Ancient City Mysteriously Survived Mideast Civilization Collapse

LiveScience ^ | Thursday, July 28, 2011 | Owen Jarus

[SunkenCiv]

As ancient civilizations across the Middle East collapsed, possibly in response to a global drought about 4,200 years ago, archaeologists have discovered that one settlement in Syria not only survived, but expanded.

Their next question is -- why did Tell Qarqur, a site in northwest Syria, grow at a time when cities across the Middle East were being abandoned?

"There was widespread abandonment of many of the largest archaeological sites and ancient cities in the region and also large numbers of smaller sites," said Jesse Casana, a professor of anthropology at the University of Arkansas. "At Tell Qarqur and probably at other sites also in the Orontes River Valley, where our site is located, [settlement] continues, and in our case, seems to have probably broadened [during that time]."

Casana and Boston University archaeologist Rudolph Dornemann discovered mud-brick homes beyond the city's fortification walls, suggesting the area was thriving. [See images of the ancient city]

[SunkenCiv]

The site of Tell Qarqur in northwest Syria was occupied for nearly 10,000 years. The debris that people left behind accumulated into a human-made mound known as a tell. Archaeologists have determined that 4,200 years ago, at a time when cities and civilizations were collapsing in the Middle East, Tell Qarqur actually grew. [CREDIT: Photo courtesy Tell Qarqur Expedition]

[SunkenCiv]

• Did Uruk soldiers kill their own people? 5,500 year old fratricide at Hamoukar Syria
• Ancient city looks like first victim of urban war 6,000-YEAR-OLD TOWN SUCCUMBED TO FIRE,MISSILES
• New Details of First Major Urban Battle Emerge
• Ancient Weapons Found In RuinsIn Syria
• Ruins in Northern Syria Bear the Scars of a City's Final Battle
• Artifacts found at ancient city ("This was 'Shock and Awe' in the Fourth Millennium BC.")
• Ancient Citadel Shows Scars Of Mass Warfare (Mesopotamia - 3500BC)
• Archaeologists Unearth a War Zone 5,500 Years Old
• New Discoveries In Syria Confirm Theory On Spread Of Early Civilization

[patton]

It had to do with water, I would guess.

;)

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

Syria’s mysterious Dead Cities
The Guardian | Saturday January 9, 2010 | Kevin Rushby
Posted on 01/14/2010 7:09:52 PM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2428711/posts

[Psycho_Bunny]

I’m betting they had a balanced budget, too.

[SunkenCiv]

:’) Or maybe the lack thereof on other sites. It’s interesting that it has two mounds, which is similar to at least a few other sites — the larger is generally older, with occupation ending precipitously, followed by a modest recovery nearby. I don’t know if that’s the case here.

http://www.sflorg.com/sciencenews/scn040306_01.html
http://www.sflorg.com/sciencenews/images/imscn040306_01_08.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Qarqur
http://www.archaeological.org/sites/default/files/brophey_excavating_2008.jpg

It’s worth noting that Syria’s been trying to get a lot of archaeological projects (using foreign researchers) going on its territory as part of its international PR campaign — this was years before the current uprising.

[KevinDavis]

I’m worried if the Islamist take over, they may destroy all of the historic stuff like they did in Afghanistan..

[Roccus]

"At Tell Qarqur and probably at other sites also in the Orontes River Valley, where our site is located, [settlement] continues, and in our case, seems to have probably broadened [during that time]."

Perhaps they were survivalists....sorta the Tea Partiers of that era. They saw what was coming, stocked up and defended themselves against the zombies.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Thanks for the post. I have always liked Near Eastern Archeology even to the point of taking courses in the subject.

[blueunicorn6]

“Location, location, location” - at least that’s what my real estate agent told me.

[wildbill]

All life begins and ends with water supplies. Community life is especially subject to sometimes fragile water supplies.

Looking at the picture of the sere landscape about the Tel you can see why6 there is no flourishing city now.

I think I’m about to see the same thing in Texas if this damn drought doesn’t break. I remember in the 50s when years of drought brought S. Texas to ruin. You could drive for miles and not see anything green in the fields and cattle had to be fed on prickly pear cactus to keep them alive.

[Lady Jag]

One of the most interesting excavated finds is a small temple or shrine made out of stone that also dates back 4,200 years. - from the article.

They say the rock is 4200 years old. The way it is written, one would gather the temple is much younger.

[SunkenCiv]

No need to worry about it, they will. :’)

[SunkenCiv]

Jericho (for example) built its (prehistoric) rampart around the time of the Black Sea flood, which led Ryan and Pitman to attribute the wall to a need for defense against a large migrating group.

[SunkenCiv]

My pleasure.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks wildbill. Waste disposal (basically, dumping it into the big river) probably depended on the rivers too.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Maybe they were conquering their neighbors?

It would explain why they were growing while all others were vanishing.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Wasn’t this the period when both the Old Kingdom in Egypt and the Akkaddian civilization in Mesopotamia collapsed, probably from extended droughts?

[Mr Rogers]

I’m guessing lower taxes and less government regulation...

;>)