Tell Boueid II is one of many sites submerged by the completion of the Middle Khabur dam, northeastern Syria. Salvage excavations by Antoine Suleiman (DGAM) in 1997 and 1998 exposed a small (about 0.12 ha) settlement dated on the basis of the ceramics to the Late Neolithic period. More specifically, comparisons with Tell Sabi Abyad and Tell Chagar Bazar suggest a date at the end of the Pre-Halaf era and the beginning of the Transitional stage between pre-Halaf and Early Halaf. During this crucial period, which remains poorly understood in Syria and northern Mesopotamia, various regional communities in Syria and northern Mesopotamia exhibit an increasingly strong cultural unity. In the report, archaeologists and specialists present the analyses of some aspects of the excavations: the architecture, the small finds, the Late Neolithic ceramics, the faunal remains, the obsidian, two clay sealings and the contents of two Late Chalcolithic pits. The ceramics show strong relationships with the so-called Hassuna and Samarra traditions known from Iraq. The obsidian tools, too, show affinities with the Samarra tradition but also with local, Syrian traditions. Of particular significance are two sealings with stamp seal impressions, which are similar to sealings recently excavated at Tell Sabi Abyad. In a concluding chapter the authors bring together their viewpoints in a joint discussion of Tell Boueid II.

This volume offers a rich archaeological portrait of the human-canine connection. Contributors investigate the ways people have viewed and valued dogs in different cultures around the world and across the ages. Case studies from North and South America, the Arctic, Australia, and Eurasia present evidence for dogs in roles including pets, guards, hunters, and herders. In these chapters, faunal analysis from the Ancient Near East suggests that dogs contributed to public health by scavenging garbage, and remains from a Roman temple indicate that dogs were offered as sacrifices in purification rites. Essays also chronicle the complex partnership between Aboriginal peoples and the dingo and describe how the hunting abilities of dogs made them valuable assets for Indigenous groups in the Amazon rainforest. The volume draws on multidisciplinary methods that include zooarchaeological analysis; scientific techniques such as dental microwear, isotopic, and DNA analyses; and the integration of history, ethnography, multispecies scholarship, and traditional cultural knowledge to provide an in-depth account of dogs’ lives. Showing that dogs have been a critical ally for humankind through cooperation and companionship over thousands of years, this volume broadens discussions about how relationships between people and animals have shaped our world. Contributors: Brandi Bethke | Kate Britton | Amanda Burtt | Larisa R.G. DeSantis | Melanie Fillios | Emily Lena Jones | Loukas Koungoulos | Robert Losey | Edouard Masson-Maclean | Ellen McManus-Fry | Victoria Monagle | Victoria Moses | Angela R. Perri | Nerissa Russell | Peter W. Stahl

This was the first book to present a comprehensive review of the archaeology of Syria from the end of the Paleolithic period to 300 BC. Syria has become a prime focus of field archaeology in the Middle East in the past thirty years, and Peter Akkermans and Glenn Schwartz discuss the results of this intensive fieldwork, integrating them with earlier research. Alongside the major material culture types of each period, they examine important contributions of Syrian archaeology to issues like the onset of agriculture, the emergence of private property and social inequality, the rise and collapse of urban life, and the archaeology of early empires. All competing interpretations are set out and considered, alongside the authors' own perspectives and conclusions.

Presents papers from Session IV-5 of the 18th UISPP World Congress (Paris, June 2018). The archaeological study of earthen construction has until now focused on typology and conservation; papers here instead consider their construction and anthropological importance.

This volume brings together the latest results and discussions from research carried out in the eastern Fertile Crescent, the so-called hilly flanks, and adjacent regions, as well as providing key historical perspectives on earlier fieldwork in the region. The emergence of sedentary food producing societies in southwest Asia ca. 10,000 years ago has been a key research focus for archaeologists since the 1930s. This book provides a balance to the weight of work undertaken in the western Fertile Crescent, namely the Levant and southern Anatolia. This preference has led to a heavy emphasis on these regions in discussions about where, when and how the transition from hunting and gathering to plant cultivation and animal domestication occurred. Chapters assess the role of the eastern Fertile Crescent as a key region in the Neolithization process in southwest Asia, highlighting the key and important contributions people in this region made to the emergence of sedentary farming societies. This book is primarily aimed at academics researching the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture in southwest Asia. It will also be of interest to archaeologists working on this transition in other parts of Eurasia.