ASOR 2008

ASOR Annual Meeting, November 19-22, 2008, Boston
Settlement and Society in the Ancient Near East
Chairs: Jason Ur (Harvard University) and Jesse Casana (University of Arkansas)

Session Abstract: This session aims to present archaeological case studies in which settlement patterns and studies of ancient land-scapes shed light on social, economic, and political aspects of ancient Near Eastern societies. The session will encourage studies which focus on the archaeology of regions or the interaction between sites and their hinterlands.  Methodologically, we envision papers drawing on field survey and remote sensing, historical geography, and assessments of excavated remains across large regions.  The geographic frame will be broad as well, extending beyond the Levant and Mesopotamia to include Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, the southern Caucasus, and the Iranian plateau.  We intend to seek participants who adopt an anthropological perspective and who will present their research in a manner that will facilitate comparison and discussions.

Papers and Participants:

The 600 Pound Gorilla in the Landscape: exploring a regional center in southern Armenia
Jennifer Gates-Foster, University of Texas at Austin, John F. Cherry, Brown University, Susan Alcock, Brown University, Elissa Faro, Dartmouth College

Highlands and Lowlands of the Northern Levant
Jesse Casana, University of Arkansas, Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies

Evaluating the "Settlement Patterns" of Ancient Egypt
Sarah H. Parcak, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Subsistence, Community and Complexity in the Early Bronze Age Caucasus: The View from Naxçivan 
Lauren Ristvet, University of Pennsylvania, Safar Ashurov, National Academy of Sciences, Azerbaijan

Animal Husbandry and Settlement Structure in Ancient Mesopotamia 
Elizabeth Stone, Stony Brook University

Pastoral and Agricultural Landscapes on the Margins of the Upper Tigris River, SE Turkey 
Jason Ur, Harvard University