Under the direction of Dr Adam Smith, Mr. Alan Greene will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. With National Science Foundation support Mr. Greene will travel to Yerevan Armenia and analyze a large sample of archaeological ceramics excavated from Late Bronze Age sites. Upon his return to the United States a selected sample will be analyzed by a variety of chemical and physical techniques, including neutron activation analysis, digital radiography and X-ray computed tomography. These latter two techniques have not been applied to archaeological ceramics and this research has the potential to develop robust techniques with wide applicability.
For decades researchers studying the rise of social complexity in the Old World focused on the rich and abundant archaeological records in Iraq and Iran because in both these areas it was possible to trace the development of complex societies from initial small scale hunting and gathering groups through the emergence of empires. With access to these two countries limited in recent years archaeologists have productively pursued these same fundamental questions in neighboring areas and Armenia - particularly the Bronze Age period - has proven fruitful ground. During the Early Bronze Age large settlements appear in the archaeological record. It is particularly interesting that in the following Middle Bronze Age period, the pattern changes and settlements are abandoned in favor of a nomadic militaristic lifestyle. During the Late Bronze Age (1,500 to 1,200 BC) which is the focus of Mr. Greene's study, the pattern shifts once again and a unique arrangement appears with people aggregated in large heavily fortified settlements with smaller outliers. Mr. Greene wishes to understand how these settlements relate to one another - to what degree and over what area do they interact - and what were the economic and social systems which underpinned these relations. To do this he is focusing on ceramics from a number of sites which have been excavated in recent years. By tracing the distribution of pottery types over space he can determine where different kinds were produced and how they moved and were traded. Through the examination of the techniques by which they were fabricated and the extent to which they were standardized, it will be possible to determined the degree to which production was centralized. Thus the ceramics serve to provide insight and understanding of a broader social universe.
This project involves close collaboration between US and Armenian researchers and will strengthen ties between the two countries. It will also further the scientific career of a promising young researcher.
