In this second volume about Tell Sabi Abyad in northern Syria a detailed
spatial analysis of one of the Later Neolithic settlements in the tell,
the so-called Burnt Village (dated at c. 5200 B.C.), is presented. The
aim of this analysis is to write an `archaeological ethnography’, by
which is meant a comprehensive reconstruction of the life of the
inhabitants of this settlement.
The book consists of seven
chapters, which respectively deal with research objectives, theoretical
perspectives on the study of space, architecture and finds, formation
processes, functions of artefacts, distributions of artefacts and use of
buildings, and social and economic structure and ritual practices.
In
this well-illustrated and well-documented volume the author makes a
substantial contribution to scholarship and the extraordinary potentials
of the Near Eastern Neolithic archaeological record. In particular the
innovative research presented has yielded new insights in human
interactions in the Later Neolithic of northern Mesopotamia.
Furthermore, the theoretical perspectives about material culture, space
and rituals are of interest for all those interested in archaeological
theory and methodology.