Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Konstanz, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 11-33) and index.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Konstanz, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 11-33) and index.

Since the rise of the first urban centers, the Middle Euphrates has functioned as a routeway between Mesopotamia and Syria. The towns and caravanseri located along the river served as important conduits of international exchange and as frontier towns buffering larger empires to the east and west. My research has investigated one small district along the Middle Euphrates. I have tried to document not only site distribution but also levels of communication between the middle valley of Euphrates and the southern Mesopotamian and western Syria core areas. Site distribution patterns show over and over again the location of entrepots, staging posts, and forts in this district. The chronological span of this study extends from ca 10,000 B.C. to A.D. 1980, an identifiable longue duree in which recurring cycles of conquest, depopulation, and revivification can be discerned. The area appears to have fared best during periods of intense competition among rival states for access to long-distance trade routes. However, when interactions between rival states in the stronger core areas of Syria and Mesopotamia resulted in the formation of empires whose capitals and interests lay far from the Middle Euphrates, the towns of this region perished. Nevertheless, the capture of the Middle Euphrates appears to have always been an important strategic battle in expansionistic efforts of such empires. I have analyzed the spatial distribution of sites in this region using data from a multi-stage field program. This program combined data from reconnaissance survey, intensive surface survey, intensive jeep survey, and test excavations at the Uruk period site of Tall Qraya with information from the broad-scale excavations at the regional center at Tall Harīrī and the provincial center at Tall al 'Ashārah. It is only with such archaeological data of long time depth gathered from many sources, in combination with information from textual sources, that one can attempt a "total history" of this area.

La thèse examine les rapports complexes entre Archéologie, Tourisme et Développement à travers l’analyse des enjeux et modalités de la mise en valeur des sites archéologiques en Syrie. Le contexte syrien offre à ces égards un terrain d’observation particulièrement riche puisque les sites archéologiques y ont été investis dès la fin du XIXème siècle de valeurs cognitives, identitaires et plus récemment économiques et touristiques dans le cadre des politiques de développement et d’aménagement du territoire « national ». Alors que les relations entre Archéologie, Tourisme et Développement sont stigmatisées par les archéologues, elles tendent à être conçues sous la forme d’une complémentarité « naturelle » par les gestionnaires et institutions patrimoniales et touristiques. Ces derniers voient dans le patrimoine (culturel) un levier potentiel de développement à la fois socio-économique et socio-culturel. Les discours archéologiques, managériaux et institutionnels se fondent néanmoins sur une conception limitative du site archéologique et de sa valorisation, terme connoté qui renverrait exclusivement à une exploitation marchande de la « ressource » archéologique. Or, il y a lieu de proposer une autre approche et d’adopter une voix médiane en soulignant que le rapprochement entre les trois dimensions évoquées ci-dessus est possible mais non obligé. Par conséquent, cette thèse propose une conception renouvelée des sites archéologiques et de leur mise en valeur. <p><p>The thesis examines the complex relationships between Archaeology, Tourism and Development through the analysis of the stakes and modalities of the development of archeological sites in Syria. The Syrian context offers a ground of particularly rich observation because archeological sites were invested from the end of the XIXth century of cognitive, identical values and more recently economic and touristic values in the framework of development policies. Within the framework of policies of development and "national" land settlement. While the relations between Archaeology, Tourism and Development are stigmatized by the archaeologists, they tend to be conceived under the shape of a "natural" complementarity by the administrators and the heritage and tourist institutions. These last ones see in the (cultural) heritage a potential lever of socio-economic and socio-cultural development. The archaeological, managerial and institutional rethorics base themselves nevertheless on a restrictive conception of the archeological site and its valuation (valorisation), a connoted term which would send back exclusively to a commercial exploitation of the archaeological "resource". Now, it seems important to propose another approach and to adopt a "median voice" by underlining that the link between three dimensions. Consequently, this thesis proposes a renewed conception of archeological sites and their development. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished