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Domination and Resilience in Bronze Age Mesopotamia
7.4. A typical tell, or mound, in the Upper Khabur region of northeastern Syria (near
Tell Brak and Tell Leilan; see figure 7.1) Photo by Tate Paulette.
tional control entail a shift in economic planning, in risk-buffering strategies,
or in other forms of hazard management on the household level Did different
systems of institutional organization affect the localized impact of specific
types of hazard Did some forms of institutional control invite disaster or
increase the chances of large-scale collapse, while others incorporated higher
degrees of flexibility and resilience These remain open questions.
Types of Evidence
The archaeological exploration of ancient Mesopotamia began in earnest during
the later part of the nineteenth century, and fieldwork has continued in Iraq
and Syria up to the present day, with some notable interruptions during times
of war and political unrest. 3 The typical archaeological site in Mesopotamia is
the tell, which means “mound” in Arabic (figure 7.4). Tell sites are the remains
of ancient towns and cities, once constructed on level ground but now rising
high above the surrounding landscape thanks to the gradual buildup of debris
(from successive settlements built one on top of the other) over hundreds and
often thousands of years. These mounds can be as small as half of a hectare (1.2
acres) or as large as 600 hectares (1,483 acres), and they may rise only 1 m or as
much as 40 m above the surrounding landscape.
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