Institute for European and Mediterranean archaeology (IEMA)
http://www.iema.buffalo.edu/
The Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology (IEMA) has been created in 2006 as a collaborative effort among several departments at the College of Arts and Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York. The website provides information on the staff and their research projects as well as events sponsored by the institute. In the "research" page there are hyperlinks to laboratories available to the institute as well as journals published by its members, namely Arethusa; Discourse; and the Journal of World Anthropology. This website also publishes short illustrated summaries of several projects by members of the institute. Among the projects are a survey in the area of Galatas, Crete, which has identified a Neolithic settlement at Profitis Ilias Archalochori; a large Minoan building (60 x 16 m preserved); and 124 archaeological sites. The survey has also recognised an increase in population in the area in the Neopalatial period followed by a decrease and clustering at the end of the Late Minoan period. Another important project featured on the website is the Thy's Iron Age Project (TIA), which focuses on Iron Age and Early Medieval Denmark, for which some preliminary reports are available. Only scanty information is provided for other projects, which include the excavations at çadir Höyük and the Citadel of Nimrud Digital Project.
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'Ain Ghazal excavation reports
http://menic.utexas.edu/ghazal/
This website contains the excavation reports of the fieldwork and research projects carried out at 'Ain Ghazal, a Neolithic settlement located near Amman, Jordan. The settlement has yielded several artefacts suggesting a particular importance of symbolism within that ancient community and the reports mostly focus on this aspect. The reports are organised in chapters and present an overview of the site and symbolic items such as tokens of many shapes, animal and human figurines, modelled human skulls, "monumental" statues and motifs painted on walls and floors of buildings. This website also includes catalogues of human figurines and statues as well as a few papers exploring the significance of the recognised symbols. The reports are illustrated with colour pictures, graphics, drawings and plans and include bibliographies. The publication of a few more reports has been announced. 'Ain Ghazal was first settled during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (about 7250 BC) and thereafter expanded to include 30 acres of land. It was abandoned during the Yarmoukian Pottery Neolithic (about 5000 BC). A paper concentrates on a single stone statuette with flat breasts and no genitalia, which has been found in what has been interpreted as an open sanctuary. The figure is possibly connected to a fertility cult, interpreted as a reaction to increasing problems in farming. This and other reports within this website suggest that the changing environment had a paramount effect in the life on the settlement, a theme which is perhaps overemphasised.
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Abila of the Decapolis
http://www.abila.org/
Abila is located about 15 miles east of the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. Its archaeological history stretches from the Copper Age (3500 BC) to about 1500 AD. This website provides information on the excavations and at Abila and historical information on the site and nearby ancient sites. Pages describe the archaeological findings for each part of the site. There are pages devoted to tombs and basilicas found on the site. There are also glossaries of archaeological terminology and of archaeological periods for Syria-Palestine. The website also advertises fieldwork opportunities for students (only for forthcoming excavations at Abila).
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Abou Dhabi : Hili
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/actions-france_830/archeologie_1058/les-ca
This website is published by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and focuses on the site of Hili (Abu Dhabi), Arabia. The site is a Bronze Age oasis on the shores of the Persian Gulf; several illustrated articles describe the recent discoveries. In particular, the possible trade contacts with Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley are analysed. The 'diaporama' (picture gallery) collects in one place all the many colour photos and drawings in the articles. There is a map and a bibliography.
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Abu Dhabi islands archaeological survey (ADIAS)
http://www.adias-uae.com/
Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS) is the website of the organisation responsible for: surveying; recording; and, where appropriate, excavating archaeological sites on the coast and islands of Abu Dhabi. Since its initiation, several hundred sites have been identified around Abu Dhabi. Operating primarily on a policy of non-intervention, the project's main goals have been to: locate; identify; and record the presence of sites, often utilising detailing topographical mapping. However, in recognition of the naturally unstable nature of archaeological remains, coupled with the rapid development of the coastal zone and islands of Abu Dhabi, surface collection of finds and even excavations have been undertaken in certain cases. The website provides access to many resources regarding the project, including: the project's newsletters from 2001 to 2006; press reports; images from excavated sites; and archaeological resources such as a radiocarbon archive. Contact details and information regarding staff are also available.
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Aegaeum 18 : the Aegean and the Orient in the second millennium
http://www.ulg.ac.be/archgrec/aegaeum18pdf.html
This website publishes the complete text of the out-of-print volume "The Aegean and the Orient in the Second Millennium, Proceedings of the 50th Anniversary Symposium, University of Cincinnati, 18-20 April 1997", which has been published in the Aegaeum series. Each paper is available as an individual PDF file. Several studies on cultural, religious, and economic aspects of the Bronze Age Aegean related to the ancient Near East are available. There are studies of cultural and artistic influences (Aegean objects in the ancient Near East and Near Eastern influences in Aegean culture); Minoan and Mycenaean exchanges in the Mediterranean; artistic styles in frescoes, ceramics ivories and other artefacts; theoretical and methodological papers. The discussions were recorded and are also available as PDF files transcripts. This website may be precious to researchers who cannot access the book, and perhaps save a trip to the library to the others.
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Akarçay Tepe
http://sappo.uab.cat/pub/jaciments.asp?nom=akar&idioma=catala
This website publishes the preliminary report of the excavations at the Neolithic site of Akarçay Tepe, Turkey. At the time of review, the report was awkwardly divided in two pages, one in Catalan and one in Spanish. Obsidian and seashells have been found at the site and prove that a long distance exchange network was operational. The report also notices the architectural structures found so far, including some rectangular buildings. A long section focuses on the economy of the site; there also short notices on pedological and chronological analyses; zooarchaeology; stratigraphy; lithics; and other topics.
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Akarçay Tepe
http://akarcaytepe.org/
This is the official website of the excavations at Akarçay Tepe (nearest modern town is Şanlıurfa, in Turkey), the Anatolian Neolithic mound (350 x 150 m) that has yielded architectural structures and artefacts dated from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) to the Pottery Neolithic (PN) periods (dated ca. 7800 - 6000 BC). There is an introduction to the project; short reports of the yearly excavations since 1999 and short illustrated summaries of the main findings, including architectural structures, ceramics, stone and bone tools, as well as archaeozoological and archaeobotanical analyses. The radiocarbon C14 dates obtained from Akarçay Tepe are freely available from the CANEW project website. A comprehensive bibliography is available and there are some scanned versions of printed reports in PDF format (some in English and some in Turkish language). Readers should note that it is necessary to allow popups to access some resources.
Akarçay Tepe is particularly important because the stratigraphy clearly shows continuity between the PPNB and PN periods in the region. The mud brick buildings have stone foundations, multiple rooms and span both periods. Black Series pottery is associated with the earliest phases of the Pottery Neolithic period and quickly became an important local industry. The stone tools industry was also important and archaeologists could note the introduction of new technologies replacing the PPNB bipolar technique and a reduction of obsidian imports as the archaeological site entered the PN period.
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Al Mashriq. The Levant. Cultural riches from the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean. Archaeology
http://almashriq.hiof.no/base/archaeology.html
A useful collection of original essays, articles reproduced from academic and popular journals, maps and archive photographs, weblinks and news stories on the archaeology of the Levant, part of the umbrella site Al Mashriq, which provides online information on many aspects of culture in the Middle East. A large part of the site deals with the Lebanon but Jordan is also featured along with links to other websites of archaeological interest. Interesting archive photographs of crusader castles nestle beside fascinating aerial shots of the submerged harbours of Saida, Tyre and Rouad. The political instability of the Lebanon in the 1970s and 1980s caused terrible damage to the archaeological heritage of the country but, ironically, the reconstruction programme has allowed the excavation of large tracts of urban space which have been built over for millennia. One of the key insights from this website is the difficult relationship between the needs of archaeological conservation on the one hand and economic reconstruction on another as well as raising the wider issues of the role of archaeology and heritage in post-conflict regions. Al Mashriq Archaeology will interest students and researchers of Near Eastern archaeology and history as well as heritage professionals or those who study the politics of culture in the Middle East.
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American Schools of Oriental Research
http://www.asor.org/
The American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), founded in 1900, is one of the chief bodies in North America which promotes the archaeology of the Near East from the palaeolithic to the present. The website provides a detailed overview of the aims, structure, membership and archaeological and research activities of ASOR and its affiliated research centres in the Middle East, as well as news features and information on past and future meetings of the organisation. Also featured are the texts of ASOR's policy statement on the protection of archaeological heritage and a valuable guide to its lobbying activities regarding cultural resource management in Iraq. This includes useful links to web reources on Iraqi and Near Eastern archaeology which complement the page of weblinks to excavation and survey projects in the region. The publications page provides the full-texts of the ASOR newsletter (in PDF format) as well as information on ASOR monographs and its published journals. Tables of contents and abstracts of the Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Near Eastern Archaeology (formerly Biblical Archaeologist) and BASOR from the mid-1990s onwards are complemented by the usual advice for contributors and authors. In addition to details of ASOR centres in Cyprus, Israel and Jordan, there is an overview of the work of the Baghdad and Damascus committees which oversee research and excavation work in Iraq and Syria, in the absence of functioning research institutions on account of the recent political climate. This includes a history of American archaeology in Mesopotamia and a short guide to the ASOR-sponsored excavations at Tell Qarqur with preliminary reports from 2000 and 2001, a contour plan and a bibliography of published reports. This website provides much practical material for students and researchers in Near eastern archaeology as well as a fascinating insight into the cultural heritage issues and politics of doing archaeology in this troubled region of the world.
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American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) publications newsletter
http://www.asor.org/pubs/news/index.html
The American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) is one of the main sponsors of Near Eastern archaeology in the United States and supports research and publications on the peoples and cultures of the Near East from the earliest times to the present day. It also directs overseas research centres in Amman, Jerusalem and Nicosia. The website for their newsletter gives access to online or PDF versions of the ASOR Newsletter from 1996 to the present. The newsletter includes reports on research funded by ASOR and the activities of their overseas research centres. It is published quarterly. The majority of the research sponsored by ASOR is archaeological, but ethnographic and other types of research are reported in the newsletter as well. The publication will be of interest to students and researchers in Near Eastern archaeology, history and heritage.
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Amuq Valley regional projects (AVRP)
http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/projects/amu/
This site describes the archaeological activities of the Oriental Institute of Chicago in the Amuq Valley in The Hatay province of south-eastern Turkey (formerly northern Syria). The highly fertile and strategically located Amuq Valley or Plain of Antioch was one of the great crossroads of the ancient Near East and was densely occupied since the 6th Millennium B.C. The area was home to major urban centres such as Tell Atchana, Tell Ta'yinat and Antioch itself and played a major role in the development of bronze metallurgy and urbanization in the 4th-3rd Millennia B.C. The website is based on the series of annual reports published by the Oriental Institute between 1996 and 2001 which describe the multi-disciplinary work undertaken by the project. This includes settlement survey and geomorphology, archaeological excavation at the tell sites of Atchana, Kurdu and Judaidah, and a project of metallurgical analysis and exploration of possible ore-producing sites. The layout of the site allows you to link directly with the relevant sections of each annual report from the home page as well as to other University of Chicago projects in the Near East. The reports are provided with numerous high quality maps, figures and photographs which can be viewed at a number of scales. Among the photographs are useful archive material from the earlier excavations in the area in the 1920s-30s.This is a detailed and attractively presented resource which will benefit undergraduates as well as archaeological researchers who wish to work in an inter-regional and inter-disciplinary context.
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Anatolian Iron Age ceramics project
http://aia.une.edu.au/
The Anatolian Iron Age Ceramics (AIA) Project focuses on trade and exchange in Anatolia between 1200-200 BC by applying chemical and isotope characterisation analyses (INAA; ICP-MS; TIMS) to ceramics from several archaeological sites. The project runs from 2005 to 2009 and only a few data are available on this website. There are photographs and maps of the archaeological sites investigated, a short explanation of the methodologies employed by the researchers (including the scheme to assemble a "camera bucket" to take photographs in a light controlled environment) and a few posters in PowerPoint and PDF format. Further updates are due to appear as the project progresses. The website provides information about the developments of the project and contact details of the research team. This website may be useful to researchers studying Iron Age Anatolia or interested in the application of scientific analyses to ceramics. The project is funded by the Australian Research Council and the National Science Foundation (USA).
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Ancient Near Eastern seals & tablets
http://www.themorgan.org/collections/collectionsSeals.asp
Among the many treasures gathered together at the Morgan Library in New York is a collection of ancient Near Eastern seals and tablets ranging in date from the fifth to the first millennium BC, which provide a fascinating insight into the art and iconographic traditions of Mesopotamia as well as demonstrating the extraordinary skill of ancient craftspeople to carve in miniature. This website provides a snapshot sample of some of the finer items with brief descriptions and high quality illustrations viewable at a variety of scales while the full collection of Near Eastern artefacts (and of the general library holdings) can be searched using Corsair, an elaborate, custom designed search engine which allows you to hypertext around the collection as well as making highly specific enquiries. This resource will interest both the general public but also provide a very useful research tool for researchers and teachers in archaeology and oriental or Middle Eastern studies.
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AncientNearEast .net and ArchaeoWiki
http://www.ancientneareast.net/
This blog edited by Paul Cowie reports news related to the Ancient Near East and Egypt from prehistoric times to the 7th century AD. The same author also publishes ArchaeoWiki, which is an ongoing project publishing several referenced short articles on the ancient Near East. Several full-text academic papers published by individual authors on the Internet in PDF format are included in the references. Most articles discuss individual archaeological sites, but there are also a few other themes included, such as "Egyptian topographical lists"; "Amarna tablets"; and a gazetteer of Levantine polities under Egyptian rule or influence. This website may be useful especially to students.
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Archaeogate
http://www.archaeogate.org/
Archaeogate is a portal for Italian archaeologists which also publishes numbers of preliminary reports of Italian excavations. Most of the contents on this website are in Italian and prepared for Italian students, but many preliminary reports are in English and useful to an international audience. In the section "Egittologia" (Egyptology), among the "rapporti di scavo" are preliminary reports of excavations in Egypt (Dra Abu el-Naga; Bakchias; Kí´m el-Ghoraf; Dime - El-Fayyum; Khelua; Medinet Madi; Antinoe; Kom El-Ghoraf; Nelson's Island; Uadi Sikait; Khelua; Farafra; Tebtynis - Umm el-Breigat; Gebelein; Abuqir; and Mersa - Wadi Gawasis); Sudan (Gebel Umm Nabari; Abu Dom; Gebel Barkal - Napata); and Bahrain (Siwa). Worth noting are the sites of Wadi Gawasis, where archaeologists have found the first Egyptian seagoing ships, and Gebel Barkal - Napata, which is the main site of an important Nubian culture. "Missioni italiane"; "itinerari" and "gallerie fotografiche" contain photographs of Italian excavations in Egypt and Nubia; some photographs originate from archives of old excavations; there are also interactive and archaeological maps of the region. In section "antichità classiche", there are "rapporti di scavo" (preliminary reports) on Roman sites such as Colleferro; Correggio; Scoppieto and Carthage. In the section "vicino oriente" (Near East), the "rapporti di scavo" (preliminary reports) include sites in Oman (Khor Rori; Salut); Armenia (Artaxata; Azat River Valley; Armavir); and Turkmenistan (Nisa - Mithradatkert). Mithradatkert was the capital of the Parthian Empire. All reports are accompanied by several colour photographs of the archaeological sites discussed as well as of some of the artefacts found.
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Archaeologists for human rights
http://www.afhr.org/
This is the website for Archaeologists for Human Rights, which is a non-governmental organisation that aims to discover crimes against human dignity, with particular emphasis on the investigation of mass graves in Iraq and the Middle-East. It was formed in July 2003 by archaeologists in Münster, Germany in response to uncontrolled excavation of Iraqi mass graves by desperate family members, with the express purpose of examining mass graves with archaeological methods in cooperation with physical anthropologists and forensic experts and in concert with the local Iraqi authorities.
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Archaeology collections : UCL museums
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/archaeology/
This is the official website of the archaeology collections at the University College London. The website contains some useful information to visit the collections; a database of collection materials available and a teacher's pack in the "Learning" section. There are no photographs of materials or detailed information on any artefact part of the collections and this is a pity the collections include the Sir Flinders Petrie collection of Palestinian artefacts and materials from the excavations of Dame Kathleen Kenyon at Jericho. The database can be very useful to researchers and school teachers in order to prepare a visit to specific collections.
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Archaeology in the Levant
http://anthro.ucsd.edu/~tlevy/
This is the official website of the "Archaeology in the Levant" research project at the University of California at San Diego. The website provides information on the activities of the Levantine Archaeology Lab, and particularly of the research on GIS applied to Levantine archaeological sites. The website also publishes preliminary reports of field excavations and studies, among which are "the Edom Lowlands Project: Iron Age State Formation in Southern Jordan, ca. 1200 ââ¬â 500 BC"; " the Chalcolithic Sanctuary at Gilat, Negev Desert, Israel"; and "Ethnoarchaeology in India: Traditional Bronze Casters in Tamil Nadu".
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Archaeology in the reconstruction of Beirut
http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/900/930/930.1/beirut/reconstruction/index.
"Archaeology in the Reconstruction of Beirut" is an online collection of papers, articles and reports regarding the archaeology of Beirut. Throughout its turbulent history, the physical fabric of Beirut has undergone waves of destruction, demolition and decay, followed by periods of extensive reconstruction. Beirut is undergoing a new phase of reconstruction and, consequently, many of the physical remains of the past are being swept away. This website presents a collection of texts, which not only highlight this problem but also demonstrate how archaeology can play a vital role in Beirut's reconstruction. The collection comprises excavation reports, background materials, discussion articles and images.
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Archeological Sites in Israel
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early%20History%20-%20Archaeology/Cumulat
This website publishes a collection of illustrated articles, each focusing on individual archaeological sites in Israel. Among the topics are Akko during the Crusader Kingdom; the Canaanite sites of Arad, Gezer, Hatzor and Nahal Refa'im; the Chalcolithic sites of Be'er Sheva , Golan, and Cave of the Treasure (metal hoard); Bethsaida (of Biblical fame); the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Carmel Caves; the Philistine settlements of Ekron and Tel Qasile; the Herodium; Jericho; Jerusalem; Masada; Megiddo; the Islamic Nimrod fortress; Qumran (settlement and Dead Sea Scrolls); a Roman boat from the Sea of Galilee; Shaar HaGolan (Neolithic figurines); Tiberias; Timna (copper mines and Hathor Temple); Zippori (Sepphoris); and several articles on recent discoveries and underwater archaeology. Many articles focus on Biblical archaeology, but there are also some on prehistoric, Roman, Islamic and Medieval archaeology. This website maybe useful especially to students considering the introductory character of the articles.
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Arkeoloji dergisi (1991-1999)
http://www.localarchives.org/DLIR/Dergisi.aspx
This website is part of the Digital Library for International Research, a project of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC), and it publishes the first six volumes (1991-1999) of the "Arkeoloji Dergisi" journal. Papers are written in Turkish, German, French, and English and are accessible as individual full-text PDF files, with searchable text. The journal focuses on Greek archaeology and culture (e.g. red-figure ceramics; administrative system of the Attalids; the cult of Apollon; Roman roads), with several papers on artefacts and sites discovered in Turkey.
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Armenian rock arts network
http://www.iatp.am/ara/
This is the official website of the Armenian Rock Arts Network which publishes papers and galleries of pictures on rock art in Armenia and surrounding regions (Turkey and Azerbaijan). The "library" section contains a substantial collection of full-text papers on the subject, in various languages (mostly English, Armenian and Russian). The "map of Armenian rock carvings" contains galleries of pictures of several archaeological sites in the region, including Avagyan; Geghama; Gobustan; Hushardzanner (Gueghamian mountains); Karabakh; Navasar; Van (capital of the Urartu kingdom); and Ughtasar (Syunik). The galleries are sometimes accompanied by captions in English or other languages. The pages on Hushardzanner are the online version of the book "Geghama Lerneri zhayrapatkernere" (The rock-carvings of the Ghegham Mountain Range) by A. A. Martirosian in English. This is an essential website for anybody interested on rock art in Armenia or surrounding regions.
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Ashkelon excavations : the Leon Levy expedition
http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/projects/ash/
This website publishes a single paper by Prof. David Schloen on the discoveries made at Ashkelon from 1985 up to the date of the paper, 1995. Further research is being carried out at Ashkelon by the Leon Levy Expedition (Harvard University); a separate website on the expedition is linked.
The ancient settlement of Ashkelon is situated 40 miles south of Tel Aviv in Israel and was the site of Canaanite kings and later a Philistine settlement. Canaanite Ashkelon has yielded the oldest and largest seaport yet, with Middle Bronze Age ramparts, and an arched gate still standing two stories high.
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Associazione orientalisti
http://www.orientalisti.net/
This is the official website of the Italian association of orientalists, scholars who study the ancient Near East. The website publishes information on the association and how to submit a CV or personal information to be published in "OrientaLista", a list of (mostly Italian) orientalists. The "Orientalia" publishes short reports; reviews; bibliographies; pre-prints; and papers; most files are in PDF format, and written in Italian or English. Among such contents are: "Wisdom Literature and Proverbs 1-9: A Bibliography"; "The Ugaritic Poems of Keret and Aqhat: A Bibliography"; "The So-Called Jehoash Inscription: Transcription and Bibliography"; "Magic and Divination in the Neo-Assyrian Period: A Selected Bibliography"; "Archaeometry of a Stone Tablet with Hebrew Inscription Referring to Repair of the House"; "Review of Gérard Toffin, Entre hindouisme et bouddhisme: la religion néwar, Népal"; "The Construction of Biblical Monotheism: An Unfinished Task"; "I colori nellastrologia mesopotamica".
The association also organises some learned meetings; some information on recent meetings is provided on this website. In section "Orientalia" are also available the free and full-text PDF editions of the proceedings of such meetings, including Le discipline orientalistiche come scienze storiche. Atti del 1º Incontro «Orientalisti» (Roma, 6-7 Dicembre 2001), edited by Giuseppe Regalzi; "Mutuare, interpretare, tradurre: storie di culture a confronto. Atti del 2º Incontro «Orientalisti» (Roma, 11-13 dicembre 2002)", edited by Giuseppe Regalzi; and "Definirsi e definire: percezione, rappresentazione e ricostruzione dellidentità. Atti del 3º Incontro «Orientalisti» (Roma, 23-25 febbraio 2004)", edited by Massimo Gargiulo, Chiara Peri and Giuseppe Regalzi. Researchers specialising on the ancient Near East will find this website useful.
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