Archaeozoology of the Near East 9

This two part volume brings together over 60 specialists to present 31 papers on the latest research into archaeozoology of the Near East. The papers are wide-ranging in terms of period and geographical coverage: from Palaeolithic rock shelter assemblages in Syria to Byzantine remains in Palestine and from the Caucasus to Cyprus. Papers are grouped into thematic sections examining patterns of Palaeolithic and Neolithic subsistence in northern Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the Iranian plateau; Palaeolithic to Neolithic faunal remains from Armenia; animal exploitation in Bronze Age urban sites; new evidence concerning pastoralism, nomadism and mobility; aspects of domestication and animal exploitation in the Arabian peninsula; several case studies on ritual animal deposits; and specific analyses of patterns of animal exploitation at urban sites in Turkey, Palestine and Jordan.
This important collection of significant new work builds on the well-established foundation of previous ICAZ publications to present the very latest results of archaeozoological research in the prehistory of this formative region in the development of animal exploitation.

Table of Contents

Forewords

Palaeolithic and Neolithic Subsistence in Northern Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the Iranian Plateau

1. Small game and the shifting subsistence patterns from the Upper Paleolithic to the Natufian at Baaz Rockshelter, Syria
Hannes Napierala, Andrew W. Kandel and Nicholas J. Conard.

2. Instability and co-development of the exploitation of early domestic sheep and goats: the example of Shillourokambos (Cyprus, Pre-Pottery Neolithic, 10,400-9,000 cal BP).
Jean-Denis Vigne, Isabelle Carrère, Jean Guilaine.

3. The fauna of Tell Aswad (Damascus, Syria), early Neolithic levels. Comparison with Northern and Southern Levant sites.
Daniel Helmer and Lionel Gourichon.

4. Faunal Remains From Middle Neolithic Site of Qaleh Rostam.
Julie Daujat and Marjan Mashkour.

5. Digesting the Data: Dogs as Taphonomic Agents at NeolithicÇatalhöyük, Turkey
Nerissa Russell and Katheryn C. Twiss.


The Caucasian Zooarchaeology

6. Mammals of Holocene in Armenia.
Nina Manaseryan. Carnivora

7. The Upper Palaeolithic Fauna From Kalavan 1 (Armenia): Preliminary Results.
Adrian Bălăşescu, Cyril Montoya, Boris Gasparyan, Jérémie Liagre and Christine Chataigner.

8. Neolithic subsistence economy in the plain of Ararat: preliminary comparative analysis of the faunal remains from Aratashen and Khaturnarkh-Aknashen (Armenia).
Emmanuelle Vila, Adrian Bălăşescu, Valentin Radu, Ruben Badalyan and Christine Chataigner.

9. Animal Bones from Aramus, Armenia, Excavation 2004
Hans Christian Küchelmann, Nina Manaseryan, Lilit Mirzoyan.

10. Analysis of Urartian Bone Remains From Erebuni, Armenia (2003-2007 Excavations): Possible Use of Bones for the Manufacture of Paint.
Lilit Mirzoyan& Nina Manaseryan


Examples of Animal Exploitation in Urban Sites During the Bronze Age

11. Animal exploitation from the Bronze Age to the Early Islamic period in Haftavan Tepe (Western Azerbaijan- Iran)
Azadeh Fatemeh Mohaseb and Marjan Mashkour.

12. Animal Exploitation In The Upper Tigris River Valley During The Middle Bronze Age: A First Assessment from Hirbemerdon Tepe
Rémi Berthon.

13. Animal exploitation at Tell Bderi (Syria) during the Early Bronze Period.
Lubna Omar.

14. Exploitation of fauna at Ras Shamra: case study of the‘Maison aux Albâtres’, Late Bronze Age, Northern Levant.
Jwana Chahoud and Emmanuelle Vila.

15. Size Matters: How Large a Sheep, How Big a Sample.
Laszlo Bartosiewicz.

16. New Thoughts on the Role of the Middle Khabur (Syria) in the Urbanization of Northern Mesopotamia in the Early Bronze Age.
Scott J. Rufolo.


Pastoralism, Nomadism and Mobility

17. Fish, Sheep and Goats in the Abu Dhabi Desert: Evidence for Bedouin Diet During the Pre-Oil Era.
Mark J. Beech, Marjan Mashkour, Hanae Sasaki, Tatsuo Sasaki, Walid Yasin Al-Tikriti& Mohammed Amer Al-Neyadi.

18. Nomads, Horses and Mobility: An Assessment of Geographic Origins of Iron Age Horses Found at Tsengel Khairkhan and Baga Turgen Gol (Mongolian Altai) Based on Oxygen Isotope Compositions of Tooth Enamel.
Robin Bendrey, Sébastien Lepetz S., Antoine Zazzo, Marie Balasse, Tsagaan Turbat, Pierre Henri Giscard, Dominic Vella, Ganna I. Zaitseva, Konstantin V. Chugunov, Joël Ughetto, Karyne Debue and Jean- Denis Vigne.

19. Zooarchaeological Evidence for Pastoralism in the Early Transcaucasian Culture.
Jennifer J. Piro and Pam J. Crabtree.


Exploitation of animal in the Arabian Peninsula

20. New Data on Domestic and Wild Camels (Camelus dromedarius and Camelus Sp.) In Sabaean and Minaean Yemen.
F. G. Fedele.

21. The Iron Age Site of Muweilah (Sharjah, Uae) and the Problems of Dromedary Domestication.
Margarethe Uerpmann and Hans-Peter Uerpmann.

22. Justine Vorenger. Fish Exploitation at Qal’at Al-Bahrain from the Early Dilmun Period (3rd Millennium BC) to the Middle Islamic Period (13-16th Centuries AD): Preliminary Results

23. Evidence for Deep-Sea Fishing and Cultural Identity during the Neolithic period at Akab Island, Umm al-Qaiwain, United Arab Emirates.
Mark J. Beech,Vincent Charpentier and Sophie Méry.


Rituals and Animal Deposits

24. Elite Equids 2: Seeing the Dead.
Jill A. Weber.

25. An unusual cattle burial at Dayr al-Barshā(Late Period, Middle Egypt).
Veerle Linseele, Wim Van Neer, Harco Willems, Bart Vanthuyne.

26. The Opet Temple Courtyard Excavations: A New Zooarchaeological Study for Karnak (Luxor, Egypt).
Hervé Monchot and Guillaume Charloux.

27. More animal burials from the Predynastic elite cemetery of Hierakonpolis (Upper Egypt): the 2008 season.
Wim Van Neer, Veerle Linseele, Renée Friedman


Animal Exploitation during the Antiquity

28. Animal exploitation during the Classical/Hellenistic period at Tepe Düzen (SW Turkey): preliminary results.
Bea De Cupere, Wim Van Neer, Kim Vyncke and Hannelore Vanhaverbeke.

29. Une accumulation d’équidésà Berytus: approche taxinomique et taphonomique.
Yasha Hourani, Tarek Oueslati.

30. The Animal Bone Remains from Mar Nicola, A Byzantine - Islamic Site at Beit Jala, Palestine.
Mohammad Al-Zawahra.

31. Faunal analysis of the Castle of Aqaba (Jordan): preliminary results.
Bea De Cupere, Anton Ervynck, Mircea Udrescu, Wim Van Neer, Wim Wouters.