Tell Shiyukh Tahtani, Syria Report of the 2006-09 Seasons

The Italian excavations at Shiyukh Tahtani have recently resumed, revealing a long occupation sequence on the mound’s eastern slope (Area CD). In Trench D23, on the summit, an Iron Age level II building contained a rich array of pottery, sheep knuckle bones, clay ‘bobbins’ and an unstratified Egyptian scarab of Menkheperre. An earlier massive building (LBA ?) was also excavated below the Iron Age II occupation. Halfway down the slope the lower level of a large burnt complex of Middle Bronze I date contained rich finds and various burials characterized by peculiar rituals. Finally, in a deep trench down below the slope, EB I-II remains included niched mud-brick architecture of fine Mesopotamian tradition as well as many pot burials of the Carchemish ‘champagne-­cup culture’. All these finds enhance the knowledge about the Bronze and Iron Age civilization of the Syrian Euphrates

Tell Shiyukh Tahtani on the Euphrates. Highlights of the last excavation seasons

In recent years (2006-09) the University of Palermo Euphrates expedition has continued rescue excavations at Tell Shiyukh Tahtani (the “Lower Hill of Sheikhs”) as part of the Tishreen Dam Salvage Project. Located on the left bank of the River south of Jerablus, in the land that once was the Carchemish district, this small mound has revealed a long occupation sequence from around 3.000 B.C. to Byzantine and early Islamic times. During the last three seasons we mainly concentrated in the investigation of the eastern slope of the upper tell (Area CD), where a continuous Bronze Age occupation has been detected. Apart from the later levels (EB IV, Middle and Late Bronze Age), one of the main goals has been the investigation of the EB I–III town, dating to the first half of the 3rd millennium, a period still obscure in the Upper Syrian Euphrates Valley. In a deep trench at the foot of the tell three main phases have been identified: (a) the earliest (incipient EB I), probably transitional with the Late Uruk culture, can be assigned to the flourishing “champagne-cup” culture of the Middle Euphrates and is characterized by fine mud-brick architecture, decorated with niches and buttresses, strongly reminiscent of contemporary buildings of Lower Mesopotamia. The second phase (EB Ib-II) shows a strong continuity, also marked by funerary rituals identical to the ones uncovered by the British Museum pioneer expedition on the citadel mound at Carchemish. The third level (EB III) marks an abandonment, characterized by some kind of squatters´ occupation, with a complete change in town planning and material culture. These and other finds suggest that the small settlement of Shiyukh Tahtani played a relevant role in the history of the Middle Euphrates region and of North Syrian civilization as a whole

New investigations in the North-East quarter of Motya. The archaic cemetery and Building J

In June 2013 the University of Palermo excavations on Motya were resumed. The main goal of the new project is to investigate the north-east quarter of the Phoenician settlement and its urban development since the time of its foundation. Two main areas of excavation were opened. In the early cemetery sixteen cremation burials of the archaic period were uncovered. The most striking discoveries, never attested before, were a tomb containing Hellenistic offerings, and the occurrence of archaic infant cremations. The second excavation was conducted east of Zone K in Building J, which is characterized by its use of a fine \u2018pier and rubble\u2019 construction technique. Two rooms have been partially cleared: one with a pillared doorway and a plastered mud-brick bench, the other containing a stone vat in the centre. A thick destruction layer, containing among other things bronze arrow-heads, is clear evidence of the siege and fall of Motya in 397 BC

Tell Shiyukh Tahtani, Nord Siria. Relazione sull'attività della Missione Eufrate nell'anno 2008.

Survey and excavations in the Middle Euphrates Valley, Syria. 2008 Season

Tell Shiyukh Tahtani. New light on the Bronze Age sequence

This report briefly describes the latest results of the Italian rescue excavations at Shiyukh Tahtani on the Upper Syrian Euphrates. Fieldwork continued on the eastern slope of the mound, aiming to further investigate the Bronze Age levels. A main operation, halfway down the slope, focused upon the earliest MB I layers, where a group of burials was unearthed, mostly consisting of adult interments in oval pits and child pot burials. A most striking finding was the ‘Spinstress tomb’. At the foot of the slope, the exploration of a mud-brick compound, dating back to the early third millennium BC, continued. Here further remarkable evidence of massive domestic architecture in a fine Mesopotamian tradition was unveiled: its associated finds and intra-mural burials suggest a LC-EB transition showing that the site was quite active right after the collapse of the Uruk ‘colonies’ on the Syrian Euphrates

65. Tell Shiyukh Tahtani

This volume presents the long history of Syria through a jouney of the most important and recently-excavated archaeological sites. The sites cover over 1.8 million years and all regions in Syria; 110 academics have contributed information on 103 excavations for this volume. Based on these contributions the volume offers a detailed summary of the history of Syria, a history as important as any in terms of the development of human society. It is hoped that this knowledge will offer not only an increased understanding of the country but also act as a deterrent to the destruction of Syrian cultural heritage and facilitate the protection of Syrian sites

Nuove Ricerche a Castellazzo di Poggioreale. Campagne 2008-2009.

Resoconto preliminare di due campagne di scavo nel sito indigeno di Monte Castellazzo, Valle del Belice, Sicilia. Viene descritto un muraglione con scalinata di età medievale costruito lungo il costone 540. Sono anche descritte le varie fasi di vita di una capanna protostorica di VIII-VII secolo a.C. e di un edificio a pianta rettangolare di età arcaica fine VII-VI sec. a.C. Sono infine illustrati gli interessantissimi reperti di un deposito di fondazione, comprendenti ceramica "elima" e greca di importazione, pesi da telaio, metalli allo stato grezzo e altri fittili di notevole qualità

NEW ANTHROPOLOGICAL DATA FROM THE ARCHAIC NECROPOLIS AT MOTYA (2013 EXCAVATION SEASON)

In this paper we present the most recent anthropological study on bones of the archaic tombs of Motya (Sicily, Italy), where a large necropolis has been brought to light since the first excavations of Joseph Whitaker. The newly acquired data suggest that this portion of the Motya archaic cemetery was not exclusively devoted to the incineration of particular classes of age but the urns and cists could contain multiple burials of very different ages.