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| Outline of the Project |
Archaeological research in West Asia conducted
by many universities and institutions from Japan has a very good
reputation internationally for its sensitivity and objectivity.
To date, however, there has not been a multidisciplinary approach
combining different related fields. Therefore, we planned a project
as an integrated research, taking advantage of both the accumulation
of studies by Japanese researchers and the uniqueness of each study
without being restricted to any specific field.
Our project is a multi-disciplinary research in the Bishri Mountains
on the Middle Euphrates, North-East Syria. This area was a primary
homeland of the builders of the ancient civilizations of West Asia
such as the Assyrians and Babylonians. This project will clarify,
through a harmonized cooperation of natural and cultural sciences,
the changes of natural environment, patterns of settlement, food/labor,
human biological features, architectural styles, artistic styles,
and social relationship. Based on these analyses, this project
will also clarify how prehistoric settled societies developed into
ancient cities and states, and how tribal communities
were formed in the region in relation to the emergence of settled
societies.
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| Components of the Project |
Our project, composed of field research,
domestic/international related research and analysis, would ideally
need related research in the North-West Iraq. Unfortunately, the
recent extremely dangerous political situation in Iraq is not likely
to cease within a five-year-term of this research (2005-2009),
and we have excluded Iraq from the project.
The field research will start with a survey on a sites distribution (the
First year). Based on the results of this survey, an excavation site will
be selected according to the objectives of this project (the Second-Fourth
year). The excavation team will be joined by other groups dealing with
objects, relics, and natural sciences such as animal bones, soil, topography,
and geology. In the last year, based on the results of the excavations,
a general research and a supplemental research will be conducted in the
region (the Fifth year).
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| This project consists of a supervising
group, thirteen planned research groups, and a related project
(selected from application) as introduced in the Menu Members. |
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| Expected Result |
This project differs from a traditional
archaeology, which reconstructs a history of a certain area in
a specific period of time through excavation research. Instead,
it will clarify the historical uniqueness of the West-Asian cities,
which experienced the continuous influx and efflux of nomadic tribal
communities, and the process of “the formation of tribal communities.”
Standing with the concept of “tribalism” as a key word, neither
ancient civilization nor Islam, our project clarifies the history
and the society in the West-Asia and will create a new realm of
research area that goes beyond the realm of archaeology or modern
study.
Today’s world is suffering from a chain of violence, and a major factor contributing
to this is often thought to be “tribalism”. Our area research is expected to
provide critical information on this so-far rarely focused concept of “tribalism”
through an incorporation of archaeology, epigraphy and cultural history. |
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| Copyright (C) 2005-2007 Kokushikan University |
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