Defining the Early LBA Phase in Northern Mesopotamia: New Data from the Erbil Plain and Neighbouring Regions

The transitional phase between the Middle and the Late Bronze Age in Northern Mesopotamia is difficult to define, both from a historical and an archaeological perspective. This paper seeks to address the main issues in the identification of diagnostic ceramic features for this phase, by comparing the evidence from the Erbil plain with the data gathered from surveys and excavations in the Middle and Upper Tigris region (i.e. Yorgan Tepe, Tell Rimah, Tell Billa) and in the Syrian Jazirah (i.e. Tell Brak, Tell Bderi and Tell Barri). Through the analysis of the ceramic assemblages coming from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and their comparison with materials be- longing to better known stratified sequences, I will focus on the diagnostic features characterizing the pottery repertoire during the Middle Bronze Age - Late Bronze Age transition