Reed-swamps in the Sumerian material culture. Archaeological, archaeobotanical and experimental insights from the Abu Tbeirah excavations

Excavations at the site of Abu Tbeirah are giving new evidence of the long cultural continuity that existed (and in a way still exists) between the life in the Iraqi Marshland and that of Sumerian people inhabiting the Land of the Two Rivers during the third millennium BC. This continuity is related to several life’s aspects, first of all in the material culture. This study focusses on the use of reed-swamps in artefact production and building technique. The evidence brought to light during Abu Tbeirah’s excavations are analysed and compared with the ethnographic data from the Iraqi marshes.