Tell Amarna is an archaeological site in northern
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, on the west bank of the
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
.
Archaeological research
The site was investigated as part of the archaeological salvage excavations conducted due to the building of the
Tishrin Dam
The Tishrin Dam ( ar, سد تشرين, Sadd Tišrīn, lit=October Dam, ku, بەنداڤا تشرین, Bendava Tişrîn, syc, ܣܟܪܐ ܕܬܫܪܝܢ, Sekro d'Teshrin) is a dam on the Euphrates, located east of Aleppo in Aleppo Governorate, Syri ...
on the Euphrates. From 1991 to 1998, a mission from the
University of Liège
The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...
, directed by Önhan Tunca, worked there at the invitation of the
Syrian Direction Générale des Antiquités et Museums. Eight excavation seasons carried out on the 20-m-high ''tell'' revealed layers dating from the
Halaf culture
The Halaf culture is a prehistoric period which lasted between about 6100 BC and 5100 BC. The period is a continuous development out of the earlier Pottery Neolithic and is located primarily in the fertile valley of the Khabur River (Nahr al-K ...
(6th millennium BC) through the
Byzantine period
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
(5th century AD). After the discovery of a
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
, dated to the 5th century AD, archaeologists and conservators from the
were asked to assist in the restoration and interpretation of this building. The Polish team was headed by Dr. Tomasz Waliszewski (Institute of Archaeology of the
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...
) and Dr. Krzysztof Chmielewski (
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw ( pl, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Warszawie) is a public university of visual arts and applied arts located in the Polish capital. The Academy traces its history back to the Department of Arts founded at the Warsaw U ...
).
In 2000 and 2001, archaeologists and conservators from
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, and Syria worked at the site. More than 40 mosaic fragments were transported to a storeroom in
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
where they underwent conservation in 2004–2005. Thirteen of them formed the core of the exhibition “Tell Amarna in Syria; From the 6th Millennium BC Painted Pottery to the Byzantine Mosaics”, which was presented in 2005 first in Belgium and then in Poland, in the State Archaeological Museum in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
.
Further reading
* Tunca, Ö.; Waliszewski, T. & Koniordos, V. (Eds.) (2011). Tell Amarna (Syrie) V. La basilique byzantine et ses mosaïques, PEETERS, Louvain–Paris–Dudley (MA); (=Publications de la Mission archéologique de l’Université de Liège en Syrie, vol. 5).
* Tunca, Ö., Molist, M.(Eds.) (2014). Tell Amarna (Syrie) – La période de Halaf.
Footnotes
{{Reflist
External links
Tell Amarna in Syria– about the rescue excavations at the site
See also
*
Euphrates Syrian Pillar Figurines
The Euphrates Syrian Pillar Figurines (EU_SPF's) are anthropomorphic clay figurines dating from the late Iron Age period (mid 8th-7th centuries BCE) and produced in the Middle Euphrates region. These figurines are part of a greater coroplastic p ...
*
Euphrates Handmade Syrian Horses and Riders
The Euphrates Handmade Syrian Horses and Riders (EU_HSHRs ) are zoomorphic clay figurines representing horses and horses with riders. They date from the late Iron Age period (mid 8th–7th centuries BCE)and were produced in the Euphrates Region, Mi ...
Archaeological sites in Syria
Christian art
Tells (archaeology)