Such Abu Hureyra

Such Abu Hureyra is a site of the valley of the Euphrate (northern of current the Syria, the North-West of old the Mésopotamie), which was the seat of a human occupation between 9500 and 5900 before JC. Site close to Euphrate, it was the object of excavations (directed by A.M.T. Moore) in 1972 and 1973 before its engloutissement under water of the lake Assad following the construction of the dam Tabqa and the setting in water of this last in 1976. These excavations gave place in two articles published in “For Science” in 1979 and 1987. The results of these excavations largely made progress knowledge on the process of neolithisation to the Middle East.

The first article (“a village pre-Neolithic era of farmers on Euphrate”) published in the n° 24 of “For Science” in November 1979, and included in the file set of themes “the Paddle of humanity” in 1983, contains following information: At the time Mesolithic era, fine 10th-beginning of the 9th millenium before JC, only the northern end of the site (Such Abu Hureyra 1) are occupied by a simple village. The found tools are typical those present at that time in the whole of the Middle East and the presence of important vegetable vestiges (leguminous plants, cereals) and animals (gazelles, sheep, goats, moulds of fresh water, fish) implies an already sedentarized population practitioner, in addition to hunting, a rudimentary form of agriculture. After the Mesolithic village was abandoned during a few centuries (8500-7500 before JC), the whole of the site was re-occupied (Such Abu Hureyra 2) by a population much more (several thousands of inhabitants) and became the greatest establishment of the old Neolithic era in the area: the site was in relation to the whole of the Middle East (Turkey, Red Sea, Mediterranean Côte) and its development rested on that of agriculture, perhaps irrigated, and of the breeding. The found objects (flint, obsidian, bone, semi-precious stones) do not comprise ceramics although the presence of objects of clay (clay pearls, figurines) seems to prove that the inhabitants knew of them already the properties. After having reached its maximum size at the 7th millenium, Such Abu Hureyra declined at the 6th millenium and was definitively abandoned towards 5900 before JC: according to Andrew Moore the causes of this decline, then of this abandonment, are at the same time climatic (warming by the temperature, lowers precipitations) and demographic (overexploitation of the natural resources).

The second article “hunting for the gazelles with the Stone Age”, published 8 years later (in August 1987 in “Scientific American” under the title " Gazelles killing in stone old Syria" , in November 1987 in “For Science”) supplements and re-examines the information published in 1979 by taking of account the study of the animal remainders discovered on the site carried out by its auteurs.
The village whose population evolved/moved from 200 to 300 inhabitants with the Mesolithic era with 2.000 to 3.000 with the Neolithic era seems to have been unoccupied between 8000 and 7500 before J C. During the Mesolithic era and at the beginning of the Neolithic era, 80% of the bones of found animals are bones of gazelles of all ages, which implies techniques of massive hunting: the hunters fold back the gazelles, during their seasonal migration, worms large enclosures (called " stags-volants" desert) in which they are cut down. At the beginning of this period, the inhabitants seem to have had a sedentary lifestyle and the presence, though minority, bone of goats and sheep, seem to prove the existence of the breeding. Between 6500 and 6000 before J.C., the animal economy of the site knows an upheaval related to the destruction of the herds of gazelles (driven out then in all the area): the relative importances of the bones are reversed (the bones of gazelles pass from 80% to 20% of the total, whereas those of the goats and sheep pass from 10% to 60%). In conclusion, the authors stress slowness and the progressive transition from the passage of a company of hunters-gatherers to a company of farmer-stockbreeders.

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