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The vaulted funerary hypogea in Mesopotamia between the second and first millennium BC:localization and architectural features
Dallai, Margherita
2020
Abstract
Vaulted funerary hypogea are familial collective tombs containing multiple progressive burials. This funerary type, only sporadically attested in Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC, spread rapidly from the beginning of the second millennium BC and is attested throughout the first millennium BC across a vast geographical area: in the Middle Euphrates region, in Mesopotamia and in Khuzestan. These hypogea are characterized by specific architectural features and localizations, which we will analyse in this work. In fact, they have a complex structure that required specific technical knowledge, especially for the realization of the vault roofing: corbelled vault, with radial arrangement or with tilted rows. Moreover, they were generally located under domestic dwellings or, to a rare extent, under palaces. Analysing the excavation reports which describe these tombs, it is clear that this relationship is a recurring element. This indicates the strong connection between the living and the dead, which is also suggested by the use of similar plans, both in graves and in houses.
Publisher
EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste
Source
Margherita Dallai, The vaulted funerary hypogea in Mesopotamia between the second and first millennium BC: localization and architectural features", in: Costanza Coppini, Francesca Simi (Edited by), "Interactions and New Directions in Near Eastern Archaeology. Volume 3. Proceedings of the 5th “Broadening Horizons” Conference (Udine 5-8 June 2017)", Trieste, EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste, 2020, pp. 153-169
Languages
en
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internazionale
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