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ABU SALABIKH – ABSOLUTE RADIOCARBON CHRONOLOGY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2021

Maciej M. Wencel
Maciej M. Wencel*
Affiliation:
Independent Scholar, Oxfordmacmatwen@gmail.com
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Abstract

This article presents a new absolute chronology for the archaeological site of Abu Salabikh, Southern Iraq, during the 4th and 3rd millennia BC. The main goals of this study were to synchronise the sequences of the West and Main Mounds, corroborating the dating schemes based on archaeological and textual finds, and assigning an absolute date to the transition between Uruk and Early Dynastic (ED) periods. Previously published dates and newly produced 14C measurements were used in tandem with Bayesian statistical models to arrive at more precise time estimates. Some inconsistencies in the results point to possible disturbance of the archaeological sequence in the context of tannur kilns and highlight the need for careful sample collection and selection methodology. The results suggest a hiatus in settlement between the Uruk and ED periods c. 3000 BC, and confirm the date of c. 2650-2500 BC for the Early Dynastic ED IIIa Fara-style texts.

يقدم هذا البحث تسلسل زمني مطلق جديد لموقع أبو الصلابيخ الأثري الواقع في جنوب العراق خلال الألف الرابع والثالث لما قبل التاريخ . كانت الأهداف الرئيسية لهذه الدراسة هي مزامنة تسلسل التلال الغربية والرئيسية، مما يؤكد مخططات التأريخ استنادا الى اكتشافات أثرية ونصية، والتحديد المطلق لتاريخ الانتقال من أوروك Uruk الى فجر السلالات المبكرة (ED). تم استخدام التواريخ المنشورة سابقًا وقياسات 14C الكربونية المنتجة حديثًا جنبًا إلى جنب مع النماذج الإحصائية البايزية Bayesian للوصول إلى تقديرات زمنية أكثر دقة . تشير بعض التناقضات في النتائج إلى احتمال حدوث اضطراب في التسلسل الأثري في سياق أفران التنور وتسلط الضوء على الحاجة إلى منهجية دقيقة لجمع العينات واختيارها . تشير النتائج إلى فجوة بين فترتي أوروك Uruk و فجر السلالات المبكرة (ED) حوالي 3000 سنة قبل الميلاد، وتأكد تاريخ 2650-2500 قبل الميلاد تقريبا بكونه هو تاريخ فجر السلالات المبكرة (ED) استنادا الى نصوص IIIa من نمط فارا Fara-style.

Type
Research Article
Information
IRAQ , Volume 83 , December 2021 , pp. 245 - 258
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute for the Study of Iraq 2021

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