Tell Zeidan

Tell Zeidan is an archaeological site of the Ubaid culture in northern Syria, dates from between 6000 to 4000 BC.^[1] The dig consists of three large mounds on the east bank of the Balikh River, slightly north of its confluence with the Euphrates River, and is located about 5 km (3.1 mi) east of the modern Syrian city of Raqqa (or Raqqa). This site is included within the historical region known as Mesopotamia and the Tigris-Euphrates river system, often called the Cradle of Civilization.

Tell Zeidan

Shown within Syria Show map of Syria Tell Zeidan (Near East) Show map of Near East
Location	Al-Raqqah Governorate, Syria
Coordinates	35°57′N 39°4′E
Type	tell, archaeological site
Length	600 metre
Width	200 metre
Area	12.5 hectare
Height	15 metre
History
Periods	Neolithic, Ubaid period, Halaf culture, Late Chalcolithic
Site notes
Excavation dates	2008; 2009
Archaeologists	Anas al-Khabour, Muhammad Sarhan, Gil Stein

Archaeology

The site, with three submounds, covers an area of about 12.5 hectares.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]}

An international archaeological project, the Joint Syrian-American Archaeological Research Project at Tell Zeidan, were surveying and excavating the Tell Zeidan site. The project started in 2008, two seasons were completed. The third season was scheduled to start in July 2010.^[8][9] Muhammad Sarhan, director of the Raqqa Museum, and Gil Stein, director of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, are co-directors of the project.^[10]

Part of the mound appears to have been looted after the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

See also

• History portal

• Cities of the ancient Near East

References

1. "Long-awaited archaeological project seeks clues about the dawn of urban civilization in the Middle East | University of Chicago News". news.uchicago.edu. 2010-04-06. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
2. Fisher, M. T., "Intrasite Variability and Changing Social Practices during the Ubaid-Late Chalcolithic Transition at Tell Zeidan, Syria", Paléorient. Revue pluridisciplinaire de préhistoire et de protohistoire de l’Asie du Sud-Ouest et de l’Asie centrale 48-1, pp. 73-97, 2022
3. Grossman, Kathryn, and Miriam Hinman, "Rethinking Halaf and Ubaid animal economies: hunting and herding at Tell Zeidan (Syria)", Paléorient, pp. 201-219, 2013
4. Smith, Alexia, Philip J. Graham, and Gil Stein, "Ubaid Plant Use at Tell Zeidan, Syria", Paléorient, pp. 51-69, 2015
5. Fisher, Michael T., "The Late Chalcolithic 1 Period in Northern Mesopotamia: Tell Zeidan, Syria, in Regional Context", The University of Chicago, 2017
6. Hart, Thomas C., "Phytoliths, starch grains, and emerging social complexity at Tell Zeidan, Syria", 2014
7. Anastasiou, Evilena, et al., "Schistosomiasis Parasite Found in the Prehistoric Middle East at Tell Zeidan (6500-6000 BP)", Lancet Infectious Diseases 14, pp. 1-6, 2014
8. Stein, Gil J. (2009). "Tell Zeidan" (PDF). 2008-2009 Annual Report of The Oriental Institute. University of Chicago. pp. 126–137. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
9. Stein, Gil J. (2010). "Tell Zeidan" (PDF). 2009-2010 Annual Report of The Oriental Institute. University of Chicago. pp. 105–118. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
10. "In Syria, a Prologue for Cities". New York Times. April 5, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-06.

External links

• The dig page at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
• The approximate location at Wikimapia
• "Archaeologists Uncover Land Before Wheel; Site Untouched for 6,000 Years". National Science Foundation. April 6, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-06. Press Release 10-054
• Video from the dig, produced by the National Science foundation, narrated by Gil Stein of the Oriental Institute
• The Land Before the Wheel - Gil Stein discusses the mound of Tell Zeidan Alternative repository at YouTube of the same NSF video. Better video and streaming quality.