Establishing the proper sequence of events is a prerequisite for documenting history. The synchronization of chronologies, and therefore history, of the various areas of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East is an essential task without which the development of civilizations, their reciprocal infl uences, their merger and divergence, cannot be described and understood. Since the 1960s the in
creasing number of excavations and the widespread use of C14 dating have revolutionized our knowledge. This accumulation of new data has profoundly modifi ed our understanding of the chronology of the second and third millennia BC. ARCANE is an interdisciplinary project, which has been funded by the European Science Foundation for fi ve years. The ultimate goal of the project is to create a reliable relative and absolute chronology of the entire Near East based on the synchronization of regional chronologies for the third millennium BC. Within this time span, the project intends to review all aspects of the material culture, together with the artistic manifestations, the historical and epigraphic records and the various methods of dating (mainly C14, but also thermo-luminescence, thermo-remanence, dendrochronology, etc.). Its geographical scope covers the entire Eastern Mediterranean and Near Eastern area, from Egypt to Iran and from Cyprus and Anatolia to the Arab-Persian Gulf. For practical purposes, twelve regions have been designated: Southern Levant (SL), Northern Levant (NL), Cyprus (CY), Aegean (AG), Western & Central Anatolia (WA), Eastern Anatolia (EA), Middle Euphrates (ME), Jezirah (JZ), Tigridian Region (TG), Central Mesopotamia (CM), Southern Mesopotamia (SM), and Western Iran (WI). The critical examination of radiocarbon dates, art historical studies, as well as epigraphic and historical evidence are considered in a broader framework, the Transversal Groups. Each Regional and Transversal Group will produce a publication summarizing its results. The ARCANE project represents a radically new scholarly endeavour in the fi eld of Near Eastern studies; there are unique features in its scientifi c approach, methodology and organization. The project is resolutely pluridisciplinary: in addition to archaeologists, it includes historians, art historians, epigraphers and specialists of various dating methods. These specialists belong to some 26 different countries and represent the major European academic and research institutions. Since the project has now reached its fi nal phase it is time to publicize the results and open the discussion of the proposed chronologies. The general Synthesis with contributions concerning the periodization and chronology of the different regions, illustrations of the regional assemblages and distribution will be held in Bern from December 9th to 11th 2011. Conference attendance is free of charge, however, we would very much appreciate if you could register online via our website before October 1st so that we will know how many of you are intending to participate.
