Late Neolithic archaeological culture of Mesopotamia
Not to be confused with Samara culture.
Samarra culture
Samarra culture (in violet ), next to Halaf, Hassuna and Ubaid cultures.
Geographical range
Mesopotamia
Period
Neolithic
Dates
c. 5500 – c. 4800 BCE
Type site
Samarra
Major sites
Tell Shemshara, Tell es-Sawwan
Preceded by
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, Halaf culture, Hassuna culture, Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period
Followed by
Ubaid period
Samarra
Tell Shemshara
Tell es-Sawwan
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Map of Iraq showing important sites that were occupied by the Samarra culture (clickable map)
The Samarra culture is a Late Neolithic archaeological culture of northern Mesopotamia, roughly dated to between 5500 and 4800 BCE. It partially overlaps with Hassuna and early Ubaid. Samarran material culture was first recognized during excavations by German Archaeologist Ernst Herzfeld at the site of Samarra. Other sites where Samarran material has been found include Tell Shemshara, Tell es-Sawwan, and Yarim Tepe.[1]
At Tell es-Sawwan, evidence of irrigation—including flax—establishes the presence of a prosperous settled culture with a highly organized social structure. The culture is primarily known for its finely made pottery decorated with stylized animals, including birds, and geometric designs on dark backgrounds. This widely exported type of pottery, one of the first widespread, relatively uniform pottery styles in the Ancient Near East, was first recognized at Samarra. The Samarran Culture was the precursor to the Mesopotamian culture of the Ubaid period. At Tell Sabi Abyad and other Late Neolithic sites in Syria, scholars adopt increasingly vague terms such as Samarra "influenced", Samarra-"related" or even Samarra "impulses", largely because we do not understand the relationships with the traditional Samarra heartlands. The term may be extended to include sites in Syria such as Tell Chagar Bazar, Tell Boueid II, Tell Sabi Abyad or Tell Halula, where similar pottery is currently being excavated in Pre-Halaf to Early Halaf Transitional contexts.
^Blackham, Mark (1996). "Further Investigations as to the Relationship of Samarran and Ubaid Ceramic Assemblages". Iraq. 58: 1–15. doi:10.1017/S0021088900003144. JSTOR 4200416.
Samarra Tell Shemshara Tell es-Sawwan The Samarraculture is a Late Neolithic archaeological culture of northern Mesopotamia, roughly dated to between...
in northern Mesopotamia (Akarcay Tepe II) The Samarraculture is a Chalcolithic archaeological culture in northern Mesopotamia that is roughly dated to...
material has been found include Tell Shemshara. The Samarraculture is a Chalcolithic archaeological culture in northern Mesopotamia that is roughly dated to...
irrigation was another feature. While the Samarraculture shows signs of social inequality, the Halaf culture appears to be composed of small, disparate...
geometrical shapes, and a few ibex designs. The Samarraculture is a Chalcolithic archaeological culture in northern Mesopotamia that is roughly dated to...
(Akarcay Tepe II) Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hassuna Period. Samarraculture Levantine pottery "The oldest pottery Neolithic of Upper Mesopotamia :...
adoption of the Ubaid culture, which is supported by most scholars, including Oates, Breniquet, and Akkermans. Samarraculture Mario Liverani (2013)....
Samarra is a city in central Iraq, which served as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate from 836 to 892. Founded by the caliph al-Mu'tasim, Samarra was...
shores of the Persian Gulf. This style—showing clear connection to the Samarraculture to the north—saw the establishment of the first permanent settlement...
(1989–2019) Reiwa period (2019–present) Archaic Period Mesopotamia Samarraculture Hassuna culture Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period Ubaid period Uruk period Jemdet...
"Proto-Euphrateans" or "Ubaidians", and are theorized to have evolved from the Samarraculture of northern Mesopotamia. The Ubaidians, though never mentioned by the...
traditions played a major role in the descendant Babylonian and Assyrian culture, and the region would remain an important cultural center, even under its...
Oannes of Berossus). The first people at Eridu brought with them the Samarraculture from northern Mesopotamia and are identified with the Ubaid period...
History and Culture. Pearson Longman; University of New Orleans. p. 72. Stiebing, H. William Jr. (2009). Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture. Pearson...
When settlements began forming in the north, such as Hassuna, Jarmo, Samarra, and Tell Halaf, the north became the important region. The architecture...
of Iraq Prehistory Ubaid period Hassuna culture Halaf culture Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period Samarraculture (Eridu) Uruk period Jemdet Nasr Period Bronze...
The Anarchy at Samarra (Arabic: فوضى سامراء, romanized: fawḍā Sāmarrāʾ) was a period of extreme internal instability from 861 to 870 in the history of...
of Iraq Prehistory Ubaid period Hassuna culture Halaf culture Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period Samarraculture (Eridu) Uruk period Jemdet Nasr Period Bronze...
6th millennium BCE. It was occupied in several phases from the Samarran culture through the Ubaid. Buildings were rectangular and built of mud brick, including...
of Iraq Prehistory Ubaid period Hassuna culture Halaf culture Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period Samarraculture (Eridu) Uruk period Jemdet Nasr Period Bronze...
Dark Faced Burnished Ware and a Fine Ware that resembled Hassuna Ware and Samarra Ware. Bowls and jars often had angled necks and ornate geometric designs...
revealed so far. Sumerians are theorized to have evolved from the Samarraculture of northern Mesopotamia. The Uruk period (c. 4000 to 3100 BC) existed...
civilians, notably in the 23 February 2006 attack on the Al Askari Mosque in Samarra, one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites leading to a civil war between Sunni...
shores of the Persian Gulf. This phase, showing clear connection to the Samarraculture to the north. These people pioneered the growing of grains in the extreme...
of Iraq Prehistory Ubaid period Hassuna culture Halaf culture Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period Samarraculture (Eridu) Uruk period Jemdet Nasr Period Bronze...
University Press. pp. 188–189, 196. ISBN 978-0-521-70247-8. Baram, A. "Culture, History and Ideology i the formation of Bathist Iraq 1968-1989" London...
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