The Hirbemerdon Tepe Archaeological Project

Connecting Fragments: a Sensorial Approach to the Materialization of Religious Beliefs in Rural Mesopotamia at the Beginning of the Second Millennium BC

“…10). These elements confirm the idea of specialized grape processing probably associated with wine production in some of the complex's units (Laneri et al 2008a). Additionally, Mesopotamian texts from this period clearly mention wine as a commodity produced in this region and exported to northern Mesopotamia by private merchants (Forlanini 2006).…”

“…Although Hirbemerdon Tepe is a multi-period site (Laneri et al 2009), the preliminary results of the first seven seasons of archaeological work have yielded important data concerning its principal period of occupation during the late third and the first half of the second millennia bc (Laneri 2005;Laneri et al 2006;2008a;. It is during the latest phase of this chronological period (i.e.…”

“…From a functional perspective the architectural complex combines areas for mundane activities, located in the northern edge of the architectural complex, with ceremonial spaces, placed in the southern and more central parts of the complex (Fig. 4) (Laneri et al 2008a). Moreover, the working sector is marked by a series of agglutinated long, skinny buildings built along the main street (47) and each with an entrance along it.…”

Combined geophysical prospection of kurgans on the Uzun Rama plateau in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan: first results

“…The resource wealth of the southern Caucasus, with its rich metal deposits (including copper, silver, and gold), is often reflected in the rich furnishings of the tombs, attesting to the use and accumulation of precious raw materials. Previous studies (Laneri et al 2019) in this region have only focused on individual burial mounds and thus have not contextualized them with other kurgans or in relation to environmental and landscape conditions, including geology and topography. New analysis capabilities, including satellite imagery, Digital Terrain Models (DTM), and geophysical prospection allow for a large-scale survey of the barrow phenomenon for the first time in this region.…”

Advances in On- and Offshore Archaeological Prospection

“…The resource wealth of the southern Caucasus, with its rich metal deposits (including copper, silver, and gold), is often reflected in the rich furnishings of the tombs, attesting to the use and accumulation of precious raw materials. Previous studies (Laneri et al 2019) In November 2021, as part of the Cluster of Excellence ROOTS, work was carried out with geophysical prospection, as well as archaeological surface survey and aerial photography in the kurgan area on the Uzun Rama Plateau, approximately 15 km east of the city of Gence in central Azerbaijan (Fig. 1a & 1b).…”