An investigation into the Early Bronze Age cemetery of Basur Höyük.

On the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates, archaeologists encounter evidence that challenges conventional understandings of early state formation as a transition from 'small-scale, egalitarian' to 'large- scale, stratified' societies. One such location is the Early Bronze Age cemetery of Basur Höyük, which presents evidence of grand funerary rituals—including 'retainer burials' and spectacular deposits of metallic wealth—in an otherwise small-scale, egalitarian setting. A further, puzzling feature of this cemetery is the preponderance of teenagers in the richest tombs. Here we describe the combined results of archaeological and anthropological analysis at Basur Höyük, including ancient DNA, and consider the challenges they pose to traditional accounts of early state formation.

在底格里斯河与幼发拉底河上游区域，考古学家发现了挑战传统早期国家形成认知的证据——传统观点将早期国家形成视为从“小型平等社会”向“大型层级社会”的转型过程。其中一处典型遗址为巴苏尔霍伊丘（Basur Höyük）的早青铜时代墓地，该墓地在整体呈现小型平等社会风貌的背景下，却出土了宏大丧葬仪式的相关证据，包括侍从陪葬墓与大量精美金属财富遗存。该墓地另一处令人困惑的特征是，最奢华的墓葬中青少年个体占比极高。本文对巴苏尔霍伊丘遗址开展的考古学与人类学综合分析结果进行了阐述，其中包含古DNA分析内容，并探讨了这些结果对传统早期国家形成叙事所提出的挑战。