Bulletin of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan

Chalcolithic Fiber Exploitation in Western Asia

Examination of Materials from Tell Kosak Shamali, Syria

Hiroshi SUDO

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 1-24
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.1

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Tell Kosak Shamali is a small site located on the eastern bank of the upper Euphrates valley in Syria, 40km south of the Turkish border. The excavations of the 1994-1997 seasons exposed thick deposits from the Pottery-Neolithic to the Middle Uruk Periods and yielded a large number of artifacts and well-preserved buildings. In this article, I describe the 25 Chalcolithic spindle whorls and the other objects relating to fiber exploitation excavated at Tell Kosak Shamali and draw conclusions about Chalcolithic fiber exploitation.
Spindle whorls are the flywheels of spindles, which spin fibers into yarn. The weight of the spindle whorls is a critical factor because it is closely related to characteristics of the fiber material and the thread thickness. When one spins fine fibers into fine thread, a light whorl is suitable, whereas a heavy whorl is suitable for heavy fibers. An analysis of the weight of the whorls excavated there reveals that their weight tended to decrease toward the later period. This trend suggests the improvement of fiber production at Kosak Shamali. It seems to corresponded with the tendency to move away from using sheep/goats purely for meat and toward their use for secondary production (wool and milk).
The weights of spindle whorls are divided into 2 categories, 9-47g (n=24) and 162g (n=1). Each category was probably used for spinning a different kind of fiber. The lighter whorls were probably used for spinning wool, and heavy one, for flax. I also examined the diameters of the holes of beads/pendants and seals and the rope impressions on clay sealings because they indicate the fineness and/or the spinning direction of the thread. Considering the decline in weight of the spindle whorls from Tell Kosak Shamali in view of previous studies on wool exploitation, I conclude that the decline may be related to the increase in the importance of fiber production during the Chalcolithic Period.

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Identification of Temple Reliefs Depicting the Opet Festival

Masashi FUKAYA

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 25-45
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.25

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Egyptologists have long considered the Opet Festival to be one of the largest annual celebrations in Egypt. The festival appeared in history only after the foundation of Thebes and subsequently held religious supremacy in Egyptian society.
Although Egyptian festivals have been generally referred to by Egyptologists on a frequent basis, there have been few comprehensive studies focusing on specific festivals. Previous research concerning the Opet Festival has usually been concerned with the larger of the temple complexes involved, the Karnak Temple. There has been only limited evaluation of the ritual's terminal location, the Luxor Temple. As a result, projects documenting the reliefs at the Luxor Temple have not been extensive, and understanding of the Opet Festival's orientation within a religious framework has not been pursued.
In the 1960's William Murnane made a list of iconographic references mainly from temple reliefs depicting festival scenes. Murnane's list, however, presents us with some ambiguous examples of festival scenes, and unfortunately he died in 2000 leaving us with no identification criteria. It is therefore important to first clarify the methodology for identifying the iconographic material before further research is undertaken on the Opet Festival.
This paper focuses on a relief in the Karnak Temple which has not been studied in connection with the Opet Festival, one of the Pinedjem reliefs. It is intended to supply a new material resource for researchers. This relief can be justified as referring to the Opet Festival for the following reasons:
1) The Opet Festival was one during which an oracle was declared.
2) The date and duration inscribed on the relief correspond to that of the Opet Festival.
3) Temple reliefs depicting the Opet Festival seem to have a common cardinal orientation.

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Vilifying 'Ali and Denying it in Syria

Analysis of the Traditions Contained in The History of Damascus

Teruaki MORIYAMA

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 46-65
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.46

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The History of Damascus, edited in Damascus during the latter half of the 12th century, records traditions that 'Ali b. Abi Talib was vilified by Syrian Muslims in Damascus until the 9th century. Although such vilification of 'Ali has already been mentioned by former studies as representative of Syrian support for the Banu Umayya, its background has not been closely analysed yet. Also, the character of the records and the evaluation of those traditions by The History of Damascus, which records the traditions to deny them, have hardly been discussed.
Given the research trends, this article analyses the traditions about 'Ali, the Banu Umayya and Syria, centering on the vilification of 'Ali and the annotations in The History. Consequently, the following point is clear. The Syrian vilification of 'Ali until the 9th century was representative of political partisanship for the Banu Umayya and revival movement of Umayyad caliphate. Furthermore, the descriptions in The History of Damascus are characteristic in displaying the co-existence of reverence for 'Ali and support for the Banu Umayya. From this point, we can see a local trait in Damascus Muslim society during the latter half of the 12th century. It is that the society accepted reverence for 'Ali, while on the other hand, it preserved a strong support for the Banu Umayya. It is possible that the reasons was that the Syrian Muslims' political support for the Banu Umayya transformed into a local nostalgia after the defeat of the revival of Umayyad caliphate.
It is the historical and local character of the reverence for 'Ali that strikes one from the analysis. At the same time, the local character of the traditions about the early periods of the Muslim community is made clear. Traditions recorded by local histories can be material by which we compare social situations of different periods and regions, because of their commonality and omnipresence.

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On the Early Old Kingdom Monuments from the Slope of Abusir-South Hill, Egypt

Hiroyuki KASHIWAGI

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 66-85
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.66

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The Institute of Egyptology at Waseda University has been conducting excavations at the top of a hill situated in Abusir-south since 1991. The work has revealed a mud-brick structure of the middle 18th dynasty and a stone monument belonging to Prince Khaemwaset, the fourth son of Ramesses II.
Since 2001, excavations have been extended to the slope of the outcrop and have exposed two rock-cut subterranean chambers (AKT01 and AKT02) and a layered stone structure.
The construction technique of the layered stone structure—the use of local limestone and mortar, the inclined masonry, and a layered feature—shows a close similarity to that of the early Old Kingdom step pyramids. It is supposed that the structure was built in the same period. By the traces of artificial cutting on the slope, the probable location of the northeast corner of the structure could be determined. The structure was a rectangular plan and probably a platform or a step terrace rather than a step pyramid, in appearance.
Finds from the east chamber of the AKT02 were dated to the Early Dynastic Period and the early Old Kingdom. The blocking system, a stone porticullis applied to the vertical shaft, is known from the Third Dynasty to the early Fourth Dynasty, so Chamber AKT02 is thought to have been dug in the early Old Kingdom period.
Both the layered structure and AKT02 are likely to have been constructed as part of the same unit during the early Old Kingdom period. Furthermore, when the reason why the wadi might have been chosen for the place of the monuments is considered, it is clear that it is possible that the plans for both monuments were drawn up at the same time.

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Kakizaki's Archaeological Concerns in Iran and His Field Note

Tadahiko OHTSU

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 86-95
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.86

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Mr. Kakizaki Hisashi (1902-84), famous for his many technical innovations and his acquisition of many patents for machines making silk fabrics, was dispatched to Iran by the United Nations as a technical guidance expert. In 1963, when he played an active part in Gilan Province, he had the opportunity to witness clandestine digging at Sirkuh, a village situated at the foot of Dalfak mountain (Kuh-e Dalfak) on the east bank of the Sefidrud river (Sefid rud).
As is well known in connection with “Amlash objects”, many precious objects of cultural heritage, found in the vicinity by clandestine digging, had flowed abroad from Iran at that time. According to the Kakizaki's inquiries, pot-hunters dug so many ancient graves at great speed that they changed radically the form of geographical features.
His field notes with pictures contain not only the archaeological objects but also his detailed observation of the character of the ancient structures where the objects were discovered in situ. And Kakizaki's report about stratigraphical character observed on the section of ancient graves are comparable with the results from our general survey. His sharp observation seems to have been based on an innate ability to understand what he saw. Moreover, scientific archaeological investigation which started at that time in this area would have reminded him of how ruins were investigated earlier in Japan.
Regretfully, clandestine digging of ancient sites is still one of the serious social problems in Iran today. Also, various community developments are obliterating many ancient ruins which are relatively inconspicuous, one after another. The damage to the cultural heritage of Iran which Kakizaki wrote down in his note is not a past occurrence but a serious contemporary phenomenon.

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On the “Secretariat of the Official Historian” in the Ottoman Empire

An Investigation of the Documents and Registers Classified as Belonging to the Secretariat of the Official Historian

Hiroyuki OGASAWARA

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 96-112
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.96

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Ottoman official historians (vekâyi'-nüvîs, vak'a-nüvîs) wrote uninterrupted official Ottoman history from the beginning of the 18th century to the end of the Ottoman Empire. Continual historical writing of this kind must have required institutional support. Although former research on this subject has indicated that the various secretariats (kalem) gave information to the official historians, little is known about their concrete relationship.
Previous research indicated that there was a “Secretariat of the Official Historian” (vekâyi'-nüvîs kalemi). It is said that this secretariat, whose chief was the official historian, was under the Imperial Cabinet (dîvân-i hümâyûn, “Supreme Courts”) or the Office of the Grand Vizier Gate (bâb-i âsâfî, “Gate of Sublimity”). But the study of the documents (belgeleri) and registers (defterleri) classified as belonging to this secretariat, which are stored in the Ottoman Archives (Basbakanlik Osmanli Arsivi), has been neglected, and there is little agreement as to their character. This paper investigates the relationship between the official documents and the official historians through an examination of those documents and registers.
There are 15 documents and 3 registers classified under the Secretariat of the Official Historian in the Ottoman Archives. I examined all of them and compared them with the chronicles of the official historians. I found that they were composed of various materials in no particular order. 11 documents and registers are not concerned with official history at all; the other 7 at least deal with the same theme as the official chronicles. However, none of these documents or registers bear directly on the chronicles.
It follows that the documents of the Secretariat of the Official Historian were probably not the ones given systematically to the official historians. This fact leads us to question even the existence of a “Secretariat of the Official Historian.”

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Present Zoroastrianism and Conversion

Noriko KATSUKI

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 113-126
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.113

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Zoroastrian high priests in India are of the opinion that Parsi society and Parsi identity will be wiped out by the interfaith marriage and entry into the faith of the children of these marriages. But there is more to it than that. There are the currents of conversion to Zoroastrianism all around Central Asia. Most clearly converts have claimed that their ancestors were Zoroastrians.
Quite a few Zoroastrians, of those who have been traditionally called, are negative about accepting members whose parents are not both Zoroastrians. Behind the tendency of refusing to accept converts in their society or institutions in India are the serious religious disturbances risen by communalism in India and the exclusive environment of Parsi society. To protect their own society, Parsis, who are minority in India, have accepted the interfaith marriages selectively and have accepted the children of the marriages as physically and spiritually pure because of the ties of blood.
However, for others, even if they affirm that Zoroastrianism is the faith of their ancestors, it is difficult to say that they possess physical and spiritual purity from the point of view of Zoroastrianism. Nevertheless, the controversy about the issue of conversion to Zoroastrianism seems to be increasing, as society in general seems to recognize converts as Zoroastrians, in the absence of conditions for formal entry (naojot) or of a definition of a Zoroastrian which is accepted by everyone. However, unless Zoroastrians change their ideas of physical purity and impurity, which are considered integral parts of the tenets of Zoroastrianism, it will be difficult to find a unified view.

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The Dhikra (Memorial Service) as a Saint's Festival

A Case Study of the Modern Saint Sidi al-Hajj Habib

Tsuyoshi SAITO

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 127-147
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.127

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In this article, I focus on the memorial service for the Muslim saint/scholar Sidi al-Hajj Habib al-Bashwari (d. 1976).
This memorial service has been held once a year since 1977 at Madrasa Tanalttya, one of the traditional Islamic schools (madrasa-s) situated in the Sus region (the southern part of Morocco).
Al-Hajj Habib is not only one of the most famous modern saints of this region, he is also a prominent traditional religious scholar. As such, he had instructed many talented students who have become scholars and now manage their own madrasa-s. There are some 60-100 madrasa-s in this region, and it is said that students of al-Hajj Habib manage no fewer than a half of them. They have been the major promoters of and participants in the memorial service for al-Hajj Habib.
This memorial service can be treated as a kind of saint's festival in the sense that the man for whom this assembly is held each year is esteemed as a prominent saint.
Many anthropologists working on the Middle East have focused not only on the Muslim saint worship and saints' festivals, most of which are carried out by tribesmen or by some “popular” religious brotherhood. However, although many anthropologists and historians recognize the overlap of saints and scholars, they consider saint worship as a kind of “popular Islam, ” situated far from the activity of religious scholars.
In contrast to the tendency of previous anthropological studies to study folk or popular saints' festivals, in this article I present an example of a festival which celebrates a man of knowledge and explore its relationship with saint worship.

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A Review of Recent Research on the Ptolemaic State

Ryosuke TAKAHASHI

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 148-159
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.148

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Cassia and Cinnamon in the Ancient World

Yuzo SHITOMI

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 160-163
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.160

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Publication of Catalogue of the Arabic and Persian Books in the Library of Toshihiko Izutsu

Tokyo: Keio University Library, 2003

Shin NOMOTO

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 164-169
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.164

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[title in Japanese]

Retsu HASHIZUME

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 171-177
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.171

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Jo-Ann Gross & Asom Urunbaev, The Letters of Khwaja ^cUbayd Allah Ahrdr and His Associates Brill's Inner Asian Library 5, Leiden/Boston/Köln: Brill, 2002xx+469 pp. +59 photos+12 Pls.

Kazuyuki KUBO

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 178-188
Published: September 30, 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.178

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Erratum to : More Ekalte Texts?

2004 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 224
Published: 2004
Released on J-STAGE: March 12, 2010

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5356/jorient.47.1_224

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