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Tell Brak, an ancient city in Syria

Ancient Syria: Another Cradle of Civilization?

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Traditionally, it has been thought that civilization in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean began in two centers, Sumer in the east between the Tigris and Euphrates, and Egypt in the west along the Nile. The earliest cities are believed to have been built in the flood plains of southern Mesopotamia during the mid-4th millennium BC. There is, however, some evidence that complex urban centers such as Tell Brak were already being built in ancient Syria at the same time. This has led some archaeologists to suggest that civilization began in the north independently of the southern Mesopotamian centers, or even before their emergence. Evidence shows that although proto-urban centers appear in the south first, they also arise very soon afterwards or simultaneously in the north, suggesting that ancient Syria is another center where civilization emerged independently, alongside Egypt and Sumer.

Prehistoric Syria – Earliest Sites are 13,000 Years Old

The earliest proto-agricultural site, dating to about 11,000 BC is located at Tell Abu Hureyra in northwestern Syria near the river Euphrates. Actual agricultural sites first emerge around 8500-9000 BC in the southern Levant. Tell Abu Hureyra demonstrates a precedence of large population centers in Syria going all the way back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic.

Tell Abu Hureyra, Syria. Credit: A.M.T. Moore

Tell Abu Hureyra, Syria. Credit: A.M.T. Moore

Tell Brak, A Bustling Center 6,000 Years Ago

Another important population center in Neolithic Syria was established at Tell Brak by around 6000 BC. This was about half a millennium after the first settlements at Ubaid in southern Mesopotamia were founded. By the mid-fourth millennium, a structure was built at Tell Brak which consisted of impressive architecture and numerous kilns, which suggest that this was not a residential building, but that it was built for large feasts. This is further supported by a large collection of mass-produced pottery plates and animal remains. Objects such as a jade bear and eye-idols have also been discovered which are refined to a degree that suggests craft-specialization. These all strongly imply that by the 4th millennium BC, Tell Brak had become a bustling proto-urban center.

Left: Beads from the cache found beneath a residential building at Tell Brak of the mid-4th millennium BC. Right: Alabaster bear figurine, height 9 cm, mid-4th millennium BC. Traces of red and black pigment survive on the head and claws.

Left: Beads from the cache found beneath a residential building at Tell Brak of the mid-4th millennium BC. Right: Alabaster bear figurine, height 9 cm, mid-4th millennium BC. Traces of red and black pigment survive on the head and claws. (Antiquity)

Mari and Ebla – Two Innovative Cities of Ancient Syria

Tell Brak is not the only site of its kind in early Bronze Age and late Neolithic Syria. While the Sumerian urban centers were growing in the south, the urban centers of Mari and Ebla were also developing at the same time in Syria. Mari was founded by an unknown culture around 3000 BC. The city is known for a large canal connecting it to the Euphrates River. There is also evidence of extensive urban planning with two defensive rings. The outer one was for defense from floods and the inner ring was for defense against invading armies.

During the Early Bronze Age, the city became a trading hub connecting the Levant and northern Mesopotamia, which included parts of Syria, to southern Mesopotamia and a major center for the trade of metals.

Mari, Syria - A ziggurat near the palace

Mari, Syria - A ziggurat near the palace. (CC BY-SA 2.5)

Ebla was also founded around 3000 BC. Ebla is known for its extensive cuneiform library. The language spoken at Ebla is also notable for being one of the oldest Semitic languages other than Akkadian. Many Eblaite words and personal names are very similar to the same words and personal names in ancient Hebrew. In the 3rd millennium BC, Mari and Ebla rivaled their southern counterparts in size and influence.

A tablet from the Ebla archive.

A tablet from the Ebla archive. (Public Domain)

North vs South

Northern Mesopotamian culture may have originally been quite different from southern Mesopotamian culture. The culture of Northern Mesopotamia during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age was essentially Semitic and most of the people of the region probably spoke a Semitic language similar to Akkadian. The Sumerians, on the other hand, spoke an obscure language that doesn’t appear to be related to any known language, modern or ancient, though some have suggested that it is related to the Dravidian language family of southern India - which suggests a very interesting origin story for the Sumerians (which may one day be uncovered, but that is for another article.) These differences highlight how northern Mesopotamia and southern Mesopotamia were in some ways different civilizations during the Late Neolithic and before the Akkadian conquest of Sumer.

The Powerful Akkadians

The inhabitants of Mari and Ebla were probably related to the Akkadians, a Semitic speaking culture that became dominant in Mesopotamia after the 23rd century BC. Both the Assyrian and Babylonian cultures descend from them. The Akkadians appeared in Sumer sometime in the middle of the 3rd millennium. It is not known whether they were invaders or a subjugated people who overpowered their Sumerian overlords. The Akkadians eventually gained power over most of Mesopotamia and the Akkadian king, Sargon of Akkad, founded the earliest empire around 2350 BC.

Illustration of Mesopotamia.

Illustration of Mesopotamia. (Jeff Brown Graphics)

Akkadian Culture Spreads its Influence

Akkadian culture had a significant influence on Middle Eastern civilization. The Akkadian language remained a language important for religious, scientific, and magical purposes throughout the history of Mesopotamia and was still in use as late as the 3rd century AD. Much of the Akkadian religion and mythology appear to have been borrowed from the Sumerians, or at least share a common source with Sumerian religion and mythology. The Akkadians also used Cuneiform like the Sumerians. Nonetheless, it was the Akkadian culture which came to dominate the Middle East for almost two millennia - until the Neo-Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Achaemenid Persians in 539 BC.

Semitic culture probably did not originate in northern Mesopotamia, but northern Mesopotamia has always had a Semitic character. Since the Middle East has been ruled by Semitic speaking peoples for most of its modern history, first the Assyrians and Babylonians and later the Muslim Arabs, it makes sense to call the region of Syria another cradle of civilization.

Top image: Tell Brak, an ancient city in Syria (Wikiwand)

By Caleb Strom

References

“Recent Finds from the northern Mesopotamian city of Tell Brak” by Geoff Emberling and Helen McDonald (after 2002). Antiquity. Available at: 
http://www.antiquity.ac.uk/projgall/emberling294/

“Babylonia” by Jona Lendering (2004). Livius.org. Available at:
http://www.livius.org/articles/place/babylonia/

“The archives of Ebla and the Bible” by Jeff A. Benner. Ancient Hebrew Research Center. Available at:
http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/bible_ebla.html

 

Comments

Pete Wagner's picture

From the article, "The earliest cities are believed to have been built in the flood plains of southern Mesopotamia during the mid-4th millennium BC. There is, however, some evidence that complex urban centers such as Tell Brak were already being built in ancient Syria at the same time."

I think the authorities would HAVE TO KNOW that their big theory that dates the so-called 'dawn of civilization' is just a big, ugly teetering house of cards at this point.  The inconvenient (to the theory) evidence KEEPS having them push back the ‘dubiously-established dating' to find damage-control and work-arounds for the absurdity of their theories, namely that they make absolutely NO SENSE!  Not logical! DOES NOT ADD UP!  One reason is of course that no so-called 'dawn of civilization' could NOT possibly have BEGUN with the laying of mud bricks OVERTOP ruins of megalith stone foundations, which is evidenced in many places, such as ancient Sumer and the Indus Valley.  It's so very OBVIOUS that a pre-Ice Age/Atlantean-era civilization existed (probably for at least tens of thousands of years, back when the Sahara and many existing deserts like Gobi were lush, and the Richat Structure was an concentric ringed island in an estuary) and perished in the Ice-Age-creating event or assault described by Plato, circa 115k BC (adding the zero back to his timeline).  The big disturbing question is thus WHY the diversion and cover-up?  Just tip the card house down and come clean already!
 

Nobody gets paid to tell the truth.

Pete Wagner's picture

Yep, Roberto, ...but watch them come up with new nonsense to explain it away!

Nobody gets paid to tell the truth.

Roberto Peron's picture

Love it when new evidence breaks the bubble of the status quo!!

Caleb Strom's picture

Caleb

Caleb Strom is currently a graduate student studying planetary science. He considers himself a writer, scientist, and all-around story teller. His interests include planetary geology, astrobiology, paleontology, archaeology, history, space archaeology, and SETI.

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