Rima Khawam | Université Lyon (original) (raw)

Papers by Rima Khawam

Research paper thumbnail of Le Néolithique de Syrie est bien vivant. Quatorze thèses en témoignent

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistory

A History of Syria in One Hundred Sites, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistory of human tuberculosis: Earliest evidence from the onset of animal husbandry in the Near East

Paléorient, 2017

Human tuberculosis has been considered for a long time as a model of animal infection transmitted... more Human tuberculosis has been considered for a long time as a model of animal infection transmitted to humans, resulting from cattle domestication at the Neolithic period. A decade ago, studies of molecular phylogeny of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) has challenged this dogma, suggesting that this human infection could be as old as the human species and emerged ca 2-3 Myrs ago. Yet, recent studies of molecular clock computations proposed that human tuberculosis could not be older than 6 kyrs BP. In order to bring new data to this debate, we studied the paleopathological evidence of tuberculosis on a large sample of two Neolithic sites from Syria in the Near East, cradle of agriculture and domestication: Dja'de el-Mughara (9310-8290 cal. BC) located in the Middle Euphrates Valley (Northern Syria) and Tell Aswad (8200-7500 cal. BC) in the Central Levant (Southern Syria). Both sites have delivered skeletal remains of more than one hundred individuals deriving from different funeral contexts. We used methods of paleopathology, microstructural analysis (μ-CT) and paleomicrobiology. The paleopathological study gave evidence to the most ancient paleopathological known cases of human TB (one adult and nine immature individuals at Dja'de el-Mughara and one adult at Tell Aswad) predating or accompanying the emergence of animal domestication. Among the eleven cases identified, five individuals from Dja'de el-Mughara have been buried in the House of the Dead, while the other individuals at both sites were found in primary, plural and mixed burials. On the basis of these results, the future challenge would be to understand the close contact between humans and animals role in the evolution of MTBC and the mechanisms of modern human tuberculosis strains emergence and spread. For this reason, the Levant is a crucial region as a key center for domestication and sedentism origins.

Research paper thumbnail of Cause du Décès et Traitements Funéraires Différenciés à Tell Aswad au PPNB Moyen/Récent Inhumation d’un Individu Atteint de Tuberculose

Research paper thumbnail of Le PPNB de Syrie du Sud à travers les découvertes récentes à Tell Aswad

Textes édités par Jacqueline DENTZER-FEYDY et MICHÈLE VALLERIN Volume I Ouvrage publié avec le co... more Textes édités par Jacqueline DENTZER-FEYDY et MICHÈLE VALLERIN Volume I Ouvrage publié avec le concours du ministère des Affaires étrangères (DGCID) et du Centre national de la recherche scientifique (UMIFRE 6, USR 3135) et avec le soutien de la Direction générale des Antiquités et des Musées de Syrie (DGAMS) et de la Mission archéologique française en Syrie du Sud BEYROUTH 2010 Responsable : Nadine MÉOUCHY Site de Beyrouth Infographie et PAO : Rami YASSINE Technicien supérieur PAO : Antoine EID Site de Damas Techniciennes PAO : Lina KHANMÉ-SBERNA -Nadima KREIMEID -Rana DARROUS Diffusion Coordination et diffusion générale Liban et étranger : Lina NACOUZI Tél./Fax : + 961 (0) 1 420 294 Diffusion Syrie : Lina CHAMCHIKH, Fatina KHOURY-FEHDE Fax : + 963 (0) 11 332 50 13/332 78 87 Diffusion Jordanie : Mohammed al-KHALAF Fax : + 962 (0) 6 461 11 171 Courriel : diffusion@ifporient.org Traduction en arabe : Hassan HATOUM, Chadi HATOUM et Jeanine ABDUL MASSIH Traduction de résumés vers l'anglais : Kate MEEKINGS Révision de textes : Frédéric ALPI Mots-clefs : Syrie du Sud, Hauran, occupation du sol, urbanisme, architecture civile, architecture sacrée, usages funéraires, sculpture, épigraphie, céramique.

Research paper thumbnail of L’Homme et la Mort au Néolithique Précéramique B: l’Exemple de Tell Aswad

Research paper thumbnail of Les pratiques funéraires de l’horizon PPNB ancien à Tell Aswad (Syrie)

Research paper thumbnail of Human tuberculosis predates domestication in ancient Syria

The question of pre-neolithic tuberculosis is still open in paleopathological perspective. One of... more The question of pre-neolithic tuberculosis is still open in paleopathological perspective. One of the major
interests is to explore what type of infection could have existed around the early stage of animal
domestication. Paleopathological lesions evoking skeletal TB were observed on five human skeletons
coming from two PPNB sites in Syria, which belongs to the geographical cradle of agriculture. These sites
represent respectively pre-domestication phase (Dja'de el Mughara, Northern Syria, 8800-8300 BCE cal.)
and early domestication phase (Tell Aswad, Southern Syria, 8200-7600 BCE cal.). MicroCT scan analyses
were performed on two specimens (one per site) and revealed microscopic changes in favor of TB
infection. Detection of lipid biomarkers is positive for two specimens (one per site). Initial molecular
analysis further indicates the presence of TB in one individual from Dja'de. Interestingly, no morphological
evidence of TB was observed on animal remains of wild and newly domesticated species,
discovered in these sites. These observations strongly suggest the presence of human tuberculosis before
domestication and at its early stages.

Research paper thumbnail of Les crânes surmodelés de Tell Aswad (PPNB, Syrie). Premier regard sur l'ensemble, premières réflexions

Syria, 2007

Le site de Tell Aswad (35 km à l'est de Damas, Syrie) a livré de très nombreux restes funéraires.... more Le site de Tell Aswad (35 km à l'est de Damas, Syrie) a livré de très nombreux restes funéraires. Deux aires funéraires successives ont notamment été mises au jour, datant de la fin du PPNB moyen ou du début du PPNB récent et situées à la marge de la zone construite. Chacune de ces aires a été fondée par un dépôt de crânes surmodelés, enfoui dans une fosse. Le contexte de ces dépôts est donc dissimulé et collectif. Après une description des crânes surmodelés, il sera tenté ici de comparer leur contexte avec celui des autres attestations connues pour la même époque.

Research paper thumbnail of Le Néolithique de Syrie est bien vivant. Quatorze thèses en témoignent

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistory

A History of Syria in One Hundred Sites, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Prehistory of human tuberculosis: Earliest evidence from the onset of animal husbandry in the Near East

Paléorient, 2017

Human tuberculosis has been considered for a long time as a model of animal infection transmitted... more Human tuberculosis has been considered for a long time as a model of animal infection transmitted to humans, resulting from cattle domestication at the Neolithic period. A decade ago, studies of molecular phylogeny of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) has challenged this dogma, suggesting that this human infection could be as old as the human species and emerged ca 2-3 Myrs ago. Yet, recent studies of molecular clock computations proposed that human tuberculosis could not be older than 6 kyrs BP. In order to bring new data to this debate, we studied the paleopathological evidence of tuberculosis on a large sample of two Neolithic sites from Syria in the Near East, cradle of agriculture and domestication: Dja'de el-Mughara (9310-8290 cal. BC) located in the Middle Euphrates Valley (Northern Syria) and Tell Aswad (8200-7500 cal. BC) in the Central Levant (Southern Syria). Both sites have delivered skeletal remains of more than one hundred individuals deriving from different funeral contexts. We used methods of paleopathology, microstructural analysis (μ-CT) and paleomicrobiology. The paleopathological study gave evidence to the most ancient paleopathological known cases of human TB (one adult and nine immature individuals at Dja'de el-Mughara and one adult at Tell Aswad) predating or accompanying the emergence of animal domestication. Among the eleven cases identified, five individuals from Dja'de el-Mughara have been buried in the House of the Dead, while the other individuals at both sites were found in primary, plural and mixed burials. On the basis of these results, the future challenge would be to understand the close contact between humans and animals role in the evolution of MTBC and the mechanisms of modern human tuberculosis strains emergence and spread. For this reason, the Levant is a crucial region as a key center for domestication and sedentism origins.

Research paper thumbnail of Cause du Décès et Traitements Funéraires Différenciés à Tell Aswad au PPNB Moyen/Récent Inhumation d’un Individu Atteint de Tuberculose

Research paper thumbnail of Le PPNB de Syrie du Sud à travers les découvertes récentes à Tell Aswad

Textes édités par Jacqueline DENTZER-FEYDY et MICHÈLE VALLERIN Volume I Ouvrage publié avec le co... more Textes édités par Jacqueline DENTZER-FEYDY et MICHÈLE VALLERIN Volume I Ouvrage publié avec le concours du ministère des Affaires étrangères (DGCID) et du Centre national de la recherche scientifique (UMIFRE 6, USR 3135) et avec le soutien de la Direction générale des Antiquités et des Musées de Syrie (DGAMS) et de la Mission archéologique française en Syrie du Sud BEYROUTH 2010 Responsable : Nadine MÉOUCHY Site de Beyrouth Infographie et PAO : Rami YASSINE Technicien supérieur PAO : Antoine EID Site de Damas Techniciennes PAO : Lina KHANMÉ-SBERNA -Nadima KREIMEID -Rana DARROUS Diffusion Coordination et diffusion générale Liban et étranger : Lina NACOUZI Tél./Fax : + 961 (0) 1 420 294 Diffusion Syrie : Lina CHAMCHIKH, Fatina KHOURY-FEHDE Fax : + 963 (0) 11 332 50 13/332 78 87 Diffusion Jordanie : Mohammed al-KHALAF Fax : + 962 (0) 6 461 11 171 Courriel : diffusion@ifporient.org Traduction en arabe : Hassan HATOUM, Chadi HATOUM et Jeanine ABDUL MASSIH Traduction de résumés vers l'anglais : Kate MEEKINGS Révision de textes : Frédéric ALPI Mots-clefs : Syrie du Sud, Hauran, occupation du sol, urbanisme, architecture civile, architecture sacrée, usages funéraires, sculpture, épigraphie, céramique.

Research paper thumbnail of L’Homme et la Mort au Néolithique Précéramique B: l’Exemple de Tell Aswad

Research paper thumbnail of Les pratiques funéraires de l’horizon PPNB ancien à Tell Aswad (Syrie)

Research paper thumbnail of Human tuberculosis predates domestication in ancient Syria

The question of pre-neolithic tuberculosis is still open in paleopathological perspective. One of... more The question of pre-neolithic tuberculosis is still open in paleopathological perspective. One of the major
interests is to explore what type of infection could have existed around the early stage of animal
domestication. Paleopathological lesions evoking skeletal TB were observed on five human skeletons
coming from two PPNB sites in Syria, which belongs to the geographical cradle of agriculture. These sites
represent respectively pre-domestication phase (Dja'de el Mughara, Northern Syria, 8800-8300 BCE cal.)
and early domestication phase (Tell Aswad, Southern Syria, 8200-7600 BCE cal.). MicroCT scan analyses
were performed on two specimens (one per site) and revealed microscopic changes in favor of TB
infection. Detection of lipid biomarkers is positive for two specimens (one per site). Initial molecular
analysis further indicates the presence of TB in one individual from Dja'de. Interestingly, no morphological
evidence of TB was observed on animal remains of wild and newly domesticated species,
discovered in these sites. These observations strongly suggest the presence of human tuberculosis before
domestication and at its early stages.

Research paper thumbnail of Les crânes surmodelés de Tell Aswad (PPNB, Syrie). Premier regard sur l'ensemble, premières réflexions

Syria, 2007

Le site de Tell Aswad (35 km à l'est de Damas, Syrie) a livré de très nombreux restes funéraires.... more Le site de Tell Aswad (35 km à l'est de Damas, Syrie) a livré de très nombreux restes funéraires. Deux aires funéraires successives ont notamment été mises au jour, datant de la fin du PPNB moyen ou du début du PPNB récent et situées à la marge de la zone construite. Chacune de ces aires a été fondée par un dépôt de crânes surmodelés, enfoui dans une fosse. Le contexte de ces dépôts est donc dissimulé et collectif. Après une description des crânes surmodelés, il sera tenté ici de comparer leur contexte avec celui des autres attestations connues pour la même époque.