Assyria and the West

This volume re-examines key chronological anchors of the Late Bronze and Iron Ages, questioning the reliability of synchronisms between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Focusing on artistic, archaeological, and historical data, the contributors explore shifting timelines and tensions in Assyrian, Hittite, and Levantine contexts.

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’).

"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 ?URRIAN 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: NAP?URIYA 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 AMMI?ADUQA TABLETS AND BABYLONIAN CHRONOLOGY IN RETROSPECT: SUCCESSES AND FAILURES - David Lappin

ANCIENT DNA: THE SOLUTION TO EVERYTHING OR THE DEVIL'S WORK? - Nick Thorpe

",

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

Pieter Gert van der Veen (PhD, habil.) is a reader in Levantine archaeology at the University of Mainz. Besides being a prolific writer on archaeological topics, he has excavated at various sites in Israel and has conducted archaeological field work in East Jerusalem. He specialises in inscribed seals and scarabs from ancient Israel and Jordan, West Semitic epigraphy, the history and archaeology of monarchic Judah, and Late Bronze Age burial finds from Eastern Jerusalem.Ronald Wallenfels PhD is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University, and a former Associate Curator in the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. He has published extensively in monographs, journal articles, and critical reviews on both the languages and art history of the Ancient Near East from the Early Bronze Age through the end of the Hellenistic period. Peter James (1952-2024) was an independent researcher specialising in ancient history, archaeology and the chronology of the Eastern Mediterranean, ancient technology and astronomy, and sub-Roman Britain. He graduated in archaeology and ancient history at the University of Birmingham and pursued postgraduate research in ancient history at University College London. He authored and co-authored many articles and books, including Centuries of Darkness: A challenge to the conventional chronology of Old World archaeology (London, 1991).

• Edited by Pieter van der Veen
• Edited by Ronald Wallenfels
• Contributions by Peter James