Tell Abu Hureyra ("tell" is Arabic for "mount") was a site of an ancient settlement in the northern Levant or western Mesopotamia. It has been cited as showing the earliest known evidence of agriculture anywhere. It is located on a plateau near a south bank of the Euphrates River, presently beneath Lake Assad in northern Syria to the east of Aleppo.[5] There were two separate periods of settlement, with a period of abandonment between. Tell Mar Elias, North Jordan in 2005 Tell or tall (Arabic: ‎, tall, and Hebrew: , tel), meaning hill or mound, is an archaeological site in the form of an earthen mound that results from the accumulation and subsequent erosion of material deposited by human occupation over long periods of time. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... The Levant The Levant (IPA: /lÉ™vænt/) is an imprecise geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. ... For other uses, see Mesopotamia (disambiguation). ... The Euphrates (the traditional Greek name for the river, which is in Old Persian Ufrat, Aramaic Prâth/Frot, in Arabic الفرات, in Turkish Fırat and in ancient Assyrian language Pu-rat-tu) is the westernmost of the two great rivers that define... Map of Syria Buhayrat al Asad is a large lake in Syria on the Euphrates River. ... Aleppo (or Halab Arabic: , ) is a city in northern Syria, capital of the Aleppo Governorate. ...

An Epipalaeolithic settlement was established around 11,500 BP (years ago) [3], probably by the Natufian culture in a northeast expansion from their earlier settlements in the southern Levant. It consisted of a small number of round huts, probably constructed from degradable materials such as wood and brush, with the settlement housing a few hundred people at most. During this time most food was obtained from hunting, fishing and gathering wild plants. Huts contained underground storage areas for food. The main animal hunted was gazelle during its annual migration, with other large wild animals such as onager, sheep and cattle killed occasionally and smaller animals such as hare, fox and birds were hunted throughout the year. Wild plants harvested included einkorn wheat and emmer wheat and two varieties of rye. The Epipalaeolithic (or Epi-Palaeolithic, Epipaleolithic, or Epi-Paleolithic) was a period in the development of human technology that immediately precedes the neolithic period, as an alternative to mesolithic. ... The Natufian culture existed in the Mediterranean region of the Levant. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Binomial name Equus hemionus Pallas, 1775 The onager (Equus hemionus) is a large mammal belonging to the horse family and native to the deserts of Syria, Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, and Tibet (China). ... Species See text. ... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ... Jack rabbit and Jackrabbit redirect here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Triticum boeoticum Boss. ... Binomial name triticum dicoccoides Emmer Grain is an ancient grain officially known as Triticum dicoccoides. ... Binomial name Secale cereale M.Bieb. ...

Evidence has been found for cultivation of rye from 11,050 BP [7]. It has been suggested that drier climate conditions resulting from the beginning of the Younger Dryas caused wild cereals to become scarce, leading the people to begin cultivation as a means of securing a food supply. Results of recent analysis of the rye grains from this level suggest that they may actually have been domesticated during the EpiPalaeolithic. Three temperature records, the GRIP one clearly showing the Younger Dryas event at around 11 kyr BP The Younger Dryas stadial, named after the alpine / tundra wildflower Dryas octopetala, and also referred to as the Big Freeze [1], was a brief (approximately 1300 ± 70 years [1]) cold climate period following...

After a period of abandonment, a Neolithic settlement was established, perhaps 10 times as large as the earlier settlement and one of the largest at that time in the Middle East. Mud-brick houses were constructed and a large mound was built up under the settlement mainly from the remains of old houses. An increasingly wide variety of plants were cultivated and examination of human skeletons has shown various deformities that have been associated with laborious agricultural work, particularly the grinding of grain.[9]. Animals were also herded. Pottery was used from around 7,300 BP[10] and weaving some time before that. The village was abandoned around 7,000 BP [4] An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Unfired green ware pottery on a traditional drying rack at Conner Prairie living history museum. ... Tweed loom, Harris, 2004 Woven sheet Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ...

Archaeology

The site was excavated in 1972 and 1973 as a rescue operation before it was flooded under Lake Assad, which was the reservoir of the newly constructed Tabqa Dam. A large amount of material was recovered and studied over the following decades. A preliminary report was published in 1983 and a final report in 2000 [2]. Map of Syria Buhayrat al Asad is a large lake in Syria on the Euphrates River. ...

References and external links

1. http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba51/ba51news.html
2. Village on the Euphrates, A.M.T. Moore, G.C. Hillman, and A.J. Legge (2000). -- http://www.rit.edu/~698awww/statement.html --
3. Estimated calibration of 11500 radiocarbon years BP from [2].
4. estimated calibration of 7000 radiocarbon years BP from [2].
5. 35°52′N, 38°24′E, according to http://users.ox.ac.uk/~orau/dl_am21.html
6. BBC article -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_489000/489449.stm
7. estimated calibration of 11,000 BP as cited in [2]. See also Moore, et al [2000] Village on the Euphrates. Oxford University Press.
8. http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/anthro/asb222/projects/project15.html
9. Theya Molleson, http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi960.htm
10. Scientific American, Aug 1994: http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d10/asb/world_archaeology/lifeways/hg_ag/agric_bones.html