Middle Eastern Archaeology
The geographical area of the modern Middle East, or West Asia, includes the countries and territories of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, and the Arabian peninsula.
Other terms have historically been used (and still are used) to describe geographies in this region, particularly ‘the Near East’ and/or ‘Mesopotamia’. These terms are often meant to designate ‘ancient’ spaces and peoples, and while familiar descriptors, we should acknowledge the context in which these words were created. The ‘Near East’ is an ahistorical term coined in the 19th century by colonial empires of the West. It demarcated the area between the ‘West’ and the ‘Far East’ from an entirely Eurocentric perspective, creating a new and imagined imperial geography. Within academic institutions, the ‘ancient Near East’ can be inherently exclusionary by including only pre-Islamic histories and peoples of West Asia within its purview. The term ‘Mesopotamia’, which encompasses an area slightly larger than the modern country of Iraq, including parts of Turkey and Syria, has also been applied in this manner.
West Asian heritage is both complex and dynamic, with human and material biographies that extend uninterrupted into the past, and it is something that should not be compartmentalized by external parameters. We at MENAM believe that archaeology can be used to productively explore and celebrate the many cultural, environmental, and historical narratives that constitute this region.
North African Archaeology
To North African archaeology we consider Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Western Sahara.
North Africa, and Africa in general, has experienced drastic climate changes throughout its history. During the African Humid Period, which started ca. 12,600 BCE and ended 3,000 BCE, the Sahara desert was once a savannah. Consequently, human settlements were widespread, and the period had a profound effect on societies in Northern Africa, including the birth of Ancient Egyptian culture. With the end of the African Humid period, the resulting climate changes created an environmental situation in which only the Nile valley, the Nile delta and the coast had viable agricultural land.
The populations who had settled in the increasingly arid areas in North Africa were affected in a multitude of ways; culturally, economically and politically when people gradually started to favor regions with a steady supply of water.
Africa is often referred to as the ‘cradle of mankind’. Although we know that the prehistoric hominins wandered out of Africa during the Pleistocene epoch, those that stayed in Africa developed rich and varied histories in the area. Not only the well known societies like ancient Egypt, but also Byzantine, Ottoman, and Arab peoples and cultures have existed in this area. Additionally, lesser known groups have played an equally important role in the history of North Africa, such as the Libyans, the Hittites, the Caspians and the Songhai.
As human history and culture in North Africa is vast, both spatially and temporally, it is imperative that we treat each one of them as equally important, no matter the size of the society or the amount of material culture they left behind. With the inclusion of the above mentioned countries we at MENAM Archaeology aim to shine a light on the broader North African archaeological area.
Mediterranean
Archaeology
The reason we have limited our scope of mediterranean archaeology to these countries is because they share specific regional features. The climate consists of hot dry summers and humid, cool winters.
These areas share a generally hilly landscape and share biodiversity with species that do not exist anywhere else. Throughout history these areas have been occupied by a number of larger empires, which has made the construction of political borders in this region highly fluid up to the modern day. As such, they share similar traits in traditions and culture.
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Generally when talking about Mediterranean archaeology the mind wanders to Greece and Italy where a lot of the big archaeological remains are located. However, we want to showcase that it is not only Greece and Italy that had great civilizations.
