bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Late Bronze Age Monuments of Eflatun Pınar and Fasıllar near Beyşehir
Authors: Mellaart James
Published: January 2007

The purpose of this short article is to draw attention to a number of features presented by these well known monuments near Beyşehir which are in need of further clarification, and to offer yet another suggestion about its original appearance.

During the last decade, a number of articles from the pen of Professors H. G. Güterbock, K. Bittel, R. Naumann and E. Laroche have been devoted to the sanctuary of Eflatun Pınar and it might be thought that there is little to add. That this is not so, I trust this article will show. These remarks are the result of three visits to these monuments in 1952, 1955 and 1957.

The Fasıllar statue (7·40 m. in height) lies in the Roman stadium of a classical site above the village of that name. Its rough condition suggests, as Güterbock has already pointed out, that it may have been unfinished and locally quarried, roughed out for transport and for some reason left there. The material is trachyte, which occurs locally. Güterbock comments on the lack of “Hittite” sherds at Fasıllar. One can go further; there is no site there earlier than the Classical one. The nearest Late Bronze Age sites are Karahisar, Evreği and Kızılviran Hüyüks. The latter site is the largest, but it is difficult to see why anyone should want to quarry a statue at Fasıllar, 50 km. away, if the statue was meant to be erected at this site, which is surrounded by trachyte rocks within a few kilometres.
TaşKun Mevkii 1970–71
Authors: Helms Svend
Published: January 2007

The work at Taşkun Mevkii consists to date of two seasons, 1970 and 1971. A third and final season is projected for the summer of 1973. Excavation in 1970 was restricted to a series of slots and one 4 × 4 m. square at the northern edge of the site in order to test the depth of occupation and to establish preliminary phasing (Fig. 1). On this basis the area was expanded in 1971 to expose structures, particularly of Phase 3 which had proved to be most rewarding in 1970. It was found that the first season's phasing was substantially accurate, requiring only minor adjustments of Phase 1.

Phase 1 (Fig. 2, plan; Fig. 8, section)

(a) In 1970 painted pottery appeared in topsoil, thus linking the top of Taşkun Mevkii with Aşvan Kale and other sites in the area. The painted designs found at Taşkun Mevkii are represented on whole pots from Aşvan Kale (see French and Helms, below, p. 157, Fig. 5). It is now clear that this final occupation exists only in pits cut from topsoil or above and hence no contemporary occupation surfaces could be found in the area excavated.
Taşkun Kale
Authors: McNicoll Anthony
Published: January 2007

The medieval fortress and church of Taşkun Kale were partially excavated in 1970 and 1971. No excavations took place in 1972, as the Aşvan Project's endeavours were concentrated elsewhere.

Earlier reports in this journal (AS XXI (1971), 6–8, and XXII (1972), 14–15) concentrated on the architectural finds. This article consists of a more detailed account of the site and the remains, followed by some thoughts on Taşkun Kale's historical significance. It is an interim report in traditional style. A full and systematic use of the data gathered by Wagstaff, Payne, Hillman, etc., must await the completion of their studies.

The Site (Figs. 1 and 2)

Taşkun Kale lies about 4 km. SSE of the village of Aşvan on the edge of a rolling plain (“undulating upland basin” – Wagstaff p. 210). Eastwards it over looks a small valley at a point where the valley sides fall steeply to rushy flats, through which a perennial stream, the Kuru Çay, flows north towards the Murat.

The terrain is uneven. North and south of the site tributary wadis break the valley sides. The highest point is the kale proper, a flat topped höyük formed of occupational débris, below which there may well be a natural eminence which attracted the first settlers.
A Note on Architectural Sculpture in Central Lycia.
Authors: Harrison R. M.
Published: January 2007

One of the many critical periods of Anatolian archaeology is that of Late Antiquity, when the long-established nexus of Graeco-Roman cities in the Eastern Mediterranean basin gave way to an order which looked increasingly to Constantinople. The refoundation of Byzantium on an imperial scale had occurred in the fourth century, but some two hundred years were to pass before the city was to achieve a metropolitan status which was unequivocal. The factors which determined its character and success have been, and still are, much disputed; but there can be no doubt that amongst them the part played by Anatolia in this formative stage of the Byzantine world was considerable.

And yet this period in Anatolia—the transition from the Classical to the Medieval—has attracted comparatively little attention amongst archaeologists, and basic work (survey, excavation and analysis) remains undone. A start has been made, but this must be followed up in earnest if the surface evidence, so vulnerable to modern agricultural and economic development, is to be recovered.
Negation and Disjunction in Anatolian—and elsewhere
Authors: Davies Anna Morpurgo
Published: January 2007

1. In the article which precedes Mr. Hawkins has proposed the readings NEG2and NEG3for the signsof Hieroglyphic Luwian and has argued that these logograms had the phonetic valuesnaandnirespectively. These readings are supported by internal evidence and do not require any further justification, but it is necessary to see how plausible their consequences are from the linguistic point of view.

1.1. The discovery of two negative particles, a prohibitiveniand a factualna, is welcome. Hieroglyphic now joins Cun. Luwian (prohibitivenis, factualnawa), Lycian (prohibitiveni, nipe, factualne, nepe) and Hittite (prohibitivelē, factualnatta). It is not as yet absolutely certain that Palaic does not make any distinction between prohibitive and factual negatives: the particlesniandnitare relatively frequent, but it is not altogether clear whether they occur or not in prohibitions. On the other hand it is normally assumed that Lydian has generalized one negative (nid“not”,nik“and not”) for both types of sentence.
The Sultantepe Tablets: IX. The Birdcall Text
Authors: Lambert W. G.
Published: January 2007

This text is one of a number of first millennium compilations that reflect a certain philosophical and religious outlook of those times. The compilers sought to find evidence of current theology in the physical universe, which, viewed dispassionately, had only little relevant to show. Whereas “primitive” man had observed the forces of nature and had worshipped them with anthropomorphic attributes, more sophisticated man imagined signs of divine ordering where certainly none exist. This text is based on birdcalls. The sounds were interpreted as Babylonian phrases of mythological content, and the bird in question was thus “the bird of” the deity to whom the phrase applied. Of course one does not know if in fact the connexion of god and bird preceded or followed the interpretation of the call, and the answer need not be the same in every case.
Notes on Site Distribution in the Çumra Area
Authors: French D. H.
Published: January 2007

Mr. Cohen has proposed, above, the hypothesis that the formation, in the earliest Holocene, of the alluvial soils of the Konya basin, was an influential factor in the appearance of settlement-sites which may have played some role in the history of early domestication of plants and animals. In order that the hypothesis may be fully tested this article presents the basic evidence for a chronological analysis of the high concentration of mounds on or around the alluvial plain of Çumra by means of maps which combine distributions of ancient sites and modern soil conditions.
Mosaic Inscriptions from the Palaestra at Anemurium
Authors: Russell James
Published: January 2007

Recent excavations conducted by Canadian teams at the site of Anemurium (Eski Anamur) on the coast of Rough Cilicia in southern Asia Minor have uncovered a number of substantial structures including an interesting group extending to the east of the largest baths of the city. This complex consists of several distinct areas clearly forming part of a unified plan (Fig. 1). Mosaic pavement of geometric design decorated much of the floor space of the building, which has now been identified as the palaestra of the adjoining Baths. The identification has been facilitated greatly by two inscribed mosaic panels that are worthy of special note.

The first was discovered in 1970 at the western extremity of a long narrow series of rectangular panels decorated in various geometric patterns. This formed the southern wing of a continuous corridor of mosaic, possibly roofed, that enclosed on three sides (north, east and south) the open-air courtyard of the palaestra. The western end of the area was closed by a wall separating it from a limestone-paved court beyond. Immediately in front of the inscribed panel an opening in the wall provided access to this court, probably one of several doorways communicating between the two areas. The doorway in question was subsequently blocked and the edge of the mosaic cut away on three sides to form a drainage system. This alteration was apparently associated with the isolation of the western end of the south range as a special chamber, perhaps a latrine. Considerable damage to the decorative border resulted from these modifications but, with the exception of a slight V-shaped break on the west side, the actual inscribed panel survives intact.
The Twin Shrines of Beycesultan
Authors: Yakar Jak
Published: January 2007

In the last two decades, extensive excavations and new discoveries have thrown more light on the little known early religions of Anatolia. Certain religious concepts and symbols of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, which are best illustrated in the religious architecture and art of Çatal Hüyük and Hacilar, may now be considered ancestral to some of the traditions and beliefs in the later Anatolian religions.

Sites like Troy, Kusura, Beycesultan, Karahüyük (Konya), Alişar, Kültepe, Alaca Hüyük, Horoztepe, Pulur (Keban) and Tarsus have provided us with material on the religious architecture and art of Bronze Age Anatolia, but, with the exception of Beycesultan, their contribution to the understanding of the early Anatolian pantheons and religions has so far been fragmentary. At Beycesultan, the various changes observed in the altar assemblages of the twin shrines, through the cultural periods of the Bronze Age, may reflect the alterations, additions and conservatism in the religions practised in South-Western Anatolia, and possibly in the other regions of Anatolia as well.
Inscriptions from rough Cilicia east of the Calycadnus
Authors: Mackay Theodora S. , Mackay Pierre A.
Published: January 2007

The following random lot of inscriptions was noted during three brief trips into the territory around Olba-Diocaesareia, in the spring of 1966, while we were guests at the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara. These trips were part of a year of archaeological wandering made possible by the grant of the Olivia James Travelling Fellowship, administered by the Archaeological Institute of America.

1. Seleuceia-Korykos: This inscription was discovered by the able and energetic curator of antiquities at Silifke, Mr. Mehmet Belen, to whose great kindness we owe our knowledge of it. It is cut on a rock face above some faint traces of an ancient road from Korasion to Korykos, which runs parallel to the modern coast road at this point. About 19 km. east of Silifke, the modern road turns north away from the shore, and runs inland along the west side of a seasonal watercourse called Kuru Dere, “dry river bed”. Just north of the gravel bank at the mouth of Kuru Dere, at a point where the rock wall cuts back from the west side of the road to form a very small tributary stream bed, there are faint traces of rock cut steps some 5 metres above the road. Above these, on the south side of the tributary stream bed, a roughly dressed rectangular panel, 0·80 × 0·45 m., has been cut into the rock.
An Experiment in Water-Sieving
Authors: French D. H.
Published: January 2007

A great deal is being written about the methods of analysing data after it has been collected on an archaeological site; very little, however, has been said about the methods by which the data is retrieved. It may be that the two are not really separate.

Since the appearance of Archaeology from the Earth in 1954, further development of the excavation methods there propounded by Sir Mortimer Wheeler has been neglected. Too often, it seems, excavation techniques are assumed to be ‘scientific’ because of a resemblance, chance or not, to something advocated in that basic and fundamental work. It is the intention here to suggest that there are retrieval techniques which might, with advantage, be used alongside the very high standard, advanced by Wheeler, of excavation by soil-stratification. The experiment described below is one of several which are, at present, being developed to meet the problems of archaeological recovery techniques.
Late Assyrian Bronze Coffins
Authors: Curtis John
Published: January 2007

Throughout his long and distinguished career Dr. R. D. Barnett has been greatly interested in metalwork of the 1st millennium B.C. and has made many important contributions to this subject. Naturally these have tended to concentrate on the collections with which he has been for so long associated, those of the Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities at the British Museum. They range from his studies of the Toprak Kale material to a recent article on the Nimrud bowls, and even include some thoughts on the bronze coffins which are the subject of this article (Barnett 1956, pp. 114–16). If the conclusions reached here are slightly different from his own, I hope he will forgive my temerity and accept this offering in the spirit in which it is intended, one of respect, affection, and also gratitude, for his learning and enthusiasm have ever been an inspiration to younger colleagues such as myself.

The coffins under discussion here are square at one end and rounded at the other, and have high straight sides. They are made from two sheets of bronze hammered into shape and joined together in the middle of the long sides. The joins are concealed by vertical strips of bronze applied inside and out and held in position by rivets.
R.E.C.A.M. Notes and Studies No. 7: Inscriptions from Uşak, Denizli and Hisar köy
Authors: Sheppard A. R. R.
Published: January 2007

The following texts were recorded in Uşak Museum and in the archaeological depots at Denizli and Hisar Köy (Attuda) during preparatory work for the R.E.C.A.M. project.

Cylindrical altar of white marble. Below the text a wreath and boucrania. Now in the garden of Uşak Museum, but probably from Sebaste (Selçikler). Height: 0·98 m. Diameter: 0·49 m. Letters: 1·8 cm. Pl.I(a).

“Year 188 (= A.D. 104), in the ninth month. Euphrastus, slave of Caesar, (prays) for the victory and eternal security of Imperator Nerva Traianus Caesar Augustus Germanicus Dacicus.”

The prayer for Trajan's victory is particularly appropriate in the year preceding the final conflict with Decebalus (105/6). Euphrastus is almost certainly to be identified with the Εὔφραστος Καίσαρος included in the list of founder members of the Gerousia of Sebaste in A.D. 99.
The Carian Tribute
Authors: Thompson Wesley E.
Published: January 2007

The editors of the Athenian Tribute Lists explain the anomalous amounts of tribute (such as 1030 drachmae) paid by certain Carian towns in 453/2 as a normal assessment (1000 drachmae) augmented by a penalty for late payment. Samuel Eddy, on the other hand, suggests that the sums represent amounts which the towns had previously paid in their own currency to the King of Persia. On his view, in 453/2 an Athenian military expedition compelled the towns to pay their normal amount of tribute, but to Athens instead of Persia. It would be pointless to repeat his case, but I do have two observations to offer which tend to confirm Eddy's explanation but modify it in detail.
The Death of Dumuzi: a New Sumerian Version
Authors: Kramer Samuel Noah
Published: January 2007

As of today there are several variant versions of the myth relating to the death of Dumuzi, the more important of which are: “Inanna's Descent to the Nether World”, “Dumuzi's Dream”, “Dumuzi and the galla.” The text here edited, inscribed on a hitherto unpublished tablet, BM 100046, consists of an account of Dumuzi's death that parallels to some extent the hitherto known versions, but includes a number of rather unusual themes and intriguing motifs not found in any of them. It is a pleasure and a privilege to dedicate this study to Oliver Gurney with whom I collaborated in preparing a volume of Sumerian literary texts in the Ashmolean Museum (OECT V), and who moreover published in the year 1962 an exemplary summary of what was then known about Dumuzi and his tragic death.
A Peripteros of the Geometric Period in the Artemision of Ephesus
Authors: Bammer Anton
Published: January 2007

It was in 1908 that D. G. Hogarth first published information about a “Central Basis” (Pl. XI (a), Fig. 1) that he had excavated in 1904 and 1905 in the Artemision at Ephesus, and for many decades his words remained the authoritative statement concerning the early sanctuaries not only in Ephesus, but also in the rest of the classical world. A colloquium in the British Museum in 1984, however, demonstrated that there were issues, raised by numismatists and art historians, that continued to be at odds with the results of Hogarth's excavations, and that could only be solved by a further examination of the “central basis” in question.

As early as 1986, under the northern outer rim of the crepidoma of the archaic dipteros (Croesus temple), a square base had been discovered which obviously formed the centre of a distinct cult area. A flood stratum of sand, which was typical of all the parts of the Artemision we had excavated, appeared under the base. Fortunately, the low level of the ground water made it possible to measure this stratum (66 cm.) and to observe beneath it a new culture stratum—a pavement made of yellow marly limestone slabs—that had previously escaped detection. This observation gave rise to the hope that more discoveries could be expected under Hogarth's “central basis”.
Amorium Excavations 1989: the second preliminary report
Authors: Harrison et al R. M.
Published: January 2007

This was the second season of excavation at Amorium in east Phrygia, and the team worked for five weeks, from 24 July 1989. Our main aim is to trace archaeological changes and developments within the city from Hellenistic times into the Selcuk period. We carried out a general survey of the Upper Town by a regular 25-metre grid, and we also excavated three trenches, one in the Upper Town and two (which we started last year) in the Lower (Fig. 1). A preliminary analysis is underway of the pottery and small finds, which in the Late Roman and Byzantine periods appear mostly of local manufacture. There are some relevant excavation-sites in Asia Minor for study of the Late Roman period, but there is very little research geared to the so-called Dark Ages, especially inland. Amorium is a major site, virtually untouched, and the city offers a rare opportunity to examine an early Byzantine urban landscape. The excavation so far has been very successful, and has highlighted the site's great potential. Next year, we shall try to clarify the chronology, by more intensive excavation of the existing trenches.
Oinoanda: The Agora
Authors: Coulton J. J.
Published: January 2007

This study of the agora at Oinoanda is based on fieldwork done in 1975, 1977, 1981 and 1983 in the course of the survey of Oinoanda conducted by the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara under the direction of A. S. Hall, and with the cooperation and assistance of the Directorate of Antiquities at Ankara. The topographical survey of the site, which underlies Figures 1 and 2, was undertaken by students of the Northeast London Polytechnic. Since our survey permit allowed no excavation, what follows is based on the visible remains, and some important points remain uncertain. Nevertheless, the extent of the remains and the absence of later interference with the site allow for a substantial reconstruction of the buildings concerned and their chronology.

The agora of Oinoanda occupies an open spacec.87 m. by 27 m. in a depression between three low hills near the middle of the city area. To the north a spur runs out from the Acropolis hill, to the east is a small hill on the summit of which are rock cuttings for a small temple, and to the southwest is a hill which now carries a late antique fort. Between these three hills run the main streets of the city; to the south a road which skirts the hollow containing the Early Christian church Mm 3 to link up with the southern colonnaded street; to the west a much shorter road to the West Gate; and to the northeast another colonnaded street which leads between the two bath-buildings Mk 1 and Ml 1 in the direction of the Esplanade.
Anatolian Kilims; New Insights and Problems
Authors: Mellaart James
Published: January 2007

The study of Anatolian kilims has much in common with Anatolian archaeology of the second millennium B.C. In both cases we have the evidence from the texts; place names in the Hittite texts, tribal and place names in the Ottoman ones. Whereas the bulk of the Hittite place names can not yet be securely located, but with certain exceptions belong to settled population groups, those from the Ottoman records refer to nomadic or semi-nomadic elements that can sometimes be pinpointed, but more often are vague and imprecise. Further information of relevance is sometimes supplied, but more often not. Neither set of records is perfect, nor answers such to us essential questions of dates, ancestry, arrival, affinity with others, subdivisions, size of country or territory inhabited etc. Most of the Hittite texts are religious or political; most of the Ottoman records dealing with tribal groups deal with taxation, or later with military service.

The basic prerequisite both for Hittite and Ottoman tribal studies is the reconstruction of a map or better still of a series of maps for various successive periods on which the events recorded in the texts and the material evidence derived from archaeology or textile production can be plotted. Here the aims are the same and so are the methods; basically fieldwork.
Animal Bones from Aşıklı Hüyük
Authors: Payne Sebastian
Published: January 2007

Aşıklı Hüyük, a large Aceramic Neolithic mound in the Melendizsuyu valley, some 25 km. SE of Aksaray (prov. Niğde), was visited in 1964 by Ian Todd, who collected a very large quantity of obsidian tools and flakes from the surface, and, at the same time, was able to collect samples including animal bones, charcoal and seeds from a large section cut by the river into the side of the mound (Todd 1966). The obsidian industry suggested a date earlier than Çatal Hüyük East, and this was confirmed by a series of five14C dates between 7008±130 bc and 6661±108 bc (using the 5568±30 yr half-life) (Todd 1968, Stuckenrath and Lawn 1969). The site is therefore of great interest, being one of the earliest mound sites in Turkey. Its size (c.250 m. across and 8 m. in height) suggests a lengthy permanent settlement; its location is well-suited for agriculture and animal husbandry (Todd 1980).
Alloy Types and Copper Sources of Anatolian Copper Alloy Artifacts
Authors: Gale N. H. , Stos-Gale Z. A. , Gilmore G. R.
Published: January 2007

Few will doubt that in the East Mediterranean world and in the Near East the development of metallurgy was an important factor (though certainly not the only one) in the evolution of socio-economic organization in the Late Chalcolithic and especially in the Early and Late Bronze Age. The availability of silver, lead and gold added markedly to the possibilities of the acquisition of prestigious objects by the few, to developments in the concept of wealth and in the development of hierarchical societies. The availability of copper, arsenical copper, and later, tin bronze made possible the production of tools which transformed certain crafts (perhaps particularly carpentry and shipbuilding) and, with the development of weapons, revolutionized warfare.

This no doubt led to something of an arms race which put its own pressures on societies in the search for and exploitation of metals. The more successful population groups will have greatly increased the density of their population and changed their structure, not only by moving from local chief to regional monarch but also by that monarch securing his authority by the creation of dependent privileged groups and by the encouragement of the emergence of specialized workers and craftsmen. In turn such socio-economic developments, in which the emergence of class differentiation led to the creation of aristocracies or other forms of elite ruling classes, eventually provided the environments in which skilled metal workers could find the time, necessary incentives and artistic inspiration to develop advanced metalworking skills.
The Shaft Monuments and thetauroboliumamong the Phrygians
Authors: Özkaya Vecihi
Published: January 2007

Since the discovery of the Midas Monument in the nineteenth century, Phrygian civilisation has emerged as an area of great scientific interest, and research has provided important evidence for Phrygian religion by studying the rock monuments, which reflect the artistic discernment of that period by their workmanship and architectural details. Though the connection of these rock monuments with the Great Mother has been made plain, the function of some details has not yet been adequately explained. One of these details is the vertical shafts that are found behind the façades of certain monuments. In this paper it is proposed to discuss the functions and use of these shafts and their relation to the monuments.
The Regional Survey at Kerkenes Dağ: an interim report on the seasons of 1993 and 1994.
Authors: G. D.  , Summers M. E. F. , Ahmet K.
Published: January 2007

This report focuses on selected aspects of the Kerkenes Dağ Survey all of which are peripheral to the main survey of the Iron Age mountain top city.

The Kerkenes Dağ Survey is sponsored by the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara (BIAA). The survey was made possible by funds from the Leverhulme Trust (1993), the National Geographic Society (1994), the British Academy and the BIAA (1993–94). In 1993 Dr. S. Hill kindly arranged for us to borrow the Warwick University total station for a large part of the season; the British Ambassador, Mr. John Goulden, greatly added to the comfort of the expedition by arranging for the provision of furniture and, most importantly, the balloon team from the Kapadokya Lodge gave us a remarkable evening flight over the mountain top city. In 1994 Yibitaş-Lafarge very generously improved the facilities by constructing bedrooms, wash rooms and a compound wall. Special thanks are due to the Vali of Yozgat, Bay Ertuğrul Ersoy, the Kaymakam of Sorgun, Bay Necmi Kurt and the Director of the Yozgat Museum, Bay Musa Özcan for providing both help and encouragement, and to the Muhtar of Şahmuratlı Köy, Osman Muratdağı for making us welcome. Our representative for both seasons was Bay Kazım Mertek from Konya Museum; that so much was accomplished is in great part due to his energy and participation.
The Ulu Burun Writing-Board Set
Authors: Payton Robert
Published: January 2007

In 1984 the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) began the excavation of a Late Bronze Age shipwreck, which lay close to Ulu Burun near Kaş, in south west Turkey. In subsequent seasons the Institute's excavation team, under the directorship of George F. Bass and Cemal Pulak, has systematically recorded and excavated a large area of the shipwreck, which has been provisionally dated to the 14th century B.C. Although the nationality of the ship is still unknown, it has been deduced that it was travelling from the eastern Mediterranean coast westward when it sank. The ship was carrying an exceptionally varied and rich cargo reflecting complex and sophisticated trading on a large scale. Amongst the items recovered in the 1986 season were fragments of a wooden writing-board set found in the sediment of one of the large pithoi (KW 252) carried onboard the ship. The importance and implications of such a find in the Late Bronze Age was recognized by Pulak who was able to loosely fit together the small fragments, enabling on site recordings to be made. Despite careful sieving and extensive searching, smaller fragments of the boards and one of the hinges were never recovered.
The Wood of the Ulu Burun Diptych
Authors: Warnock Peter , Pendleton Michael
Published: January 2007

In the fall of 1988, Cemal Pulak, acting field director and assistant director of the Ulu Burun excavations, asked the authors to identify the wood used in the diptych found on the fourteenth- or very early thirteenth-century Ulu Burun shipwreck. Although it has been stated generally that Greco-Roman writing tablets were made of boxwood, other woods were also used for writing tablets in various periods of antiquity. The second oldest known writing-boards, from 8th-century Nimrud, were made of walnut (Juglans nigra), and from Assyrian records we know that writing-boards were constructed of tamarisk, cypress and cedar woods. Geography clearly played a role in the choice of wood. At the port of Roman London, for example, “most of the twenty-two fragments of writing tablets recovered from the recent waterfront excavations were of the wax-impressed type made from larch, cedar or silver fir, suggesting that they … were brought over [from the continent] as finished products”; the only boxwood tablet, perhaps locally made, was not of the type that held wax.
Late Bronze Age Writing-Boards and their Uses: textual evidence from Anatolia and Syria
Authors: Symington Dorit
Published: January 2007

It has been known from textual sources for some time that besides clay tablets, the traditional writing material in the Ancient Near East, wooden writing-boards were also used by the scribes.

M. San Nicolò first drew attention to the fact that writing-boards were widely employed in temple and palace administration in Mesopotamia in the first millennium B.C. and the textual evidence gathered by him was soon to be confirmed archaeologically by the discovery of several such writing-boards at Nimrud. Equally, the existence of wooden writing material in Hittite context has long been established, but no example has ever been found. It is generally thought that private and economic records which are almost totally lacking in the archives at Boǧazköy must have been written on perishable material.

The elusive nature of wooden writing-boards manifests itself not only archaeologically by the unlikelihood of their survival but also by the fact that, as a rule, they deserved little mention in the cuneiform texts. Consequently, the quantity of wooden writing material that may have been in use and did not survive is impossible to gauge. Similarly, it would be unwarranted to deduce that centres whose archives have not contributed to the subject, were unfamiliar with writing on wood.
The Location of Cilician Ura
Authors: Beal Richard H.
Published: January 2007

Much has been written about the city of Ura in southern Anatolia, which was important in both the Bronze and the Iron Ages. Nevertheless, no fully satisfactory location for Ura has yet been proposed.

The primary text for locating Ura is the Neriglissar Chronicle. This records:

“Appuašu, king of Pirindu mustered his [large] army and set out to plunder and sack Syria (ebir nāri). Neriglissar mustered his army and marched to Ḫume to oppose him. In anticipation of him (i.e. Neriglissar) (lāmišu), Appuašu placed the army and cavalry which he had assembled in a mountain valley in ambush. (When) Neriglissar reached them he inflicted a defeat upon them (and) conquered the large army. He captured his army and numerous horses. He pursued Appuašu for a distance of fifteen double-hours (bēru) through difficult mountains, where men must walk in single file, as far as Ura° his royal city. When(?) he reached it, he seized Ura° and sacked it. When he had marched for a distance of six double hours through rough mountains and difficult passes from Ura° to Kirši—his forefathers' royal city—he captured Kirši, the mighty city, his royal city. He burnt its walls, its palace and its people. Pitusu, a mountain in the midst of the ocean, and six-thousand combat troops stationed therein, he captured by means of ships. He destroyed its city and captured its people. In that same year he started fires from the pass of Sallune to the border of Lydia.”
Preliminary Survey and Core Sampling on the Aegean Coast of Turkey
Authors: Lambrianides K.
Published: January 2007

This survey was planned with the help of the Human Environment Department of the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Fieldwork was carried out with the help of: Bayan Asuman Güngör, the government representative (from Türk İslam Müzesi, Yeşil-Bursa). We also welcomed two visitors from Ege Üniversitesi, Edebiyat Fakültesi: Mr. Kirami Ölgen (geomorphologist and research assistant of Prof, İlhan Kayan, Coğrafya Bölümü) and Dr. Halime Hüryılmaz, (archaeologist, Klasik Arkeoloji Anabilim Dalı), who came to Altınova and provided invaluable expertise. We were also greatly assisted throughout by the advice and involvement of Prof, İlhan Kayan himself before, during and after the coring. Initial analysis of the core samples was carried out at their laboratory at Ege by Prof. Kayan and Mr. Ölgen. The latter also sampled the cores and prepared the chart of the bore-hole findings. Finance was again generously provided by the BIAA and the CRF of London University. Fieldwork took place between 30th October and 8th November 1991.

The aim of the survey was to study the geomorphological evolution of the Madra Çay delta and to learn more about the palaeo-environmental history of a mound located on the delta, as part of a study of prehistoric coastal settlement on the Aegean coast of Turkey. Adaptation to the environment is regarded as one of the four functional criteria of cultural systems and we wanted to find out which of the various different phases in the changing environment of the delta had attracted human occupation.
Imported West Anatolian Pottery at Gordion
Authors: Schaus Gerald P.
Published: January 2007

Beginning in the early sixth century a large-scale rebuilding programme was undertaken by the Phrygians on the City Mound at Gordion, probably with the approval of their overlords, the Lydians. This renewed activity was no doubt one factor in the appearance at this time of several new imported fine wares at Gordion. These supplement the small number of imports finding their way to Gordion during the seventh century. One large group consists of Lydian pottery belonging to several fabrics including black-on-red, bichrome, marbled ware, and black-on-buff. Detailed study of this pottery has yet to be carried out. Work here will depend heavily on the study and classification of pottery from excavations at Sardis. Another, smaller body of imported pottery came from the cities of Greece. Study of this material, mainly from Corinth, Athens, and East Greece, is being conducted by K. DeVries and is now well advanced. A third small body of pottery, originating from areas to the west and south of Gordion, is presented here. The different wares of this group are very poorly known from other West Anatolian sites, so that the Gordion material adds considerably to our understanding of each of them.
The Ladder-men at Alaca Höyük
Authors: Gurney O. R.
Published: January 2007

In the preceding article Professor Ahmet Ünal has announced his discovery of the long-sought textual evidence for the sword-swallower depicted on one of the relief blocks at Alaca Höyük. This figure was already recognized as a kind of “juggler” (bateleur) by Perrot and Chipiez in their prestigious first publication of these reliefs in 1887 and most writers have followed them, but John Garstang and others mistook the sword for a trumpet. It is good that this uncertainty has been finally dispelled.

In the same article Professor Ünal has made a similar claim for the other scene on the same block showing two men with a ladder, one standing half-way up, the other on the ground at its foot. He identifies them with the “ladder men” (LÚ.MEŠ GIŠ KUN5) mentioned in his texts 1 and 4 as taking part in a religious ritual which may be compared with the religious procession shown on the Alaca Höyük frieze, or with the “clown” (ALAN.ZU9) who is probably described as mounting a ladder or staircase (GIŠilaš) in his text 5 (part of another ritual, but fragmentary).
Formation of the Phrygian state: the Early Iron Age at Gordion
Authors: Voigt Mary M. , Henrickson Robert C.
Published: January 2007

A brief history of archaeological research at GordionPiecing together documentary sources from areas to the east and west of Anatolia, historians agree that in the eighth century BC, central Anatolia was dominated by people who spoke an Indo-European language, Phrygian (Mellink 1991: 621; Muscarella 1995: 92 with refs). From historical sources we also know the location of the Phrygians' capital, Gordion: Quintus Curtius (Hist AlexIII.1–2) states that the city lay on the Sangarios River ‘equally distant from the Pontic and Cilician Seas’. Using this description, Gustav and Augustus Körte travelled across Turkey more than a century ago looking for the physical remains of Gordion and Phrygia. They eventually focused on a mound lying adjacent to the Sangarios or modern Sakarya. The mound, now called Yassıhöyük, is large relative to others in the region, and lies in the proper geographical setting for ancient Gordion; a series of artificial mounds or tumuli scattered across nearby slopes provides additional evidence of the settlement's importance.
Between Phrygia and Cilicia: the Porsuk area at the beginning of the Iron Age
Authors: Crespin Anne-Sophie
Published: January 2007

Porsuk is strategically situated in the northern foothills of the Taurus mountains (see map, fig 1), controlling one of the most important passes between Cilicia and the Anatolian plateau. It seems that this area, which was in the sphere of Hittite culture during the Late Bronze Age, turns towards the southern regions of Cilicia during Porsuk period IV. We shall firstly re-examine the evidence for the Early Iron Age at Porsuk in the light of recent discoveries from a number of other sites. We will then examine evidence that might demonstrate relations between Porsuk IV and Cilicia.

During subsequent centuries the situation seems to revert to that pertaining in the LBA: relations with the plateau tend to become more intense. From this point of view, we shall have a look at the Phrygian problem. Does this zone become a Phrygian protectorate with the rise of the Gordion state? Or are the exchanges between them only commercial or diplomatic? We shall try to give a preliminary shape to a possible answer by investigating the so-called ‘Phrygian’ evidence.
Soft-Tissue Aneurysmal Bone Cyst: Report of a Case with t(5;17)(q33;p13)
Authors: Ellison Dale A. , Sawyer Jeffrey R. , Parham David M. , Nicholas Richard
Published: January 2007

We describe a primary aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) of the soft tissue of the distal thigh in a 10-year-old girl. Radiographs showed an oblong density in the soft tissue that was consistent with hemorrhage or calcification; the underlying bone was unremarkable. Pathologic findings were consistent with myositis ossificans on gross examination, but numerous hemorrhagic cysts were present in the lesion. Histopathologic findings showed features of an ABC. Cytogenetic analysis of the tumor revealed 46,XX,t(5;17)(q33;p13); 17p13 breakpoints have been reported in intraosseous ABC. Thirteen months after diagnosis, the patient had excellent function and no radiologic evidence of recurrent disease. Soft-tissue ABC is a rare, benign lesion that can have a similar radiologic appearance to myositis ossificans but has a histologic appearance identical to that of its intraosseus counterpart.
Questions Swirl Around Screening for Multiple Cancers With a Single Blood Test
Authors: Rubin Rita
Published: March 2024

This Medical News story discusses questions about multiple cancer early detection tests, 2 of which are already on the US market.
Use of Lecanemab for Patients With Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Ko Darae , Pascual-Leone Alvaro , Shah Sachin J.
Published: March 2024

This Viewpoint discusses lecanemab use and the risk of cerebral macrohemorrhage for patients with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia.
Clinicians Who Practice Primarily in Nursing Homes and the Quality of End-of-Life Care Among Residents
Authors: Ghosh Arnab K. , Unruh Mark Aaron , Yun Hyunkyung , Jung Hye-Young
Published: March 2024

Importance

Clinician specialization in the care of nursing home (NH) residents or patients in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) has become increasingly common. It is not known whether clinicians focused on NH care, often referred to as SNFists (ie, physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants concentrating their practice in the NH or SNF setting), are associated with a reduced likelihood of burdensome transitions in the last 90 days of life for residents, which are a marker of poor-quality end-of-life (EOL) care.

Objective

To quantify the association between receipt of care from an SNFist and quality of EOL care for NH residents.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study analyzed Medicare fee-for-service claims for a nationally representative 20% sample of beneficiaries to examine burdensome transitions among NH decedents at the EOL from January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2019. Statistical analyses were conducted from December 2022 to June 2023.

Exposure

Receipt of care from an SNFist, defined as physicians and advanced practitioners who provided 80% or more of their evaluation and management visits in NHs annually.

Main Outcomes and Measures

This study used augmented inverse probability weighting in analyses of Medicare fee-for-service claims for a nationally representative 20% sample of beneficiaries. Main outcomes included 4 measures of burdensome transitions: (1) hospital transfer in the last 3 days of life; (2) lack of continuity in NHs after hospitalization in the last 90 days of life; (3) multiple hospitalizations in the last 90 days of life for any reason or any hospitalization for pneumonia, urinary tract infection, dehydration, or sepsis; and (4) any hospitalization in the last 90 days of life for an ambulatory care–sensitive condition.

Results

Of the 2 091 954 NH decedents studied (mean [SD] age, 85.4 [8.5] years; 1 470 724 women [70.3%]), 953 722 (45.6%) received care from SNFists and 1 138 232 (54.4%) received care from non-SNFists; 422 575 of all decedents (20.2%) experienced a burdensome transition at the EOL. Receipt of care by an SNFist was associated with a reduced risk of (1) hospital transfer in the last 3 days of life (−1.6% [95% CI, −2.5% to −0.8%]), (2) lack of continuity in NHs after hospitalization (−4.8% [95% CI, −6.7% to −3.0%]), and (3) decedents experiencing multiple hospitalizations for any reason or any hospitalization for pneumonia, urinary tract infection, dehydration, or sepsis (−5.8% [95% CI, −10.1% to −1.7%]). There was not a statistically significant association with the risk of hospitalization for an ambulatory care–sensitive condition in the last 90 days of life (0.0% [95% CI, −14.7% to 131.7%]).

Conclusions and Relevance

This study suggests that SNFists may be an important resource to improve the quality of EOL care for NH residents.
Engineered Microorganisms for Advancing Tumor Therapy
Authors: Jia Jinxuan , Wang Xiaocheng , Lin Xiang , Zhao Yuanjin
Published: March 2024

Engineered microorganisms have attracted significant interest as a unique therapeutic platform in tumor treatment. Compared with conventional cancer treatment strategies, engineering microorganism‐based systems provide various distinct advantages, such as the intrinsic capability in targeting tumors, their inherent immunogenicity, in situ production of antitumor agents, and multiple synergistic functions to fight against tumors. Herein, the design, preparation, and application of the engineered microorganisms for advanced tumor therapy are thoroughly reviewed. This review presents a comprehensive survey of innovative tumor therapeutic strategies based on a series of representative engineered microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, microalgae, and fungi. Specifically, it offers extensive analyses of the design principles, engineering strategies, and tumor therapeutic mechanisms, as well as the advantages and limitations of different engineered microorganism‐based systems. Finally, the current challenges and future research prospects in this field, which can inspire new ideas for the design of creative tumor therapy paradigms utilizing engineered microorganisms and facilitate their clinical applications, are discussed.
Prophylactic Supplementation with Lactobacillus Reuteri or Its Metabolite GABA Protects Against Acute Ischemic Cardiac Injury
Authors: Wang Jiawan , Zhang Hao , Yuan Hailong , Chen Siqi , Yu Ying , Zhang Xuan , Gao Zeyu , Du Heng , Li Weitao , Wang Yaohui , Xia Pengyan , Wang Jun , Song Moshi
Published: March 2024

The gut microbiome has emerged as a potential target for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) after myocardial infarction is a serious complication and whether certain gut bacteria can serve as a treatment option remains unclear. Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) is a well‐studied probiotic that can colonize mammals including humans with known cholesterol‐lowering properties and anti‐inflammatory effects. Here, the prophylactic cardioprotective effects of L. reuteri or its metabolite γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) against acute ischemic cardiac injury caused by I/R surgery are demonstrated. The prophylactic gavage of L. reuteri or GABA confers cardioprotection mainly by suppressing cardiac inflammation upon I/R. Mechanistically, GABA gavage results in a decreased number of proinflammatory macrophages in I/R hearts and GABA gavage no longer confers any cardioprotection in I/R hearts upon the clearance of macrophages. In vitro studies with LPS‐stimulated bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDM) further reveal that GABA inhibits the polarization of macrophages toward the proinflammatory M1 phenotype by inhibiting lysosomal leakage and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Together, this study demonstrates that the prophylactic oral administration of L. reuteri or its metabolite GABA attenuates macrophage‐mediated cardiac inflammation and therefore alleviates cardiac dysfunction after I/R, thus providing a new prophylactic strategy to mitigate acute ischemic cardiac injury.
Transferrable Alumina Membranes as High‐Performance Dielectric for Flexible 2D Materials Devices
Authors: Borhade Poonam Subhash , Raman Radha , Yen Zhi‐Long , Hsieh Ya‐Ping , Hofmann Mario
Published: March 2024

2D materials have shown great promise for novel electronic functionality. A common challenge for 2D materials‐based transistors is forming a high‐performance gate terminal due to the challenges of depositing a dielectric of sufficient quality and controllable thickness. Herein the van‐der‐Waals integration of a free‐standing Al2O3 dielectric membrane is demonstrated as a facile, scalable, and powerful gate dielectric. A process is developed that permits the wet transfer of an amorphous alumina layer with a finely adjustable equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) in the single nanometer range. Electrical characterization demonstrates the high breakdown field and low leakage of the dielectric and integration into 2D materials transistors reveals a high performance. The wafer‐scale uniformity of the dielectric membrane permits the formation of large‐scale flexible devices that exhibit good robustness and long‐term stability.