Organisers
Prof. Dr. Peter Pfälzner and Prof. Dr. Herbert Niehr (Universität Tübingen)
peter.pfaelzner@uni-tuebingen.de
herbert.niehr@uni-tuebingen.de
Location
Lecture theatre G6 (Ground floor) of the Institute of Archaeology, UCL.
Time
Afternoon of Wednesday 14th and Morning of Thursday 15thApril
Workshop Description
The workshop will focus on the study and comparison of the symbolic aspects of burials and burial practices in the Ancient Near East. The major topics for discussion will be: funerary rituals, grave goods and deposits, primary and secondary burials, funerary banquets, ancestor worship (connected with or independent of tombs), and concepts of the netherworld as symbolized in burial arrangements.
The workshop will present the preliminary results of the research carried out by members of the post-graduate school 'Symbols of the Dead' based at Tübingen University. The school was established in 2008 in order to promote research on the cult of the dead, with particular reference to burial rituals, funerary banquets, the ancestor cult, and concepts of the netherworld, but it also includes scientific analysis of grave goods.
Further papers dealing with the aforementioned subjects at other sites and in different regions, and also using textual evidence are invited. The timeframe under discussion will span the 3rd to the 1st millennium B.C.
Timetable
| Time | Name | Paper Title |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoon | Wednesday 14th | |
| 14.00 | Pfälzner | Introduction |
| 14.15 | Pfälzner | How did they bury the kings of Qatna? |
| 14.45 | Köster | Ask the artefact: Archaeometric analyses of gold and calcite-alabaster from Qatna |
| 15.15 | Baccarin | The Hypogeum of Tell Ahmar (North Syria): An Analysis of the Monumental Burial Complex in the Context of Early Bronze Age Funerary Practices |
| 15.45 | COFFEE | COFFEE |
| 16:15 | Lazzarini | Symbolism of prestige in funerary practices. The powerful dead |
| 16:45 | Niehr | Two stelae mentioning mortuary offerings from Ugarit |
| 17:15 | Fink | The New KTMW Mortuary Stele from Zincirli (ancient Sam'al) |
| Morning | Thursday 15th | |
| 09.20 | Andreou | Of dead Bodies, Spirits and Ancestors.Attempting to spot the difference!An integrative approach toward mortuary practices and ancestor worship based on archaeological and textual evidence from Syria/Palestine of the 2nd mill.BC. |
| 09.50 | Laneri | Location, Location, Location! The use of intramural funerary chambers within Mesopotamian private dwellings during the third and second millennia BC |
| 10.20 | S.Lange | Public Consumption or Silent Depositing? The funerary banquet in Syria in the 2nd and 1st millennium B.C |
| 10.45 | COFFEE | COFFEE |
| 11.15 | Kreppner | The Intramural Cremation Custom of Iron Age Tell Sheikh Hamad / Dur-Katlimmu (North-eastern Syria) |
| 11.45 | M.Lange | Gone up in Smoke? Incense in funerary contexts in the Iron Age Levant |
| 12:15 | Peltenburg | Intra-site variation in the burial domain of Jerablus Tahtani, Syria |
Workshop Abstracts
Of dead Bodies, Spirits and Ancestors. Attempting to spot the difference! An integrative approach toward mortuary practices and ancestor worship based on archaeological and textual evidence from Syria / Palestine of the 2nd mill. BC.
Mr Panayiotis Andreou and Ms Katharina Teinz (Tübingen University)
Mortuary practices and ancestor worship in ancient cultures have at different times attracted the interest of many scholars and students of fields not just confined to archaeology, leading in the course of the last 100 years to an immense number of publications on this subject matter. Although both notions are ultimately connected to «death» and the «dead» themselves, it is seldom that these have been treated as an entity, although they might be widely recognized as such. Furthermore, in attempting to define constructs such as «ancestor» one is not struck by a lack of definitions but by the plethora of terms being currently in use.
Taking the concept that «death» is nothing but a process (of transformation) as the point of origin, this paper wishes to indulge in a journey, travelling through etymology and anthropological theory, in order to arrive at the archaeological and textual evidence of the Ancient Near East, which will provide the framework of our working paradigms. In approaching these two concepts as a unity, as a consequence to each other, it explores the ways in which they are connected and interrelated. Ultimately, it wishes to contribute to the discussion toward the development of general definitions, which could lead to a more precise use of these terms in archaeological contexts and finally to improved communication among scholars.
panayiotisandreou@web.de
katdu@gmx.net
The Hypogeum of Tell Ahmar (North Syria): An Analysis of the Monumental Burial Complex in the Context of Early Bronze Age Funerary Practices
Ms Cristina Baccarin (University of Turin)
A new category of monumental graves spread over the Syrian and Turkish Euphrates area in the second half of the 3rd millennium B.C. They were characterized by a monumental stone structure, often accompanied by valuable funerary offerings, and they were generally used over an extended period of time. However, despite many studies dedicated to the analysis of this funerary monument, some aspects remain still unclear.
The hypogeum of Tell Ahmar represents one of most famous examples of this burial category, displaying the most common features: a large stone-built burial chamber, conspicuous funerary offerings, and a strategic position near the south edge of the acropolis. The hypogeum is a burial complex formed by a main burial chamber and by two others rooms extending towards the north. In addition, a stone staircase, extending towards north-west, may have allowed access to another burial chamber. Installations and artefacts have been excavated in the north rooms, which may be linked with cultic activities.
This presentation focuses on the architectural analysis of the hypogeum complex. In addition, a symbolic interpretation of the archaeological evidences, which may linked this monument to the cult of the dead, is proposed.
The New KTMW Mortuary Stele from Zincirli (ancient Sam'al)
Ms Virginia Herrmann, Prof. J. David Schloen (University of Chicago) and Mr Amir S. Fink (Tel Aviv University)
This paper provides details on the content and context of an inscribed mortuary stele excavated in 2008 by the Neubauer Expedition to Zincirli of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. The funerary ritual and subsequent annual commemorative ritual described in the stele's inscription are discussed in conjunction with the imagery of the stele.
The 13-line alphabetic inscription, written in a local Northwest Semitic dialect, opens with a declaration by the author (who bore a Luwian name, written KTMW) stating that he had commissioned the stele for himself while still living. This is a rare testimony of an Iron Age person that he controlled the design and manufacture of his own funerary image and inscription. The KTMW stele is unusual in other ways: it was found in situ in the place where it was used; it contains a lengthy Northwest Semitic funerary inscription with Luwian cultural elements; and it presents both an image of the deceased and his departing words.
In this paper, two issues are emphasized: (1) the meaning of the recurring term NBŠ, frequently translated "soul" which is found in later Aramaic dialects and in Hebrew with the meaning "funerary monument"; and (2) the question of whether the stele represents a synthesis of disparate cultural traditions, for although KTMW bears a Luwian name and venerates the goddess Kubaba, the other gods mentioned in his inscription are at home in the West Semitic world, as are the script, language, and ritual content of this inscription.
asumakai@uchicago.edu
virginia.rimmer@gmail.com
The Intramural Cremation Custom of Iron Age Tell Sheikh Hamad / Dur-Katlimmu (North-eastern Syria)
Dr Janoscha Kreppner (Berlin University, Germany)
In the middle of the Lower Town of Dur-Katlimmu four residences have been excavated. They were inhabited during the time of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and after its fall (ca. 9th -6th cent. BC). Besides the well known Neo-Assyrian types of graves, inside and next to the residences 15 cremation pits have been found. This paper will reconstruct the procedure of the intramural cremation custom in Dur-Katlimmu.
Ask the artefact: Archaeometric analyses of gold and calcite-alabaster from Qatna
Ms Tina Köster and Mr Stefan Heitmann (Tübingen University)
From the royal tomb of Qatna a variety of objects composed of rare and obviously valuable materials such as gold, amber, lapis lazuli or alabaster emerged. The scientific study of these materials could render new information concerning the origin of raw materials, trade routes and – taking into account the typological evidence of the objects – foreign influences to Syria. The results of these archaeometric studies could confirm current conceptions on trade connections as well as material and technological diffusion, but also new raw material sources or the continuity of prior connections could appear. The two projects presented in this lecture concentrate on the archaeometric analyses of gold and calcite-alabaster, focussing on Bronze Age grave goods from Syria. As a possible origin of these raw materials, the gold deposits and calcite-alabaster quarries in Egypt will primarily be considered. But resources of gold as well as calcite-alabaster also occur in different regions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. The trace element analysis of gold objects aims at excluding certain gold deposits as possible resources for the manufacture of the examined items. This lecture will specify the possibilities/chances and problems/challenges of trace element analysis to determine origin of gold. The second part of the lecture will encompass a short discussion on the terminology of "alabaster" and an overview about the distribution of calcite-alabaster quarries and calcite-alabaster objects in funerary contexts from Bronze Age Syria. Furthermore the potential and complexity of provenance studies by trace element analysis and isotopic analysis will be discussed.
TinaAnit@t-online.de
heitmann.stefan@gmx.de
Location, Location, Location! The use of intramural funerary chambers within Mesopotamian private dwellings during the third and second millennia BC
Dr Nicola Laneri (University of Rome)
Since prehistoric times, the practice of burying dead within private dwellings has been a common funerary custom in Ancient Near Eastern societies. However, the relatively small number of studies that have been dedicated to this topic have been mostly concerned with the relationship between the use of intramural funerary depositions and the cult of the ancestors (e.g., the kispu ritual) and not with the social elements involved in this burial practice. Thus, the paper here presented will focus on the interpretation of the socioeconomic elements that have determined the use of intramural funerary depositions by Mesopotamian households during the third and second millennia BC. In particular, the paper will relate the use of funerary chambers within private dwellings to an increasing power conquered by emerging families in the social organization of Mesopotamian societies during this fundamental moment in the history of the ancient Near East.
Public Consumption or Silent Depositing? The funerary banquet in Syria in the 2nd and 1st millennium B.C.
Ms Sarah Lange (Tübingen University)
Texts, iconographical evidence and funerary monuments from the 2nd and 1st millennium B.C. provide an informative basis for the funerary banquet in Syria. This funerary and death ritual was performed by the descendants of the deceased. But where and how were the offerings provided for the dead? What motivated the survivors to repeatedly offer food and libations? Did they provide the dead with food for spiritual or political reasons? Was the aim to appease the spirits of the dead so as to prevent maleficent spirits from ascending from the netherworld, and respectively to propitiate the spirits to encourage them to act in one's own favour? Or was a regular offering for the deceased an essential aspect of the legitimation as the successive king and/or heir? If the reason was to legitimate a succession, it would have been important to present oneself while performing the offerings, to be seen during the act of venerating the ancestors. If the main focus of this ritual was spiritual, it is more likely that it was celebrated in private, or at least there was no need to make an offering in public. By analyzing funerary monuments, their location and accessibility, as well as textual sources, these questions will be addressed. The regularity and constancy with which the offerings were provided – at the beginning of a reign when it was necessary to prove the right of succession, and later on after the ruler had been established – will also illuminate this complex issue.
Gone up in smoke? Incense in funerary contexts in the Iron Age Levant
Mr Matthias Lange (Tübingen University)
Incense burners have been found all over the Ancient Near East in many contexts, mainly in sanctuaries, private houses and graves which is corresponding to the role of incense offerings in the official cult, family religion and mortuary practices. The lecture will focus on the last one to discuss the spread and function of incense offerings in the funerary cult as well as the role of censers as grave goods in Iron-Age Syro-Palestine and to show the chronological and geographical developments regarding the burning of incense. It also tries to reflect these insights in a broader perspective and utilize them in the question of differentiation between burial rituals, cult of the dead and ancestor worship, if possible. Therefore, textual sources concerning the use of incense offerings and burners in funerary contexts will be evaluated as well.
Symbolism of prestige in funerary practices. The powerful dead
Ms Catherine Lazzarini (University of Lyon)
Nos recherches sont axées sur les tombes de prestige et les représetnations du pouvoir dans les pratiques funéraires. Le mort et le corps du défunt sont des entités à traités à part entière dans la compréhension des représetnation du pouvoir et des relations sociales qui se jouent dans les rites funéraires ; la stabilité sociale et la légitimité du pouvoir dépendent du rôle du mort dans les rites. Nous avons porté une attention particulière sur la relation entre les objets déposés dans la tombe et le corps du défunt. Ceci permet d'appréhender la dialectique idéologique développée dans les rituels. L'un des axes choisit dans cette présentation est la vaisselle, ce que signifient les récipients selon leur typologie et la symbolique la vaisselle implique dans l'interprétation sociale des banquets funéraires. Nous proposons une approche pluridisciplinaire pour tenter d'éclaire les dialectique funéraire de prestige.
Two stelae mentioning mortuary offerings from Ugarit
Prof Herbert Niehr (Tübingen University)
In spite of many articles devoted to the stelae KTU 6.13 and 6.14 there are still open questions as concerns their position within the mortuary practises of Ugarit. My impression is that Tarelli and Uzzinu are not only the donators, but after their death also the recipients of the meal-offerings recorderd in the inscriptions.
herbert.niehr@uni-tuebingen.de
Intra-site variation in the burial domain of Jerablus Tahtani, Syria
Prof Edgar Peltenburg (Edinbugh University, UK)
Burial formats tend to be standardised within discrete Ancient Near Eastern communities. That is not to state that such formats were all the same. Children, for example, were frequently differentiated from adults, and, in hierarchically organised societies, elites often signalled their distinguished status by elaborate expressions. Even within the Mid-Euphrates Valley of the Early Bronze Age, where quite varied grave types proliferated, fairly restricted repertoires existed in any one community. In general, shaft and chamber tombs predominate in the south of this region, cist graves in the north. In one case where variation occurred within a cemetery, Cooper recently correlated the existence of two spatially distinct burial types with the co-existence of two distinct ethnic groups, separated into exclusive burial grounds. At Jerablus Tahtani, on the other hand, we found a marked variety of spatially mixed, broadly contemporary burial formats. In this paper, I propose that the occurrence of heterogeneous burial traditions in the Jerablus fort resulted from the incorporation of peoples from different communities, each with their own burial traditions. This mixture sheds light on the nature of community formation within newly created population centres of the 3rd millennium in Syro-Anatolia.
How did they bury the kings of Qatna?
Prof Peter Pfälzner (Tübingen University)
The discovery of the royal hypogeum of Qatna in 2002 and the different studies emerging from it lead to a new understanding of the royal burial ritual in 2nd millennium B.C. Syria. The lecture aims at summarizing these insights and at reconstructing the processes of interment of the kings of Qatna. Actions connected to the preparation of the body, to primary interment and to secondary interment will be identified, based on the archaeological data from the Qatna royal tomb. A comparison to other royal burial practices, such as at Ugarit, will be made. Finally, the applicability of the concept of the "rites de passage" will be discussed. The talk precedes and introduces a series of lectures at 7ICAANE on the archaeology of death presented by members of the post-graduate school "Symbols of the Dead" at Tübingen University. The school has been established in 2008 in order to promote research on the cult of the dead, with particular reference to burial rituals, funerary banquets, the ancestor cult, and concepts of the netherworld, but it also includes scientific analysis of grave goods. The chronological focus is the 2nd to 1st millennium B.C. Preliminary results of this interdisciplinary research will be presented and discussed in a specific sub-panel entitled "Symbols of the Dead".