The archaeological dimensions of near eastern nomadic pastoralism : towards a spatial model of unstable settlement systems

Cribb, Roger Llewellyn Dunmore (1982) The archaeological dimensions of near eastern nomadic pastoralism : towards a spatial model of unstable settlement systems. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

The archaeological dimensions of Near Eastern nomadic pastoralism: towards a spatial model of unstable settlement systems. The proposition that nomadic sites do not enter the archaeological record of the Near East because nomads leave no material traces is critically assessed in the light of evidence from contemporary nomad campsites in Anatolia. In order to develop a profile of nomadic pastoralism in its archaeological dimensions, a review of the existing ethnographic literature served to draw out certain themes relevant to the objectives and methods of archaeology. The essential instability of nomadism as a productive system and mobility - seasonal, long term, residential and social - which form the focus for ethnographic enquiry, also have their archaeological dimensions. The successive abandonment and reoccupation of seasonal sites by groups of flexible demographic composition gives rise to distinctive patterning in the archaeological record: 1) discrete occupation units corresponding to each household (nuclear areas), 2) the irregular build-up of deposits over space and time and 3) the dispersal of campsites in certain localities, constrained by considerations of terrain and shelter, access to pasture and proximity to zones of cultivation. The fluidity of settlement structure permits the concentration of all domestic activity - including refuse disposal - within the confines of the nuclear area, spatially structured with respect to the tentsite. Such shallow sites are best approached in terms of a predictive model of the organization, allignment and spacing of their constituent units.Not only was it discovered that many nomads differed surprisingly little in their material cultural repetoire from sedentary villagers, but also that there is a great deal of overlap in their respective architectural forms and features - considering ground level remains only. Variations in the elaboration of dwellings are linked to cyclical sequences of nomadization and sedentarization. Similarly, variations in intrasite settlement pattern and density appear to depend on 'security of tenure' in particular localities. The detection and analysis of nomad sites holds out exciting prospects for the archaeological study of spatial and behavioural phenomena.

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