This thesis is a multi-disciplinary survey of the Central Jordan Valley during the Late Bronze Age (1500-1200 BC) illustrated with an abundant use of maps and tables. The purpose is to determine how the Jordan Valley functioned as an economic unit during the Late Bronze Age. This thesis surveys the geographical, historical and archaeological records related to the Jordan Valley during the Late Bronze Age. A chapter is devoted to each field, geography (physical and human), history (Egyptian and Hebrew Bible) and archaeology. The data from each discipline is used to individually answer two questions: 1) was the Jordan Valley a single geographic/economic unit in the Late Bronze Age? 2) to what extent was the Jordan Valley integrated/interacting with the east-west highlands and the larger region in the Late Bronze Age? The primary objectives are to 1) explore and model a historical geographic hermeneutic for understanding the human experience of the Ancient Near East; and 2) lay a foundation for understanding the role of the Jordan Valley in affecting the Biblical periods of the Israelite monarchy to the Roman period.The answers from each chapter are then synthesized into a single geographic historical archaeological picture of the Central Jordan Valley during the Late Bronze Age. The Central Jordan Valley was divided into two sections: a fertile, populated, well connected north-central section and an isolated, sparsely populated southern section with limited agricultural zones. Trade with and between the eastern and western highlands is well represented by artifactual parallels in and through the Jordan Valley, the north-central section on a regional and international scale and the southern section on a more local scale. The thesis concludes that there are more artifactual points of connection between the Jordan Valley and the eastern highlands than with the western highlands. An ‘early conquest’ model of the Hebrew Bible is plausible within the historical records of the Egyptian 18th and 19th Dynasties and the geographical and archaeological records of the Jordan Valley during the Late Bronze Age. / Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies

This thesis is a multi-disciplinary survey of the Central Jordan Valley during the Late Bronze Age (1500-1200 BC) illustrated with an abundant use of maps and tables. The purpose is to determine how the Jordan Valley functioned as an economic unit during the Late Bronze Age. This thesis surveys the geographical, historical and archaeological records related to the Jordan Valley during the Late Bronze Age. A chapter is devoted to each field, geography (physical and human), history (Egyptian and Hebrew Bible) and archaeology. The data from each discipline is used to individually answer two questions: 1) was the Jordan Valley a single geographic/economic unit in the Late Bronze Age? 2) to what extent was the Jordan Valley integrated/interacting with the east-west highlands and the larger region in the Late Bronze Age? The primary objectives are to 1) explore and model a historical geographic hermeneutic for understanding the human experience of the Ancient Near East; and 2) lay a foundation for understanding the role of the Jordan Valley in affecting the Biblical periods of the Israelite monarchy to the Roman period.The answers from each chapter are then synthesized into a single geographic historical archaeological picture of the Central Jordan Valley during the Late Bronze Age. The Central Jordan Valley was divided into two sections: a fertile, populated, well connected north-central section and an isolated, sparsely populated southern section with limited agricultural zones. Trade with and between the eastern and western highlands is well represented by artifactual parallels in and through the Jordan Valley, the north-central section on a regional and international scale and the southern section on a more local scale. The thesis concludes that there are more artifactual points of connection between the Jordan Valley and the eastern highlands than with the western highlands. An ‘early conquest’ model of the Hebrew Bible is plausible within the historical records of the Egyptian 18th and 19th Dynasties and the geographical and archaeological records of the Jordan Valley during the Late Bronze Age. / Biblical and Ancient Studies

Im Fokus dieser Studie stehen mehrere Gruppen von tragbaren Skulpturen unterschiedlicher Größe und aus unterschiedlichem Material gefertigt (Bronze bzw. Papiermaché), die eine bestimmte Überlieferungslinie von Lehrern der Lamdre-Tradition darstellen. Lamdre („Der Weg und das Resultat“) bildet das zentrale religiöse Lehrsystem der Sakya-Schule des tibetischen Buddhismus und ihrer wichtigsten Zweigschule, der Ngor-Schule. Diese wenig bekannten oder weitgehend unerforschten Skulpturen und Skulpturengruppen befinden sich in der Sammlung des Klosters Namgyal in Mustang (Nepal), dem ehemaligen Königreich von Lowo (Glo bo), an der Grenze zu Tibet gelegen. Sie stammen aus dem späten 15. bis frühen 16. Jahrhundert, einer höchst innovativen Phase buddhistischer Kunstproduktion in Tibet und dem Himalaya, in der sich regionale Stile entwickelten und neue künstlerische Gestaltungsformen erprobt wurden, einschließlich verschiedener Arten des Porträts. Hierzu zählen idealisierte, typisierte, und gelegentlich hoch-expressive, Darstellungen von Lehrern innerhalb einer Überlieferungslinie ebenso wie individualisierte, realistische Einzelporträts von bedeutenden buddhistischen Meistern, die offensichtlich nach dem lebenden Modell geschaffen wurden. Basierend auf einer vergleichenden kunsthistorischen Analyse zeigt die Arbeit, dass der Repräsentation der Überlieferungslinie als Ganzes eine höhere Stellung beigemessen wurde als der Schaffung von Ähnlichkeit mit den einzelnen Figuren innerhalb einer Skulpturengruppe. Die Bildwerke reflektieren außerdem die religiösen, historischen und künstlerischen Verbindungen zwischen Mustang und angrenzenden Königreichen in West-Tibet, der Provinz Tsang und dem Kathmandu-Tal. Sie zeigen, dass die lokalen Klöster auf ein etabliertes Netzwerk von buddhistischen Klostergemeinschaften, machtvollen und wohlhabenden Stiftern und künstlerischen Traditionen aufbauen konnten, und dass sich die Region als ein Zentrum skulpturaler Produktion von höchster Qualität und Innovation etablierte. / This two-volume dissertation on lineage portraiture in Tibetan Buddhist art investigates in its core a body of portable sculpture preserved in a monastery in Mustang, Nepal. Most of these sculptures were originally part of sets documenting the person-to-person transmission of the most important teaching of the Ngor tradition, the Lamdre or “Path with the Result.” The Ngor tradition is a sub-tradition of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism to which this teaching traces back. Accordingly, most Sakyapa and Ngorpa monasteries may have had one or more Lamdre lineage sets in painting and/or sculpture. The focus of the study is on the iconographic and overall visual conceptions of different sets representing the same teacher lineage produced for or within the same regional context (Mustang in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries). A comparative analysis of the different sets shows that depicting the lineage teachers as a collective entity was deemed more important than creating physical likenesses of the individual teachers. This is reflected in the variation of the depiction of individual teachers from one set to another in terms of facial features, hand gestures, and even the type of practice a teacher may be associated with. The study also considers the emergence and evolution of teacher lineages within the Sakya school, introducing lineage representations on monumental backrest arches in repoussé work at the Sakya Lhakhang Chenmo in south-western Tibet. It also discusses teacher portraits produced outside the Lamdre lineage to reflect on questions of individuality, realism and likeness in Tibetan portraiture. A special focus is on portraits of two princely monks from the ruling house of Mustang, Lowo Khenchen and Lodrö Gyaltsen Pelzangpo. Overall, the lineage depictions and individual portraits are analyzed in relation to art history research on portraiture, Tibetan religious and political history, as well as their religious significance and ritual use.

In the historical tapestry of the development of the Goddess, from 10,000 - 330 BCE one golden thread shines through. Despite the vicissitudes of differing status, she remained essentially the same, namely divine. She was continuously sought in the many mysteries, mystic ideologies and through the manifestations that she inspired. In all the countries of the Ancient Near East, the mother goddess was the life giving creatrix and regenerator of the world and the essence of the generating force that seeds new life. While her name may have altered in the various areas, along with that of her consort/lover/child, the myths and rituals which formed a major force in forming the ancient cultures would become manifest in a consciousness and a spiritual awareness. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M.A. (Language and Culture)

Thesis (D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)) / The Fertile Crescent, due to its geographical characteristics, has always been an area troubled with conflict and warfare. The men who participated in these wars, from ca 2000 BCE to 1000 BCE operated from an ethos which was governed by a system of rules, all which were conceived to be the creation of divine will, to which kings and their warriors (keymen) were subject. The cuneiform texts from Mari, Ugarit, Ebla, Amarna and others, have not only thrown light on the political, social, religious and military aspects of those turbulent times, but have also given insight into the formation of armies as well as the commanders who led those armies and the royal officials who governed cities and provinces, all appointed by the monarch in order to effect the smooth running of his kingdom. They also shed light on the formation of coalitions and alliances in order to promote peace, arrange marriages to the daughters of other ruling powers and to promote trade relations. These were no easy tasks, considering the diversity of peoples, the birth and fall of kingdoms and empires, and the ever shifting and changes of loyalties of greedy kings and their men, to attain power and conquest for themselves.. However, these texts also give glimpses of the human side of the king and the close relationships between himself and his men of authority, whilst the women of the court also played their role in some areas of the social field. The responses, of these people towards matters and events, whether they were confrontations, marriage alliances, trade ventures or hunting expeditions, occurred within an ever changing world yet, it was also a world with an ethos of ancient traditions, which did not disappear but instead remained, albeit in adapted or altered form, to be a part of their contextual reality. / Biblical Studies

L'habitat de la fin du premier âge du Fer ne bénéficiait pas jusqu'à présent d'une approche globale et synthétique des productions métalliques découvertes en son sein. Pour quelques établissements situés de l'Allemagne du Sud Ouest à la France centrale, nous proposons une définition générale de la diversité de ces mobiliers au travers de leurs aspects qualitatif et quantitatif. Nous avons eu l'occasion de constater, quels avaient été les choix de consommation du fer ou des alliages cuivreux. Des évolutions sont aussi notables avec l'apparition, ou le développement au cours du temps des mobiliers fabriqués en fer. Une pénétration de celui-ci dans les milieux domestiques est un fait important dans l'évaluation de sa diffusion au cours de la période hallstattienne. Par ailleurs, l'étude précise des assemblages a permis de mettre en évidence des changements liés à la consommation du métal en général. L'accumulation de ce matériau par les milieux privilégiés est avérée pour les phases les plus anciennes, alors qu'ensuite au Ha D2, Ha D3 et à LTA, il se propage dans les milieux domestiques et artisanaux. En définitive, à la fin du premier âge du Fer, le métal est consommé en plus grande quantité sur les sites de hauteurs ou à proximité. Il faut attendre le début de LTA pour observer d'autres cas de figures, liés aux transformations des formes de l'habitat mais aussi très probablement à une certaine diffusion du métal. En outre, certains objets semblent avoir parcouru de longues distances, retrouvés très éloignés de leur zone de productions. Ils évoquent ainsi un monde en mouvement où les contacts établis : commerciaux, aristocratiques ou cultuel (?) attestent du dynamisme et de l'intégration de la plupart des sites abordés dans de vastes réseaux. Enfin, si le monde artisanal, les femmes et les élites ressortent tout particulièrement au travers du métal, ce dernier a permis aussi de préciser la caractérisation du statut de quelques-uns des établissements étudiés, notamment ceux dont le niveau de structuration était le plus élevé.

År 1929 grävde den Svenska Cypernexpeditionen ut en helgedom daterad till den tidiga delen av Sencypriotisk II (1400-1340/1315), namngiven Ayios Iakovos: Dhima. Kring ett terrakotta-kar återfann arkeologerna flera värdefulla och exotiska föremål.  Sedan dess har platsen och dess fynd tolkats på många olika sätt, utan någon egentlig klarhet. Genom att göra en systematisk studie över det hittills opublicerade skärvmaterialet har nya slutsatser om platsen kunnat läggas fram. Tidigare tolkningar om ett kronologiskt gap under Sencypriotisk I kan nu ifrågasättas. Det finns belägg för ett kontinuerligt bruk från Mellancypriotisk III fram tills platsen övergavs under Sencypriotisk II. Den stora mängden slutna kärl, förknippade med transport av väldoftande oljor och salvor, vittnar om de aktiviteter som en gång företogs på platsen. Dessutom visar närvaron av typiska rituella dryckeskärl ett av de tidigaste exemplen på utvecklingen av Cypriotisk rituell tradition, nu separerad från de tidigare starka banden till gravriter.

This thesis overviews my experience during graduate school making tangible,object oriented sculpture. I have been working formally to compose space in a way that develops a narrative between parts. The work is also a bridge between the fields of painting and sculpture, in terms of drawing with form and both painted and local, material color. My palette has mostly consisted of bronze casting, steel fabrication, fiberglass and epoxy resin, paint, the found object, woodworking, and mold making. This work is also conceptually based in showing the hand worked qualities of the materials, the transfer of meaning through casting, and my emotional relationship with the various parts of the sculptures. The three major themes of the work are: divine love and the complex of the apocalypse, the complexities and psychology concerning the relationship between a man and a woman, and the intrigue, potential energy, and beauty of the systems mankind hasinvented to harness the atom. The major artistic influences for this body of work have been: Jasper Johns, Marcel Duchamp, Constantine Brancusi, Alberto Giacommetti, Reg Butler, Henry Moore, Lynn Chadwick, Kenneth Armitage, Jeff Koons, Terry Winters, William DeKooning, Richard Diebenkorn, David Smith and Charles Long. I retain a strongrelationship with the movements of Dada, Surrealism, Futurism, and Assemblage, and amalso currently involved in solidifying the Manifesto of Raubeaux with a small group ofesteemed colleagues.

This diploma thesis inquires into the quality of the soils at 30 archaeological sites from the periods from Late Bronze Age to Early Bronze Age (1 250 - 450 BC). The aim of the thesis is to prove the dependence of the ratio of the cultivated cereals on the soil and other environmental factors in various regions. The secondary aim is the general observation of the changes, which could appear from this period until now. These changes are represented by the erosion, researched by various methods. The overview of the literature aims to the short description of the archaeological sources from the period, various approaches to the soil evaluation until present as well as information about the soil erosion and tools for its research. The conclusion of the thesis is that the ratio of the cultivated cereals depends mostly on the sea level, secondly on other environmental factors (included the soil quality). The results of the thesis are influenced by number of factors, discussed in the conclusion Keywords: soil quality, cereals, archaeological sites, perimeter of kilometre, soil erosion, late bronze age, early iron age

Red Lustrous Wheelmade Ware (RLWm ware) transport and storage vessels have been excavated from Late Bronze Age (LBA) sites across the eastern Mediterranean. These distinctive vessels were traded for the valuable commodity they contained so far unidentified. Seventy-three sherds (61 RLWm ware, 12 in local fabrics) and two visible residues were analysed for organic residues using standard lipid extraction techniques. Seven residues from a previous study were re-examined. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified four materials - beeswax, bitumen, fat/oil and resin. Beeswax, found only in vessels from Hittite sites in Turkey, was probably used as a post-firing treatment. Fat/oil, present in some sherds from every site, represents the contents of the vessels and showed many of the characteristics of degraded plant oil. Two examples contained a plant sterol and three yielded ricinoleic acid, a biomarker for castor oil. Gas-chromatography compound-specific isotope ratio mass spectrometry of selected residues excluded dairy products, ruminant animal fats and fish oils as source materials for the fats/oils, while comparison with a small database of modern oils created during this study does not exclude plant oils. Selected samples analysed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry did not reveal wine residues. Data on the elemental composition of the fabric collected during another study was re-analysed and compared with data from a further published study, confirming the remarkable consistency of RLWm ware fabric. Volume calculations were also attempted to give an estimate of the capacity of the main vessel forms.