This volume is the result of a workshop convened in Warsaw on May 3-4 2012 as part of the 8th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, with the aim of reinvigorating discussion on agro-pastoralist and specialised hunter societies living at the semi-arid and dry fringes of Syria's stable, long-term settlement zone.The seventeen papers gathered here present the results of the most important international field research projects of recent decades dedicated to the interdisciplinary exploration of the dry steppe regions of Syria: the arid margins of northern Syria, the Palmyra, Jebel Bishri, and the Middle Euphrates and Khabur regions. At the core of the articles are crucial issues discussed in a longue duree perspective ranging from the Neolithic to the Early Islamic period, such as the chronology of steppe cultures in Syria, the emergence of specialized mobile pastoral and hunting communities and their social organization, the management of water, the adaptation of subsistence strategies to increasing aridity, landscape change and ist interaction with human activity, and the urban narrative on pastoral societies offered by Bronze and Iron Age cuneiform sources.

The coverage of the Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archaologie embraces those ancient Near Eastern cultures which used the cuneiform script (Mesopotamia, North Syria and Anatolia) together with neighbouring regions in the 4th to the 1st millennia B.C. Entries include important personalities (rulers, scholars, administrators etc.), deities, ancient place names and modern archaeological sites, as well as cultural items and concepts (e.g. "house", "purchase", "literature", "mathematics", "milk"), which are treated from both philological and archaeological standpoints, as appropriate. The articles appear alphabetically under their German heading, but may be in German, English or French. They may be accompanied by illustrations, diagrams and plans. The Reallexikon is addressed to specialists within its own field, but also to historians, theologians, anthropologists, legal historians and others. It does not draw on any predecessor and has established itself internationally as an indispensable work tool. With publication of volume 15 the Reallexikon is completed approximately 90 years after publication of the first volume.

The coverage of the Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archaologie embraces those ancient Near Eastern cultures which used the cuneiform script (Mesopotamia, North Syria and Anatolia) together with neighbouring regions in the 4th to the 1st millennia B.C. Entries include important personalities (rulers, scholars, administrators etc.), deities, ancient place names and modern archaeological sites, as well as cultural items and concepts (e.g. "house", "purchase", "literature", "mathematics", "milk"), which are treated from both philological and archaeological standpoints, as appropriate. The articles appear alphabetically under their German heading, but may be in German, English or French. They may be accompanied by illustrations, diagrams and plans. The Reallexikon is addressed to specialists within its own field, but also to historians, theologians, anthropologists, legal historians and others. It does not draw on any predecessor and has established itself internationally as an indispensable work tool. The Reallexikon is planned to appear in 15 volumes.

'Well, as for Nineveh, skipper, it was wiped out long ago. There's not a trace of it left, and one can't even guess where it was' (Lucian, 2nd century AD). Nineveh, the once-flourishing capital of the Assyrian Empire, has fascinated writers, travellers and historians alike since its complete annihilation by allied forces in 612 BC. It was said to have been a great and populous city with 90-km walls, stunning palaces and colossal statues of pure gold. Since 1842 archaeologists have been investigating the ruins of Nineveh, which are located on the eastern banks of the river Tigris, near the modern Iraqi city of Mosul. The hundreds of thousands of objects that have been collected tell an intriguing story of life and death in a remarkable Mesopotamian city. The edited volume Nineveh, the Great City contains more than 65 articles by international specialists, providing the reader with a detailed and thorough study of the site of Nineveh. It describes the history of the city, the excavations and the dispersed material culture that can today be appreciated in more than 100 museums and institutes around the world. Special attention is paid to the endangered heritage of Nineveh, which recently faced destruction for the second time in its history. This lavishly illustrated volume is intended to appeal to readers interested in culture and heritage, as well as to students and professional academics.

'Well, as for Nineveh, skipper, it was wiped out long ago. There's not a trace of it left, and one can't even guess where it was' (Lucian, 2nd century AD). Nineveh, the once-flourishing capital of the Assyrian Empire, has fascinated writers, travellers and historians alike since its complete annihilation by allied forces in 612 BC. It was said to have been a great and populous city with 90-km walls, stunning palaces and colossal statues of pure gold. Since 1842 archaeologists have been investigating the ruins of Nineveh, which are located on the eastern banks of the river Tigris, near the modern Iraqi city of Mosul. The hundreds of thousands of objects that have been collected tell an intriguing story of life and death in a remarkable Mesopotamian city. The edited volume Nineveh, the Great City contains more than 65 articles by international specialists, providing the reader with a detailed and thorough study of the site of Nineveh. It describes the history of the city, the excavations and the dispersed material culture that can today be appreciated in more than 100 museums and institutes around the world. Special attention is paid to the endangered heritage of Nineveh, which recently faced destruction for the second time in its history. This lavishly illustrated volume is intended to appeal to readers interested in culture and heritage, as well as to students and professional academics.