Books by Magda Pieniążek
WANAT. Western Anatolia in the Second Millennium BCE: Recent Developments and Future Prospects, 2024
This peer-reviewed edited volume brings together the results of a diverse group of international ... more This peer-reviewed edited volume brings together the results of a diverse group of international researchers conducting new fieldwork, applying new approaches, and making new interpretations about the archaeology of Middle and Late Bronze Age western Anatolia. The territory is huge, and it shows considerable regional diversity. What makes western Anatolian cultures different from their neighbors? Is it possible to identify discrete subregions clearly? And what trajectories of local cultural change and regional interaction did they follow? In addressing these and many other questions, the contributors to this volume provide fresh overviews of current states of research, demonstrating material and chronological synchronicities and/or gaps in knowledge that stretch across the broad territory of western Anatolia, just as they encourage further research into defining regional and sub-regional specificities. Such specificities suggest that the area should not be thought of as one monolithic cultural whole. Rather, they allude to a collection of related yet discrete units, whose shared commonalities stem from participation in overlapping spheres of communication, exchange, and political interaction, justifying their consideration together in a volume like this one.
WANAT. MÖ İkinci Binyılda Batı Anadolu: Son Gelişmeler ve Geleceğe Dair Görüşler, 2024
Hakemlerce değerlendirilerek yayına hazırlanan bu kitap, Orta ve Geç Tunç Çağı Batı Anadolu arkeo... more Hakemlerce değerlendirilerek yayına hazırlanan bu kitap, Orta ve Geç Tunç Çağı Batı Anadolu arkeolojisine yönelik yeni çalışmalar yürüten, yeni yaklaşımlar benimseyip yeni yorumlar ortaya koyan çeşitli uluslararası araştırmacıların sonuçlarını bir araya getiriyor. Söz konusu alan oldukça büyük olmakla birlikte önemli ölçüde bir bölgesel çeşit- liliğe de sahip. Batı Anadolu kültürlerini komşularından ayıran şey ne? Belirli alt bölgeleri açık bir şekilde tanım- lamak mümkün mü? Bu kültürler, yerel kültürel değişim ve bölgesel etkileşim bağlamında hangi yolları izlediler? Bu ve bunun gibi daha pek çok meseleye ışık tutmaya çalışan araştırmacılar, Batı Anadolu’nun geniş toprakla- rına yayılan maddi ve kronolojik eş zamanlılığı ve/veya bilgilerimizdeki eksiklikleri ortaya koyarak araştırmala- rın mevcut durumuna ilişkin güncel bir değerlendirme sunarken, bölgesel ve alt bölgesel farklılıkların tanımlan- masına yönelik gelecek araştırmalara da yol gösteriyor. Bu farklılıklar, bölgenin yekpare bir kültürel bütün olarak ele alınmaması gerektiğini ortaya koyuyor. Bunlar, daha çok birbiriyle iç içe geçen iletişim, değiş tokuş ve politik etkileşim alanlarına dahil olmaları nedeniyle müşterekle- şen, ilişkili ancak farklı olan birimlerin göstergesidir ve bu nedenle bu çalışmaya dahil edildiler.
This publication has undergone the process of anonymous, international peer review.
Studien zur spätbronzezeitlichen Sabatinovka-Kultur am Unteren Dnepr und an der Westküste des Azo... more Studien zur spätbronzezeitlichen Sabatinovka-Kultur am Unteren Dnepr und an der Westküste des Azov'schen Meeres.
Struktur des Katalogs 1, Anatol'evka (Anatol'evka 4, Anatolivka), Taf. Nummer der Datenbank (unte... more Struktur des Katalogs 1, Anatol'evka (Anatol'evka 4, Anatolivka), Taf. Nummer der Datenbank (unter dieser Nummer sind die Fundstellen in den Verbreitungskarten eingetragen sowie in Tabellen in der Spalte "ID" bezeichnet), Name der Siedlung, in Klammern andere Namen, die in der Literatur vorkommen, Tafel-Nummern;
Book Chapters by Magda Pieniążek
Archaeological evidence and written documents present a picture of Late Bronze Age western Anatol... more Archaeological evidence and written documents present a picture of Late Bronze Age western Anatolia as a region where strong polities emerged, such as Arzawa, Seha River Land, or Mira, which conducted ambitious domestic and external policies. Such development must have been based on a solid economic system, and exchange was surely one of its most important components. However, the role of western Anatolia in the Late Bronze Age exchange networks, both regional as well as interregional, has been underestimated in previous research, especially in terms of maritime routes along the coasts. Some western Anatolian sites were centers of production and were considerable "consumers" of foreign goods; others may have played the role of important intermediaries at the regional or interregional level. The evidence includes not only personal adornments such as carnelian, glass, and faience jewelry or foreign pottery but also various kinds of weapons, seals, and other objects. This chapter addresses the question of what kind of objects were transported and exchanged but also how trans-and interregional communication could have worked, and who was behind it, meaning who was the sponsor and organizer, and who was an agent of the enterprise. Furthermore, the topic of local appropriation of foreign goods and the possible impact of political events on trade and exchange is addressed, as well.
Articles by Magda Pieniążek
A.L. D’AGATA – P. PAVÚK (eds.): The Lady of Pottery. Ceramic Studies Presented to Penelope A. Mountjoy in Acknowledgement of Her Outstanding Scholarship. Studi micenei ed egeo-anatolici NS, Supplemento 3 (Roma) , 2023
This paper reviews interpretations of the East Aegean-West Anatolian Interface conceptualised ori... more This paper reviews interpretations of the East Aegean-West Anatolian Interface conceptualised originally by Penelope Mountjoy in 1998. By addressing material culture aspects of the Upper Interface, with particular attention to pottery, tomb architecture and grave assemblages, seals, and personal adornments, we discuss the validity of Mountjoy’s seminal proposal. Firstly, we consider the Interface as an intercultural contact space, leading to a variety of narratives and intercultural outcomes. We then discuss the Mycenaeanisation process in the Upper Interface in relation to the preceding period of cultural contacts with Crete (usually defined as Minoanisation), and we conclude by elaborating a new concept of the Central Interface.
Late Bronze Age seals and sealings from Aegean Anatolia (the western part of western Anatolia) ar... more Late Bronze Age seals and sealings from Aegean Anatolia (the western part of western Anatolia) are a very heterogeneous collection of finds. Especially widespread are seals belonging to the Aegean tradition, including earlier hard stone seals and later so stone lentoids related to the Mycenaean Mainland Popular Group. Also represented are seals executed in the central Anatolian style, which, however, arrive later to the area of study. In both groups, imports as well as local production are a ested, and some seals show individual features. e spread of these objects is related to various factors, such as commercial and cultural exchange, but also political and military impacts. Participation in long-distance trade networks is confirmed by the presence of seals coming from the eastern Mediterranean.
Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 2019
During the first season of excavations in 2014 at the Late Bronze Age site of Kaymakçı, a bronze ... more During the first season of excavations in 2014 at the Late Bronze Age site of Kaymakçı, a bronze knife with an unusually decorated handle was found. Kaymakçı is a recently discovered citadel located ca. 100 km east of the Aegean coast in the Gediz Valley and is one of the few excavated sites from interior central western Anatolia. The knife was recovered in the tower-like structure attached to the fortifications at the northwestern extent of the citadel. It belongs to a small group of solid-hilted knives (Sandars Class 4) known until recently only from elite graves and cultic contexts in the Peloponnese, Crete, Psara, and Troy. The knife shares decorative ribbing, a solid bronze knob at the end of its handle, and some other features with its Aegean counterparts. However, the geometric style of its decoration, such as the central herringbone-pattern, is unparalleled among Minoan and Mycenaean art, instead it corresponds with geometric designs known from other western Anatolian finds. Therefore, the herringbone knife from Kaymakçı, most probably the property of a member of the western Anatolian elite, is an outcome of the fusion of Aegean and western Anatolian traditions. Simultaneously it is one of the first known examples of local ornamental style, still poorly known due to the state of research in interior western Anatolia.
American Journal of Archaeology, 2018
THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE VIA AJA OPEN ACCESS AT https://www.ajaonline.org/sites/default/files/12... more THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE VIA AJA OPEN ACCESS AT https://www.ajaonline.org/sites/default/files/1224_Roosevelt_0.pdf WITH AN ONLINE SUPPLEMENTAL IMAGE GALLERY AT https://www.ajaonline.org/node/3774.
Current understandings of the archaeology of second-millennium B.C.E. central western Anatolia are enriched by ongoing research at Kaymakçı, located in the Marmara Lake basin of the middle Gediz River valley in western Turkey. Discovered during regional survey in 2001, the site offers a critical node of exploration for understanding a previously unexamined period in a well-traversed geography thought to be the core of the Late Bronze Age Seha River Land known from Hittite texts. Here we present results from the first three seasons of excavation on the citadel of Kaymakçı plus a study season (2014–2017), introducing the site’s chronology, historical and regional context, and significance through presentation of excavation areas as well as material and subsistence economies. With reference to such evidence, we discuss the site’s development, organization, and interregional interactions, demonstrating its place in local and regional networks that connected Aegean and central Anatolian spheres of interest.
Bursztyn i karneol: dwie różne kariery w epoce brązu strefy egejskiej Properties Amber is fossil ... more Bursztyn i karneol: dwie różne kariery w epoce brązu strefy egejskiej Properties Amber is fossil resin. "Fresh" amber is shiny and usually translucent with some impurities, however, opaque variations are also known. 1 The colour includes nuances of yellow, orange, red, and brown. It is much lighter and softer (only 2-2.5 on the Mohs scale), and therefore much more fragile than other gemstones. Additionally, amber has some absolutely unusual properties: it can be burnt and produces a strong aroma while burning, it can be electrically charged, and, when charged, attracts other objects. Finally, and most importantly, there are sometimes animals or plants frozen inside. 1 I would like to thank J. Czebreszuk and M. Jaeger for the invitation to contribute to this volume, as well as various participants of the EAA session in Pilsen 2013 for stimulating discussions. I also also want to express my gratitude to J. M. Kenoyer and G. Ludvik for encouraging my interest in Aegean gemstones. Furthermore, my thanks go to Carolyn Aslan for correcting the English. Carnelian is a variation of chalcedony and has one clear feature: its red colour. This colour makes the definition of this stone, as well as its archaeological identification, relatively easy in contrast to banded variations like agate, onyx, or sardonyx. The only confusion is connected with sard. Theoretically speaking, carnelian is orange or light red and translucent, whereas sard is dark red and can be almost opaque. However, it is not possible to verify the identification of the stone without an autopsy. I will therefore address both variations as carnelian. Carnelian is, in comparison with amber, heavy, cold, and hard (ca. 7 on the Mohs scale). As mentioned above, it may be translucent and orange (fig. 2), or dark red, almost brown and opaque (fig. 3 or fig. 6). It can also have bands of various nuances of red, as well as spots and other impurities.
Stone beads from the site of Troy, Turkey have been studied in order to better understand the nat... more Stone beads from the site of Troy, Turkey have been studied in order to better understand the nature of lapidary technology and trade during the 3rd to 2nd millennia BC in this part of Anatolia. Eleven carnelian and two rock crystal beads were documented through visual examination, measurement and photography to identify the raw material, as well as general aspects of manufacture and style. Silicone impressions of the drill holes as well as some of the engraved surfaces were made in order to study the nature of drilling and abrasion under the Scanning Electron Microscope. Through these studies, it is possible to identify the presence of different types of bead production and drilling technology during each major chronological period at the site. Some of the beads may have been produced at Troy or in nearby sites in Anatolia while others have links to the Eastern Mediterranean region as well as the more distant regions of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.
Keywords: Troy; beads; carnelian, Aegean; Indus Civilization, scanning electron microscopy; stone drilling, bead technology
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Books by Magda Pieniążek
Book Chapters by Magda Pieniążek
Articles by Magda Pieniążek
Current understandings of the archaeology of second-millennium B.C.E. central western Anatolia are enriched by ongoing research at Kaymakçı, located in the Marmara Lake basin of the middle Gediz River valley in western Turkey. Discovered during regional survey in 2001, the site offers a critical node of exploration for understanding a previously unexamined period in a well-traversed geography thought to be the core of the Late Bronze Age Seha River Land known from Hittite texts. Here we present results from the first three seasons of excavation on the citadel of Kaymakçı plus a study season (2014–2017), introducing the site’s chronology, historical and regional context, and significance through presentation of excavation areas as well as material and subsistence economies. With reference to such evidence, we discuss the site’s development, organization, and interregional interactions, demonstrating its place in local and regional networks that connected Aegean and central Anatolian spheres of interest.
Keywords: Troy; beads; carnelian, Aegean; Indus Civilization, scanning electron microscopy; stone drilling, bead technology
Current understandings of the archaeology of second-millennium B.C.E. central western Anatolia are enriched by ongoing research at Kaymakçı, located in the Marmara Lake basin of the middle Gediz River valley in western Turkey. Discovered during regional survey in 2001, the site offers a critical node of exploration for understanding a previously unexamined period in a well-traversed geography thought to be the core of the Late Bronze Age Seha River Land known from Hittite texts. Here we present results from the first three seasons of excavation on the citadel of Kaymakçı plus a study season (2014–2017), introducing the site’s chronology, historical and regional context, and significance through presentation of excavation areas as well as material and subsistence economies. With reference to such evidence, we discuss the site’s development, organization, and interregional interactions, demonstrating its place in local and regional networks that connected Aegean and central Anatolian spheres of interest.
Keywords: Troy; beads; carnelian, Aegean; Indus Civilization, scanning electron microscopy; stone drilling, bead technology
Northern Aegean islands (Samothrace and Lemnos), central Greece, the Argolid, central and south-western Anatolia, Rhodes, and other areas all played important roles in the distribution of goods to Troy. The first detectable contacts started in the Middle Helladic (MH) II period and kept changing partners and character, but Troy definitely became an active agent within the interregional network at the beginning of the Late Helladic (LH) IIIA period (14th cent. BC).
The last part of the paper addresses the communication routes and the organisation of Exchange in which the inhabitants of the Troad were involved. It is very likely that the local elites played a considerable role in the course of diplomatic communication and commercial actions (or both), but the participation of freelance traders cannot be completely ruled out. However, the lack of written sources concerning the north-eastern Aegean hampers more specific assessment.
Beads from Hattuša were manufactured from both soft stones, like serpentine or limestone and also hard stones like lapis lazuli, rock crystal and variations of chalcedony such as agate, carnelian and onyx.
Co-organized in partnership with Charles University and Tübingen University, the WANAT 2021 Symposium brings together scholars to present and discuss recent developments in interdisciplinary research on western Anatolia, as well as to discuss how to leverage shared information better and how to bridge research gaps. The first day of the program features thematically organized topics, including textual evidence, burial rites, chronology, pottery, economy, and culture contact. The second day focuses on specific western Anatolian sites and recent fieldwork.