New book on the archaeology of Syria

Published by Cambridge University Press in December 2003 | Paperback (Hardback) | 350 pages 112 line diagrams 79 half-tones 13 maps | ISBN: 0521796660.

The book presents a comprehensive review of the archaeology of Syria from the end of the Paleolithic period to 300 BC. Syria has become a prime focus of field archaeology in the Middle East in the past thirty years, and Peter Akkermans and Glenn Schwartz discuss the results of this intensive fieldwork, integrating them with earlier research. Alongside the major material culture types of each period, they examine important contributions of Syrian archaeology to issues like the onset of agriculture, the emergence of private property and social inequality, the rise and collapse of urban life, and the archaeology of early empires. A number of competing interpretations are set out and considered, alongside the authors' own perspectives and conclusions.

Contents
Introduction; 2. Hunter-gatherers at the end of the Ice Age; 3. A changing perspective: neolithic beginnings; 4. The exploration of new horizons; 5. Continuity and change in the late sixth and fifth millenium BC; 6. The fourth millenium BC and the Uruk intrusion; 7. Regionalization and local trajectories; 8. The 'second urban revolution' and its aftermath; 9. The regeneration of complex societies; 10. Empires and internationalism; 11. Iron age Syria; 12. Conclusions.

Order this book in your local bookshop or via the Cambridge University Press website: go to CUP.

Do you want to know what other people think about this book? See the recent review by Geoffrey Summers in Bryn Mawr Classical Review. Go to: review