Helen Crossman

Contextual analysis of economic and social networks: the circulation

of Bronze Age soft-stone artefacts in Bahrain and Cyprus
References
Dikaios, P. 1969-71. Enkomi: Excavations 1948-1958. Volumes I-III. Mainz am Rhein: Verlag Philipp von Zaben.; Hjland, F. and H.
Hellmuth Andersen (eds.). 1997. Qalaat al-Bahrain. Volume 2: The Central Monumental Buildings. Jutland Archaeological
Society Publications. rhus: rhus University Press.; Kohl, P.L., G. Harbottle, and E.V. Sayre. 1979. Physical and chemical
analyses of soft-stone vessels from southwest Asia. Archaeometry 21(2), pp. 131-159.; Cornell University. Maroni Tsaroukkas
Sea Bed survey, Cyprus: Late Cypriot IA ceramics from seabed deposit, 17-16th century BC. (Image6).
http://www.arts.cornell.edu/classics/smanning.asp. (4 Feb 2010).; Harvard University. Excavations at Tsaroukkas.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/wl/digsites/Cyprus/MaroniTsaroukkas_03/. (4 Feb 2010).
Acknowledgements
Dr Wendy Matthews, Prof Bob Chapman, and Dr Stuart Black for supervision;
Adam Jaffer at the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, Dr Flemming Hjland, Steffen Larsen and staff at the
Department of the Near East at Moesgrd Museum, Prof Gerald Cadogan, Prof Sturt Manning, Dr David Sewell, the Director
and staff at the Cyprus Museum, the Director and staff at Larnaca District Museum, and Dr Robert Killick for assistance
regarding sites and visiting museums;
British Institute for the Study of Iraq (BISI) for a generous research grant.
Contact information
GSAH Studentship; Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights, RG6 6AB.
Email: h.e.crossman@reading.ac.uk
Aims of research
This research seeks to develop a cross-cultural, community-based
approach to study the nature of trade, incorporating scientific analysis
of materials to evaluate models of economic and socio-political
networks. Networks in the trading hubs of Early Bronze Age Bahrain
(Dilmun) and Late Bronze Age Cyprus (Alashiya) will be examined. These
islands have rarely been compared, despite indications that Dilmuns
decline was linked to Alashiyas rise as copper supplier to Mesopotamia.
This research is comparing the sites of Qalaat al-Bahrain and Saar,
Bahrain, and Enkomi and Maroni, Cyprus.
Methodology
The research methodology has two key elements:
1) Detailed contextual analysis of site layout,
distribution of seals, weights and craft production, to
compare engagement in economic and socio-
political networks by different communities and
sectors within them.
2) That particular communities may have developed
specific socio-economic relationships is suggested
by results of destructive bulk X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)
mineralogical analysis (Kohl et al. 1979), identifying
variation in soft-stone circulating around Persian Gulf
sites. New non-destructive portable X-ray
Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) analysis of trace
elements in soft-stone artefacts from the four
centres will be applied to identify the distribution of
materials and sources, and provide evidence for
interaction across socio-political, economic and
ideological spheres.
Artefacts and analysis
Over 500 soft-stone artefacts will be analysed. 383
of these come from known and/or undisturbed
contexts at the four centres. The remainder are from
Near Eastern sites including Failaka Island, Hili, Umm
an-Nar, Ur, Nineveh and Jericho.
The sites
Qalaat al-Bahrain: occupation
from the Early Bronze Age to
Islamic periods, with a height of
activity c. 2400-1750BC.
Excavations of 1953-1978
(Danish teams).
Saar: occupation c. 2050-
1740BC. Excavations of 1990-
1999 (London-Bahrain
Archaeological Expedition).
Enkomi: occupation c. 1750-
1050BC. Excavations of 1896
(British Museum) and 1948-
1958 (Cypriot Department of
Antiquities Areas I-III).
Maroni: occupation at Vournes
and Tsaroukkas c. 1600-1200BC.
Excavations of 1897 (British
Museum), 1982-1990s (Vournes,
British School at Athens and
University of Cincinnati) and
1991-1997 (Tsaroukkas, Maroni
Valley Archaeological Survey
Project and Tsaroukkas,
Mycenaeans and Trade Project).
Figures 1-8. The four centres.
1-2: Qalaat al-Bahrain (after Hjland and Andersen 1997); 3-4: Saar (images fromSaar Imagebank kindly provided by Dr Robert Killick; 5-6: Enkomi (after Dikaios 1969-71 and authors
photo respectively); 7-8: (after Cornell University and Harvard University web-pages respectively).
Figures 9-18. Soft-stone artefacts fromthe pilot study and the four centres.
9: vessel, Ur pilot study (authors photo); 10: spindle-whorl, Ur pilot study (authors photo); 11: vessel, Qalaat al-Bahrain (authors photo); 12: possible unfinished bead,
Qalaat al-Bahrain (authors photo); 13: vessel lid, Saar (image from Saar Imagebank, kindly provided by Dr Robert Killick); 14: stamp seal, Saar (image from Saar Imagebank,
kindly provided by Dr Robert Killick); 15: bath-tub shaped vessel, Enkomi (authors photo); 16: cylinder seal, Enkomi (authors photo); 17: vessel fragment, Maroni (authors
photo); 18: cylinder seal, Maroni (authors photo).
1
2
5
4
7
3
6
8
9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18
285 artefacts have been analysed to date, including a pilot study
of stone artefacts at Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery,
and artefacts from Qalaat al-Bahrain, Enkomi and Maroni.
Preliminary results suggest that portable XRF is successful in
discriminating between groups and sub-groups of materials.
Further examination of results gathered thus far will explore
possible correlation between material type, source-group and
archaeological information such as context and artefact type.