Author Description

English summary: Between 1984 and 2004 the largest burial ground of the Arsacid Dynasty in Mesopotamia featuring 732 registered burial complexes was excavated at Tall Seh Hamad, its original place of discovery, which was located at the border between the Arsacid-Parthian and the Seleucidian, later Roman, Empire on the banks of the river Khabur in eastern Syria. Based on the archaeological findings, Benjamin Wehry begins his study by mapping out the grave typology. He then analyzes associated discoveries and arranges them in typological and functional categories. Subsequently, he develops a chronological structure for all of the findings organized in stages from I to IV. His attempt to reconstruct a defined death ritual is based on his examination of the customs related to burial ceremonies and grave goods, as well as on the sepulchral cult of death. The morpho-cultural, chronological and geo-cultural classification of the types of graves and findings in these burial grounds can be traced back to Mesopotamian burial and grave traditions. Time specific imports and foreign styles from the Parthian and the Roman Empire form part of the homogeneous context with regard to results and findings from the Arsacid era. German description: Das mit 732 registrierten Grabkomplexen derzeit umfangreichste Graberfeld der Arsakidenzeit in Mesopotamien wurde zwischen 1984 und 2004 an dem an der Schnittstelle des arsakidisch-parthischen und des seleukidischen bzw. spateren romischen Reiches in Ost-Syrien am Fluss habur gelegen Fundort Tall Seh Hamad ausgegraben. Das Feld gehort zu der Kleinstadt Magdala, deren ausgegrabene Siedlungsreste 2005 im Band 2 dieser Buchserie (BATSH) veroffentlicht wurden. Benjamin Wehry erarbeitet zunachst anhand der Ausgrabungsbefunde die Grabtypologie aus Lehmziegelgrabern, Erdgrabern, Topfgrabern, Sarkophaggrabern sowie grabahnlichen Fundkomplexen. Er analysiert dann die Beifunde und fasst sie zu typologisch-funktionalen Fundgruppen zusamm