The Functional Riddle of « Glossy » Canaanean Blades and the Near Eastern Threshing Sledge
The Functional Riddle of « Glossy » Canaanean Blades and the Near Eastern Threshing Sledge
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“光滑”迦南刀片和近东脱粒雪橇的功能之谜
DOI：
10.1558/jmea.v17i1.87
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发表时间：
2004
影响因子：
0.8
通讯作者：
A. V. Gijn
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Patricia Anderson;Jacques Chabot;A. V. Gijn
本文考察了主要位于叙利亚和伊拉克的尼尼微V型遗址的“迦南”刀片部分所支持的农业活动和网络的各个方面。对这些工具的大量样本进行的技术和功能分析，以及实验和民族考古参考数据，表明它们被用作加工谷物的工具，而不是通常假设的收获工具(镰刀)。我们的分析表明，这些刀片是在当代楔形文字文献中描述的特殊木筏状脱粒雪橇中使用的标准化刀片。功能研究被扩大到包括一个广泛的实验计划，研究收获和其他手工工具。特别是，我们分析了重建的脱粒排功能的所有影响，配备了迦南叶片片段的复制品。从不同地点建筑物的土壤样本中提取的显微硅植硅片表明，用该仪器切碎的秸秆被大量用作泥砖回火、燃料和动物饲料。对刀片进行的实验研究揭示了一种特殊的制造技术的痕迹--用杠杆和铜尖加压剥离，这是在所研究的美索不达米亚北部遗址的标准化迦南刀片上发现的。我们的发现表明，这些迦南刀片碎片是在美索不达米亚北部的作坊生产的，然后分布在该地区，以装备脱粒雪橇。这支持了这样一种假设，即在尼尼微五世时期，地方中心控制着广泛的村落网络，并致力于大规模生产、储存和再分配农产品，可能是为了换取特别生产的脱粒雪橇刀片等物品
This paper examines aspects of the agricultural activities and network supported by ‘Canaanean' blade segments from Ninevite V sites located principally in Syria and Iraq. Technological and functional analyses of an extensive sample of these tools, alongside experimental and ethnoarchaeological reference data, points to their use as instruments for working cereals, but not a harvesting tool (sickle) as is usually assumed. Our analyses indicate that these blades were standardised inserts used in a special raft-like threshing sledge as described in contemporary cuneiform texts. The functional study was enlarged to include an extensive experimental program that studied harvesting and other manual tools. In particular, we analysed all effects of the functioning of reconstructed threshing rafts, armed with reproductions of Canaanean blade segments. Microscopic silica phytolith ‘sheets', extracted from soil samples taken from structures in various sites, indicated that straw chopped with the instrument was used in large quantities as mudbrick temper, fuel and animal fodder. Experimental studies carried out on blades to examine indicators of the knapping method revealed traces of a special manufacturing technique—pressure debitage with a lever and a copper-tipped point, which was identified on standardised Canaanean blades in the northern Mesopotamian sites studied. Our findings suggest that these Canaanean blade segments were produced in northern Mesopotamian workshops and then distributed over the region to equip threshing sledges. This lends support to hypotheses that local centres controlled extensive networks of village sites in the Ninevite V period, and were devoted to the large-scale production, storage and redistribution of agricultural products, possibly in exchange for items such as the specially produced threshing sledge blades