Table of Contents for Near Eastern Archaeology 89.1 (March 2026)
Pp. 4–14: “Evolution, Resilience, and Collapse of Prehistoric Settlements in the Bavanat River Basin, Southern Iran” by Morteza Khanipour, Mohammad Amin Mirghaderi, and Habib Emadi
Small intermontane valleys, like the Bavanat River Basin in southern Iran, are valuable for archaeological research due to their preservation of environmental and social changes. An archaeological survey in 2015 and excavations at the Hormangan site in 2016 revealed 200 sites dating from the Neolithic to the Islamic period. This article examines prehistoric settlements, cultural interactions at both regional and interregional levels, and the key factors influencing settlement formation in Bavanat, a secondary valley, during different prehistoric periods. Additionally, it explores the impact of climatic and social changes on prehistoric communities and their settlement patterns in small valleys. Archaeological evidence indicates that this region was seasonally occupied by hunter-gatherer communities during the Neolithic period as a result of climate changes associated with the 8.2 ka event. In the first half of the sixth millennium BCE, the area was abandoned but was resettled by farming communities in the late sixth millennium BCE. This way of life continued until the mid-fourth millennium BCE. With the rise of urbanization in Iran, settlements in this region, like many other parts of Fars, experienced a significant population decline.
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Pp. 16-23: “Script over Sealings: Proto-Elamite Bureaucratic Innovation at Tepe Sofalin, Iran” by Rouhollah Yousefi Zoshk and Morteza Hessari
This study analyzes three Proto-Elamite clay sealings (ca. 3350–2800 BCE) from Tepe Sofalin, Iran, inscribed with written signs rather than traditional seals, to probe early administrative pracricultural practices, and cultural identity of Hellenistic Galilee. Five seasons of excavation revealed a wealthy agricultural estate that flourished in the early second century BCE, complete with storage facilities and evidence of advanced farming practices. The site’s rich material culture reveals fascinating Mediterranean connections such as wine amphorae shipped from Rhodes and Kos, or fine tableware from the Phoenician coast and Asia Minor. The material culture and dietary habits point to a population with strong ties to the Phoenician coast, perhaps a genuine Phoenician population. Likely functioning as a royal land grant, the estate represents the flourishing agricultural economy that characterized Seleucid Galilee. The site’s abrupt abandonment around 144 BCE is probably connected to the internal wars in the Seleucid kingdom, involving also the Maccabees.
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Pp. 24-35: “Intramural Nonadult Burials at Tell Muhammad (in Baghdad) during the Old Babylonian Period (1894–1595 BCE): A Preliminary Assessment of Legacy Data” by Sergio G. Russo
This article investigates infant and child burial practices at Tell Muhammad (Baghdad) during the Old Babylonian period (1894–1595 BCE). Using previously published excavation reports, it examines 53 inhumations found within a 0.8 ha area of the ancient settlement. Raw data are evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively to provide summary statistics and highlight diachronic patterns, while accounting for limitations arising from the lack of detail in the original reports. Despite these gaps, the findings indicate that at the site, nonadult inhumations primarily consisted of jar burials placed in dedicated burial grounds, initially of a residential nature. Finally, this study outlines future research directions: on the one hand, the temporal distribution of the burials might have implications for the site chronology; on the other hand, they supplement data to known burials excavated elsewhere, which can be analyzed on a regional scale to gain more information on the Old Babylonian Mesopotamian funerary landscape.
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Pp. 36-46: “Khirbet el-‘Eika: A Hellenistic Estate in the Lower Galilee” by Uzi Leibner and Roi Sabar
Perched on an isolated mountain overlooking the fertile Arbel Valley, Khirbet el-‘Eika offers a rare glimpse into the daily life, agricultural practices, and cultural identity of Hellenistic Galilee. Five seasons of excavation revealed a wealthy agricultural estate that flourished in the early second century BCE, complete with storage facilities and evidence of advanced farming practices. The site’s rich material culture reveals fascinating Mediterranean connections such as wine amphorae shipped from Rhodes and Kos, or fine tableware from the Phoenician coast and Asia Minor. The material culture and dietary habits point to a population with strong ties to the Phoenician coast, perhaps a genuine Phoenician population. Likely functioning as a royal land grant, the estate represents the flourishing agricultural economy that characterized Seleucid Galilee. The site’s abrupt abandonment around 144 BCE is probably connected to the internal wars in the Seleucid kingdom, involving also the Maccabees.
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Pp. 48-57: “An Example of the Architectural Integrity of Historical Bridges: The Agora Bridge from the Period of Justinian I in Dara (Anastasiopolis)” by Hüseyin Metin and Ali Özkan
The ancient city of Dara in northern Mesopotamia lies within the borders of the Dara/Oğuz village in the Artuklu district of Mardin province, Türkiye. It was a garrison city established to protect the eastern borders of Byzantium against the Sassanids. Dara exemplifies unusual urban organization for the Byzantine period because a stream passed through the middle of the city, which was surrounded by walls, and the architecture of the city was shaped according to the route of that stream. Bridges were thus of great importance in the city’s architectural organization. A total of three bridges have been identified within the city walls of Dara, while another bridge was built outside the southern gate of the ancient city. In this study, the Agora Bridge of Dara is examined in detail. In addition, the importance of bridges in construction activities in Dara during the period of Justinian I is evaluated.
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Pp. 58-64: “Axes as Tools: Reflections on an Axe from Ethiopia” by Aren M. Maeir
This article discusses the function and symbolism of an iron axe from contemporary Ethiopia, and suggests insights regarding axes as tools, weapons, and symbolic items in the Bronze and Iron Age southern Levant.
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