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Amrit |
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Water Tunnels
The digs ,
in / 1992 – 1993 / , brought out the existence of nets of water tunnels of
high importance , and refers to an excellent civil level . These tunnel are
distributed among the residental institutions and the port institutions .
Part of them , is for fresh water , whereas the other is for sewage . A part
of the tunnels is covered by stones and mud . The other has a frieze on one
side, and , on the other side , there is a stand where a fictile cover rests
.
The stone Wall
As a result
of the digs in 1993 , a part of the wall had been bared . It measures : /
112 m / long and / 170 cm / wide . It is built of big sand stones , paved
without any cement , inconsistent in order to stick together . It is nearly
of the same size and from the same site .
Also , an
old Greek writing of bad sculpturing near the snake's spring . It mentions
the temple of the sun . So , there are two temples in Amrit .www.tartoos.com
Kherbet
Allebneh
It is about
1500 m far to the east of Amrit , and considered a suburb . No scientific
digs had occurred in it , but it contains a lot of clay which goes back to
the ( 3rd – 4th ) century B.C . As well as residental institutions .
The Human
Settlement
The
settlement of Akkar plain centers on three major sites . They are tal Akkar
( south of the southern great river ) , Tal Kazal and tal Jamous ( north of
the southern great river ) each site looks down upon a part of a plain edged
by the great river and its main branch ( the bride river ) , and each one is
about ( 15 – 20 km ) far from the other . The other sites are divided into
two groups :
- four
medium sites have a specific function ( the observation of roads ) . They
are tal Frash , Safroun , Bsisah , and Mandra .
- Small
sites gathered , especially , around Tal Kazal , such as Tal-Zbieb ,
Samerian , leha , and , and Abo Obied . They form with Safroun a quasi –
perfect circle .
It is
obvious that this net , which is busy by archeological sites , was not
settled progressively or regularly , but there were three periods of
settlement , which appear clearly : Byzantium era , Hellenistic era , and
the end of the 30th century and beginning of 20th
century B.C .
It's obvious
that the rarity of fictile findings which go back to the 1st half
of the 30th century B.C , although the three major hills were
settled at that time , certainly since a long time ( in Araka ) , the levels
of the end of the 30th century B.C are , nearly , about ( 20 m )
high above the hill base , and in Tal Jamous is at about ( 15 m ) .
The matter
isn't decidedness as for the secondary sites , the muchness of material (
clay ) as for the old third Bronze , especially , the fourth , refers to the
beginning of the importance of the plain and the intensified settlement .
The area
works as congenial and cultural unity . The pottery , supposing that ,
doesn't differ from one site to the other , and bears local and distinctive
characteristics , and is similar in the way of making , the forms , the used
magma , and the gangues . It is similar to the imported pottery from the
internal Syria which exists , despite its rarity , over nearly all the sites
.www.tartoos.com
The area
continued its progress , especially the condesation of the populated spots ,
at the end of 4th old Bronze .
Small sites
were added in the mid bronze ( Tal Adas . and Kbiebah ) , and in second mid
bronze ( Akdou ) , it reached its atmost residental condensity . Then this
progress stopped at the middle of the 20th century B.C . where
we see that the modern bronze age is of less representation , excluding
Tal-Kazal, a few hills ( Bsisah , Leha , Zbieb , Samerian ) is well
connected with the results of Tal Arka's digs , and it is the same as for
the Metal age .
We find the
rarity of the gathered material during the digs , such as the red paint
which is distinctive in Araka , and the perghami pottery or the Cyperian
imports which are very clear in Tal Kazal , whereas we don't find that in
most sites despite its closeness to each other . Maybe , that was because of
the destruction and migration which were caused by the Assyrian invasion in
/ 740 / B.C . ( this is confirmed by the teats and the 15 m burning level in
Tal Akkar ) , and this caused a localization of the area over Tal Kazal .
The data
concerning the Metal age are still partial , and the same for the
Hellenistic and Byzantium era . Moreover , the gathered material, during the
surface dig, regardless of its plentiness , is generally very partial and
kept very bad . The dating of that depended on comparisons between Arka and
Hama . As Mr.Talman says : ( the chime of the obtained results , till now ,
assures , as it seems to us , the existence a fairly original and cultural
community compared with the simple cultural level of Akkar plain ).www.tartoos.com
This area
had been able , at the end of the 30th century B.C , by a
suitable conditions to play an important role informing the civilizations of
the Mid Bronze age of eastern coast of the Mediterranean sea whether in
keeping or activating the culture because of the suitable conditions . From
here , we see that the continuous digs , now , will reveal the history of
this area clearly .
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Ramat
Al- Bassah / Hamad Land /
Pre-history
ages were as far unknown , in the south of Tartous , despite the richness of
the area , until Mr. M-Dunand and Mr. L-Duberet made an archaeologic digs .
It noticed the existence of some stone axes which go back to the Asholy era
, especially across Al-Abrash river . Then , in 1976 , Mr.Jane Saban found a
site near Yahmour called / Ramat Al-Bassah / Hamad land / , rich of polished
flint pieces. Then the geomorphologic co-expedition / French – Syria / , in
1989 , came and showed the variety and richness of the Balyotic Age in / Al-Ghamka
valley , Al-Biad land , Beit Kamonah – Akdo –Arab valley , Al-Abrash bed ,
Samerian / . It assured that Ramat al-Bassah is / 55 m / high , and occupies
an area of / 5600 m / sloping toward the west and covered by pebbles and
flat ovate flints . At / 40 m / deep , brashes , stones , and axes were
found numerously . They are double face and placed horizontally . The area
needs a regular and quick dig for fear of agricultural feats .
The primary
results assure that man had occupied this site for a long time during the
near Asholy era / 1000 – 5200000 / B.C .Probably,this is because of the
existence of a spring of water near it , and its nearness to the sea . Its
materials are kept in Tartous museum .
www.tartoos.com
The
references books :
- The study
of / the settlement and life environment in Al-Abrash river / , especially
the Bronze Age / 1977 – 1978 / by Jane sabon .
-
Geomorphologic expedition – Pre-history studies of Tartous / 1989 / ,
Dr.Sultan Mheisen , Paul San Laval , Jack Bisenson , Lauren Kopland .
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Tal Almontar –
Tabet Alhamam
It is / 20 km / to the south of
Tartous . It is considered one the important archaeologic hills throughout
the historical ages , a branch from Arwad , and a station of the great trade
roads which lead to Arwad coast where a typical port was built on the beach
with an artificial stone mole , built by paved stones which appear clearly
in the water , and its entrance gets on with the movement of the marine
streams . At one time , the human residence of the site was bigger than the
hill's area itself , and part of this archaeologic area is covered by
Almontar village . The digs , which were done by the Syrian expedition on
the behalf of the Eastern Institute from Chicago University , have proved
the existence some brickbats , coins ,and a group of lanterns which go back
to the ( Byzantium – Roman ) era , but with no index to the existence of
residental buildings . Also , the Greek were spread over a big area of tabet
Alhamam and its proximities , even before the invasion of Alexandare. The
remains of this era building were found with a lot of local or imported
fictile pieces , even though a lot of its stones were transported by boats
to Arwad until recent era . It , also , refers that the area had flourished
in the Iron Age , and introduced a pretty good group of fictile pots , but
the ruins of the the Bronze Age seems little or its remains are located
inside the hill which the expedition doesn't reach it yet . Whereas , these
remains appeared in Almontar village in addition to the existence of some
flint stones which go back to the modern stone age .www.tartoos.com
It is confirmative that this
hill contains , in its layers , a very old city which played an important
role in the events of the region , and a linkup between Arwad coast and
interior Syria . Maybe , it was Simira ( Somor ) city . Yet , the
progressive scientific digs , in Tal Kazal and the area , will reveal the
truth, end doubts, and allow the determination of the real site of old
Simira .
The Reference books :
- The Syrian expedition –
Chicago university .
- The study of Homs gap – Talman
.
- The Phoenician expedition –
Earnest Rynan / 1860 / .
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Samerian Hill
It is about / 4 km / far from
Tabet Alhamam and / 1 km / far from Samerian village which gave it its name
.
It has an elliptical form , and
it spreads about / 200 m / from south to North and / 150 m / from East to
West . Its peak is covered by an Arabic cemetery.Its layers contain
residental stages which appear clearly and go back to the Bronze Age / Old –
Middle / , and Byzantium and Hellenist ruins .www.tartoos.com
Tal Leha
It is to the West of Tal Kazal .
It is thought to be the port of Simira city where boats were reaching
it.But the silts of Al-Abrash river , Samerian river , Albared river , and
the Great river , led to the decline of the sea . It is over topped by an
Islamic cemetery , and , on its versant , there is a Mameluke wall.
Mr.Talman , the archaeologist ,
had frequented the area in / 1987 / , and made an exploration making use of
a hole resulted by the transportation of soil . His work was in the ( 2nd
– 3rd ) old bronze layers / 2800 – 2600 B.C / .
Consequently , he reached the
base level of the land and got a good fictile group which is kept in Tartous
museum .
In the northern half of the dig
area , a semi-circular storehouse , which goes back to the ( 1st – 2nd ) Mid
– bronze age , had been found . Whereas , in the other half , a
strate-graphy hierarchy had been found , and spreads from the 2nd
Mid-Bronze Age to the 3rd old Bronze Age .
-( 7,67 – 8.15 m ) levels of
ashes and red soil from the 3rd Old Bronze Age .www.tartoos.com
- ( 8.18 – 9.80 / 985 m ) . The
levels of the 4th Old Bronze Age .
- ( 9.80 – 10.20 / 10.40 m ) The
levels of the 1st Mid Bronze Age .
The Reference books :
- The study of Homs gap – Talman
.
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