Kani Shaie is a small archaeological site in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, centrally located in the Bazian Basin, a narrow valley at the western edge of the Zagros Mountains along the major route between Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah. Its main mound was inhabited almost continuously from the fifth to the middle of the third millennium, c. 5000–2500 B.C.E. This period of Mesopotamian prehistory, corresponding to the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, witnessed major transformations such as initial urbanism and intensification of interregional interaction networks. The recent resurgence of fieldwork in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is beginning to reveal local trajectories that do not always match the established chronological framework, which is largely based on changes in ceramic technology and styles observed in northern Mesopotamia. Here, we discuss the ceramic sequence retrieved from a step trench at Kani Shaie spanning the entire Late Chalcolithic (c. 4600–3100 B.C.E.). A bottom-up approach to potting traditions at the site allows an initial assessment of the relationship between local communities in the Zagros foothills and large-scale developments in the Mesopotamian world. We argue that the evidence from Kani Shaie reflects a long process in which different communities of practice made active choices of adopting, adapting, or rejecting non-local cultural practices.

This paper presents the results of the [2004][2005][2006] salvage operations conducted at Tell er-Ramadi, located along the west bank of the lower Syrian Euphrates River. Ramadi contains well-preserved deposits dating to the 4 th millennium BC (Late Chalcolithic or LC period), with the most well-preserved sequence dating to the later part of the LC2 to LC4. During the initial phase of occupation, the site was occupied by northern Mesopotamian groups, followed by the gradual appearance of southern Mesopotamian material culture. This interaction ultimately culminated in both northern and southern groups participating in collective labour feasts, taking place within the context of crop harvest, wool collection and spinning. Algaze (1993) originally classified Ramadi as an Uruk "station", a type of small, isolated Uruk settlement that facilitated movement of goods towards the Uruk heartland. This work helps understand how such stations may have operated on an intraregional level. Résumé. Cet article présente les résultats des opérations de sauvetage de 2004-2006 menées àTell er-Ramadi, situé le long de la rive ouest de l'Euphrate syrien. Ramadi contient des dépôts bien conservés datant du IV e millénaire avant J.-C. (Chalcolithique récent ou période LC). La séquence la mieux conservée est toutefois comprise entre la fin du LC2 et le LC4. Pendant la phase initiale d'occupation, le site était habité par des groupes du nord de la Mésopotamie. Il voit ensuite apparaître progressivement la culture matérielle du sud de la Mésopotamie. Cette interaction a finalement abouti à la participation de groupes du nord et du sud de la région à des festins collectifs, liés aux récoltes, à la collecte de la laine et aux travaux de filature. Algaze (1993) classait à l'origine Ramadi comme une « station » d'Uruk, un petit établissement isolé qui facilitait la circulation des marchandises vers la région d'Uruk. Ce travail permet de comprendre comment ces établissements ont pu fonctionner au niveau intrarégional.

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