International Journal of Osteoarchaeology最新文献

The siege and conquest of ancient cities was a popular topic for epic tales and ballads during the Bronze Age and Iron Age. The story of the fall of Troy to the Achaeans (Mycenaeans) is described in Homer's poem the Iliad, composed in the 8th century BCE (Homer, 2011). While the details found in the Iliad were mythological, attacks against such cities were very real and likely acted as a plausible framework for the story. When the site of Hisarlik (the most plausible site of Troy) in Turkey was excavated, destruction layers with ash were identified dating to around 1300, 1180, and 1050 BCE (Mac Sweeney, 2018, p. 32). Jericho was a late Bronze Age city in Canaan whose destruction by the Israelites was described in the biblical Book of Joshua (Joshua 6: 1–27). However, the destruction layer noted at excavation (dating to around 1400 BCE) does not match the date indicated by historical descriptions of the event (to around 1230 BCE), leading to debates as to the degree to which ancient narratives reflect true events (Kennedy, 2023). Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah in the Iron Age. In the 6th century BCE, it was a vasal kingdom of the Assyrians. When Judah failed to pay their agreed tribute, the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II invaded in 598–597 BCE and conquered Jerusalem. When they continued to refuse tribute, he returned in 587–586 BCE and sacked the city (Lipschits, 2021; Matthews, 2018).

Examples such as these are well known to many today, but countless other ancient cities were never the focus of an epic story that has been handed down through the centuries, and so the surrounding events have been forgotten. Indeed, we remain unsure of the ancient name of many of the excavated early towns and cities in the Near East, so it is quite a challenge to compare information found in ancient written texts with excavation finds at any one particular site.

In their recently published article in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Cheryl Anderson presents her study of the human remains recovered from the excavations at Kaman-Kalehöyük in Turkey (Anderson, 2024). This ancient town was found to have a destruction layer of ash dating to the mid-18th century BCE. The date falls within what is known as the Assyrian Trading Colonies period or Old Assyrian period (Palmisano, 2018). The skeletons of 73 men, women and children were found scattered across the excavated site, distinct from any town burial grounds. All were from areas of the town that show evidence for destruction and burning, and 80% showed charring on their bones. Two individuals have good evidence for sharp force trauma to the skeleton, compatible with bladed weapons. This does suggest that the destruction was due to a violent episode and not just a natural disaster such as an out-of-control town fire or earthquake. However, if the individuals died from weapon inj

The end of the Assyrian Trading Colonies Period (ATCP) in Anatolia represents a time of significant change in the region. Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that considerable conflict and turmoil were associated with the end of the ATCP, but thus far little evidence from human skeletal remains has been available to support this hypothesis. One of the largest human skeletal samples dating to the end of the ATCP has been excavated at Kaman-Kalehöyük in central Anatolia. A minimum of 73 individuals have been found in and around areas of the site that have signs of destruction and burning. These individuals appear to be associated with a battle that occurred in the town in the mid-18th century BCE. The results show that the victims of the battle included individuals of all age groups and both sexes. The degree of burning and fragmentation made the identification of perimortem trauma challenging; however, perimortem trauma was observed in at least two individuals. An additional five individuals had evidence of antemortem trauma that was likely the result of interpersonal violence prior to the attack on the town. The skeletal evidence for trauma further supports the idea that a battle occurred at the site. This battle may have also been a part of a regional pattern of violence corresponding with the end of the ATCP, as suggested by the textual and archaeological evidence.