Downsizing a ceremonial center: A brief overview of the Late Bronze Age period at Hirbemerdon Tepe (SE Turkey)

The Upper Mesopotamia’s Late Bronze Age (LBA) is a period of dramatic socio-economic change that resulted in new forms of social organization and political control, which in turn led to the establishment of the Mitanni kingdom. In the upper Tigris river region, this phase is not well documented and only with the discovery of new data will it possible to compare this area with others of northern Mesopotamia. At Hirbermerdon Tepe, this phase is found in a clear context located above the architectural complex of the Middle Bronze Age. This article will thus investigate the architecture and pottery available from the LBA contexts and try to set a possible standard for future research towards a better understanding of the communities that inhabited the region during this important chronological phase.