A Study on the Prehistoric.Urbanization in the Northern Levant

自1999年以来，我们一直在位于叙利亚西北部Rouj盆地的Tell el-Kerkh地区工作。该遗址是近东地区最大的新石器时代定居点之一，我们的首次调查表明，该遗址对于了解史前的城市化、社会复杂性和工艺专业化进程非常重要。该项目是对该遗址的第二次调查，我们试图明确史前城市的形成和社会整合过程。我们不仅在。Tell el=Kerkh，还可以对遗址周围进行一般调查，以探测史前定居模式。我们的结果总结如下：(1)结算。Tell el-Kerkh的历史可以追溯到早期的PPNB时期（公元前1000年），该定居点的出现与农业的开始密切相关(2)。小扁豆已经在Tell el-Kerkh定居点被驯化。猪和牛的驯化也是那里新石器时代人的重要生计(3)因此，叙利亚西北部的新石器时代可以追溯到幼发拉底河中部地区的早期(4)新石器时代的进程在Tell el-Kerkh发展得非常迅速。在一千年之内，一个以Tell el-Kerkh为中心的等级定居系统出现在盆地中。定居点扩大了20多公顷，而且。从盆外进口情色宝石，制作工具和饰品。与此同时，工艺专业化也带动了聚落发展起来的复杂的物资管理体系

We have been working on the site, named Tell el-Kerkh, located in the Rouj Basin, northwest Syria since 199?. This site is one of the largest Neolithic settlements in the Near East, and our first investigations disclosed that the site is quite important for understanding the urbanization, social complexities, craft specialization processes in prehistory. The offered project is the second investigations on the site, and we tried to clear the prehistoric city formation and social integration processes. We executed not only the excavations at. Tell el=Kerkh, but also the general surveys around the site to detect the prehistoric settlement patterns. The summary of our results is as follows(1)The settlement. of Tell el-Kerkh dates back to the early PPNB period (9^<th> millennium b.c.), and the emergence of this settlement closely relates to the beginning of agriculture(2)The paleo-botanical studies disclosed that the wheat. and lentils have already been domesticated in the settlement of Tell el-Kerkh. The pig and cattle domestication was also the important subsistence for the Neolithic people there(3)Therefore, the neolithization in northwest Syria dates to the early as in the middle Euphrates region(4)The neolithization process advanced very rapidly at Tell el-Kerkh. Within one thousand years, a hierarchical settlement system, centered by Tell el-Kerkh, appeared in the basin. The settlement grew over 20ha, and it. imported erotic precious stones from outside the basin to produce tools and ornaments. At the same time, the craft specialization slid the complicated material administration systems developed in the settlement