Rural settlements of Northern Mesopotamia in the 2nd millennium BC: a functional and socio-historical analysis

北美索不达米亚在公元前两千年的历史以动态的社会进程为特征。我们对中期青铜时代(公元前2000-1600年)的看法是由区域间贸易网络和具有大型城市中心的不断变化的国家形成的。在青铜时代晚期(公元前1350-1100)的第二部分，研究的重点是中世纪亚述帝国的省制及其众多的省长席位。因此，这几个时期的研究一直集中在城市，而且仍然集中在城市上。相反，到目前为止，农村地区的人口很少在历史上被提及。因此，本项目旨在探索公元前2000年期间美索不达米亚北部农村聚落的功能(S)和社会意义--通常被称为“村庄”。这项研究的重点是面积小于2.5公顷的小定居点，德语中将对这些小定居点使用中性术语“克莱因西德龙”。这些定居点的内部结构和社会融合在很大程度上仍然不为人知。该项目打算通过两个案例研究来帮助填补这一研究空白，这两个案例分别涉及亚述中期和青铜中期。这些研究将包括地方和区域两级以及历史分析。通过考古发掘对一个小定居点进行示范研究将在伊拉克-库尔德斯坦的Muqable III大遗址进行，占地1.5公顷。由于这处遗址的建筑地平线直接叠加了中期青铜时代的地平线，Muqable III非常适合拟议的项目。通过挖掘获得的数据将用于功能分析，提供关于遗址上进行的活动以及遗址居民的经济和社会组织的信息。此外，目的是澄清Muqable III是一个由城市精英拥有的功能性专门定居点--一种小型定居点，证明是亚述中期时期的“dunnu”定居点，还是例如一个自给自足的村庄。本研究旨在为亚述中期和青铜时代中期美索不达米亚北部的一个小聚落的结构和功能定义一个模型。关于区域分析，来自伊拉克北部塞瓦尼平原的现有数据将提供对小定居点的位置、分布和集水区的洞察。这一办法将显示小住区以何种方式融入住区系统，以及它们与城市中心的关系。对该项目的补充将是从城市角度对小住区的作用进行分析，分析将以楔形来源为基础。通过这样做，该项目将阐明公元前两千年期间美索不达米亚北部社会迄今被忽视的一个方面。

The history of Northern Mesopotamia during the 2nd millennium BC is characterised by dynamic social processes. Our view of the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BC) is shaped by interregional trade networks and changing states with large urban centres. In the second part of the Late Bronze Age (1350-1100 BC), the research focus lies on the provincial system of the Middle Assyrian empire with its numerous provincial governor seats. Thus, the research of these periods has concentrated and still concentrates on cities. In contrast, the population of rural areas has so far rarely been mentioned in historical accounts.For this reason, the present project aims at exploring the function(s) and social importance of rural settlements – often generically termed “villages” – in Northern Mesopotamia during the 2nd millennium BC. The study focuses on small settlements of less than 2.5 ha size for which the neutral term “Kleinsiedlung” will be used in German. The internal structure and social integration of these settlements are still largely unknown. The project intends to help filling this research gap by means of two case studies addressing the Middle Assyrian period and the Middle Bronze Age, respectively. The studies will comprise a local and a regional level as well as an historical analysis. The exemplary study of a small settlement by means of archaeological excavations will take place at the 1.5 ha large site of Muqable III in Iraqi-Kurdistan. As a Middle Assyrian architectural horizon is at this site directly superimposing a horizon of the Middle Bronze Age, Muqable III is perfectly suitable for the proposed project.The data obtained through the excavations will be used for functional analyses, which will provide information on the activities carried out at the site as well as on the economy and social organisation of the site’s inhabitants. Furthermore, the aim is to clarify whether Muqable III was a functionally specialised settlement owned by an urban elite – a type of small settlement which is attested in form of "dunnu" settlements in the Middle Assyrian period, or e.g. a self-sufficient village. This study aims at defining a model for the structure and function of a small settlement in Northern Mesopotamia during the Middle Assyrian period and the Middle Bronze Age. With regard to the regional analysis, already available data from the northern Iraqi Selevani plain will provide insights into the location, distribution, and catchment areas of small settlements. This approach will show in which way small settlements were integrated into settlement systems and what was their relationship to urban centres. The project will be complemented by an analysis of the role of small settlements from an urban perspective, which will be based on cuneiform sources. In doing so the project will illuminate a hitherto neglected aspect of Northern Mesopotamian societies during the 2nd millennium BC.