A historical geography of Anatolia in the Old Assyrian Colony Period.

• Author: Stratford, Edward
• Position: Book review

A Historical Geography of Anatolia in the Old Assyrian Colony Period. By GOJKO BARJAMOVIC. Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications, vol. 38. Copenhagen: CARSTEN NIEBUHR INSTITUTE OF ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN STUDIES, 2011. Pp. xvii + 519, illus. $183. [Distributed in North America by Eisenbrauns, Winona Lake, Ind.]

This volume comprises the most thoroughgoing analysis to date of Anatolian historical geography during the Old Assyrian period (ca. 1910-1800 B.C.). Styled as a step towards further research on the landscape, the study argues for a new map of thirty-five toponyms in the Anatolian realm of the Assyrian trade. In this it succeeds admirably. The author's method, working to relate groups of toponyms in abstract space before projecting the arrangements onto the Anatolian physical topography and identified tells, leverages the advantages of the Old Assyrian texts with a welcome level of rigor. While the most striking contribution relates to a remapping of Purushaddum and the area west Of Kane, the overall synthesis is extremely valuable. Importantly, the author draws broadly, making use of his access to 5,000 unpublished documents beyond the roughly 4,500 published documents. Historical Geography is a major step forward in the ongoing task of mapping second-millennium Anatolia and an indispensable tool for further work.

The book is divided into three brief introductory chapters: an overview of Old Assyrian trade, a description of the book's approach, and a brief survey of the pertinent landscape. The introductory chapters are then followed by two substantial chapters on the lands east of Kanes and the lands north and west of Kanes respectively. A brief chapter considering points beyond the study finishes the book. A bibliography and six indexes form the back matter.

Chapter 1 provides an introductory discussion of the Old Assyrian trade. The author's description is accessible and in all essential respects representative of a consensus among specialists. A strong emphasis on the infrastructure and logistics appropriately set up the later geographical discussions, particularly the discussion of bridges. A good deal of space is used to discuss the sikkatum, interpreted as 'army' and, by extension, 'war'. Given the state of the evidence, this seems the best interpretation. The appendices at the end of the chapter include excerpts in transliteration and translation of passages including various key terms (guides, batiqum 'fast transports', roads...