ASOR 2010

ASOR Annual Meeting, November 17-20, 2010, Atlanta
Settlement and Society in the Ancient Near East
Chairs: Jason Ur (Harvard University) and Jesse Casana (University of Arkansas)

Session Abstract: This session aims to present archaeological case studies in which settlement patterns and studies of ancient land-scapes shed light on social, economic, and political aspects of ancient Near Eastern societies. The session will encourage studies which focus on the archaeology of regions or the interaction between sites and their hinterlands. Methodologically, we envision papers drawing on field survey and remote sensing, historical geography, and assessments of excavated remains across large regions. The geographic frame will be broad as well, extending beyond the Levant and Mesopotamia to include Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, the southern Caucasus, and the Iranian plateau. We intend to seek participants who adopt an anthropological perspective and who will present their research in a manner that will facilitate comparison and discussions.
   
SESSION I

Introduction
Jason Ur, Harvard University

Ethnography and Archaeology of Nomadic Pastoral Winter Camping Patterns Along the Tigris River, SE Turkey
Emily Hammer, Harvard University

Settlement systems and Sustainability in the Balikh Valley, Syria
Carrie Hritz, Penn State University

Settlement Patterns in Yemen’s Interior and Their Implications for Regional Political and Economic History
Paul Zimmerman, Independent Scholar

SESSION II


Addressing "Connectivity" with Archaeological Survey: A Case Study Using The Late Chalcolithic Settlement Pattern Around Tell Brak, Syria
Eric Rupley, University of Michigan

Reading Between the Lines: Assessing Agropastoral Strategies of the Early Bronze Age in the Upper Khabur Basin
Hannah Lau, University of California Los Angeles

Empirical Data Structure of Early Bronze Age Settlement Patterns in North Syria
Tuna Kalayci, University of Arkansas

Survey and Settlement in the Tell es-Sweyhat Embayment in the Achaemenid, Hellenistic and Roman Periods
Noam Rifkind, Boston University

Grain Storage in Third Millennium Mesopotamia: Regional Perspectives
Tate Paulette, University of Chicago