cross-hatched lines, alternating between black, white and red. 11,000
year old statue of a man, carved stone tools, flints, seed-grinding
implements and brick-grinding stones were unearthed. Picture of man at
cite.
2007-10-23
Archaeologist uncovers 11,000-year-old artefacts in Syria
Latest discoveries in Syria date back to start of Neolithic era in
Epipalaeolithic period.
By Talal el-Atrache - DAMASCUS Deep in the heart of northern Syria,
close to the banks of the Euphrates River, archaeologists have
uncovered a series of startling 11,000-year-old wall paintings and
artefacts.
"The wall paintings date back to the 9th millennium BC. They were
discovered last month on the wall of a house standing two metres (6.6
feet) high at Dja'de," said Frenchman Eric Coqueugniot, who has been
leading the excavations on the west bank of the river at Dja'de, in an
area famous for its rich tradition of prehistoric treasures.
The etchings are "polychrome paintings in black, white and red. The
designs are solely geometric, and only figurative. The composition is
made up of a system cross-hatched lines, alternating between the three
colours," Coqueugniot said.
They were found in a circular building, around 7.5 metres (25 feet) in
diameter. The excavated house features three solid blocks where the
paintings were located.
The main pillar has been completely excavated and stands almost two
metres high displaying the new murals, said Coqueugniot, a researcher
for the Paris-based National Centre for Scientific Research.
The remains of the building, much larger than the small and
rectangular domestic dwellings of the period, "must have been used as
a meeting place for the whole village or for a clan," he added.
Apart from the organic artefacts, which have decomposed over time, the
site has provided many well-preserved treasures.
Carved stone tools, flints, seed-grinding implements and brick-
grinding stones have been recovered. Many bone objects were also found
-- both remnants of the animals that made up part of the daily diet
and intricately fashioned tools.
The dig also uncovered several figurines made of gypsum, chalk, bone
and clay. The most recent discovery, an 11,000-year-old statue of a
man is "particularly important and well preserved," Coqueugniot said.
This item will allow comparisons with other similar sculptures found
on sites in the Urfa region of southern Turkey, added the French
scientist, who has overseen archaeological projects at Dja'de for 15
years.
"The figures could have had religious significance. The female
statuettes could also have been fertility symbols. But they could have
had entirely different ritual meanings," Coqueugniot said
"We can only offer hypotheses," he added. "It is still very difficult
to say what was the significance of this 11,000-year-old statue of the
woman."
The latest discoveries date back to the start of the Neolithic era, in
a period known as the Epipalaeolithic.
Many artefacts from this period have been discovered in northern
Syria, in particular at Jerf al-Ahmar, a site destroyed by the Tishrin
dam, Coqueugniot said. It was one of several built over the past three
decades that have flooded a number of archaeological sites.
For example, the dam at Tabqa flooded an area of around 650 square
kilometres (250 square miles) after it was erected in 1976. Prior to
that, the government approved testing of 56 sites, 20 of which were
spared when the dam was built.
Read the Full Article Here
No comments:
Post a Comment