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The 'Euphrates Monochrome Painted Ware' (henceforth EMPW) is a ceramic style attested in the Middle Euphrates region in northern Syria at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age, ca. 2900-2700 BC. This style is not an isolated phenomenon; rather, it must be understood in the context of a general, albeit short-lived, re-introduction of painted ceramics into local assemblages of the whole Mesopotamia. In the present study, we investigate the technology and provenance of the painted pottery from Tell el-᷾ Abd (North Syria) and its relation to contemporary ceramics retrieved at this site. We apply a combination of macroscopic observations, ceramic petrography, and micro X-ray diffraction (μ-XRD 2) in order to reconstruct the manufacturing process and to define the mineralogical and chemical composition of the sherds as well as of the pigments used for the painted decoration. The results of these analyses are then compared to the local geology in order to identify possible raw material sources. Based on the evidence, we provide the first interpretation of the provenance and technology of the Euphrates Monochrome Painted as well as unpainted ceramics of the assemblage.

Between 1981 and 1988 a large dam was built on the River Tigris in Iraq, just upstream from the village of Eski Mosul (Balad). The dam project originally took its name from this village but was later dubbed the 'Saddam Dam' or simply 'Mosul Dam'. This project was part of a vast program of engineering undertakings involving the damming of rivers and the realization of artificial basins that has involved the whole Middle East and regions of Africa from the second half of the 20 th century onwards. It was commissioned by Saddam Hussein to provide hydro-electrical power for his country, water for downstream irrigation and industry, promote tourism, and enhance his personal prestige, as well as that of his government and nation.

The aim of this paper is to examine the fresh evidence retrieved in the early cemetery or 'archaic necropolis' (eighth to sixth century BC) on the island of Motya, one of the main Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean. Because of its integrity and the large number of finds, the cemetery has been considered one of the most relevant sites for the study of early burial customs in the West.The absence of anthropological data, completely neglected in the past, was a major shortcoming of previous research. This failing is now being rectified by a new project of fieldwork and excavation undertaken on the island by a team from Palermo University.This report provides a close examination of the human remains from a group of 32 graves discovered during three seasons (2013)(2014)(2015) in a combined archaeological and taphonomic perspective and contributes to shed light on the funerary practices of the Phoenicians in Sicily.