Assyrian conquest and ruralization: unveiling territorial dynamics in the provinces of Magiddû and Samerina
“This study has illustrated that the Assyrian territorial strategy implemented in the provinces of Magiddû and Samerina, established upon the remnants of the Kingdom of Israel, manifested as clusters of sites, termed ‘islands of control’. These ‘islands’ comprised a rural landscape overseen by the principal cities of Tel Dan, Megiddo and Samaria. This territorial approach mirrors a broader modus operandi adopted by the Assyrians across their empire to manage agricultural production.”
Squitieri, A. (2024) ‘Assyrian conquest and ruralization: unveiling territorial dynamics in the provinces of Magiddû and Samerina’, Levant, pp. 1–20. doi: https://www.doi.org/10.1080/00758914.2024.2351677.
At the time of World War I, there were around 950,000 Black farmers who owned about 20 million acres of land. Today, there are fewer than 50,000 Black farmers, and just 25% of that land is in Black hands. Artist, activist and farmer Dail Chambers spoke to Capital B.'s Adam Mahoney about how she is working to regain a relationship with the land and help Black folk thrive.
"Both sugar trade and spice trade were economic foundations of early European geographic expansion and colonial capitalism. Frankish settlement in twelfth- and thirteenth-century Syria-Palestine may be seen as, arguably, the earliest example of colonial capitalism, preceding early sixteenth-century Portuguese conquests of spice-trading coastal outposts of India, south-east Asia and the Arabian peninsula."
"High school seniors from Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern counties are eligible for the scholarship. To apply, students must plan to attend a four-year college or university with a focus on pursuing an agricultural career. Two students will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship and the funds will be disbursed over four years at $2,500 per year. The deadline to apply is January 19, 2024." #Agriculture#Scholarship@academicchatter
17th-century New England farmers moved a mind-staggering amount of stone to build walls – an estimated 240,000 miles of barricades, most stacked thigh-high and similarly wide.
That’s long enough to wrap Earth 10x at the equator – and is larger in volume than the Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall in Britain and the Egyptian pyramids at Giza COMBINED.
We had some crazy weather in Boston today (ominous pic of the crows is from last week), but at least I had some talks for my #AcademicPlaylist to keep me company while helping my neighbor clear a downed tree from their driveway! (1/9)
"The following review of the archeological and document evidence indicates that three events occurring in the first half of the first millennium BC trigger the emergence of a specialized and integrated classical economy after 500 BC: (i) growth in demand for silver as a medium of exchange in economies in the Near East; (ii) technical breakthroughs in hull construction and sailing rig in merchant shipping of the late Bronze Age; (iii) perfection of ferrous metallurgy into the European hinterland."
🏅 We end the week by congratulating José Miguel Ferreira, whose doctoral thesis received an Honourable Mention in the 32nd edition of the Victor Sá Prize for Contemporary History, awarded by the Cultural Council of the University of Minho. 🥳