Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (11.1999(2000))

TELL QARAMEL

SYRIA

the Mureybet III A and IIIB phases.5>
Moreover, large steep-scrapers, end-scrap-
ers, perforators, bladelets, sickle-blades, as
well as unipolar pyramidal and conical
cores occur on the site. However, unlike
Mureybet, the Qaramel site has not yield-
ed herminettes and navy core forms are
only scantily represented.
Obsidian artifacts (25) are few and all
of a gray stone that was probably import-
ed from central Anatolia. The finds of
ground and pecked stone artifacts (37 in
all) are typical of the Pre-Pottery
Neolithic5 6-* {Fig. 5).
STEP-TRENCH
ON THE SOUTHERN TELL SLOPE
The assemblage from the uppermost
squares (J-12, J-ll, J-10 and J-9) is gen-
erally later and mixed material, mostly
dated to the Hellenistic period. Eight dif-
ferent stone walls, of a chiefly E-W orien-

tation and damaged in part by 29 chiefly
Islamic graves dug into the subsurface lay-
ers, have been found below the topsoil.
One of these, from trench J-10 where the
walls were found in the best condition,
probably enclosed a stone-paved courtyard
(J-1 Ob). Another wall, 75-80 cm wide,
may be treated as a retaining wall of sorts;
it was constructed of medium-size, regu-
lar, partly dressed pebbles (J-lOd).
The subsurface layer yielded four
objects of special interest: a) a square seal
with deer-like pattern, made of a black
fine-grained stone {Fig. 6:1), dated to the
Late Chalcolithic or Early Bronze Age (J-9);
b) stamped Hellenistic amphora handle
(J-9); c) male terracotta figurine head with
applied eyes, beak-like nose and distinctive
head dress {Fig. 6:2), probably dated to the
later 3rd millennium BC; d) terracotta
female figurine in good condition {Fig. 6:3),
dated to the 7th century BC.


Fig. 6. Objects from the step-trench on the southern slope of the tell
(Drawing R. Maskowicz)

5) M. Cauvin, D. Stordeur, Les outilages lithiques et osseux de Mureybet, Syria (Fouilles Van Loon 1965), Cahiers de
l'Euphrate, No. 1 (Paris 1978), 3-80.
6) R. F. Mazurowski, Ground and pecked stone industry in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Northern Iraq, in:
S. K. Kozlowski (ed.), Nemrik 9- Pre-Pottery Neolithic Site in Iraq, vol. 3 (Warsaw 1997).

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