Tell Zeidan Explained

Map Type:	Near East
Relief:	yes
Location:	,

Tell Zeidan is an archaeological site of the Ubaid culture in northern Syria, from about 5500 to 4000 BC. The dig consists of three large mounds on the east bank of the Balikh River, slightly north of its confluence with the Euphrates River, and is located about 5km (03miles) east of the modern Syrian city of Raqqa (or Raqqa). This site is included within the historical region known as Mesopotamia and the Tigris-Euphrates river system, often called the Cradle of Civilization.

An international archaeological project, the Joint Syrian-American Archaeological Research Project at Tell Zeidan, were surveying and excavating the Tell Zeidan site. The project started in 2008, two seasons were completed. The third season was scheduled to start in July 2010.^{[1] [2]} Muhammad Sarhan, director of the Raqqa Museum, and Gil Stein, director of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, are co-directors of the project.^[3]

Part of the mound appears to have been looted after the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

External links

• The dig page at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
• The approximate location at Wikimapia
• Web site: Archaeologists Uncover Land Before Wheel; Site Untouched for 6,000 Years . April 6, 2010 . . 2010-04-06. Press Release 10-054
• Video from the dig, produced by the National Science foundation, narrated by Gil Stein of the Oriental Institute
• The Land Before the Wheel - Gil Stein discusses the mound of Tell Zeidan Alternative repository at YouTube of the same NSF video. Better video and streaming quality.

See also

• Cities of the ancient Near East

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tell Zeidan . . University of Chicago . Stein . Gil J. . 2009 . 126–137 . 2010-04-05.
2. Web site: Tell Zeidan . 2009-2010 Annual Report of The Oriental Institute . University of Chicago . Stein . Gil J. . 2010 . 105–118 . 2012-10-15.
3. News: In Syria, a Prologue for Cities . . April 5, 2010 . 2010-04-06 .