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Review s of Book s 303
recontextualize the Xiangtangshan caves by incorporafing pieces removed from to the site into the
discussion.
The remaining two essays in Echoes of the Past deal with the various mulfimedia technologies
utilized in the Xiangtangshan project. Readers who have the opportunity to experience the so-called
D igital Cave in person at the exhibition will better appreciate the background and technical informa-
tion docum ented in the essays. Created by the contem porary artist Jason Salavon, the Digital Ca ve is
a reconstruction of the South Cave at northern Xiangtangshan in a space framed by three large screens
that are coordinated to project a steady stream of images of the structure's interior. This eight-minute
presentation mixes black-and-white photographs from the 1920s with a recent video scan of the cave
and 3-D digital models showing the removed sculptures restored within the cave's original setting. The
mo ving im ages conjures a virtual reality in which the viewer can witness the transformation of tbe cave
from one state of existence to another in conden sed time. To com pleme nt the Digital Ca ve, various
computer touch-screens are placed throughout the galleries for visitors to further explore the caves
using other digital tools utilized in the project.
As a unit, the Xiangtangshan exhibition and its accompanying catalogue offer a compelling method-
ology for studying cave temples in China. In assembling removed sculptures in one location and reunit-
ing them with their original context through the latest imaging technologies and academic research,
the organizers clearly promote a historical approach to understanding Xiangtangshan and its time. This
focus provides an alternative way of dealing with the more controversial issues of cultural patrimony
and repatriation that an exhibition full of looted objects might raise. While the catalogue does not con-
tain any specific essay addressing these questions, a label titled Prom oting the Protection of Chinese
Cultural H eritage is displayed near the exit of the exhibition space in the Sackler Gallery. Couc hed in
a series of questions and answers, the label anticipates the questions a curious visitor might ask about
the policies and regulafions now in place to protect historical sites like Xiangtangshan.
In sum.Echoes of the Past is a welcome addition to the current literature on Chinese Buddhist art.
It offers a viable model of research and outreach for any future projects on cultural monuments that
involve the use of advanced imaging technology and international collaboration.
SoNYA
L E E
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The Pots and Potters of Assyria: Technology and O rganisation of Production Ceramic Sequence and
Vessel Eunction at L ate Bronze Age
ell
SabiAbyad Syria.B y
KIM DUISTERMAAT.
PAL M A, vol. 4 .
Turnhout:
BRHPOLS,
2008. Pp. 605, illus. 125.
In the secondary title for her dissertation-tumed -book, K im Duistermaat sets expansive goals for
herself and the text: describing the technology em ployed and the organization of production at L ate
Bronze Age Tell Sabi Abyad, providing further thoughts on the ceramic sequence at the site, and
offering disciission on the function of the vessels represented in the L ate Bronze assem blage. H appily,
Duistermaat's work lives up to these goals via a text that presents a great deal of raw data and explana-
tory material while remaining accessible.
The more theoretical and interpretive goals of the study are founded upon a thorough physical
study of the LB ceramic material from the site. The excavation and evaluation methodologies for the
recovered ceramic material are provided in good detail in chapter II, while chapter III ( The Ceramic
Sequence ) provides a wonderful balance of organized raw data with thoughtful descripfive analysis.
In chapter III the ceramics are grouped by level and, for each level, descriptions of the fabrics, rim and
base shapes, forms, firing temperatures and conditions, and surface treatments are provided. In addition
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304 Journal of
th
American Oriental Society 131.2 (2011 )
Chapters V, V I, and VII provide the interpretive meat of the study. In chapter V D uistermaat address-
es the techniques employed in and the organization of pottery production at Tell Sabi Abyad. Here and
in her concluding chapter she asserts that while there is a documentable change in ceramic production
between Level 7 ( Mitanni period) and Levels 6-3 (Middle Assyrian occupation), strong points of
continuity also exist. She cites as an example the presence of Middle Assyrian shapes in Level 7 and
the continuation of shapes and decorations generally seen as typical of the M itanni period in Levels
6 - 3 .
She asserts that the continuation of Level 7 potting traditions implies that local potting customs
continued alongside the production of ceramics associated with the Assyrian
dunnu
administration.
(She describes
dunnu
settlements as a tool by which Assyrian officials administered their land. They
were private agricultural estates in the coun tryside, used for the extraction of agricultural produ cts
and surplus to support the activities of the official in Assur or his city of residence elsewhere. Dunnus
could also have duties in border control, taxing and military action [p. 25].) In the Middle A ssyrian
dunnu
phase, she envisions the potters as relatively ind epe nde nt. . . working in an individual w ork-
shop organisation, but commissioned by and under the protection and authority of the Middle Assyrian
dunnu
adm inistration (p. 420 ). Having outlined a proposal for the organization of production at the
Tell Sabi Abyad dunnu she asserts that this model could also be used to describe ceramic production
at similar Middle Assyrian sites.
What does not seem to be offered in any of these three chapters (V, VI, VII) is a straightforward
discussion of the mechanism(s) by which pottery shapes (e.g., carinated cups with certain rim shapes
and straight-sided bowls) traditionally associated with Middle Assyrian influence or occupation would
be present in Level 7, a claim made in chapters IV (pp. 53-54) and VII (p. 469). Additionally, the deci-
sion to exclude from the discussion all material found in the pottery production areas that is not directly
related to pottery production (p. 349) is disappointing but understandable. The scope of the study is
already quite expansive and the final excavation reports for the LB horizon at the site have yet to be
published. I am hopeful that sometime in the future Duistermaat will revisit the topic of the organiza-
tion of ceramic production areas and the daily activities of the craftspeople in light of any relevant
material to be published in the final report.
While there is no doubt that this book will be of great interest to members of the academic com-
munity interested in Late Bronze Age Syrian archaeology, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that
this volume has a great deal to offer anyone interested in ceramic studies regardless of region or time
period. Duistermaat achieves this versatility in her presentation by providing much of the methodologi-
cal and technical background information needed to understand her presentation of site-specific data.
For example, in chapter V.6 she provides a discussion of potters' wheels, complete with drawings of
several types, as part of her argument supporting the identification of the simple wheel as the tool used
at Tell Sabi Abyad. Likewise, located in her discussion of pottery-shaping techniques are a guide meant
to help determine the direction in which the potter's wheel was spinning when a vessel was thrown,
step-by-step illustrations of several throwing and finishing techniques, and annotated photographs illus-
trating some of the technical issues introduced via line drawings and text description.
Similarly, the data presented in appendix C could not only prove useful to a specialist but also
provides a well-organized and detailed model of fabric descriptions that could serve as an example for
anyone wishing to brush up on their ceramic analysis skills. The color photographs of thin-sections are
numerous and increase the accessibility of the thin-seetion descriptions. This level of illustration and
explanation is rare for a site-specific publication and greatly increases the usability of this volume by
students and scholars of varying levels of experience with ceramie data. Portions of the text would also
be quite useful in an advanced undergraduate or graduate course that explored the study of ceramics
in archaeological contexts.
Duistermaat's extensive discussion (in chapter VI and appendix F) of the connection between vessel
form, function, and use is commendable. Again, this level of detail on this subject is rare in a pottery
report from a single site. Her introduction to this material provides a brief but informative theoretical
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R e v i e w sofB o o k s 305
an-historical data. Specialistsin Assyrian-period ceramics willbeinterestedinher listofAssyrian p ot-
tery namesandproposed matches between these vessel nam esandshapes.Herdiscussionsofserving
and eating, cooking methods, brewing methods,andvesselsin iconography, alsoin this chapter, will
likelybe ofinteresttoanyone studying foodwaysin theancient Near East.
In addition
to
the sections already mentioned, the appendices include
a
shape typology,
a
catalog
of
potter's marks encounteredon theLate Bronze ceramics,anddiscussionof cuneiform texts from Tell
Sabi Abyad that are relatedtopottery. Although referenced above,theabundanceof information avail-
ableinappendixFis worth noting again. Foranumberofshape groups, Duistermaat offers descriptions
addressing size, shaping methods, functional properties, evidence relatedtouse,and proposed sugges-
tionsforfunction anduse.
While her conclusions about the Tell Sabi Abyad material arenoteworthy, the book's greatest
strength maybe the transparency maintained throughout. The methodologies employedin theexcava-
tionandanalysesof the ceramic collection are clearly explained.Inaddition, she providesagreat deal
of raw dataviatext, tables,and illustrations, thereby allowing readerstomake their own assessments
of the material.
In the preface Duistermaat notes that in theprocess of preparing her dissertation the pottery
stopped beingaboring pileof sherds thathad to bepublished and started to 'talk' . . .givingme
clues about the people who made themand the kindofsocialandcultural environment they were pro-
ducedandusedin (p. 17).Herunderstandingofthe potentialforceramicsto bemore thana boring
pileofsherds thathad to bepublished isevidentin the detailand organizationofher book. The care
with which she haspresented her methodology, data,and analyses renders this studyan exemplary
ceramic publication.Inadditionto the academic rigor represented in thepublication,herenthusiasm
forthematerialisalso evident,andapparently infectious,for at the end ofmy readingI found myself
surprisingly enthusiastic about the Late Bronze Age ceramics from Tell Sabi Abyad.
LEANN P ACE
THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE
Judaism: he Eirst Phase: he Placeof zraandNehemiah in the Origins of Judaism. ByJOSEPH
BLENKINSOPP.Grand Rapids, Mich.: WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING CO.,2009. Pp. xiv + 262.
$30 (paper).
Blenkinsopp's new book explores theorigins of Judaism and theplace of Ezra andNehemiah
in
its
formation.
He
defines
a
religion
(p. )as
consisting
of an
object
of
worship, religious institu-
tions (priesthood, prophecy, etc.), narrative and legal U-aditions, social organization, and demographics.
Rather than addressing the first twoofthese attributes, he focusesonthe latter two , askingifthe defini-
tions
of
the terms
yhdmand
Israel
had
changed their meanings from
a
national-political definition
toareligious oneby theperiodof Ezra-Nehemiah.
In arguingfor achangeinmeaning, Blenkinsopp (p.24) writes thatthemem bersofthe garrisonat
Eleph antine, although from Israel (the word Israe l never appearsin thepapyri), werenotethnically
Judean, even though they referred
to
themselves
asyhday. As
evidence, B lenkinsopp points
to the
sums donatedto thegods Bethel, Eshembethel,and Anathbethel along with those donatedtoYHW H.
This doesnot prove Israelite origin.It is more likely that these Judeans included some personswho
worshipped Aramean gods.
The author turns next (p.25) toJ osephus Ant. 11:173)toargue thatthenameoudaioi was given
to this people only from the time they came up from Babylon in538. But Blenkinsopp misunderstands
the historian. Josephus states thatthename oudaioi isderived from thetribeofJudah;asthis tribe
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