From the Treasures of Syria presents perspectives on the art and
archaeology of ancient Syria, authored by a number of leading experts.
The volume is a tribute to Stefania Mazzoni, Professor of Near Eastern
Archeology at the University of Florence.
The important site
of Tell Afis, where S. Mazzoni worked for many years, is represented by
special studies on ceramics and figurines, all from levels investigated
very comprehensibly at Afis, and which cover the transition from the
Late Bronze Age through the Iron Age. Finds from Afis are also the focus
in other articles, like a fragmentary stele studied by A. Otto, who
extends perspectives on iconographic elements back into the early
Neolithic. The analysis of iconography is an important subject in
several other papers, which study seals, obelisks, and carved ivories.
Other contributions present results of excavations at important sites in
Syria and the Levant, such as Amrith, the Southern Gate at Zincirli and
its sculptured slabs, and the early Third Millennium palace at Tell
el-‛Abd. Tell Atchana/Alalakh, Ugarit, Tell Mozan, Tell Banat, and Tell
Fekheriye are represented by studies and interpretations of statues,
seals, and ceramics.
