Tell Aswad is considered to be a reference site for the Neolithic of the Near East. This early farming village is an important part of Syria’s archaeological heritage that is under threat. The site of Tell Aswad is situated at 600 masl and 30 km east of Damascus (33º24’14” N; 36º33’00” E), Syria, and was excavated by Dr D. Stordeur (Emeritus CNRS, France) between 2001 and 2007. Occupied during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, Tell Aswad is of major interest in relation to the origins and development of early farming communities in the Near East. Situated on the banks of an ancient lake in a rich natural setting, Aswad is one of the earliest sites that presents evidence for farming throughout its sequence. While hunting played an important role, domestic animals are present during the earliest occupation levels. The site has produced rich evidence for village life, in particular a diverse array of mudbrick architecture, bone tools, flint and obsidian tools, ground stone and remains of basketry, cords and woven material. Art and finds of a symbolic nature are represented by personal ornaments and figurines in modeled earth. Finally, Tell Aswad has provided exceptionally detailed finds indicative of funerary customs. Burial grounds containing more than one hundred individuals show an evolution of funerary practices throughout the PPNB. Among the finds was an exceptional discovery on the eastern part of the tell of nine plastered skulls, which are considered to be the best preserved and most informative of all such finds in the Near East.
The publication project is directed by Dr. Juan Antonion Sánchez Priego, Assistant-Director of Tell Aswad and Associated Researcher in Laboratory Archéorient-UMR 5133 CNRS, Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée de Lyon (France) and at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain).
