage in Ming and Qing China, but also by comparing it to other brass- and zinc-making technologies in China, India and Europe, and by assessing the influence of Chinese zinc in the international maritime trade.

Grumentum, in the inland of Basilicata, was a Lucanian city and then a Roman colony. This volume publishes the papers presented at two conferences, held in 2012 and 2015. Their aim was to discuss the results of the recent archaeological research in Grumentum and other sites in Lucania. The results are many, and include a new numismatic document concerning the Lucanian city and the reconstruction of the central area of the Roman town from the Late Republican phases to the Augustean project of the new Forum. The most important monuments are studied and their features and transformations are presented according to a chronological frame provided by the finds and their date. Typological studies and chemical and physical analyses have yielded new data which improves our knowledge of the economy, trade, diet and culture of Grumentum. Finally, the transformation of this city into a Christian community is highlighted by new discoveries and findings.Grumentuim, nell'interno della Basilicata, fu una città lucana e poi una colonia romana. Questo volume pubblica i contributi presentati in due congressi, svoltisi nel 2012 e nel 2015. Il loro obiettivo è stato quello di discutere i risultati delle recenti ricerche archeologiche a Grumentum e in altri siti della Lucania. I risultati sono numerosi e comprendono un nuovo documento numismatico relativo alla città lucana e la ricostruzione dell'area centrale della città romana dalle fasi tardo-repubblicane al progetto augusteo del nuovo Foro. Vengono esaminati i monumenti più importanti: la loro forma e le trasformazioni sono presentate entro il quadro cronologico fornito dai reperti e dalla loro datazione. Studi tipologici e analisi chimiche e fisiche hanno prodotto nuovi dati che migliorano la nostra conoscenza dell'economia, del commercio, della dieta e della cultura di Grumentum. Infine, la trasformazione della città in una comunità cristiana viene chiarita dalle nuove scoperte.Contributors: Lorna Anguilano, Luca Arioli, Paola Artoni, Antonella Arzone, Luca Bellucci, Riccardo Bertolazzi, Giulia Bison, Silvia Braito, Alfredo Buonopane, Lianka Camerlengo, Federica Candelato, Antonio Capano, Cristina Di Lorenzo, Federica Fenzi, Helena Fracchia, Ugo Fusco, Maria Pina Gargano, Maurizio Gualtieri, Christian Laes, Barbara Lepri, Chiara Maria Marchetti, Attilio Mastrocinque, Bruna Nardelli, Monica Pagan, Salvatore Pagliuca, Daniela Pizzolato, Jessica Pompele, Lara Pozzan, Antonio Priore, Carlotta Righetti, Roberto Rotondo, Fabio Saggioro, Leonardo Salari, Massimo Saracino, Alessio Sassù, Marianna Scapini, Rossana Scavone, Fiammetta Soriano, Roby Stuani, Francesco Tarlano and Elisa Zentilini

Il volume si occupa di un contesto che parte dal 238 a.C. e giunge al 700 d.C, affrontando lo studio - diacronico e sincronico - della ceramica rinvenuta nel corso del survey del territorio di Nora (Cagliari - Sardegna Meridionale). La ceramica fornisce l'impulso alla ricostruzione dello sviluppo del paesaggio di Nora, sottolineando la presenza di fattorie, ville, necropoli e cave, che erano localizzate nel territorio alle spalle della città. La grande quantità di ceramica, proveniente da tutta l'area mediterranea, mostra un ricco ed attivo panorama, che sottolinea le diverse attitudini di ogni periodo storico, dal primo arrivo dei Romani in Sardegna, sino alla Tarda Antichità, a ridosso dell'occupazione araba dell'isola.This book studies the imported and local pottery from 238 BC to 700 AD that was recovered during a survey of the territory of Nora (Cagliari - South Sardinia) in diachronic and synchronic terms. The pottery provides a stimulus for the reconstruction of the development of the territory of Nora, underlining the presence of farms, villas, necropolises and quarries, which were located in the land behind Nora. The huge quantity of pottery, coming from the whole Mediterranean area, covers a rich and varied spectrum, which reveals the different attitudes of each historical period, from the first arrival of the Romans in Sardinia till Late Antiquity, just before the Arab occupation of the island.

On the death of Dan Urman in 2004, his colleagues set about completing his unfinished manuscripts, including this volume: Rafid on the Golan (its ruins remain in a demilitarized zone controlled by United Nations forces), one of Dan Urman's last archaeological projects. He succeeded in completing the chapters detailing the survey of the houses in the village, carried out during the years 1968-1970. The houses were measured, photographed, and an overall map was drawn, which included all houses, alleys, footpaths, public areas and water reservoirs. The survey team realized that Rafid was an unusual archaeological resource that preserved scores of ancient buildings still standing from foundation to the rafters, constructed of basalt. Dan Urman saw in the survey of Rafid and in the scientific material collected within its framework the highest achievement of the Golan survey: the intact buildings built of decorated basalt could, in his opinion, serve as a model of the building style prevalent in the Roman and Byzantine periods - not only on the Golan, but also on the Korazim and Issachar plateaus. Because of the long time that elapsed between the survey and the preparation of the material for publication, it was necessary to find a Golan expert, who would complete lacunae in the manuscript and present with the rich archaeological material from Rafid also the general background and new research on the Golan and the region bordering on it. Dr. Moshe Hartal from Israel Antiquities Authority, who worked in the original survey team with Dan Urman agreed to work on the manuscript and added the following chapters: The geographical setting, the architectural decorations, the Hauran-style architecture and a synthesis of the history of Rafid in the various historical periods.Written by Dan Urman and edited by Shimon Dar, Moshe Martal and Etan Ayalon