The Mittani - Middle Assyrian Transition in Northwestern Mesopotamia

• Applicant: Dr. Federico Buccellati
• Subject Area: Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
• Term: from 2017 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 348144975

While there are detailed studies for specific aspects of both the Mittani and middle Assyrian periods (late 2nd Millennium BC), and even (primarily for the middle Assyrian) some comprehensive studies, what is lacking is a monographic comparison between these two periods as well as the transition between the two. The vicinity, in terms of space and time, between these two states is surprising: within a few decades at most the political power controlling the Jazirah changed dramatically from Mittani to middle Assyrian control. The distance, in terms of material culture and mechanisms of territorial control, between these two states is equally surprising. The Mittani presence is marked by a few monumental structures and a few unique aspects of material culture at select sites in areas which otherwise demonstrate a continuity of local traditions. The middle Assyrian presence had a larger impact in terms of architecture as well as material culture, due in large part to the diffuse administrative system used to control territories. In comparing the impact on material culture that the two states had, several questions arise. To what extent is the cultural impact of these two states different in polities under their control? Is the diversity in representation of material culture related, directly or indirectly, to the mechanisms of political control? Does the quantity and quality of the dissemination of material culture play a role in the way scholars apply the modern terms of Empire, Kingdom or State to such societies? The polities which fall under Mittani and/or Assyrian control have their own local traditions and style; how are these affected by the arrival of new stylistic impulses? The answers to these questions can be found in a detailed comparison of the material culture of the Mittani and middle Assyrian states; a comparison which brings answers because by placing the two next to each other their similarities and differences come to the fore. This project includes both breadth and depth of elements of material culture from both political states. The breadth on which this project draws is a set of 64 sites with published material from either the Mittani or middle Assyrian periods, or both. These sites, then, lead both to a definition of Mittani and middle Assyrian material culture as well as their distribution over the areas under political control. The changes in that distribution between the two political entities as well as their relationship with local traditions will form the basis from which the questions above can be answered. The project also includes a deeper sample of data from Tell Chuera, by including unpublished material from excavation areas dating to both the Mittani and the middle Assyrian periods, allowing for a detailed understanding of the transition under investigation. The material from Tell Fekheriye, a city at the heart of the Mittani state, gives a solid foundation from which to define Mittani material culture.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants