Tell Qaramel, 11,000-9,500 BC with 5 towers

The Tell from the road up from Qaramel



An aerial view, the excavation can be see as a long rectangle running up the slope



In the trench at Qaramel



At work from the site







Tell Qaramel is two thousand years older than Jericho and is known as the 'place with five towers' . The tell has been occupied since man began to settle into villages.

Before the excavations began, it was assumed that permanent sedentary settlements would occur only in combination with the first farming of cereals, and the first domestication and keeping of animals such as sheep and goats, marking the start of the Neolithic period, part of a transition between the proto-Neolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic A cultures

Discussion and photos of the towers




Collection of tools from the site



The site is best known for the remains of its towers which were built before domestication of animals and plants.


The first report on the site with photos of the site

Study of human remains found at TQ



Study

Last report from the site

A representation of what the settlement might have looked like in its earliest stages



One last media report by the Polish press

Press

In the last season, the archaeologists examined the fourth tower – and discovered a fifth one. The diameters of both are over 6 metres, and their walls are 1.5 metres thick. “In the central parts of both towers with circular bases, and with walls partly set into the ground, there are huge hearths. We also found trapezium-shaped stone benches, which lead the dwellers of the settlement to the hearth from the north-western side, as well as from the south side – two parallel rows of vertically placed large stones, which formed the passage to the hearth for a person authorised to light and keep the fire” – Prof. Mazurowski explained

“Before, it was assumed that the Neolithic culture spread from southern Levant, among others from Jericho. Now, it turns out that there was an equally ancient culture in the north, represented in Tell Qaramel. A series of elements of this culture are even older than those found in Palestine. Thus, in the Near East, the culture of the Old World has a more polycentric origin. The research in Tell Qaramel permits us to amend many deeply rooted beliefs about the Near East region and the transfer of this cultural model to Europe” – he added

A view of another Qaramel



Due to the revolution against the Assad regime

A view of another Qaramel

You're just seeing if we're paying attention.
Now, what were you talking about?

LOL Phage, I noticed that one too, much better looking imho

Nice dig, like the pics. Now for some coffee.

reply to post by Phage


A bit of humour from the pictures of dry artifacts and old bones! Her name is also the same as the site, Qaramel

reply to post by Hanslune

I'm having a hard time understanding the towers. From the article you linked it seems that they have circular bases about 5 meters in diameter, with walls of 0.5 meters thickness. I don't see how such a structure could have been built 6 meters high.

reply to post by Phage


Sorry about that I got this quote mixed up , it is six meters for the diameters, thanks for noting that, corrected above

In the last season, the archaeologists examined the fourth tower – and discovered a fifth one. The diameters of both are over 6 metres, and their walls are 1.5 metres thick. “In the central parts of both towers with circular bases, and with walls partly set into the ground, there are huge hearths. We also found trapezium-shaped stone benches, which lead the dwellers of the settlement to the hearth from the north-western side, as well as from the south side – two parallel rows of vertically placed large stones, which formed the passage to the hearth for a person authorised to light and keep the fire” – Prof. Mazurowski explained

I call this one:




"Morning Wood"


Inspired by:

reply to post by 35Foxtrot


Well, we do try to concentrate on the science, instead of the prurience interest of the unseemly

reply to post by 35Foxtrot

Are you sure that last one is an artifact? Not the girl, the one that looks like the eyes were drilled and the rest was scratched in with a nail. I can't believe that is a real artifact. The other carved object have some interest, unless we have a kindergarten drawing that a zealous mother preserved on her ancient refrigerator.

reply to post by zachi


That might have been how it was created, it was found in the excavation but little is known about it AFAIK

My biggest question about this clearly very interesting site is why did they need 5 towers? That would suggest a pretty serious threat (from what we know about human settlements / civilizations of the time).

What was that threat? Marauding big animals? (sabre tooths, mammoths, etc) or other bands of people? Or is there absolutely no indication as of yet?

reply to post by Flavian


Probably family identity, like San Gimignano, protection against enemies or against vermin - protecting that grain they had learned to gather.

reply to post by Hanslune


It certainly seems to be a treasure trove of an area. Hopefully, there will be a find soon that sheds further light on the transition to city / town living.

It definitely seems to be where early human brains were focused!

reply to post by Flavian


Yeah it was an important area, however once its safe to do digs in Iraq again the focus may shift to the south east

reply to post by Hanslune


Just out of interest, do you have any idea how they determine possible sites in places like Iraq? My thinking being that early settlements were always situated close to water and there is plenty of evidence for the water courses of Iraq undergoing wide ranging changes over the last few thousands years. Therefore where towns / cities were located could be way off the areas typically searched.

I may be very wrong with that assumption and if so, please point me in the right direction! (debunking aids knowledge ).

reply to post by Flavian


In that type of terrain

Mounds, thousands of tells all over the place

Surface finds of pottery sherds

Looking for ancient canals, wells and other water sites - people usually set up within half a kilometer of fresh water, exceptions for defensive positions

Looter holes

Tracing of mud brick walls

Documents on locations

Radar and aerial photographs

Originally posted by Hanslune
reply to post by Flavian

 

Probably family identity, like San Gimignano, protection against enemies or against vermin - protecting that grain they had learned to gather.

Tsk, tsk, tsk...perhaps, Hanslune dear if you were to read your own links (instead of looking for pictures of pretty girls with a name to match the site), you would be in a better position to explain to Flavian here that the towers were not contemporary to each other, and were actually replacements for those destroyed by fire.

You also wouldn't answer that they were storing grain when the evidence of the human remains clearly demonstrates an absence of grains (carbohydrates) in the diet due to their great teeth,

That said....having read the links...I can't find anything to support these actually being towers at all...other than them being called towers. How high were the remains of the walls that they excavated?

Originally posted by Flavian
reply to post by Hanslune

 

Just out of interest, do you have any idea how they determine possible sites in places like Iraq? My thinking being that early settlements were always situated close to water and there is plenty of evidence for the water courses of Iraq undergoing wide ranging changes over the last few thousands years. Therefore where towns / cities were located could be way off the areas typically searched.

I may be very wrong with that assumption and if so, please point me in the right direction! (debunking aids knowledge

).

A very good book that I can personally recommend that goes into great detail about how those very areas have been excavated...and how sites were identified for excavation...

www.amazon.co.uk...

...one pair of archaeologists used cameras attached to kites, because at certain times of day, given the right light the outlines of below surface structures are as clear as day given just a little elevation to see it...

Great book and highly accessible, but indeed, given the terraine, the path of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers has moved miles from it course over centuries, this is in theory one of the reasons why the culture evolved as it did, as it was a constant struggle to control chaos, as opposed the the comparison of the Nile river culture which was highly predictible.

Originally posted by Biliverdin

You also wouldn't answer that they were storing grain when the evidence of the human remains clearly demonstrates an absence of grains (carbohydrates) in the diet due to their great teeth,

In addition to the grains of wild cereals ground on stone mills probably also prepared with cooked peas, lentils and fruit pastes, a kind of dense Homos, which then eg baked pies

Of course they had grain but they only appeared to have gathered and not farmed and it formed only a small part of their diet (IMHO)

Grain

Originally posted by Hanslune

Originally posted by Biliverdin

You also wouldn't answer that they were storing grain when the evidence of the human remains clearly demonstrates an absence of grains (carbohydrates) in the diet due to their great teeth,

In addition to the grains of wild cereals ground on stone mills probably also prepared with cooked peas, lentils and fruit pastes, a kind of dense Homos, which then eg baked pies

Of course they had grain but they only appeared to have gathered and not farmed and it formed only a small part of their diet (IMHO)

Grain

Then, if it wasn't a major part of their diet, they wouldn't have had any need to store it. My point, therefore, remains.

Plus of course....the links make no reference to their having found any stores...