Ricerche archeologiche nella valle dell’alto Khabur tra la fine del Bronzo Antico e l’inizio del Bronzo Medio

The period of transition between the Early and the Middle Bronze Age in Upper Mesopotamia is a problematic subject: at the end of the third mil- lennium B.C. most of the urban cultures of the Syro-Mesopotamian area apparently suffer a deep crisis or a collapse, which manifest themselves in reductions, destructions or desertions. Debate has been intense on the nature, range, timing, causes and conse- quences of the crisis, assumptions and theoretical models being profoundly influenced by the developments of contemporary approaches in archaeologi- cal theory. In this context, the locally oriented extent of the crisis is of particular interest: the intensity of urban disruption in the rain-fed Khabur plains of Syria in fact does not find any parallel in the neighbouring areas. The rea- sons have to be sought in factors dealing with the peculiarity of the region: its urban history, Akkadian imperialism, land use and climate. The effects of a possible abrupt climate change have been particularly emphasised, and some explanations attribute collapse to a combination of climate and non- sustainable land use. Based on an accurate evaluation of context dates and calibration of site sequences, this paper will provide a precise overview of the archaeological evidence in the upper Khabur Plains for the period of transition between the Early and Middle Bronze Age, in order to supply a new concrete setting toward more extensive systemic reconstructions.