Cultural Interaction At Mosul,Northern Iraq,in The Ubaid Horizon

Researches of Ubaid culture have been conducted for nearly 100 years.Sites yielding Ubaid painted potteries were all over the Near East.However,with further researches,many scholars started realizing that Ubaid phenomena in different regions were actually combinations of Ubaid elements and local traditions.Thus,how to understand such superregional archaeological phenomenon became focus of debates.This thesis starts with research history from the time when Ubaid painted wares were first found,pointing out the reason why archaeological culture couldn't generalize distribution of Ubaid elements is that Ubaid culture was recognized and identifed only by characteristics of Ubaid painted wares in 1922.Actually,the assemblages of potteries,architectures and graves in different regions had characteristics of Ubaid elements from southern Mesopotamia and local traditions to varying degrees,so was”Northern Ubaid Culture” at Mosul,northern Iraq.During the process of cultural changes at Mosul,local people were always dominated.Thus,the attitude of local people to Ubaid elements should be a main motivation of cultural changes in this period.Characteristics of cultural remains and cultural interaction at Mosul will be explored inabove perspective.Comprehensively considering several kinds of cultural remains which have significant chronological meanings and distinctly diachronic changes,such as potteries,architectures,graves and clay sculptures,cultural development in the Ubaid horizon at Mosul can divide into three phases: Mosul 1,2 and 3.Mosul 1 represents acculturation between southern and northern Mesopotamia based on long-term contacts between them.Ubaid buildings and kiln techniques were adopted by local people,while general characteristics of local Halaf traditions remained.Mosul 2 reveals the introduction and imitation of Ubaid elements,temples and painted wares by local people on their own initiative.Mosul 3 shows occupation and dominance of Ubaid people from southern Mesopotamia who came to Mosul and aggressively promoted Ubaidian religious system and burial custom.Eventually,a violent conflict broke out between Ubaidian people and local people.Local people probably expelled those from south and took over their hometown again according to building remains and graves of Uruk period in this area.During interactions in different phases,the reason of introduction of Ubaid elements during Mosul 2 is most attractive.Ubaid temples and painted wares,probably selected by local people,became prevalent rapidly under impetus of some social power.Taking social changes from Mosul 1 to Mosul 2 into consideration,materialcultural transition at Mosul was likely consequence of selection and imitation by local people,may be a prehistorical reformation.This thesis includes three parts.The first part is a review of research history,where Ubaid culture was deconstructed and re-identified and significances of case studies of different regions were highlighted in order to get a better understanding of regional modes and processes of interactions in the Ubaid horizon in depth.The second part is a case study of Mosul,northern Iraq.According to different interaction modes,cultural changes in the Ubaid horizon could divide into three phases,representing three stages of interactions between southern and northern Mesopotamia.The last part includes a summary and a discussion.It points out the term of “Ubaid culture” is out of place because Ubaid culture was initially identified in accordance with characteristics of painted wares leaving out other remains.The research design of this thesis could be applied to researches on other regions in Ubaid Horizon.More attention should be paid on foundational research of material culture so as to get a better understanding of diversity of interaction modes.