Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (12.2000(2001))

TELL QARAMEL

SYRIA

and 30 km south of the Taurus Mountains,
included a study of tell stratigraphy and
the extent of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic
settlement, including its stratigraphical
position.
- With this purpose in mind, it was
decided to continue excavating trenches J-8
b,d and J-7 b,d located in the lowest part of
the southern slope of the tell, and to open
two new trenches (K-7 a,c and K-5 b,d,
both 5 x 10 m) even further to the south
(Fig. 1). Together with J-12, J-l 1, J-10, J-9
excavated in the previous season, the
trenches form an 80-m long step-trench,
putting the total surface of the area explored
on the southern slope at 200 m2 (Fig. 1.).
Excavations were also continued in the
lower part of the western slope, where in the
spring of 1999 a tomb from the Early
Bronze Age had been discovered. Trench E-
16 a,c (5.5 x 10 m) opened to the north of
last year's square E-15 runs along the
longer, N-S axis of the tomb. It was hoped
that the original entrance to the structure,
SQUARE E-16
Square E-16 a,c on the western slope of the
tell joins at right angles trench E-15 a,b
explored last year. Its chief purpose was to
study in detail the external form of Tomb
1, especially the entrance, as well as the
archaeological context (only the southern,
rear part of the tomb was investigated in
the previous season). Initially intended as a
10 by 5.5 m trench, it was extended
eastward (2 by 5 m) in order to unearth the
whole entrance (consequently, quarters b, d
of the square have also been partly
explored).
By the end of the season, the entire west
wall, more than the half of the ceiling and

located in the shorter, northern wall, would
thus be revealed. It also provided the
opportunity to investigate the area
immediately north of the tomb where
a second chamber or, possibly, another tomb
was expected.
Throughout the season the surveying of
the area south and southwest of the tell was
continued in order to establish the southern
and eastern borders of the Pre-Pottery
Neolithic village discovered here pre-
viously.^ Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA)
and Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB)
artifacts have been collected from the
ground surface. This season, another
extensive assemblage of flint objects was
gathered from the surface of the western half
of private fields nos. 142 and 144. All of the
upper part of the western flooding terrace of
the river has yielded artifacts. To the south
this Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement
extends to the middle section of field no.
160. The settlement was obviously quite
large, its estimated area being close to 4 ha.
AND TOMB 1
the entrance to the tomb had been cleared.
Current dimensions of the tomb are as
follows: height of NW corner, c. 2 m; SW
corner, c. 1.80 m; length of west wall at
foundation level, c. 6.30 m; same wall at
ceiling level, c. 5.30 m; south wall, c. 4.50
m; north wall, at least c. 3-70 m, the rest
still being hidden in the trench wall. The
walls are made up of from five to seven
layers of stone, depending on the size of the
blocks, the bigger blocks positioned in the
top layers, the smaller ones below. The
spaces between the stones were filled with
pebbles and brownish-red clay. The latter
was also used as roof filling.

3) Cf. ibid., 288.

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