Citadel and Cemetery in Early Bronze Age Anatolia
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Citadel and Cemetery in Early Bronze Age Anatolia is the first synthetic and interpretive monograph on the region and time period (ca. 3000-2200 BCE). The book organizes this vast, dense and often obscure archaeological corpus into thematic chapters, and isolates three primary contexts for analysis: the settlements and households of villages, the cemeteries of villages, and the monumental citadels of agrarian elites. The book is a study of contrasts between the social logic and ideological/ritual panoply of villages and citadels. The material culture, social organization and social life of Early Bronze Age villages is not radically different from the farming settlements of earlier periods in Anatolia. On the other hand the monumental citadel is unprecedented; the material culture of the Early Bronze Age citadel informs the beginning of a long era in Anatolia, defined by the existence of an agrarian elite who exaggerated inequality and the degree of separation from those who did not live on citadels. This is a study of the ascendance of the citadel ca. 2600 BCE, and related consequences for villages in Early Bronze Age Anatolia.
Published: Jan 1, 2016
Series
| Section | Chapter | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminaries | ||
| List of Figures | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| List of Maps and Tables | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Preface | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Chapter 1 | ||
| Four Proto-histories | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Chapter 2 | ||
| Landscape and Settlement | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Chapter 3 | ||
| Villages | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Chapter 4 | ||
| Cemeteries | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Chapter 5 | ||
| The Monumental Choreography of Citadels | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Chapter 6 | ||
| The Agrarian Foundation of Citadel Elites | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Chapter 7 | ||
| Connectivity and Refinement on Citadels | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Chapter 8 | ||
| Spectacle and Communion on Citadels | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Chapter 9 | ||
| Metahistory and the Bronze Age in Anatolia | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| End Matter | ||
| References | Christoph Bachhuber | |
| Index | Christoph Bachhuber | |
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Reviews
A most welcome contribution not only to the archaeology of Anatolia, but also in terms of the distinct approach it features in assessing archaeological evidence within a defined geographical entity. Instead of following the conventional archaeological narrative of chronologies and typologies, the author presents his assessment of Early Bronze Age Anatolia by unscrambling the evidence into certain components.
Certainly it is not the first work to draw a picture of the social life of a particular region, but it is one of the very few where the author has an excellent grasp of the evidence.
European Journal of Archaeology
Bachhuber is to be congratulated for putting together such a comprehensive synthesis of the available data, and for presenting it within a new theoretical framework. His command of the published data, especially Turkish publications, is exemplary. This book will certainly be widely read by scholars and graduate students working on the EBA of Anatolia – it will be an eye-opener that will inspire further discussion.
Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Bachhuber’s book and perspective present a much needed and greatly overdue effort on prioritizing synthetic narrative over descriptive approaches for the study of Bronze Age Anatolian archaeology. His emphasis on the
constitution and negotiation of political power in the spectacles of the citadel and the cemetery is captivating. Citadel and Cemetery in Early Bronze Age Anatolia is a book that points in the right direction for eastern Mediterranean prehistory: leaving behind descriptive single-site narratives in favour of theoretically informed, thematic discussions deriving data from multiple sources.
Cambridge Archaeological Journal
Bachhuber’s volume is an important synthetic study that evaluates an impressive range of material culture and textual evidence pertaining to a large but socioculturally coherent area. A major strength of Bachhuber’s approach is that he uses case studies and detailed examples to good effect, illustrating points that otherwise might remain abstract. The author has produced a substantial piece of scholarship that will undoubtedly prove valuable for subsequent studies on Early Bronze Age Anatolia. Furthermore, the inclusion of a wide variety of archaeological and textual evidence beyond the structure and locations of the citadels themselves provides a template for studies in other geographical regions and time periods focused on the broader social context of citadels.
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
The book is clearly a useful and important contribution to the field of EBA archaeology. Its intended audience is English-speaking archaeologists working in Anatolia, and its synthetic structure makes it valuable also for those working in neighboring regions seeking comparanda. Overall, this comprehensive narrative synthesis is a positive contribution to the field.
American Journal of Archaeology
A well-written, well-researched, and fascinating work. Early Bronze Age Anatolia remains difficult period to study; Bachhuber incorporates an impressive amount of material in this short monograph, proposing connections that are intriguing and important to the field…. This book is an important contribution to the field of Early Bronze Anatolian archaeological scholarship.
Journal of Near Eastern Studies