Rural settlements of Northern Mesopotamia in the 2nd millennium BC: a functional and socio-historical analysis

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Ivana Puljiz
• Subject Area: Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 427985824

The history of Northern Mesopotamia during the 2nd millennium BC is characterised by dynamic social processes. Our view of the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BC) is shaped by interregional trade networks and changing states with large urban centres. In the second part of the Late Bronze Age (1350-1100 BC), the research focus lies on the provincial system of the Middle Assyrian empire with its numerous provincial governor seats. Thus, the research of these periods has concentrated and still concentrates on cities. In contrast, the population of rural areas has so far rarely been mentioned in historical accounts.For this reason, the present project aims at exploring the function(s) and social importance of rural settlements – often generically termed “villages” – in Northern Mesopotamia during the 2nd millennium BC. The study focuses on small settlements of less than 2.5 ha size for which the neutral term “Kleinsiedlung” will be used in German. The internal structure and social integration of these settlements are still largely unknown. The project intends to help filling this research gap by means of two case studies addressing the Middle Assyrian period and the Middle Bronze Age, respectively. The studies will comprise a local and a regional level as well as an historical analysis. The exemplary study of a small settlement by means of archaeological excavations will take place at the 1.5 ha large site of Muqable III in Iraqi-Kurdistan. As a Middle Assyrian architectural horizon is at this site directly superimposing a horizon of the Middle Bronze Age, Muqable III is perfectly suitable for the proposed project.The data obtained through the excavations will be used for functional analyses, which will provide information on the activities carried out at the site as well as on the economy and social organisation of the site’s inhabitants. Furthermore, the aim is to clarify whether Muqable III was a functionally specialised settlement owned by an urban elite – a type of small settlement which is attested in form of "dunnu" settlements in the Middle Assyrian period, or e.g. a self-sufficient village. This study aims at defining a model for the structure and function of a small settlement in Northern Mesopotamia during the Middle Assyrian period and the Middle Bronze Age. With regard to the regional analysis, already available data from the northern Iraqi Selevani plain will provide insights into the location, distribution, and catchment areas of small settlements. This approach will show in which way small settlements were integrated into settlement systems and what was their relationship to urban centres. The project will be complemented by an analysis of the role of small settlements from an urban perspective, which will be based on cuneiform sources. In doing so the project will illuminate a hitherto neglected aspect of Northern Mesopotamian societies during the 2nd millennium BC.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants