Clemens Reichel | University of Toronto (original) (raw)

Papers by Clemens Reichel

Social Science Research Network, 2022

The Late Chalcolithic Leilatepe “phenomenon” in the Southern Caucases has often been regarded as ... more The Late Chalcolithic Leilatepe “phenomenon” in the Southern Caucases has often been regarded as the product of Mesopotamian incursions into the region for the purpose of acquiring metals and semi-precious stones for trade.The material evidence has shown fairly clearly that these migrations resulted in the development of both hybridised and altogether new ways of engaging with the world, including novel architectural, metallurgical, ceramic, lithic, and ritual technologies and practices. This paper approaches this period of intense cultural interaction from a practice theory lens, aiming to view the social dynamics and processes associated with the emergence of Leilatepe “culture”. In doing so, we draw from Richard White’s Middle Ground concept to illustrate how new social practices emerge when two cultural groups with distinct habitus come into close and sustained contact with each other. Our research indicates that, while trade was likely an important aspect of the Leilatepe phenomenon, a number of factors also point to a sustained migration or migrations by a broad swath of Mesopotamian society who arrived in the region due to a combination of push and pull factors, and did not just engage in extractive trade, but settled permanently, creating new social realities.

University Press of Colorado eBooks, 2012

A search for "agency" and "archaeology" in virtually any academic database will yield a vast numb... more A search for "agency" and "archaeology" in virtually any academic database will yield a vast number of books, articles, and reviews, written for the most part in the past twenty years. If, however, one adds the search term "text" or "writing," the number of hits diminishes dramatically, and if references to modern texts and writing are removed, the result is virtually nil. Such searches measure very crudely what we archaeologists already know: agency and text have not to date been archaeological concerns (cf. Yoffee 2005, 113-30). Why should this be? After all, reading and interpreting ancient texts are an important aspect of doing archaeology in many chronological periods in both the New and Old Worlds. Indeed, it could be argued that ancient writing should have increased in prominence with the popularity of agency approaches in archaeology; after all, individual agents are frequently evident in early writing systems in a way that they are not in the archaeological record. Early texts are full of people with names doing specific things in particular places and times. These textually attested actors seem to have agency, if we use the generally accepted definition of agency as the capacity to make a difference through action (Giddens 1984, 14). This is precisely the problem, however-identifying individuals and their actions alone does not constitute the study of agency. The view that social life is I n t r o d u c t I o n

Akkadica 123.1: 35-56, 2002

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

How can we transform urban environments to encourage durability and mediate the social price of m... more How can we transform urban environments to encourage durability and mediate the social price of myriad risks and vulnerability?Our work here is to build a bridge from archaeology to mainstream architectural and design theory. The study of places, landscapes, and regions links the two fields. Architecture can be shaped and enhanced by the long-term cultural and geographic perspective afforded by archaeology; architecture can offer archaeology a ride into the future. We hope that our efforts are novel enough to be inspiring and connected enough to allow existing concepts to be furthered. The bridge unites three domains: material, social, and aesthetic. We look to the past to find material technologies—new engineering and conceptual solutions to an array of problems—and the past obliges with many examples. However, these technologies in their material aspects are only part of the story. The archaeologist sees them as playing a role in a system. This system, while mechanically functiona...

The end of the Akkadian period, in the last half ofthe twenty-third century, is coincident with t... more The end of the Akkadian period, in the last half ofthe twenty-third century, is coincident with the beginning of a degradation of climatic conditions, recorded in more than 30 paleoclimnte proxies from Tanzania in Africa to Rajasthan in India, which led to a ca. 30 % precipitntion decrease and aridification across West Asia (Weiss et al. 1993; Staubwasser and Weiss 2006; Weiss 2010). The imperialized urban center of Tell Leilan changed drastically during this period: both the Lower Town and the City Gate were abandoned and naturally filled with dust deposits (Weiss 1990; Ristvet, Guilderson and Weiss 2004), and on the Acropolis, The Unfinished Building, left incomplete, testifies to the suddenness of this event (Ristvet and Weiss 2(00). Following this abandonment, four rooms and an open courtyard, comprising only 0.1 ha. were reoccupied above an area of the previous Akkadian Administrative Building, and arc the only remains of Leilan IIc (post-Akkadian) occupation at the site (Weiss 2010; Weiss et aI., this volume: 163). The post-Akkadian reoccupation at Tell Leilan was very brief, and at ca. 2200 cal. BC the settlement was abandoned until the arrival of Shamsi-Adad (Weiss et aI., this volume: 163). In general, the evidence of post-Akkadian occupation in the Leilan Region Survey mirrors the developments at the site of Tell Leilan, where a widespread, imperial territorial organization was followed by a limited number of short-lived occupations.

Agency in Ancient Writing, 2012

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2016

The so-called "Oval" at Godin Tepe (Kermanshah province, western highland Iran) has long been con... more The so-called "Oval" at Godin Tepe (Kermanshah province, western highland Iran) has long been considered a template for an Uruk colony that retained its Southern Mesopotamian identity in spite of being embedded within a local community. With its substantial walls, controlled access, and abundant Uruk-style pottery and administrative tools, the view of its inhabitants as foreign merchants who lived a life distinct and separate from the surrounding town has been pervasive in scholarship about the Uruk phenomenon. In this study, we reassess the nature of the Uruk presence at Godin through an examination of its most characteristic manifestation: pottery. Using a combination of typological, chemical, and petrographic techniques, we analyze the composition of both Uruk-related and non-Uruk vessel forms from within the oval compound, as well as from the surrounding village, in order to establish the source of the clay that was used in their manufacture. Based on patterns of vessel procurement, our findings indicate a higher degree of integration within the community than previously suggested. Further, we find limited evidence of long-distance trade in ceramics, although we can document a fairly active exchange in ceramic vessels within the Iranian highlands. This highland trade seems to be concentrated in the oval compound which displays a greater diversity of ceramic sources than the village, indicating that its interpretation as a merchant enclave, while possibly overstated in previous scholarship, may not be wholly inaccurate.

The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, 2012

Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2020

Oriental Institute Museum Publications No. 28 This volume has been published in conjunction with ... more Oriental Institute Museum Publications No. 28 This volume has been published in conjunction with the exhibition Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq's Past.