An Updated Chronology for the Northern Ubaid and Late Chalcolithic Periods in Syria: New Evidence from Tell Hammam Et-Turkman

Abstract

The present article concerns the Northern Ubaid and Late Chalcolithic periods in Syria and northern Mesopotamia and presents an updated chronological framework for both periods, mainly based on recent excavations at the large site of Tell Hammam et-Turkman on the Balikh. Tell Hammam et-Turkman is a huge mound, measuring 500 × 450 × 45 m, and is located about 75 km north of the modern town of Raqqa, on the east bank of the river Balikh, northern Syria (Fig. 1). Since 1981 the University of Amsterdam has carried out excavations (Van Loon 1982, 1983, 1985; Van Loon and Meijer 1983) which have given ample evidence of the importance of the site during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C., but test trenches on the east slope of the tell indicate that already during prehistoric times Tell Hammam et-Turkman was an impressive mound. Northern Ubaid-related levels comprise an accumulation of almost 15 m of occupational debris, immediately followed by Late Chalcolithic layers, which reach a thickness of about 10 m. At present, the prehistoric mound is almost completely buried underneath an extensive overburden of later occupational remains.Here I confine myself exclusively to the results of the trenches on the east slope of Tell Hammam et-Turkman. A series of trenches 2 m wide was laid out, to be excavated in a number of steps. These narrow trenches perfectly met our aim, which was to set up a stratigraphy and pottery sequence at the site. The chronological positioning of the ceramics is based on the delineation of continuity and change in vessel shape, techniques of pottery manufacture and pottery decoration. It is important to stress the continuous and uninterrupted local development of the prehistoric ceramic sequence at Tell Hammam et-Turkman.