New excavations at the Barbar Temple, Bahrain

In 2004 excavations at the Barbar Temple dating to c. 2000 BC established that the function of the southeastern subterranean channel connected to the temple pool was to supply the pool with water and not to divert water away from the pool. North and west of the temple the oval terrace wall of its third phase was located. In the centre of the Northeast Temple the remains of a shaft-stairway leading down to a well-chamber was uncovered and shown to be furnished with two subterranean channels leading water into the chamber. South of the Northeast Temple a house with late pottery was excavated. Two stamp seals and two seal-impressed tokens were found.     

Why does the god have a cup in his hand?

Abstract

In my analysis of the Ahiram Sarcophagus I focus on the figurative expression in connection with the sitting deity at one side of the sarcophagus. The drinking vessel in the hand of the deity is an expression belonging to the sphere of the cultic. It is very likely that the deity's holding the drinking vessel should be interpreted as a religious epithet. Without necessarily being tautological the expression could mean the deity is divine. Apparently, however, this phrase gets a more profound meaning when the drinking vessel is seen in the cultic context. The more so as the figure with the drinking vessel carries the meaning of a ritual act. One question could be why is a drinking vessel divine? It appears that information about the liquid sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible and its surrounding cultural world, especially the Anatolian, can contribute to answering this question. Recalling a hidden motive, the comparative ritualistic approach makes possible a better‐informed interpretation of the sarcophagus.     

THE FORMATION OF EARLY NEOLITHIC COMMUNITIES IN THE CENTRAL ZAGROS: AN 11,500 YEAR‐OLD COMMUNAL STRUCTURE AT ASIAB

Communal buildings have been reported from a number of early Neolithic sites from the Levant and Anatolia, but none were known from the central Zagros. Here we report on the recent excavations at Asiab, Kermanshah province, Iran, and argue that the principal feature found during Robert Braidwood’s excavation at the site in 1960 should be interpreted as an example of a communal building. We discuss the results of the previous and recent excavations, highlight the key features of this building, and the implications for our understanding of the early Neolithic in the ‘eastern wing’ of the Fertile Crescent.     

VIEH,LAUB UND VERSAMMLUNGSPLATZ: SOZIALE ORGANISATION IN DER BRONZEZEIT,BEISPIEL BRUNDE/EGELUND

In 2009, a site containing multiple so‐called cooking pits with fire‐cracked stones was excavated at Egelund near Rise, four kilometers northwest of Aabenraa, southern Denmark (Site Id HAM 4791 Egelund III) (Note/Anmk. 1). The excavation has led to a larger research project focusing on the material remains from the Bronze Age within a 30 km radius of the site (Fig. 1). The ancient community of Rise is characterised by a wide range of material evidence that has been excavated and well documented during the last twenty years. It was therefore considered as relevant to carry out a comprehensive study of the entire archaeological collection from this area and to include as many different sources as possible (Note/Anmk. 2). The article presents an integrative approach that combines different find categories from dwelling remains to pottery production in an attempt to provide a proper interpretive background for the distribution of cooking pits in the Rise micro‐region. One of the most significant results is the demonstration of continuous use of a gathering place attested at Egelund during a period of 1000 years, from the 15^th to 5^th century BC. Different communities combined their resources and effectuated such projects as the building of barrows or dwellings.