A cultural unity in Northwestern Syria during the Neolithic. Tell Ain Dara III, a PPNB site in the Afrin Valley

Abstract

Research on the Neolithic of Syria has been based on the results obtained from salvage excavations in the Middle Euphrates region. However, archaeological investigations over the past decade in other areas such as Northwestern Syria have increased our knowledge on the Neolithisation process on a broader scale, showing regional diversity in Syria during the Neolithic. This article presents results from the sounding at Tell Ain Dara III in the Afrin Valley, Northwestern Syria, and considers this site’s cultural affinity with neighbouring sites during this time period. The excavation, undertaken in 1991 by the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums, revealed a Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB, late 8th millennium BC) settlement with architectural remains associated with a rich variety of stone artefacts made from various raw materials. The site’s material culture, especially the lithic industry, closely resembles those from other Neolithic sites in Northwestern Syria. New evidence from this research at Tell Ain Dara III reinforces the previously suggested theory that sites in Northwestern Syria could have formed a cultural unity during the Late PPNB to the Early Pottery Neolithic periods (late 8th – early 7th millennia BC).