Exploring 'Dark Ages'

This volume grew out of a workshop held in Munich, Germany, on 5 April 2018, during the 11th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. Its organizers asked what archaeology can reveal about the in-between eras of northern Mesopotamia, which span from the Bronze Age to the Islamic period, and whether those eras leave a clear material trace at all.

The contributions vary widely in their time spans, geographic reach, and methods. Some examine a single site, others report on long-term fieldwork, and some work from artifacts while others take a historical approach. Rather than treating these periods as sudden collapses, the chapters point to continuity and gradual transformation. They look at settlements that expanded and then shrank, urban spaces that were reorganized across their area, and pottery styles that persisted for centuries.

The essays focus on the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age, the period following the Assyrian empire, and the shift in material culture from late antiquity into the Islamic era. Drawing on new and revised evidence from major projects in Syria, Iraq, and Iraqi Kurdistan, the authors set out to rethink what a transition actually means in this region.