DOI issue:
Syria
DOI article:Mazurowski, Ryszard Feliks: Tell Qaramel: Excavations 2007
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42093#0590
TELL QARAMEL
SYRIA
changes owing to an inflammatory condi-
tion. Processing traces include the making of
simple tools, of which several dozen were
identified. These were made by splitting
the bone (mainly of ruminants) and
smoothing the edges, the size and shape ol
the material determining whether needles,
awls, perforators or chisels were produced.
Some bone ornaments and a shell pendant
were also recorded [Fig. 20].
There were no evident traces of
domestication on the examined bones.
However, the observed changes in bone
dimensions over time may indicate
domestication. The material from square
J-8b,d stratum VIII, level 14, which was
particularly rich in animal remains (approx.
8000 skeletal fragments), has provided
a good idea of the game hunted by the
inhabitants of Qaramel. These were
(percentages are given regarding the sum
total of mammal bones from the assemblage):
large ruminants, Bovidae family (aurochs)
(36.35%); medium-sized ruminants, probably
of the Cervidae family (fallow deer or red
deer) (3.20%); small ruminants, Bovidae
family (goat, sheep, gazelle) (39.95%);
Equidae family (horse, onager, donkey)
(15.32%); Suidae family (wild boar)
(4.64%). Members of the Leporidae family
(hare or rabbit) and birds were also hunted
sporadically, and the human diet was
supplemented with tortoise meat, mollusks
and snails.
CONCLUSION
Examination of the stratigraphy in squares
J-8 b,d and J-7 b,d following this year’s
fieldwork confirmed the presence of an
occupational horizon connected with the
transition from the Proto-Neolithic
tradition to the PPNA, a horizon which
seems different from the Natufian and Post-
Natufian traditions known from the middle
and southern Levant. Several factors,
including the small amount of microlithics,
suggest development from a still obscure
local epipaleolihic cultural tradition. A gap
noted between the oldest traces of
occupation and the PPNA tradition could
reflect a temporary shift in location, an
assumption confirmed by the obvious
restriction of Late PPNA occupation to the
southernmost squares L-5, M-4, L-4 and L-3.
The multi-room buildings of ovoid, sub-
rectangular and rectangular shape, made in
the pise technique or, occasionally, of
primitive irregular bricks are characteristic of
the PPNA horizon. The chronological
identification of this architecture is also
confirmed by the chipped stone (flint)
industry assemblage discovered this year in
the southernmost squares, as well as in
squares L-4/K-4 in previous seasons.
Another significant discovery of this
season was Tower 5, attributed to the Proto-
Neolithic period. A radiocarbon dating to
the 11th millennium BC (calibrated) makes
it the fifth oldest tower in the world. Indeed,
all five of the Qaramel towers have been
demonstrated by radiocarbon dating to
predate the tower in Tell el-Sultan in
Palestine. The excavators propose to
interpret the towers as an official public and
ritual meeting place for the inhabitants of the
village throughout practically all of its
existence. Despite the technological
differences in their construction, the five
towers occupied the same location inside the
settlement. The stability of settlement in
Qaramel over a long period of time has been
evidenced by the continuity in house
locations in many of the fourteen levels of
occupation recorded at the site.
584
Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007
SYRIA
changes owing to an inflammatory condi-
tion. Processing traces include the making of
simple tools, of which several dozen were
identified. These were made by splitting
the bone (mainly of ruminants) and
smoothing the edges, the size and shape ol
the material determining whether needles,
awls, perforators or chisels were produced.
Some bone ornaments and a shell pendant
were also recorded [Fig. 20].
There were no evident traces of
domestication on the examined bones.
However, the observed changes in bone
dimensions over time may indicate
domestication. The material from square
J-8b,d stratum VIII, level 14, which was
particularly rich in animal remains (approx.
8000 skeletal fragments), has provided
a good idea of the game hunted by the
inhabitants of Qaramel. These were
(percentages are given regarding the sum
total of mammal bones from the assemblage):
large ruminants, Bovidae family (aurochs)
(36.35%); medium-sized ruminants, probably
of the Cervidae family (fallow deer or red
deer) (3.20%); small ruminants, Bovidae
family (goat, sheep, gazelle) (39.95%);
Equidae family (horse, onager, donkey)
(15.32%); Suidae family (wild boar)
(4.64%). Members of the Leporidae family
(hare or rabbit) and birds were also hunted
sporadically, and the human diet was
supplemented with tortoise meat, mollusks
and snails.
CONCLUSION
Examination of the stratigraphy in squares
J-8 b,d and J-7 b,d following this year’s
fieldwork confirmed the presence of an
occupational horizon connected with the
transition from the Proto-Neolithic
tradition to the PPNA, a horizon which
seems different from the Natufian and Post-
Natufian traditions known from the middle
and southern Levant. Several factors,
including the small amount of microlithics,
suggest development from a still obscure
local epipaleolihic cultural tradition. A gap
noted between the oldest traces of
occupation and the PPNA tradition could
reflect a temporary shift in location, an
assumption confirmed by the obvious
restriction of Late PPNA occupation to the
southernmost squares L-5, M-4, L-4 and L-3.
The multi-room buildings of ovoid, sub-
rectangular and rectangular shape, made in
the pise technique or, occasionally, of
primitive irregular bricks are characteristic of
the PPNA horizon. The chronological
identification of this architecture is also
confirmed by the chipped stone (flint)
industry assemblage discovered this year in
the southernmost squares, as well as in
squares L-4/K-4 in previous seasons.
Another significant discovery of this
season was Tower 5, attributed to the Proto-
Neolithic period. A radiocarbon dating to
the 11th millennium BC (calibrated) makes
it the fifth oldest tower in the world. Indeed,
all five of the Qaramel towers have been
demonstrated by radiocarbon dating to
predate the tower in Tell el-Sultan in
Palestine. The excavators propose to
interpret the towers as an official public and
ritual meeting place for the inhabitants of the
village throughout practically all of its
existence. Despite the technological
differences in their construction, the five
towers occupied the same location inside the
settlement. The stability of settlement in
Qaramel over a long period of time has been
evidenced by the continuity in house
locations in many of the fourteen levels of
occupation recorded at the site.
584
Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007