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Early Bronze Age Strata at Tell Ghanem Al-Ali Along the Middle Euphrates in Syria: A Preliminary Report of 14C Dating Results

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Toshio Nakamura ,
Mitsuo Hoshino ,
Tsuyoshi Tanaka ,
Hidekazu Yoshida ,
Takeshi Saito ,
Kazuhiro Tsukada ,
Yusuke Katsurada ,
Yoshiyuki Aoki ,
Tomoko Ohta  and
Atsunori Hasegawa
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Toshio Nakamura*
Affiliation:
Center for Chronological Research, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
Mitsuo Hoshino
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Tsuyoshi Tanaka
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Hidekazu Yoshida
Affiliation:
University Museum, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Takeshi Saito
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science and Technology, Meijo University, Nagoya 468-8502, Japan
Kazuhiro Tsukada
Affiliation:
University Museum, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Yusuke Katsurada
Affiliation:
Research Fellow, University Museum, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Yoshiyuki Aoki
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Tomoko Ohta
Affiliation:
Center for Chronological Research, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
Atsunori Hasegawa
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 385-8571, Japan
Tomoyasu Kiuchi
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Literature, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Katsuhiko Ohnuma
Affiliation:
The Institute for Cultural Studies of Ancient Iraq, Kokushikan University, Tokyo 195-8550, Japan
Anas Al Khabour
Affiliation:
Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums, Damascus, Syria
Michel Al Maqdissi
Affiliation:
Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums, Damascus, Syria
*
Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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We collected charcoal fragments during an archaeological excavation at the Tell Ghanem al-Ali site, located on the lowest terrace of the middle Euphrates River, and measured their radiocarbon ages with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Two trenches, Square-1 and Square-2, were dug on the slope of the tell; 8 building levels were detected in the Square-2 trench. In total, 31 charcoal samples were collected from the 2 trenches, and their calibrated ages ranged from 3100–2900 cal BC at the lowest building level to 2400–2050 cal BC at the uppermost layers of the mound, and concentrated in the period 2650–2450 cal BC. The pottery fragments collected on the surface of the mound before the excavation survey was started, as well as those collected from the sediment layers during the excavation, were assigned on the basis of typological sequences to the Early Bronze Age (EB)-III and EB-IV periods. Thus, the concentrated dates (2650–2450 cal BC) obtained by 14C dating are consistent with the age estimated by archaeological contexts. However, the oldest dates of the lowest level (level-7) go back to 3100–2900 cal BC, and these dates may suggest the existence of the human residence prior to the EB period at the site, and may therefore lead to a revision of the oldest age limit of the EB period currently accepted in the region.

Type
Archaeology
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 52 , Issue 2: 20th Int. Radiocarbon Conference Proceedings , 2010 , pp. 383 - 392
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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