New radiocarbon dates for the Later Neolithic of Northern Syria (original) (raw)
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Tell Arbid Abyad is located about 12 km east of the famous Halafi an site of Chagar Bazar in northeast Syria. It is a small mound, approximately 2 m high covering about 0.5 ha. Owing to intensive agricultural activities and erosion it is almost indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape. The Czech archaeological project at Tell Arbid Abyad is joined to the Syrian-Polish Archaeological Expedition to Tell Arbid. The investigations of Tell Arbid Abyad yielded architectural remains, pottery, stone tools, sealing fragments, tokens and other objects. On the basis of pottery and radiocarbon dating, the site was settled during the Transitional (Proto-Halaf period) and Early Halaf periods. This paper discusses the fi rst results obtained during survey and fi eld work in 2005-2007.
Paléorient, 2004
This paper intends to give a brief factual account of some of the new fieldwork projects in Syria that are now documenting a short transitional stage between the Pre-Halafand the Early Halaf. This stage, which for present purposes we have termed Proto-Halaf (about 6 100-5 950 cal. ВС), appears to have been a crucial time, during which the basis was laid for the subsequent Halaf phenomenon. Evidence gathered so far suggests that the transition from Pre-Halaf to Early Halaf happened fairly rapidly, within the course of only a few generations. What we have termed the Proto-Halaf period refers largely to changes observed in the ceramic assemblages. These we shall present geographically by discussing previously excavated sites while also including new discoveries that are changing our insights with almost every fieldwork season. We hope to offer a framework for further work on this crucial stage in Mesopotamian prehistory.
This paper presents new data about the 7th and 6th millennium cal. bce occupations at Tell Halula. A diachronic interpretation of that part of the sequence that covers the Pre- Halaf and Halaf periods is at the core of our contribution. We especially emphasize modes of the occupation of spaces, architecture and technology, as well as subsistence economy. Finally, we evaluate the evidence that supports the continuity of occupation at the site, factors that turn this stratigraphic sequence one of the most complete in the northern Levant.
Paléorient , 2015
Research on the Neolithic of Syria has been based on the results obtained from salvage excavations in the Middle Euphrates region. However, archaeological investigations over the past decade in other areas such as Northwestern Syria have increased our knowledge on the Neolithisation process on a broader scale, showing regional diversity in Syria during the Neolithic. This article presents results from the sounding at Tell Ain Dara III in the Afrin Valley, Northwestern Syria, and considers this site's cultural affinity with neighbouring sites during this time period. The excavation, undertaken in 1991 by the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums, revealed a Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB, late 8 th millennium BC) settlement with architectural remains associated with a rich variety of stone artefacts made from various raw materials. The site's material culture, especially the lithic industry, closely resembles those from other Neolithic sites in Northwestern Syria. New evidence from this research at Tell Ain Dara III reinforces the previously suggested theory that sites in Northwestern Syria could have formed a cultural unity during the Late PPNB to the Early Pottery Neolithic periods (late 8 th – early 7 th millennia BC). Résumé : La recherche sur les sites néolithiques de Syrie a longtemps reposé sur les résultats des fouilles de sauvetage dans la région du Moyen Euphrate. Cependant, les recherches archéologiques effectuées depuis de nombreuses années dans d'autres régions comme la Syrie du Nord-Ouest ont élargi nos connaissances sur le processus de néolithisation, montrant la diversité régionale en Syrie durant le Néolithique. Cet article présente les résultats d'un sondage réalisé à Tell Ain Dara III dans la vallée d'Afrin, au nord-ouest de la Syrie, et analyse l'affinité culturelle de ce site avec des sites voisins au cours de cette période. La fouille, entreprise en 1991 par la Direction générale des Antiquités et des Musées, a révélé un site du PPNB récent (fin du 8 e millénaire av. J.-C.) où des vestiges architecturaux étaient associés à une grande variété d'objets de pierre fabriqués à partir de diverses matières premières. La culture matérielle du site, en particulier l'industrie lithique, ressemble beaucoup à celle d'autres sites néolithiques du Nord-Ouest de la Syrie et renforce la théorie proposée antérieurement que les sites du Nord-Ouest de la Syrie auraient formé une unité culturelle durant le PPNB récent et le Néolithique céramique ancien (fin du 8 e-début du 7 e millénaires av. J.-C.).