In Mesopotamia, the social value attributed to exotic materials such as lapis lazuli and carnelian within the elite-led wealth economy of the 3 rd millennium BC is well known. In contrast, the presence and circulation of these semi-precious stones has been less systematically investigated for the earlier Late Chalcolithic (4500-3100 BC) period, a time of increasing socio-economic trans- formations which resulted in the so-called Uruk phenomenon. Thus, this paper aims at providing an assessment of the regional distribution of lapis lazuli and carnelian in a diachronic and quantitative perspective between the 5th and early 3rd millennia across Mesopotamia to reflect on changes in con- sumption practices and circulation patterns in the region. First, the materials, sources and contexts will be reviewed, then the results will be discussed within a wider perspective in relation to trade routes and interaction with the surrounding areas.
Nell’economia della ricchezza gestita dalle é lite del III millennio a.C. in Mesopotamia è ben noto il valore sociale attribuito alle materie prime esotiche come il lapislazzuli e la corniola. La presenza e la circolazione di queste pietre semipreziose, di contro, è stata indagata in modo meno sistematico per il precedente periodo, Tardo Calcolitico (4500-3100 a.C.), un momento di crescenti trasformazioni socioeconomiche che hanno portato al cosiddetto fenomeno Uruk. Questo articolo mira a fornire una valutazione della distribuzione regionale di lapislazzuli e corniola in una prospettiva diacronica e quan- titativa tra il V e l’inizio del III millennio a.C. in tutta la Mesopotamia per riflettere sui cambiamenti nelle pratiche di consumo e nei modelli di circolazione nella regione. Verranno esaminati i materiali, le fonti e i contesti, per poi discutere i risultati in una prospettiva più ampia in relazione alle rotte commerciali e all’interazione con le aree circostanti.
The Circulation and Use of Lapis Lazuli and Carnelian in Mesopotamia Between the Late Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age I / M. Campeggi. - In: ORIGINI. - ISSN 0474-6805. - 46:(2022), pp. 29-56. [10.48235/1030]
The Circulation and Use of Lapis Lazuli and Carnelian in Mesopotamia Between the Late Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age I
M. Campeggi
2022
Abstract
In Mesopotamia, the social value attributed to exotic materials such as lapis lazuli and carnelian within the elite-led wealth economy of the 3 rd millennium BC is well known. In contrast, the presence and circulation of these semi-precious stones has been less systematically investigated for the earlier Late Chalcolithic (4500-3100 BC) period, a time of increasing socio-economic trans- formations which resulted in the so-called Uruk phenomenon. Thus, this paper aims at providing an assessment of the regional distribution of lapis lazuli and carnelian in a diachronic and quantitative perspective between the 5th and early 3rd millennia across Mesopotamia to reflect on changes in con- sumption practices and circulation patterns in the region. First, the materials, sources and contexts will be reviewed, then the results will be discussed within a wider perspective in relation to trade routes and interaction with the surrounding areas.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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