Tell Tayinat
Aramean | |
Site notes | |
---|---|
Excavation dates | 1935-1938, 2003-present |
Archaeologists | Robert Braidwood, Timothy Harrison |
Condition | In ruins |
Tell Ta'yinat is a low-lying ancient
Identification
Archaeologist Timothy Harrison, the dig director for many years starting in 2004, supports the identification of the site with Kinalua, the capital of a
It is a possible site of the city of Calneh mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.[5]
Archaeological investigation
Four seasons of archaeological excavations were conducted at the site by the University of Chicago's
New excavations at the site were begun by a team from the University of Toronto in 2004, after a survey in 2003.[11][12] Continued excavations in the summer of 2005 exposed more of the Iron Age temple as well as part of one of the early Iron Age II bit-hilanis.[13] A significant amount of earlier Iron Age I material was also uncovered as well as small amounts of Early Bronze Age material.[14]
Excavations have continued now for a total of 13 seasons, through 2016.[15][16][17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
[25]
[26]
Findings have included a significant Iron Age temple, a number of 1st millennium BC cuneiform tablets, and initial structures from the earlier Bronze Age settlement.
Site layout
The site consists of an upper mound of about 20 hectares and a lower mound (now under floodplain cover, extending to the north (around 200 meters), east (around 100 meters), and southeast (slight extent). About 550 square meters of the upper mound (north and east sides) have been removed by modern bulldozer activities. In the Early Bronze Age the site was somewhat larger than the current upper mound at around 25 hectares, based on coring and surface collection, with the remains measuring in at 3 to 6 meters in depth.[30]
Periods and findings
Archaeological excavation at the tell has indicated, in conjunction with ancient written sources, that the site was a major urban centre in two separate phases, during the Early Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.[31]
Early Bronze Age
Red-black burnished ware (
In the Amuq Plain, Tell Tayinat was the largest settlement in the EBIVB.
Iron Age
During the
A worn stone with cuneiform writing from the top of the mound was turned into the local museum by a farmer who had used it as a paving stone. Combined with 4 fragments found during the 1930 excavation it turned out to be part of a stele of Sargon II (722–705 BC).[43]
The city had a citadel placed at a higher elevation, connected to the lower city by a monumental gate complex[39] (see Site layout).
Iron Age temple
One of the key finds of the Oriental Institute (1935–38) made at the site was a temple reminiscent in plan to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem as described in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament of Christianity).[9][45]
Bit-hilani palaces
The Oriental Institute campaigns (1935–38) brought to light several large palaces in the style known as
King Suppiluliuma statue
In August 2012, a team from the University of Toronto announced they had uncovered the head and torso of a human figure, intact to just above its waist. The remains of the figure stand approximately 1.5 meters in height, suggesting a total height of 3.5 to 4 meters. The figure is bearded with eyes made of black and white stone. The figure's hair has been styled in an elaborate series of curls arranged in rows. The arms of the figure extend forward from the elbow. Each arm has two arm bracelets adorned with lion heads. The figure's left hand holds a shaft of wheat and its right hand holds a spear. The figure's chest is adorned with a crescent-shaped pectoral. A lengthy carved, raised relief inscription in Hieroglyphic Luwian runs across the figure's back. The inscription records the accomplishments and campaigns of King Suppiluliuma. He is likely the same king who as part of a Syrian-Hittite coalition in 858 BC fought against the Neo-Assyrian invasion of Shalmaneser III.
Female statue
In August 2017, it was reported that a majestic female statue was discovered at the site, within the monumental gate complex leading to the upper citadel.[39] This may be an image of Kubaba, divine mother of the gods of ancient Anatolia. Or it may be Kupapiyas, who was the wife – or possibly mother – of Taita, the dynastic founder of ancient Tayinat. But it's also possible that the statue represents the wife of King Suppiluliuma. Archaeologist Timothy Harrison raised the possibility that women played quite a prominent role in the political and religious lives of these early Iron Age communities.[39]
See also
- Tell Judaidah, another archaeological mound in the Amuq valley
- Cities of the ancient Near East
- Short chronology timeline
- Euphrates Syrian Pillar Figurines
- Euphrates Handmade Syrian Horses and Riders
References
- ^ Welton, Lynn, (2020). "Northern Levantine spheres of interaction: The role of the 'Amuq plain in the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age", in: Melissa Kennedy (ed.), A Land in Between: The Orontes Valley in the Early Urban Age, Sydney University Press, p. 37: "...During the period of the Palace G archive [in Ebla], the site of Tell Tayinat may be identified with references to Alalaḫu, representing the major centre of the 'Amuq plain during this period..."
- ^ a b Welton, L., Harrison, T., Batiuk, S., Ünlü, E., Janeway, B., Karakaya, D., Lipovitch, D., Lumb, D. and Roames, J., "Shifting Networks and Community Identity at Tell Tayinat in the Iron I (ca. 12th to mid 10th Cent. BCE)", American Journal of Archaeology. Vol. 123, pp. 291–333, April 2019.
- ^ a b Jacob Lauinger, "Some Preliminary Thoughts on the Tablet Collection in Building XVI from Tell Tayinat" Archived 2020-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, Journal (The Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies), Vol.6, pp. 5-14, 2011.
- ^ Harrison, T. P., "Tell Ta‘yinat and the Kingdom of Unqi", In Daviau, P. M. M., Wevers, J. W. and Weigl, M. (eds) The World of the Arameans II: Studies in History and Archaeology in Honour of Paul-Eugène Dion: 115–32. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplement 325. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001
- ISBN 978-90-04-39853-5. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Robert J. Braidwood (1937). "Mounds in the Plain of Antioch: An Archeological Survey", Oriental Institute Publications 48, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- ^ a b Robert J. Braidwood and Linda S. Braidwood (1960). Excavations in the Plain of Antioch I: The Earlier Assemblages Phases A-J, Oriental Institute Publications 61, University of Chicago Press. Original URL Archived 2012-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Batiuk, S., Harrison, T E, and Pavlish, L. (2005). "The Ta'yinat Survey, 1999-2002", in The Amuq Valley Regional Projects, Volume 1: Surveys in the Plain of Antioch and Orontes Delta, Turkey, 1995–2002, Oriental Institute Publications 131, pp. 171-192, Oriental Institute.
- ^ Yener, K. Aslihan, et al. "The Amuq Valley Regional Project, 1995-1998", American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 104, no. 2, pp. 163–220, 2000.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2003). The Tayinat Geomagnetic Survey 2003, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2004). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2004 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Osborne, James F., et al., "Urban Built Environments in Early 1st Millennium BCE Syro-Anatolia: Results of the Tayinat Archaeological Project, 2004–2016", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 382.1, pp. 261-312, 2019.
- ^ a b Timothy Harrison (2005). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2005 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2006). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2006 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2007). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2007 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2008). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2008 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2009). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2009 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2010). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2010 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2011). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2011 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2012). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2012 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2014). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2014 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2015). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2015 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2016). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2016 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2017). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2017 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Timothy Harrison (2018). Tayinat Archaeological Project 2018 Seasonal Report, University of Toronto.
- ^ Jacob Lauinger, "Iqqur Īpuš at Tell Tayinat", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 68, pp. 229–48, 2016.
- ^ Lauinger, Jacob, "Esarhaddon's Succession Treate at Tell Tayinat: Text and Commentary". Journal of Cuneiform Studies 64.1, pp. 87-123, 2012.
- ^ "James Osborne - The Syro-Anatolian City States: A Neglected Iron Age Culture". YouTube. 16 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ a b Welton, Lynn, et al. (2011). "Tell Tayinat in the late third millennium: recent investigations of the Tayinat Archaeological Project, 2008-2010", Anatolica 37, pp. 147-185.
- ^ [2] Stuart W. Manning et al., Beyond megadrought and collapse in the Northern Levant: The chronology of Tell Tayinat and two historical inflection episodes, around 4.2ka BP, and following 3.2ka BP, PLOS ONE, October 29, 2020
- ^ Tell Tayinat - The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
- ^ Stephen Batiuk, Mitchell Rothman, "Early Transcaucasian Cultures and Their Neighbors", University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania: Expedition Magazine, vol. 49. no. 1, pp. 7-17, 2007. Original URL, Archived 2015-09-16 at the Wayback Machine
- Levant52.1-2, pp. 215-236, 2020.
- ^ Welton, Lynn "The Amuq Plain and Tell Tayinat in the third millennium BCE: the historical and socio-political context", Journal (The Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies) 6, pp. 15-27, 2011
- ^ Welton, Lynn. "Revisiting the Amuq sequence: a preliminary investigation of the EBIVB ceramic assemblage from Tell Tayinat", Levant 46.3, pp. 339-370, 2014.
- ^ Portal Lion, Tayinat Archaeological Project, The Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto. Accessed 14 Feb 2024.
- ^ Timothy P. Harrison, Neo-Hittites in the "Land of Palistin". Renewed Investigations at Tell Taʿyinat on the Plain of Antioch, Near Eastern Archaeology, vol. 72:4, pp. 174-189, 2009
- ^ a b c d Majestic 3,000-year-old female statue uncovered in Turkey: excavation led by U of T archaeologists, University of Toronto News, August 11, 2017
- ^ Before and After the Storm: Crisis Years in Anatolia and Syria between the Fall of the Hittite Empire and the Beginning of a New Era (ca. 1220-1000 BC), A Symposium in Memory of Itamar Singer, University of Pavia, 2012, pp. 7–8.
- ^ James F. Osborne, "Communicating Power in the Bīt-Ḫilāni Palace", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 368, pp. 29–66, 2012
- ^ Timothy P. Harrison, and James F. Osborne, "Building XVI And Thr Neo-Assyrian Sacred Precinct At Tell Tayianat", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 64, pp. 125–43, 2012
- ^ Lauinger, Jacob, and Stephen Batiuk, "A stele of Sargon II at Tell Tayinat", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie 105.1-2, pp. 54-68, 2015
- ^ The Sargon Stele, Tayinat Archaeological Project, The Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto. Accessed 14 Feb 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-8028-4426-2. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ Libby, W. F., "Radiocarbon Dating", Science, vol. 133, no. 3453, pp. 621–29, 1961
Future reading
- Langis-Barsetti, D. "Building Kunulua Block by Block: Exploring Archaeology through Minecraft", Near Eastern Archaeology 84(1), pp. 62–70, 2021
- Batiuk, S., and Harrison, T. P. "The Metals Trade and Early Bronze Age Craft Production at Tell Tayinat", pp. 48-66, in Overturning Certainties in Near Eastern Archaeology: A Festschrift in Honor of K. Aslihan Yener, ed. C. Maner, M. T. Horowitz, and A. S. Gilbert. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2017
- Emanuel, J.P., "King Taita and his "Palistin": Philistine state or Neo-Hittite kingdom?", Antiguo Oriente, Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente, vol. 13. pp. 11-40, 2015
- Denel, E. and Harrison, T. P. The Neo-Hittite Citadel Gate at Tayinat (Ancient Kunulua). Pp. 137-55 in The Archaeology of Anatolia: Recent Discoveries (2015-2016), Vol. 2. ed. S. Steadman and G. McMahon. Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017
- Fales, Frederick Mario. "After Ta'yinat: the new status of Esarhaddon's adê for Assyrian political history", Revue d'assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale 106.1. pp. 133-158, 2012
- Manning, S.M., Lorentzen, B., Welton, L, Batiuk, S., Harrison, T.P. "Beyond megadrought and collapse in the Northern Levant: The chronology of Tell Tayinat and two historical inflection episodes, around 4.2ka BP, and following 3.2ka BP", PLOSOne, October 29 2020.
- Harrison, T., "The Iron Age I–II Transition in the Northern Levant: An Emerging Consensus?", Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology, pp. 325–351, 2021
- Harrison, Timothy P. "The Neo-Assyrian governor's residence at Tell Ta‘yinat", Journal (The Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies) 40, pp. 23-33, 2005
- Janeway, Brian. "The nature and extent of Aegean contact at Tell Ta'yinat and vicinity in the Early Iron Age: Evidence of the Sea Peoples". In "Cyprus, the Sea Peoples and the Eastern Mediterranean: Regional Perspectives of Continuity and Change". Scripta Mediterranea, Scripta Mediterranea, pp. 27-28, 2006
- Roames, Jim. "The Early Iron Age metal workshop at Tell Tayinat, Turkey", MRS Online Proceedings Library 1319.1, pp. 1-7, 2011
External links
- Tayinat Archaeological Project —the website for the current excavations
- Oriental Institute page on Tell Tayinat Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
- Tell Tayinat on hittitemonuments.com