DOI issue:
Syria
DOI article:Mazurowski, Ryszard Feliks: Tell Qaramel: Excavations 2007
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42093#0589
TELL QARAMEL
SYRIA
building material in walls, floors and external
stone pavements.
Another trend which is observable in the
Tell Qaramel assemblage is a steady increase
in the number of stone objects from the
oldest to the younger phases of the
settlement. Many small beads and pendants
were found in or beside human graves in the
Late PPNA horizon. This was the case
especially near the so-called “common
house” (Mazurowski 2004: 364-365)
discovered to the east of square L-4/M-4.
ANIMAL BONES
The osteological material from the PPNA
layers comprised more than 20,000 animal
bones, bone fragments and teeth which were
analyzed typologically and anatomically. The
age, sex and morphology of the animals were
estimated and the different kinds of traces on
the teeth and bones were evaluated. Following
a preliminary analysis, it can be said that the
overwhelming majority of the faunal remains
(approx. 99%) belonged to mammals. Bones
of various bird species were rare and, oddly, no
fishbones were found despite the nearness of a
river. Shells of snails and mollusks remained
rare. Tortoise (or turtle) remains were not
numerous but appeared red in almost all the
layers, pits and other archaeological contexts.
Predominant among the mammalian
remains were the bones of aurochs, sheep,
goat, gazelle, onager, donkey, horse and wild
boar. Represented but rare were red deer,
fallow deer, carnivores (probably dog and an
animal smaller than a dog) and animals from
the Leporidae family (hare or wild rabbit).
It seems that all parts of the skeleton of
the most common mammals are found in
the material. Adult individuals were
extensively represented.
Post-consumption traces on mammalian
bones are frequent. Most are due to the
quartering and filleting of the carcasses.
A few limb and vertebrae bones of aurochs
and sheep bones demonstrated pathological
Fig. 20. Bone ornaments and shell pendants
(Photos R.F. Mazurowski)
583
Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007
SYRIA
building material in walls, floors and external
stone pavements.
Another trend which is observable in the
Tell Qaramel assemblage is a steady increase
in the number of stone objects from the
oldest to the younger phases of the
settlement. Many small beads and pendants
were found in or beside human graves in the
Late PPNA horizon. This was the case
especially near the so-called “common
house” (Mazurowski 2004: 364-365)
discovered to the east of square L-4/M-4.
ANIMAL BONES
The osteological material from the PPNA
layers comprised more than 20,000 animal
bones, bone fragments and teeth which were
analyzed typologically and anatomically. The
age, sex and morphology of the animals were
estimated and the different kinds of traces on
the teeth and bones were evaluated. Following
a preliminary analysis, it can be said that the
overwhelming majority of the faunal remains
(approx. 99%) belonged to mammals. Bones
of various bird species were rare and, oddly, no
fishbones were found despite the nearness of a
river. Shells of snails and mollusks remained
rare. Tortoise (or turtle) remains were not
numerous but appeared red in almost all the
layers, pits and other archaeological contexts.
Predominant among the mammalian
remains were the bones of aurochs, sheep,
goat, gazelle, onager, donkey, horse and wild
boar. Represented but rare were red deer,
fallow deer, carnivores (probably dog and an
animal smaller than a dog) and animals from
the Leporidae family (hare or wild rabbit).
It seems that all parts of the skeleton of
the most common mammals are found in
the material. Adult individuals were
extensively represented.
Post-consumption traces on mammalian
bones are frequent. Most are due to the
quartering and filleting of the carcasses.
A few limb and vertebrae bones of aurochs
and sheep bones demonstrated pathological
Fig. 20. Bone ornaments and shell pendants
(Photos R.F. Mazurowski)
583
Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007