The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 3, Part 1: The Prehistory of the Balkans, the Middle East and the Aegean World, Tenth to Eighth Centuries BC

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THE CAMBRIDGE ANCIENT HISTORY VOLUME III PART 1

Cambridge Histories Online © Cambridge University Press, 2008

Cambridge Histories Online © Cambridge University Press, 2008

THE CAMBRIDGE ANCIENT HISTORY SECOND EDITION VOLUME III PART I

The Prehistory of the Balkans; and the Middle East and the Aegean world, tenth to eighth centuries B.C. Edited by JOHN BOARDMAN F.B.A. Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art in the University of Oxford

I. E. S. EDWARDS F.B.A. Formerly Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities The British Museum

N. G. L. HAMMOND F.B.A. Professor Emeritus of Greek, University of Bristol

E. SOLLBERGER F.B.A. Formerly Keeper of Western Asiatic The British Museum

Antiquities

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Cambridge Histories Online © Cambridge University Press, 2008

PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4 211, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, vie 3207, Australia Ruiz de Alarcon 13, 28014 Madrid, Spain Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa http://wTvw.cambridge.org © Cambridge University Press 1982 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1925 Second edition 1982 Sixth printing 2006 Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge British Library Cataloguing in Publication data The Cambridge ancient history. — 2nd edn Vol. 3. Part I: The prehistory of the Balkans; the Middle East and the Aegean World, tenth to eighth centuries B.C. 1. History, Ancient I. Boardman, John 930

D57

75-8519

Library of Congress catalogue card number: 75-85719 I S B N 0521 22496 9

Cambridge Histories Online © Cambridge University Press, 2008

CONTENTS

List of Maps

page xii x

List of Text-figures List of Chronological Tables

"i xvi

xvii

Preface PART I THE PREHISTORY OF THE BALKANS TO 1000 B.C. 1

The Prehistory of Romania: from the earliest times to

i

IOOO B.C.

byV\. D U M I T R E S C U , Prof. Dr docent de I'lnstitut d'Arcbe'ologie de rUniversite de Bucarest i Introduction i n Background to the Palaeolithic period 2 in The Palaeolithic and Epipalaeolithic (Mesolithic) periods 6 iv Man and his environment after 6000 B.C. 12 v The Neolithic—Eneolithic period 16 vi The transitional period from the Eneolithic to the Bronze Age 37 VII The Bronze Age 43 VIII The period of transition from the Bronze Age t o the First Iron Age: the Hallstatt A period (1200-1000 B.C.) 62 2

T h e Stone A g e in t h e Central Balkan Area 75 bjM. G A R A S A N I N , Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences, Belgrade 1 Geographical introduction 11 The Palaeolithic and Mesolithic ages in The Neolithic period

3

T h e Eneolithic p e r i o d in t h e Central Balkan Area

75 78 81 136

by M. G A R A S A N I N

1 Beginnings of metallurgy 11 Migrations from the Russian steppes and the Pontic area in Eneolithic culture

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136 140 142

vi

4

CONTENTS

The Bronze Age in the Central Balkan Area

page 163

by M. G A R A S A N I N

I n in iv 5

The The The The

East Balkan complex Early Bronze Age in the Central and Western Balkans Carpatho-Danubian complex West Balkan complex

166 170 175 181

T h e Prehistory of Albania by F. P R E N D 1, Archaeological Museum, Tirana

187

1 11 in iv v vi VII VIII

187 189 190 201 204 206 209

Geographical introduction T h e Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods T h e Neolithic period T h e Eneolithic period Neolithic and Eneolithic sites and habitations Way of life T h e Bronze Age T h e period of transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age ix Way of life

228 2 31

P A R T II THE MIDDLE EAST 6

Assyria: Ashur-dan II to Ashur-Nirari V (934-745 B.C.) by A. K. G R A Y S O N , Professor of Assyriology in the University of Toronto

238

1 Sources for the Neo-Assyrian period II Comments on the sources for the period covered by this chapter i n Chronology of the Neo-Assyrian period iv Historical geography of the Neo-Assyrian Empire v Historical background vi Ashur-dan II (934—912 B.C.) VII Adad-nirari II (911-891 B.C.) VIII Tukulti-Ninurta II (890-884 B.C.) ix Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 B.C.) x Shalmaneser III (858-824 B.C.) xi Shamshi-Adad V (823-811 B.C.) XII Adad-nirari III (810-783 B.C.) XIII The interval (782-745 B.C.) xiv Conclusion

238

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244 245 245 247 248 249 251 253 259 269 271 276 279

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7

Vll

Babylonia c. 1000-748 B.C. page 282 Z^J.A. B R I N K M A N , Professor of Mesopotamian History and Director of the Oriental Institute, Chicago 1 Introduction 11 The background of Babylonian history in the early first millennium: geography, peoples, culture, institutions in Babylonia in eclipse, c. 1000-912 B.C. iv The revival and decline of north-western Babylonia, c. 911-811 B.C.

Urartu byR. D . B A R N E T T , Formerly Keeper of Western Asiatic The British Museum 1 11 in iv v vi

9

10

309 312 3*4 Antiquities,

The rise and progress of Urartian studies Geography and environment of Urartu Nairi and Uruatri: the origins of Urartu Urartu and Assyria: the struggle for supremacy Urartu and Assyria: coexistence and collapse Urartian art and archaeology

T h e N e o - H i t t i t e states in Syria a n d Anatolia by}. D . H A W K I N S , Lecturer in Ancient Anatolian Languages, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 1 11 in iv v vi VII VIII

Introduction The early period Ashurnasirpal II and Shalmaneser III T h e successors of Shalmaneser III Tiglath-pileser III, Shalmaneser V, and Sargon II Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and Ashurbanipal Epilogue: the Babylonian Empire in the West Syro-Hittite civilization

Israel and Judah until the revolt of Jehu (931-841 B.C.) by T. C. M1 T c H E L L, Deputy-Keeper of Western Asiatic Antiquities, The British Museum 1 11 in iv v

285 295 301

v The rise of the Chaldaeans, 810—748 B.C. vi Conclusion 8

282

Sources of knowledge The period in general Technology and economics The division of the Kingdom The dynasty of Omri

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314 322 328 333 356 365 372

37 2 380 388 399 4°9 424 433 43 5 44*

44 2 44" 448 45 1 466

Vlll

11

CONTENTS

Israel and Judah from Jehu until the period of Assyrian page 488 domination (841—c. 750 B.C.) by T. C. " M I T C H E L L

1 Jehu and his successors n The age of Jeroboam II and Uzziah 12

Cyprus by V. K A R A G E O R G H I S , Director of Antiquities, Cyprus The transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age The Cypro-Geometric I period (c. 1050-950 B.C.) The Cypro-Geometric II period (c. 950-850 B.C.) The Cypro-Geometric III period (c. 850-750 B.C.) and the Phoenician colonization of Citium v The end of the Cypro-Geometric III period

1 11 in iv

13

E g y p t : from t h e Twenty-second to the Twenty-fourth Dynasty by\. E. S. E D W A R D S , Formerly Keeper ojEgyptian Antiquities, The British Museum 1 T h e rise of Libyan supremacy 11 The Twenty-second Dynasty: Shoshenq I to Takeloth II i n The division of the monarchy and the rise of the Twentythird Dynasty iv Princedoms of the Delta and the Twenty-fourth Dynasty v Literature and art

488 501 5 11 511 518 521 523 530

5 34

5 34 539 562 571 577

PART III THE BALKANS AND THE AEGEAN 14

The Early Iron Age in the Central Balkan Area, c. 1 000-7 5 ° B.C.

582

by M. G A R A S A N I N

1 n in iv v vi

Introduction: general considerations T h e East Balkan region The Central Balkan region The West Balkan region The North-western region Hoards of metal objects

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582 5 89 593 598 608 616

CONTENTS

15

Illyris, Epirus and Macedonia in the Early Iron Age

IX

page 619

by N. G. L. H A M M O N D , Professor Emeritus of Greek in the University of Bristol 1 n in iv v 16

Central Greece and Thessaly by h. M. S N O D G R A S S , Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology in the University of Cambridge 1 n rn iv

17

Geographical description Archaeological discoveries in Illyris Ancient remains in Epirus Ancient remains in Macedonia Some general conclusions

Physical account The later tenth and earlier ninth centuries B.C. The later ninth and earlier eighth centuries B.C. The middle and later eighth century B.C.

T h e Peloponnese

619 624 632 642 653 657

"57 664 672 679 696

by N. G. L. H A M M O N D

1 n in iv v vi vn iSa

Geographical description Some general characteristics of the Dark Age Argolis and the Argolic peninsula Corinthia and the Isthmus Achaea, Eleia, Messenia and Arcadia Laconia The emergence of the city-state from the Dark Age

East Greece by J. M. C O O K , Professor Emeritus of Ancient History and Classical Archaeology in the University of Bristol

i8£ The islands

19

696 7°3 705 717 7*5 732 738 745

754

^y J O H N B O A R D M A N , Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art in the University of Oxford 1 Euboea 11 The Cyclades ' in Crete

754 7^5 77 l

The Geometric culture of Greece

779

by J O H N BOARDMAN

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CONTENTS

zoa The earliest alphabetic writing page J94 by B. S. J. I S S E R L I N , Reader in Semitic Studies and Head of the Department of Semitic Studies in the University of Leeds

1 11 in iv v vi VII

Early attempts at Canaanite writing Early 'alphabetic' scripts The transition to the 'Phoenician' standard alphabet Some aberrant developments The spread of the Phoenician alphabet South Semitic The transfer of the alphabet to the Greeks: the Semitic background

794 799 804 811 811 814 816

zob Greek alphabetic writing

819

by L. H. J E F F E R Y , Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall and Lecturer in Ancient History in the University of Oxford zoc Linguistic problems of the Balkan area in the late prehistoric and early Classical periods 834 byR. A. C R O S S L A N D , Professor of Greek in the University of Sheffield 1 11 in iv v zod

Introduction Thracians and associated peoples The Illyrians The language of the Macedonians The relationships of the ancient languages of the Balkans

834 836 839 843 847

T h e G r e e k l a n g u a g e and t h e historical dialects by J. B. H A I N S W O R T H , Fellow of New College and Lecturer in Greek and Latin Literature in the University of Oxford

1 General trends 11 The dialects

.

850

851 854

zoe Balkan languages (Illyrian, Thracian and Daco-Moesian)

866

by E. C. P O L O M E , Professor of Linguistics and Germanic and Oriental Languages in the University of Texas at Austin

1 Illyrian 11 Thracian arid Daco-Moesian

866 876

BIBLIOGRAPHY Abbreviations

A i II in iv

The Balkan Peninsula Romania Yugoslavia and Bulgaria Albania Illvris, Epirus and Macedonia

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page 901 906 906 9*3 926 929

CONTENTS

B i n in rv v C D i II in iv v vi VII vin ix x E i II in iv

Western Asia General Assyria and Babylonia Urartu Syria and Anatolia Israel and Judah Egypt Greece and the Aegean General Central Greece and Thessaly Argolis and Epidaurus Corinthia and Megaris Laconia Achaea, Arcadia, Eleia and Messenia East Greece Crete Euboea and the Cyclades Cyprus Development of Writing The earliest alphabetic writing Greek alphabetic writing The Greek language and the historical dialects Balkan languages (Illyrian, Thracian, Dacian, Moesian)

Index

XI

page 930 930

93* 941

949 955 966 974 974 977 980 982 982

983 984 984 985 987 989 989 997 998 1000

1009

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MAPS

1 The Palaeolithic and Epipalaeolithic (Mesolithic) periods in pages 8-9 Romania 2 T h e Neo-Eneolithic period in Romania 18—19 3 T h e period of transition to the Bronze Age in Romania 3&~9 4 T h e Bronze Age and Hallstatt A period in Romania 44~5 5 G o l d and bronze hoards in Romania 48-9 6 T h e Neolithic period in the Central Balkans 76 7 T h e Eneolithic period in the Central Balkans *37 8 T h e Bronze Age in the Central Balkans 164 9 Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Eneolithic sites in Albania 188 10 Bronze A g e sites in Albania 210 11 Assyria 246 12 Babylonia and environs, c. 1000-748 B.C. 286 13 Urartu 324~5 14 T h e Syro-Hittite states 374 15 Palestine 447 16 Cyprus 512 17 E g y p t 5 3 6 ~7 18 T h e Central Balkan Peninsula, c. 1000—700 B.C. 583 19 Illyris, Epirus and Macedonia in the Early Iron Age 620 20 Central and northern Greece 658 21 Historical demes of Attica where there are graves of eighth-century B.C. date 688 22 T h e Peloponnese in the Early Iron Age 697 23 East Greece 746 24 Euboea 755 25 _ T h e Aegean islands 766 26 Crete 772 27 Middle Eastern sites of early alphabetic or related writing 795 28 T h e Greek dialects c. 750 B.C. 859 29 T h e Greek dialects: isoglosses of the First and Second Compen863 satory Lengthenings

xn

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TEXT-FIGURES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Palaeolithic implements from Romania page 65 Palaeolithic and Epipalaeolithic implements from Romania 66 Neolithic polished stone and flint tools and other objects 67 Neo-Eneolithic pottery 68 Neo-Eneolithic pottery 69 Eneolithic pottery, pottery from the period of transition to the Bronze Age, and other objects 70 Figurines of the Neo-Eneolithic period and the period of transition to the Bronze Age 71 Plan of the Eneolithic settlement at Habas.es.ti 72 Bronze Age pottery, and spiral decoration of the altar-hearth at Sighi^oara 73 Weapons and other metal objects from the Middle and Late 74 Bronze Age Early and Middle Neolithic. Balkano-Anatolian complex. 91 Anzabegovo—Vrsnik group Early and Middle Neolithic. Balkano-Anatolian complex. Karanovo I-III and Cavdar groups 96 Middle Neolithic. Balkano-Anatolian complex. Velussina-Porodin group 99 Early and Middle Neolithic. Carpatho-Central Balkan complex. IO 3 Starcevo group Early Neolithic. Circum-Mediterranean complex with impressed IQ pottery 8 Middle Neolithic. Circum-Mediterranean complex. Danilo group 11 ° lzl Late Neolithic. Balkano-Anatolian complex. Vinca group Late Neolithic. Balkano-Anatolian complex. Vinca group 123 Late Neolithic. Balkano-Anatolian complex. Sopot—Lengyel I2 8 group Late Neolithic. Adriatic complex. Lisicici—Hvar group '31 T Late Neolithic. Transitional zone. Butmir group 33 Eneolithic period. East Lower Danubian complex. Marica and Sava group 144 Eneolithic period. East Lower Danubian complex. Gumelnija 146 group xin

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TEXT-FIGURES

24 Eneolithic. East Lower Danubian complex. Bubanj-Hum I-II groups page 150 25 Eneolithic period. North-western Balkans. Baden group 154 26 Eneolithic period. North-western Balkans. Vucedol group 15 7 J 27 Elements of Steppe cultures in the Balkans 6i 28 Bronze Age. East Balkan complex 168 29 Early Bronze Age in the Central and Western Balkans W 30 Middle and Late Bronze Age. Carpatho-Danubian complex. Vattina group 176 31 Middle and Late Bronze Age. Carpatho-Danubian complex 178 32 Middle and Late Bronze Age. West Balkan complex. West 183 Serbian variant of the Vattina group 33 Middle and Late Bronze Age. West Balkan complex 185 34 Some shapes of the pottery of the Vashtemi-Podgorie group 192 35 Some shapes of the pottery of the Cakran group, and a cult-rhyton 195 36 Some shapes of the pottery of the Maliq I-Kamnik group 199 37 Some shapes of the pottery of Maliq II 202 38 Some shapes of Early Bronze Age pottery 212 39 Some typical shapes of Middle Bronze Age pottery 215 40 Bronze and pottery objects of Aegean types 217 41 Typical pottery shapes of the Late Bronze Age 221 42 Various kinds of bronze axe 223 43 Swords and knives of the Late Bronze Age, and a vase of Late Helladic IIIC 225 44 Bronze weapons of the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age 227 45 Clay model of a naiskos, from the sanctuary at Citium 515 46 Plan and section of Tomb 19 at Alaas 5 '5 47 Plan and section of a tomb at Curium 5 '7 48 Plan of the sanctuary at Citium (Area II) 5 20 524~ 49 Plan of the Phoenician temple of Astarte at Citium 50 Bowl of Red Slip ware from the temple of Astarte, Citium 526 51 Detail from t h e ' H u b b a r d Amphora' 528 52 Early Iron Age. East and Central Balkan region 59 2 5 3 Early Iron Age. West Balkan region. Phases of the Glasinac group 601 54 Early Iron Age. West Balkan region. South Bosnia and the Pod gradina 603 5 5 Early Iron Age. West Balkan region. Liburnian region 606 56 Early Iron Age. North-western region. Sava region 609 5 7 Early Iron Age. North-western region. Urnfields in south 612 Pannonia 58 Early Iron Age. South-eastern Pannonian region 614 59 Transitional and Early Iron Age objects from Illyris and Epirus 626 60 Early Iron Age objects from Macedonia 643 61 Athenian cremation burial of a woman 666 62 Proto-Corinthian oenochoe, decorated with a masted ship 674 63 An oared warship under way, from an Attic Late Geometric I krater 675 Cambridge Histories Online © Cambridge University Press, 2008

TEXT-FIGURES

XV

64 Athenian inhumation burial Pa& 676 65 Geometric tripod cauldron 681 66 Bronze fibulae of Balkan origin, from sanctuaries at Pherae and Philia 682 67 Plan of a group of Middle Helladic cist-graves at Eleusis 68} 68 Late Bronze Age rod tripod from the area of the Pnyx, Athens 68 5 69 Projected drawing from an Attic Late Geometric kantharos 686 70 Amphibious battle, from an Attic Late Geometric oenochoe 687 71 Boar hunt, from a Boeotian Late Geometric kantharos 689 72 Bronze helmet from Tiryns 706 73 Grave at Argos 710 74 Clay model of an apsidal building, from Perachora 720 75 Bronze dedications at the sanctuary of Zeus, Olympia 727 76 Plan of the archaic town at Emporio, Chios 753 77 Plan of the straits of Euboea at Chalcis and Eretria 757 78 'Sub-Protogeometric' skyphos, from Lefkandi 758 79 Heroon by the West Gate, Eretria 764 80 Temple of Apollo Daphnephorus, Eretria 765 81 Plan of the settlement at Zagora on Andros 768 82 Plan of the settlement at Karphi 774 83 Section of a tomb at Cnossus (Fortetsa T o m b P2) 775 84 Socketed spit of Cypriot type 776 8 5 Plan and reconstruction of the temple of Apollo Delphinius at Drerus 777 86 The 'Panoply T o m b ' at Argos 781 87 Early seventh-century settlement at Vroulia, Rhodes 784 88 Details from Attic Late Geometric vases showing warriors 786 89 Reconstruction of a bronze tripod cauldron from Olympia 788 90 Archers on a Middle Protogeometric vase, from Lefkandi 790 91 Ritual at an offering table, from an Attic Late Geometric II oenochoe 790 92 Man leading a horse, from an Argive Late Geometric krater 791 93 Shipwreck scene, from an Attic Late Geometric oenochoe 791 94 Early linear writing in the Lebanon 797 95 Signs from Byblos and Egypt 797 96 'Proto-Canaanite' and related inscriptions from Palestine 798 97 Proto-Sinaitic text no. 349 799 98 The group of Proto-Sinaitic signs read as V'It by Gardiner 800 99 Ugaritic abecedary reading from left to right 802 100 Early alphabetic writing 806-9 101 Inscriptions on the Lachish ewer, the Lachish bowl, the Raddana handle, and the Manahat sherd 810 102 Some Samaria ostraca 812 103 Inscription on the base of a steatite vase from Cyprus 818 104 The West Semitic alphabet and the Greek local scripts 820-1 105 Some early local alphabets 825 106 Some early Greek inscriptions 829

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CHRONOLOGICAL TABLES

i n in iv v

Neolithic cultures in the Balkan area page Eneolithic cultures in the Balkan area T h e Bronze Age in the Balkans Iron Age I in the Balkan Peninsula Egypt: Kings from the Twenty-second to the Twenty-fourth Dynasty vi Western Asia 1. Assyria and Babylonia, Urartu, Israel and Judah, Tyre, Moab Western Asia 2. The Neo-Hittite states of Syria and Anatolia VII Greece and the Aegean

xvi

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88 138 165 588 8

9°

891 894 898

PREFACE

The Editors wish to pay tribute to the late Sir Denys Page. As a Syndic of the Cambridge University Press in 1958 he intervened decisively in favour of a continuation of the plan for a new edition of the Cambridge Ancient History when the project was in danger of being abandoned. But for his personal interest, it is unlikely that these volumes would have been written. When Volumes 1 and 11 were being planned, the main Balkan area was excluded from detailed study because it was not possible at that time to gain a comprehensive view of the remarkable archaeological discoveries which had been made mainly since the end of World War II. It was only in 1972 during an International Conference at Tirana in Albania that the proposal to write a Prehistory of the Balkans for the Cambridge Ancient History was mooted by N. G. L. Hammond and was discussed with I. V. Dumitrescu, M. Garasanin and F. Prendi. Thanks to their enthusiastic action and despite serious illness and other difficulties this project has now been realized, and we present for the first time an overall survey of the Balkan area north of the Greek peninsula for the prehistoric period. It was felt appropriate to include the survey in the present volume, because the developments in that area influenced Aegean and Anatolian cultures particularly at the end of the Bronze Age and in the ensuing period. We express our gratitude to M. Garasanin for his help in coordinating these chapters. The main theme in the Aegean area is the abrupt decline in economic standards, which was associated with a reversion to pastoralism in many parts of the Greek mainland and with the disruption of maritime trade. The beginnings of the Dark Age were discussed in Volume 11 part 2. In this volume we study the gradual regeneration of Greece and the emergence of a society in which we can see the beginnings of the city-state. This too is a period of renewed contact with the east and of the start of colonization in Italy, subjects to be discussed more fully in Volume in part 3. In the period covered by this volume the archaeological evidence gets progressively richer and its elucidation has been xvii

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XVlii

PREFACE

a notable feature of scholarship in the last generation. By the end of the period too we can discern some aspects of rural and city-state life in the oral and literary traditions which were recorded by contemporary poets, in sacred archives and in later writers. The task of reconstruction is both fascinating and controversial; and it is important in enabling us to gain some insight into the background of what was to become a decisive phase in the shaping of European civilization. In Western Asia we see the rise of the two great empires, Assyria and Babylonia, which for centuries would in turn dominate the political and cultural scene. In eastern Anatolia a new power appears, the Urartians, whose kingdom for a time threatens Assyria herself before sinking into oblivion. In northern Syria and southern Anatolia a mosaic of small states emerges from the disruptions which had brought about the collapse of the Hittite empire, while in Palestine Solomon's kingdom is now split into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, sometimes living in harmony and more often competing for supremacy. We trace the history of Egypt under the kings of Libyan stock, whose forebears for several generations had lived in the Delta and southwards as far as Heracleopolis. They followed a succession of weak native rulers who, since the death of Ramesses III in c. 1166 B.C., had barely been able to maintain Egypt's internal coherence and even less capable of exercising any influence on the course of events abroad. Shoshenq I, the first king of the Twenty-second Dynasty, not only established his authority over the whole country but conducted a highly successful campaign against Palestine, the fruits of which materially enriched his own treasury and the treasury of the priesthood of the god Amun at Karnak. This revival in Egypt's fortunes did not, however, prove to be lasting. Before the end of the dynasty, the monarchy had become divided and the country, already threatened by the western advance of the Assyrian army, had succumbed to invasion by the Nubian kings Kashta and Py. The last chapter deals with the epoch-making invention of alphabetic writing and in particular the development of that writing by the Greek states, and with a study of the languages in the Balkan area in as far as they are known to us through the preservation of alphabetic records. Research in this field has been very active in recent decades, and we are grateful to R. A. Crossland for planning and co-ordinating the sections of this chapter. As with Volumes 1 and 11, it has seemed desirable to replace the original Volume in of the Cambridge Ancient History with more than one volume - in part 1, in part 2, in part 3. This is due to the great increase in archaeological material, not least in the Balkan area, and to the growing complexity of specialized studies in so many fields. Though

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XIX

we may be less confident sometimes than our predecessors in proposing answers to the problems of this period, our aim is to provide the greater range and quantity of evidence which must now be taken into account. On the other hand, Volumes iv, v and vi will be single volumes. More text illustration is being admitted in this and succeeding volumes. The illustration in the Volume of Plates planned to accompany Volume in will be less closely bound to the text chapters and will attempt to present historically relevant material for the places and periods discussed, but often under different heads. The form of the Bibliographies has been recast to some extent. Since the previous system led sometimes to the repetition of a title in one chapter's bibliography in that of another chapter, we have formed a single bibliography for each group of chapters which has a general subject in common, but we have also made sub-divisions within that bibliography for the convenience of the reader. In entering on periods which have been intensively studied for a century and more, we have found it necessary to make the bibliographies selective rather than exhaustive, and on occasion we have referred the reader to the bibliographies of the original Volume in for further reading. We have tried to strike a reasonable balance between text and bibliography. There is no separate Index for maps in this volume; map references are given as the first items under place-names in the General Index. The Editors wish to mention the following acknowledgements. Professor V. Dumitrescu is most grateful for the help of his colleague Dr Silvia Marinescu-Bilcu, especially during his illness. Chapter i was translated by Mme Georgeta Bolomey, chapters 2,3,4 and 14 by Stojana Burton, and chapter 5 by Margaret Hammond; but the final form is due to the Editor responsible for the Balkan chapters. Dr I. E. S. Edwards acknowledges his very considerable debt to the authors of many recent studies on the Libyan Period, and in particular to Professor J. Yoyotte and Dr K. A. Kitchen, both of whom have made outstanding contributions to present-day knowledge of the period. Dr Kitchen's scheme of chronology has been followed throughout chapter 13. Professor N. G. L. Hammond expresses his gratitude to Professor Frano Prendi, Professor M. Garasanin, Professor M. Andronikos and especially Mrs I. P. Vokotopoulou the excavator of Vitsa, for their help; and to the last for permission to publish the plan of the site, drawn by PI. Theocharidis. Dr Isserlin is indebted to Professor A. F. L. Beeston and Professor S. Strelcyn for their contributions to the charts of early scripts and to them and to Professor Sznycer and Dr Millard for their advice. Some delays are unavoidable in a work of collaboration which involves so many writers, and it is unfortunate that they distress those who were most punctual in sending their contributions. As a

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PREFACE

consequence of delays the dates of composition of chapters in this volume vary considerably: for example, that of chapter i was March 1977, that of chapter 6 was March 1976 and that of the latest contribution to chapter 20 was February 1979. On the other hand it has been possible to arrange that all authors should bring their bibliographies more nearly up to date. In accordance with current custom, radiocarbon age measurements quoted in Part 1 of this Volume are given in uncalibrated form on the basis of a half-life of 5 570 years, and not on a half-life of 5730 years. Readers who wish to convert these measurements into dates which are now believed to be more accurate should consult calibration tables published e.g. in MASCA Newsletter 9 (1973) 1—20 or in Antiquity 49 (1975) 251-66. (The Editors are grateful to Mr R. J. F. Burleigh of the British Museum Research Laboratory for advice on this matter.) The maps in this volume have been drawn by David Cox of Cox Cartographic Ltd, Pippin Cottage, Waterstock, Oxon. 0x9 IJT. Marion Cox prepared many of the drawings for chapters 12, 16—19. The index was compiled by Dr Peyton R. Helm. The Editors are most grateful to the Staff of the Cambridge University Press for their unfailing friendliness and ready cooperation in preparing this volume for publication. j.B. I.E.S.E. N.G.L.H. E.S. NOTE ON FOOTNOTE REFERENCES

Works cited in the various sections of the Bibliography are referred to in footnotes by the appropriate section letter followed by the number assigned to the work in the sectional bibliography, followed by volume number, page references etc. Thus A 491, 11 72 is a reference to p. 72 of vol. 11 of N. G. L. Hammond's A History of Macedonia — no. 491 of Bibliography A: The Balkan Peninsula.

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CHAPTER 1

THE PREHISTORY OF ROMANIA FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO 1000 B.C. VL. DUMITRESCU, A. BOLOMEY AND F. MOGO§ANU*

I. INTRODUCTION

Situated in the contact zone between Central and South-eastern Europe, Romania is a Carpathian—Danubian country. The Carpathian mountains-Eastern, Southern (with peaks over 2,500 m) and Western which in the course of history have never been an ethnic and cultural barrier, enclose the Transylvanian plateau, a real central stronghold, connected by passes with the Carpathian foothills and the large plains beyond them. The entire country is crossed by rivers, almost all of which have their source on the territory of Romania; either directly, or indirectly through the river Tisa, these rivers flow into the Danube which, in turn, flows into the Black Sea. Given the scores of millennia and the numerous problems with which this chapter has to deal, only a brief outline of the prehistory of Romania from the first evidence of human activity to the eve of the first millennium B.C, that is the end of Hallstatt A, is possible within t h e available space. Prehistoric research in Romania is almost 150 years old, but methodical research began much later. The collection and classification of archaeological data were initiated in the second half of the nineteenth century and the first survey of the prehistory and protohistory of Dacia was published in the early 1880s. The results of test excavations in the Cucuteni Eneolithic settlement and at similar sites were reported at international congresses, and other contributions were made regarding various prehistoric studies, while a steady activity was carried out in Transylvania. The first more systematic excavations were made in the early twentieth century, in particular by J. Teutsch and F. Laszlo in * Sections 11 and IV of this chapter were written by Alexandra Bolomey of the History Museum of the Socialist Republic of Romania, and section III by F. Mogojanu of the Bucharest Institute of Archaeology. See Preface, p. xx, for date of composition. I am indebted to my student and co-worker Dr Silvia Marinescu-Bilcu of the Bucharest Institute of Archaeology for her assistance in selecting the illustrations and preparing the figures, plates and maps. The figures for this chapter are grouped on pp. 65—74.

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I. THE PREHISTORY OF ROMANIA

south-eastern Transylvania (especially at Ariu§d), and by H. Schmidt in 1909—10, at Cucuteni (Moldova), a site of special importance for the knowledge of the Eneolithic culture of the Cucuteni painted ware. In 1916, I. Andrie§escu excavated the Eneolithic site of Salcuja (Oltenia), but did not publish his findings. Systematic prehistoric research, based on a unitary plan, began in Romania after the First World War when the great historian and archaeologist Vasile Parvan, the founder of the modern Romanian school of archaeology, organized, through the National Museum of Antiquities of Bucharest and the Commission for Historical Monuments, a vast campaign of surveys and excavations at prehistoric sites from different periods and in various regions of the country. A number of sites, some of which became eponyms of cultures, were dug in 1923—6: the Eneolithic settlements at Sultana, Gumelnita, Cascioarele, Boian, Bonte§ti, Dragu§eni, Ruginoasa, Glina and Vadastra, the Bronze Age settlement at Lechinta and the settlement and cemeteries at Monteoru. Palaeolithic research and excavations in northern Moldova and Transylvania were an important part of this activity. After the premature death of V. Parvan (1927), prehistoric research made further progress in 1941—4. It gained great impetus after 1949, when scientific research was reorganized within the Academy of the Socialist Republic of Romania, and the Archaeological Institute of Bucharest, the Institutes of History and Archaeology of Cluj and Jassy and many local history museums were founded. The period from 1949 to 1975 was the second flourishing stage of Romanian archaeology. Hundreds of settlements and cemeteries from all prehistoric periods were excavated, new cultures were discovered and the ones already known were thoroughly studied. Even the most important discoveries are too numerous to be listed here; but mention should be made of the fact that extensive Palaeolithic excavations were made then for the first time and that some sites were fully investigated, including the Eneolithic settlements at Habas.e§ti, Trujesti, Teiu and Cascioarele, two of the biggest Neo-Eneolithic cemeteries of Europe (Cernavoda and Cernica), the four Bronze Age cemeteries at Monteoru, and the cemetery at Cirna. II.

BACKGROUND TO THE PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD

1. The Pleistocene between c. 2 Million and c. 60,000 Years Ago

The reason for considering this unusual interval, regardless of geochronological or archaeological criteria, is that it includes the disputed evidence of human intervention in the Villafranchian bone assemblage at Bugiule§ti and the undoubtedly man-made stone implements of early Palaeolithic typology, whose stratigraphic origin is still unknown. Cambridge Histories Online © Cambridge University Press, 2008

BACKGROUND TO THE PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD

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Various data required for the reconstruction of the evolution of the pre-Wiirm Pleistocene environment are available from all over Romania. But reference will be confined to the one area where such early anthropogenic activity has already been identified, the area south of the Carpathians. At the beginning of the Pleistocene the Romanian plain and the southern part of the Moldovan plateau were still covered by the Pliocene lake.1 This was gradually filled with freshwater alluvial deposits, and the mainland advanced in the directions north—south and west—east. The present commune of Bugiulefti ( = Tetoiu, Oltenia) is located on the Upper Villafranchian shore of that lake, as we can infer from the rich mammal associations discovered in sands and clays of fluvio-lacustrine origin at several localities of the commune, and especially in the Graunceanu valley. The abundance of the horse and cervids and the comparative rareness of the antelope, giraffe, southern elephant, and large terrestrial Cercopithecine monkey,2 etc., are indicative of a warm climate and a predominantly grassy vegetation of the savannah type. The list of species is similar to that found in Seneze (France), for which diatomites and palaeomagnetism suggest a chronometric age of 1-8—2 million years.3 Stone artefacts were recovered east of this area in the minor valleys between the rivers Olt and Arge§. Some teeth of A.rchidiskodon meridionalis and of Dicerorhinus etruscus were also found. If both fossils and artefacts came from the same deposits, the former would date the latter to any time from the Middle Villafranchian to the pre-Mindel interglacial; if the tools were associated only with the rhinoceros, they could go down to the post-inter-Mindel. Although locally there is evidence for climatic oscillations (e.g. in the Betfia region,4 and in the Bra§ov and Sfintu Gheorghe depressions),5 pre-glacial climatic conditions are considered to have prevailed throughout the territory of Romania until the Riss.6 2. Man and His Environment from 60,000 to 6000 B.C.

The Mousterian climate was certainly not rough. As borne out by pollen diagrams, the oscillations of the Early Wurm indicate a gradual increase in dryness and, to a lesser extent, a decrease in temperature. During the climatic optimum of the ' Nandru Interstadial" (possibly equivalent to Wurm I/II), the climate was wet and warm {Quercus 3-5 %, Tilia over 1

2

3

4

* MA IO, 93ff. 5 A 4. ' A 7, i83ff, figs. 2 - 4 .

A 10, 9iff. A 18, 229ff. • A 14, II7flf.

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I. THE PREHISTORY OF ROMANIA

6%, Corylus i j - i 7 % ) . 8 A steppe vegetation with Compositeae and Gramineae grew in the Middle Wiirm stadial. The percentages of Cyperaceae, Polygonaceae and conifers, however small, point to the persistence of a certain humidity. According to the pollen-scale the 'Ohaba Interstadial ' 9 (possibly equivalent to Wiirm II/III) included three mild oscillations (Ohaba A and B, and Herculane I) 10 with identical curves: increase in humidity (high proportions of pine, spruce and willow), rise in, temperature (mixed-oak forests 8-11%, alder 8-16%, hazel 8-39%), decrease in temperature (first a pine-phase, then a birch-phase). The last Mousterian occupation falls into the Ohaba B oscillation.11 In caves on both slopes of the Southern Carpathians the abundance of large carnivore and especially of cave-bear bones is typical of Mousterian deposits. These animals and man occupied the same caves in turn, so the traces of their presence became intermingled. The demonstration that almost all the bones from the caves in the Alps came from animals that died a natural death is convincing.12 Furthermore, the hypothesis that cave bears were vegetarians is equally convincing.13 Nevertheless, because in most instances the bones of killed animals cannot be distinguished from those of animals which died naturally, it is safer not to include the bear in man's diet. The geomorphology, altitude and other features of the micro-regions accounted for slight differences in the herbivore populations. Small valleys bordered by gentle heights, for instance, were the territories of red and giant deer; less so of the elk, horse and cattle; and were only sporadically visited by the woolly rhinoceros and mammoth (Nandru). Higher limestone massifs offered favourable conditions to the ibex and chamois on the rocks, and to the horse and hydruntinus in depressions (especially at Ohaba Ponor, less at Baia de Fier and Gura Cheia-Risnov). The site at Ripiceni is unique in the Romanian Palaeolithic because in its Mousterian habitation the mammoth was the most intensively exploited species. The position of the site and the ecology of the mammoth account for this phenomenon. On a limited stretch of the Prut, limestone reefs, persisting from the Upper Miocene, form ridges perpendicular to the valley {toltryi). It is likely that the ford which resulted from their presence in a particularly developed form in the Ripiceni area was used by herds of mammoth during their seasonal migrations from one territory to another in the Lower Wiirm. While they were crossing the river they were an easy prey for the human community living in the shelter at Stinca Ripiceni and/or in the open site at Izvor. " A 7 ; A 8 ; A 9. 10 A 8. 12 A 16.

9 11 13

A 7, i9off, figs. ; - 6 . A 7,figs.6-7. A II,

74ff.

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In contrast with the traces of habitation which Mousterian man left almost all over Romania, his skeletal remains are very rare. A first phalanx of the second right toe discovered at Ohaba Ponor is certainly insufficient to justify the name of Homo neanderthalensis. The only criterion for this name is the Mousterian assemblage in which it was found. Nor can the poor vestiges found at some other sites characterize the population. The largest set of human remains (skull and mandible fragments and some long bones) was discovered in the cave at Baia de Fier (Oltenia).14 The gracility of the bones and the predominance of sapiens characteristics in the skull have aroused doubts about their Mousterian age. But this scepticism is not justified, when we consider that it becomes ever more obvious that the extreme Neanderthalers, as we know them from Western Europe, were specialized forms spread over a comparatively limited territory, while in the rest of Europe there remained room for the .'purer' descendants of the polymorphous pre-Neanderthal populations and even for representatives of sapiens proper. According to pollen analysis, the Aurignacian corresponds to a warm oscillation (Herculane I) of the Ohaba Interstadial.15 Little is known about the fauna of that cultural stage. Cattle seem to have predominated in Moldova (Ceahlau area). A skull, probably of a woman aged 30—40, was found in a cave at Cioclovina (Transylvania) in association with Aurignacian tools. Physical characteristics assign it to the Cro-Magnon type, Predmost variant.16 In opposition to the older geochronological scale of archaeologists, we believe that the whole eastern Gravettian falls into the Young Wiirm stadial, possibly extending over its upper limit. Our hypothesis is founded on analyses of animal bones from Moldova where such remains are more substantial. The horse is present at most sites, very often as the dominant species. Given its ecological requirements, steppes must have prevailed. Pollen analysis, too, demonstrates that steppes were more extensive than in the preceding chronological stages. Reindeer frequency is equal to and sometimes even higher than that of the horse. Intolerance to high temperatures, which nowadays prevents this species from descending below 15 °C July isotherm,17 is a further indication of the climate of that period. Relevant evidence is available for the seasonal migration of reindeer in Moldova.18 Although no seasonal dating can be derived from the remains of other species of herbivore, we believe that they too were forced to migrate as a result of climatic pressure and limited food resources. This suggests that human communities also moved and changed site with the season. 14

A 3, 14; A 12. A17,

/ f f 6 / /

" A 8; A 9. " A , 7,4/5. 8/6ff

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I. THE PREHISTORY OF ROMANIA

The low age of the Gravettian of Moldova is confirmed by a few C-14 dates (Bln-806: 16,160+300 B.C.; Bln-805: 15,670+320 B.C. at Lespezi,19 Bin—000: c. 17,000 B.C. at Crasnaleuca = unpublished date). The persistence of the Gravettian into the Late Glacial, in Moldova at least, is suggested by the site pattern in the southern part of this province. All sites are located close to the hilltops,20 which means that the valleys were inaccessible because of the water-flow and the erosion it caused. Very poor animal vestiges point to the exploitation of large bovids (Valea Ursului) and deer (Malujteni). Gravettian man is not yet known. About 10,000-8500 B.C., in the Epipalaeolithic, ibex and chamois continued to be the most intensively exploited species at a low altitude in south-western Romania (Iron Gates), whereas the presence of deer is uncertain (Cuina Turcului, Baile Herculane). Around 6000 B.C., the economy in that area was based mainly on deer and pig; other species occurring in smaller quantities included dog (Icoana—Razvrata—Veterani group). 21 It is interesting to note that in the Peloponnese (Franchthi cave) the incidence of deer decreased considerably soon after 8500 B.C.22 This was the time when deer probably began to retreat gradually northwards in the Balkan Peninsula. In Moldova, in a Tardenoisian area, animal bones have been preserved in a comparatively poor condition at only one site (Erbiceni). It seems that the horse was more abundant in the lower part of the sequence and was gradually replaced by the deer and pig. I I I . T H E P A L A E O L I T H I C AND E P I P A L A E O L I T H I C (MESOLITHIC) PERIODS

The most numerous and most important Palaeolithic discoveries in Romania have been made in the past twenty-five years. Nevertheless, the activity of the consummate archaeologists who laid the foundations of Palaeolithic research in this country many years ago should not be overlooked: N. N. Moro§an for eastern Romania (Moldova and Dobruja)23 and Marton Roska for Transylvania.24 Most prominent was C. S. Nicolaescu-Plop§or, who initiated the systematic research all over Romania, which led to the discovery of many new sites dating from almost all phases of the Palaeolithic. In any introduction to the Lower Palaeolithic mention should be made of the discoveries at Bugiule§ti, which are still open to question. Rich fossil deposits dating from the Upper Villafranchian were dug in 19 21 23

A j , 66ff. For these dates see the Preface of this Volume, p . xx. A 6. A 25.

20

A 22 _ 7 2 A 15, i24ff, figs. 3-4. " A 36.

22

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PALAEOLITHIC AND EPI PAL A EOLITH IC PERIODS

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the commune of Bugiule§ti. One deposit, located in the Graunceanu valley, attracted the attention of C. S. Nicolaescu-Plopsor and Dardu Nicolaescu-Plopsor, and extensive excavation resulted in the following findings: (i) in contrast to the other deposits, the bone remains in the Graunceanu valley have no anatomical connexion; (2) many marrowrich long bones were deliberately broken in the same manner; (3) there was a sequence of commonly used artefacts of definite functional types. These were held to provide evidence of human activity in the Graunceanu valley and assigned to a ' pre-Palaeolithic', corresponding to an early stage of hominization. 25 Flint implements attributed to the Pebble Culture were gathered from a large area of west-north-western Muntenia. The first discoveries were made in the Dirjov valley (near the town of Slatina) (fig. 1.1—3), but in recent years similar implements occurred farther to the east along the rivers Cotmeana, Mozacul, Dimbovnic and Argej. The numerous artefacts recovered there form an exceptionally rich collection which removes every doubt about the existence of a powerful centre of human occupation during the Lower Palaeolithic. So far 754 artefacts have been gathered, including 161 choppers, 276 chopping-tools, 24 AbbevilloAcheulian implements and 293 flakes, blades and cores (Clactonian and Levalloiso-Mousterian). These artefacts, found only in river valleys, i.e. in a secondary position, are supposed to originate either in the alluvium of the Getic Piemont or in the alluvium of some fragments of the upper terraces of the rivers.26 Other Lower Palaeolithic finds are a Levallois blade (stratigraphy unknown) discovered at Giurgiu (Muntenia), a Clactonian flake found at Valea Lupului (Moldova) in the terrace of the Bahlui, and an Acheulian biface discovered at Capusul Mic (Transylvania).27 The Middle Palaeolithic is represented in all regions of Romania by practically all the Mousterian groups known in Europe. The most widespread Mousterian of Romania is that found in the caves of the Southern and Danubian Carpathians and known as the 'Alpine' or 'cave-bear hunters" Mousterian, which used much quartzite and less flint. The chopping technique was rudimentary, and typology is very poor. The equipment includes more round scrapers (some of La Quina and semi-La Quina type), a number of triangular points, mostly without retouches and with the butt frequently on the cortex. The Levallois debitage is missing and bifaces are rare. These are general features of the South-east European cave Mousterian. That sites were occupied for a long time is clear from the cultural layers which are between two and three metres thick. Pollen and micro-mammal analyses have shown that 25

A }O.

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A 26, 44.

2B

A 28.

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