Many years ago, archaeologist George Hanfmann wrote that: ‘a word of caution must be added regarding the so-called ‘absolute’ dates. Because the Near East is so vital for the chronologies of the European, Central Asiatic … areas, it is well to remind ourselves from time to time that the two great pillars of the chronology of the Bronze Age, the Egyptian and the Mesopotamian, are not two stout towers resting on immovable foundations.’ His first pillar, the chronology of Egypt, has come under increasing scrutiny, particularly with respect to the ‘Third Intermediate Period’, which separates the 26th Dynasty from Egypt’s earlier history. To establish firmer dates for New Kingdom Egypt, scholars now point to synchronisms with Mesopotamia. Yet, how valid are these synchronisms? In many respects, Mesopotamian chronology seems antagonistic rather than complementary to the Egyptian. Egypt provides the dates for the Late Bronze Age Hittite empire, while Assyria controls those of the Neo-Hittite kingdoms that succeeded it in northern Syria during the Iron Age. Here, Imperial Hittite styles come into conflict with indications from Assyrian-dated artistic sequences. Similarly, at Byblos, links with Neo-Assyrian art have raised a mystery concerning its royal inscriptions, while Israel remains the focal point of heated debates in Iron Age archaeology. An option is simply to lower the start of the Iron Age, and there is much evidence from Mesopotamia consistent with this. The articles in this volume deal with several important aspects of ‘Assyria and the West’ (as related to the so-called ‘Dark Age’).
H 290 x W 205 mm
446 pages
Colour figures throughout
Published Jul 2025
ISBN
Hardback: 9781803279893
Digital: 9781803279909
Contents
PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A GENERAL INTRODUCTION: ‘ASSYRIA AND THE WEST’ – Peter James†, Pieter van der Veen and Ronald Wallenfels (eds)
OBITUARY FOR PETER JAMES† (1952–2024) – John Bimson
SESSION 1: THE PRESENT STATE OF MESOPOTAMIAN AND HITTITE CHRONOLOGY: UNSOLVED ISSUES AND FRESH APPROACHES
AN INTRODUCTION TO SESSION ONE: ‘DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?̕ – Ronald Wallenfels
ASSYRIAN AND MITANNIAN POTTERY STYLES: FROM ASSUR TO THE EUPHRATES AND BEYOND – Robert Porter
DISCUSSION 1: THE NORTH SYRIAN ḪURRIAN KINGDOMS AND DARK AGE CHRONOLOGY – Ronald Wallenfels and Peter James†
A CRITICAL LOOK AT MESOPOTAMIAN-EGYPTIAN SYNCHRONISMS DURING THE 14TH–13TH CENTURIES BC – Peter James†
MIDDLE ASSYRIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE AND DARK AGE ASSYRIAN CHRONOLOGY – Ronald Wallenfels
TWO PARALLEL LINES DURING THE MIDDLE AND EARLY NEO-ASSYRIAN PERIOD – Bieke Mahieu
EA 16: NAPḪURIYA REVISITED – Johannes Dams
ELAMITE DARK AGE CHRONOLOGY – Yuri Khramov
DISCUSSION 2: Assyria and the Post-Kassite Period IN THE LIGHT OF CoD CHRONOLOGY – Ronald Wallenfels
DATING HARTAPU: THE TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARCHAEOLOGY AND TEXTS – Jorrit Kelder
THE HITTITE NEW KINGDOM AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NEO-HITTITE KINGDOMS: GAP OR CONTINUITY? – Peter James† and Bieke Mahieu
SESSION 2: THE LEVANT AND THE EFFECTS OF ASSYRIAN CHRONOLOGY
A DARK AGE HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT? AN INTRODUCTION – John Bimson
AN ALTERNATIVE PARADIGM FOR ISRAEL’S ORIGINS IN CANAAN – John Bimson
PHOENICIA AT THE LATE BRONZE–IRON AGE TRANSITION – Jesse Millek
TOWARDS A RESOLUTION OF THE ‘SEA PEOPLES’ RUBIKS CUBE: HIRAM, KING OF THE SEA PEOPLES? – Peter James†
‘REDATING THE BYBLOS INSCRIPTIONS’: ULTRA-LOW CHRONOLOGIES AND THE DATING OF EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM BCE LEVANTINE MATERIAL CULTURE AND HISTORY – Ronald Wallenfels
CHRONOLOGICAL DATA AND MID-NINTH CENTURY BC ISRAEL – Wolfgang Zwickel
ASSYRIAN SYNCHRONISMS AND THE TYRIAN ANNALS – Nikos Kokkinos
‘LATE ASSYRIAN-STYLE’ SEALS, BULLAE AND POTTERY AS CHRONOLOGICAL MARKERS FOR DATING IRON AGE IIB – Pieter van der Veen
IN DUBIO PRO REO: THE CASE OF SENNACHERIB AND THE BEERSHEBA VALLEY – Ariel Bagg
THE CHRONOLOGY OF EDOM IN THE IRON AGE: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE – Juan Tebes
TEXT-IMPEDED ARCHAEOLOGY: ASSYRIAN INVOLVEMENT AT SAMARIA AND TELL ES-SA’IDIYEH – Rupert Chapman
DISCUSSION 3: NEO-BABYLONIAN AND ACHAEMENID PERIOD POTTERY MARKERS FROM TELL ES-SA’IDIYEH STRATUM IV – Pieter van der Veen
DISCUSSION 4: In dubio pro reo. The case of Sennacherib and the Beersheba Valley – Peter James†
SESSION 3: SCIENTIFIC DATING METHODS
‘ASSYRIA AND THE WEST’ IN THE LIGHT OF SCIENTIFIC DATING: AN INTRODUCTION – Uwe Zerbst
OPEN QUESTIONS REGARDING THE RELIABILITY OF 14C DATING IN THE CONTEXT OF ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN CHRONOLOGY – Uwe Zerbst and Pieter van der Veen
THE AMMIṢADUQA TABLETS AND BABYLONIAN CHRONOLOGY IN RETROSPECT: SUCCESSES AND FAILURES – David Lappin
ANCIENT DNA: THE SOLUTION TO EVERYTHING OR THE DEVIL’S WORK? – Nick Thorpe
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