Khirbet Kerak Ware (Kura-Araxes) Andirons at Tel Bet Yerah: Functional Analysis and Cultural Context

Abstract

Horseshoe-shaped andirons have long been viewed, on little evidence, as a stand-in for the fire installations that play a central role in houses associated with the Kura-Araxes cultural tradition. A detailed examination of more than 100 andiron fragments from Tel Bet Yerah, accompanied by structural analysis and computerized simulation, has provided primary forensic evidence on their use, breakage and discard, and insights on their relation to ceramic cooking and consumption vessels. Our analysis reveals a previously unreported component of food preparation and consumption practices in the south Levantine branch of the Kura-Araxes diaspora that offers a striking contrast to local south Levantine behaviours and traditions.

Keywords:

• Kura-Araxes
• foodways
• andirons
• hearths
• Bet Yerah

Acknowledgments

This paper is based on Sergey Ishoev’s M.A. thesis,‘Andirons and Hearths in the Kura-Araxes Culture and Its Derivatives: Definition, Distribution and Usage’, and has been prepared for publication by Greenberg following Ishoev’s untimely death. The authors acknowledge the advice and assistance of Dr. Ruben Badalyan and Dina Zardaryan of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, and of members of the Tel Bet Yerah Archaeological Project, especially Mark Iserlis, Alon Arad and Sarit Paz. Arseni Ishoev ran the digital simulations and provided technical drawings; artefact photography was provided by Pavel Shrago.

Notes

1 We thank Alon Arad for the quantitative analysis, presented in an oral communication at the 10th ICAANE meeting, Munich 2018.