研究者 > 西秋 良宏 > Nishiaki Lab. Top > Seker al-Aheimar

Tell Seker al-Aheimar, the Upper Khabur, Syria

Yoshihiro Nishiaki
The University Museum, The University of Tokyo

The excavations

Tell Seker al-Aheimar is one of the largest Neolithic settlements in the Jazireh plain, northeast Syria. It is situated about 7 km west of the town
of Tell Tamor, approximately 45 km northwest of Hassake (Figs. 1, 2). It represents a large elongated oval mound on the right bank of the
Khabur main stream, occupying an area of about 300 x 180 m with a height of about 11 m from the nearby flood plain of the Khabur.

Fig. 1 Map showing the location of Tell Seker al-Aheimar

Fig. 2 Contour map of Tell Seker al-Aheimar with the excavated areas

It was first recognized as a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in 1991 by the French-Japanese team during their general survey. Our interest in Tell Seker
al-Aheimar arose from the current knowledge on the earliest settlement history of the Khabur basin, the western part of Upper Mesopotamia.
Surveys and excavations in this vast fertile plain have located numerous Pottery Neolithic sites as well as early civilization ones, but very rarely
sites preceding the Pottery Neolithic. Accordingly it has been suggested that occupational or subsistence strategies may have significantly changed
during this time period. Tell Seker al-Aheimar is thus expected to provide us with a unique opportunity to understand how and why this change
occurred, and then scientific excavations have been carried out since 2000 by the University of Tokyo team.

Excavations at five sectors (A to E) have demonstrated that the occupation at this site indeed started in the late Pre-Pottery Neolithic period (Figs. 3-5), as suggested by the original survey in 1991, and that it continued to the Pottery Neolithic period with one or more possible transitional stages. They prove that Tell Seker al-Aheimar, one of the largest Neolithic settlement complexes reported to date on the Jazireh plain. The continuous excavations over the last decade have indeed made a range of significant contributions in understanding the developments of the earliest farming communities. Major discoveries include the following: Fig. 3　PPNB architecture Fig. 4　 PPNB flint artifacts

Fig. 5 Water drainage of the PPNB period

The oldest pottery of Upper Mesopotamia

The oldest Pottery Neolithic of Upper Mesopotamia, including the Khabur basin, has long been believed to be represented by the Proto-Hassuna (Sotto-Umm Dabaghiyah) entity. The excavations at Tell Seker al- Aheimar revealed that a Pottery Neolithic phase predating the Proto-Hassuna existed on the Khabur, characterized by a distinct set of pottery as well as architecture and lithic technology. The long uninterrupted sequence at Tell Seker al-Aheimar shows that this cultural entity, referred to as “Pre-Proto- Hassuna”, was derived from a local Pre-Pottery Neolithic of the East Wing of the Fertile Crescent and gradually developed into Proto-Hassuna. Radiocarbon dates for this phase indicate the early centuries of the 8th millennium BP, a period prior to that of Proto-Hassuna settlements in both northeast Syria and northern Iraq. These new data highlight the necessity of reconsidering the Neolithic framework of Upper Mesopotamia in general. Nishiaki, Y. and M. Le Mière (2005) The oldest pottery Neolithic of Upper Mesopotamia: New evidence from Tell Seker al-Aheimar, the Upper Khabur, Northeast Syria. Paléorient 31(2): 55-68.

Fig. 6 “Pre” Proto-Hassuna pottery

Fig. 7 Proto-Hassuna painted pottery

Fig. 8 A gypsum object in which animal mandibles are embedded with their teeth upright

A unique PPNB female figurine

A very large clay female figurine was excavated from a Late PPNB level. It depicts a seated female with realistic modeling and bi-chrome
painting decoration. Its remarkably large size (ca. 14.2 cm high) and highly elaborate artistry have no parallels for clay figurines of this period,
raising issues to be discussed on its culture-historic and functional significance. Furthermore, the burnished/painted surface indicates its prolonged
use as well as the importance attached to it when in use. The fact that the figurine was discovered from a sub-floor also suggests its distinguished
function, reminiscent of sub-floor human burials popular in the earlier PPNB. The study of this figurine would eventually facilitate our
understanding of the nature of the PPNB–PN transition in Upper Mesopotamia—a period in which marked changes have been noted in a range of
aspects including the symbolic and ritualistic behaviour of farming communities.

Nishiaki, Y. (2007) A unique Neolithic female figurine from Tell Seker al-Aheimar, Northeast Syria. Paléorient 33(2): 117-125.

Fig. 9 The unique PPNB female figurine

Fig. 10 Red paints on the unique PPNB female figurine

The oldest water-well

One of the most interesting features of the Late PPNB period at Tell Seker al-Aheimar is a large water well with a diameter of approximately 2
m and a depth of more than 4.5 m, the oldest known in Syria. The settlement of Tell Seker al-Aheimar is situated near a permanent water source,
the Khabur River. Therefore, the construction of the well may have had purposes beyond solely procurement of water. One possibility could have
been to control the quality of the water and avoid the use of river water that was increasingly subject to pollution due to development of a
sedentary agricultural community. The notable finds were a complete set of ground stone objects found near the bottom of the well. These
ground stone objects, made of either basalt or limestone, were thrown into the well on purpose, for reasons yet unknown.

Nishiaki, Y. (2009) Excavations at Tell Seker al-Aheimar, Hassake: The 2008 season. Chronique Archéologique en Syrie 4: 67-74.

Fig. 11 The PPNB water-well

Fig. 12 A collection of ground stone tools found in the PPNB water-well

Further reading

• Nishiaki, Y., K. Kashima and M. Verhoeven (2013) Neolithic Archaeology in the Khabur Valley, Upper Mesopotamia and Beyond. SENEPSE 15. Berlin: ex oriente.

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