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Tell Abu Hureyra

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Coordinates: 35°51′58″N 38°24′00″E / 35.866°N 38.400°E / 35.866; 38.400

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Archaeological site in Syria

"Abu Hureyra" redirects here. For the companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, see Abu Hurairah.

Tell Abu Hureyraتل أبو هريرة (Arabic)

Location within Near East<br>Show map of Near East

Location within Syria<br>Show map of Syria

35°51′58″N 38°24′00″E / 35.866°N 38.400°E / 35.866; 38.400[[Geographic coordinate system|Coordinates]]: {{#parsoid\u0000fragment:8}}[https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Tell_Abu_Hureyra&params=35.866_N_38.4_E_type:landmark 35°51′58″N 38°24′00″E&#xfeff; / &#xfeff;35.866°N 38.400°E&#xfeff; / 35.866; 38.400][[Category:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas]]"}}'/>TypesettlementPeriodsEpipaleolithic—NeolithicCulturesNatufian cultureLocationRaqqa Governorate, Syria.RegionLake AssadHistoryBuiltc. 11,000 BCEAbandonedc. 5,000 BCESite notesExcavation dates1972–1973ArchaeologistsAndrew M. T. Moore, Gordon Hillman, Anthony LeggeConditionflooded by Lake Assad<br>Tell Abu Hureyra (Arabic: تل أبو هريرة) is a prehistoric archaeological site in the Upper Euphrates valley in Syria. The tell was inhabited between 13,300 and 7,800 cal. BP[1] in two main phases: Abu Hureyra 1, dated to the Epipalaeolithic, was a village of sedentary hunter-gatherers; Abu Hureyra 2, dated to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, was home to some of the world's first farmers.[2] This almost continuous sequence of occupation through the Neolithic Revolution has made Abu Hureyra one of the most important sites in the study of the origins of agriculture.

The site is significant because the inhabitants of Abu Hureyra started out as hunter-gatherers but gradually moved to farming, making them the earliest known farmers.[2] Cultivation started at the beginning of the Younger Dryas period at Abu Hureyra. Evidence uncovered at Abu Hureyra suggests that rye was the first cereal crop to be systematically cultivated. In light of this, it is now believed that the first systematic cultivation of cereal crops was around 13,000 years ago.[3]

During the Late Glacial Interstadial, Abu Hureyra site experienced climatic change.[2] Due to lake level changes and aridity, the vegetation expanded into lower areas of the fields. Abu Hureyra accumulated vegetation that consisted of grasses, oaks, and Pistacia atlantica trees.[2] The climate changed from warm and dry months to abruptly cold and dry months.[3]

History of research<br>[edit]

Plan of excavations at Abu Hureyra highlighting location of trenches A–G<br>The site was excavated as a rescue operation before it was flooded by Lake Assad, the reservoir of the Tabqa Dam which was being built at that time. The site was excavated by Andrew M. T. Moore in 1972 and 1973. It was limited to only two seasons of fieldwork. Despite the limited time frame, a large amount of material was recovered and studied over the following decades. It was one of the first archaeological sites to use modern methods of excavation such as "flotation", which preserved even the tiniest and most fragile plant remains.[2][4] A preliminary report was published in 1983 and a final report in 2000.[2]

Since around 2012 Moore and others have published several papers reporting on meltglass, nanodiamonds, microspherules, and charcoal and high concentrations of iridium, platinum, nickel, and cobalt from the site of Abu Hureyra, which they attribute to an impact event that destroyed the village around 10,800 BC.[5][6][1] The possible connexion of this impact hypothesis with the Younger Dryas has been rejected by experts in archaeology and impact science.[7]

Location and description<br>[edit]

Abu Hureyra is a tell, or ancient settlement mound, in modern-day Raqqa Governorate in northern Syria. It is on a plateau near the south bank of the Euphrates, 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Aleppo. The tell is a massive accumulation of collapsed houses, debris, and lost objects accumulated over the course of the habitation of the ancient village. The mound is nearly 500 metres (1,600 ft) across, 8 metres (26 ft) deep, and contained over 1,000,000 cubic metres (35,000,000 cu ft) of archaeological deposits.[4]: 42  Today the tell is inaccessible, submerged beneath the waters of Lake Assad.[8]

Occupation history<br>[edit]

First occupation (c. 11,300-9,400 BP)<br>[edit]

See also: Natufian culture

Remain of Epipalaeolithic 1A (11,300-10,800 cal BC) pit dwellings in the foreground, and reconstruction of phase 1A pit dwellings of Abu Hureyra.[9]

The village of Abu Hureyra had two separate periods of occupation: An Epipalaeolithic settlement and a Neolithic settlement. The...