Spatial approaches to the political and commercial landscape of the Old Assyrian colony period
From the mid-20th century onwards, consolidated study of the merchant archives from the Old Assyrian trading colony at KaneĆĄ (KuÌltepe) has not only transformed our understanding of the social, economic and political dynamics of the Bronze Age Near East, but also overturned many preconceived notions of what constitutes pre-modern trade. Despite this disciplinary impact and archaeological investigations at KuÌltepe and elsewhere, our understanding of this phenomenon has remained largely text-based and therefore of limited analytical scope, both spatially and contextually. The time is now right to reconsider it from a wider series of perspectives and this research project aims to do so via a combination of archaeological and computational approaches. The early Middle Bronze Age (Old-Assyrian colony period, ca. 1970-1700 BC) across central Anatolia and upper Mesopotamia was characterised by a network of long-distance overland exchanges. My research aims in this project are to re-assess the Old-Assyrian trade network in Upper Mesopotamia and Central Anatolia during the early Middle Bronze Age by reconsidering the archaeology of the region both on its own terms and via a range of computational approaches (including
Palmisano, A.
Spatial approaches to the political and commercial landscape of the Old Assyrian colony period. From the mid-20th century onwards, consolidated study of the merchant archives from the Old Assyrian trading colony at KaneĆĄ (KuÌltepe) has not only transformed our understanding of the social, economic and political dynamics of the Bronze Age Near East, but also overturned many preconceived notions of what constitutes pre-modern trade. Despite this disciplinary impact and archaeological investigations at KuÌltepe and elsewhere, our understanding of this phenomenon has remained largely text-based and therefore of limited analytical scope, both spatially and contextually. The time is now right to reconsider it from a wider series of perspectives and this research project aims to do so via a combination of archaeological and computational approaches. The early Middle Bronze Age (Old-Assyrian colony period, ca. 1970-1700 BC) across central Anatolia and upper Mesopotamia was characterised by a network of long-distance overland exchanges. My research aims in this project are to re-assess the Old-Assyrian trade network in Upper Mesopotamia and Central Anatolia during the early Middle Bronze Age by reconsidering the archaeology of the region both on its own terms and via a range of computational approaches (including
spatial approach political_commercial landscape old assyrian colony period onwards consolidated study merchant archive old assyrian trading colony transform social_economic_political dynamic bronze age near east also overturn many notion constitute pre_modern trade despite disciplinary impact archaeological_investigation elsewhere phenomenon remain_largely text_based therefore limit analytical scope spatially contextually time right reconsider wider series perspective project_aim via combination archaeological computational approach early middle_bronze_age old assyrian colony period across central_anatolia upper_mesopotamia characterise network long_distance overland exchange aim_project re_assess old assyrian trade_network upper_mesopotamia central_anatolia early middle_bronze_age reconsider archaeology_region term via range computational approach include