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Support the archaeological research at Tell Sabi Abyad
Do you want to support the excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad? Send us an email at: sabi-abyad@rmo.nl or phone us: ++31-71-5163149. Please, contribute to the success of this important archaeological project. We need your help! » read more....


The Pots and Potters of Assyria - Doctoral degree for Kim Duistermaat
On March 21, 2007 Kim Duistermaat defended her PhD thesis at Leiden University, titled: The Pots and Potters of Assyria - Technology and Organization of Production, Ceramic Sequence, and Vessel Function at Late Bronze Age Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria. Supervisor: Prof. Peter Akkermans. This book is a comprehensive discussion of all evidence relating to pottery production from the Late Bronze Age site of Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria. Technological, morphological, stylistic and archaeological data are integrated into the understanding of Bronze Age pottery production and use. » read more....


The excavation in 2007
The preparations for the 2007 season of excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad in Syria are in full swing. In the past, the fieldwork took always place in late summer (August-October) but from 2007 onwards it will take place in early summer (late April till early July). The campaign in 2007 will last from April 21 till July 1. The team is complete and consists of 30 persons, including archaeologists, specialists in other disciplines, and students. They come from various countries: the Netherlands, Syria, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Japan, England and France. » read more....


Remarkable discoveries: the excavation in 2005
Tell Sabi Abyad is the archaeologists' dream. Year after year the mound in the north-Syrian plain surprises us. True, we have to work hard and the sun is unrelenting, but we are richly rewarded every time. The year 2005 was no exception. Houses, platforms, ovens, hearth places and so on that were almost 9000 years old were discovered, all of them exceptionally well preserved. We came upon the oldest pottery of Syria, and perhaps even of the entire Near East. A unique prehistoric burial field was found. And again we discovered a number of clay tablets with cuneiform inscriptions from the Assyrian period. » read more....


Visitors are welcome
Visitors are always welcome at Tell Sabi Abyad. The American freelance journalist Scott MacMillan visited the site in October 2005 and spent several days there. Read his report in the Syrian monthly magazine "Syria Today" of December 2005. » read more....


New reports about the research at Tell Sabi Abyad
Recently, a number of new reports has been published about the archeological research at Tell Sabi Abyad. Go to the link below for an overview. » read more....


A prehistoric burial field
In previous years we have discovered several dozens of prehistoric graves at Tell Sabi Abyad. Most of them date roughly from between 6200 and 6000 BC. Remarkably, they are almost exclusively children's graves. There are virtually no adult graves. recently this picture changed when we found a burial field specifically intended for adults. » read more....


The very oldest pottery of Syria
A few years ago we proudly announced the find of the oldest pottery of Syria known so far and maybe even of the entire Near East. recently, however, we discovered pottery that was older still, in and around houses dating from 6900-6800 BC. » read more....


Doctoral degree for Olivier Nieuwenhuyse
On March 15, 2006 Olivier Nieuwenhuyse defended his thesis at Leiden University, titled Plain and Painted Pottery. The Rise of Late Neolithic Ceramic Styles on the Syrian and Mesopotamian Plains. In his book Nieuwenhuyse discusses the origins of Halaf pottery in the ancient Near East. The Halaf period (5900-5300 BC) is known for the technological sophistication and the amazingly high artistic standard of its pottery. Where did the Halaf culture spring from? The Dutch excavations at Tell Sabi Abyad in northern Syria offer an answer for the first time. » read more....


Theo de Feyter and Tell Sabi Abyad
Some time ago the Dutch artist Theo de Feyter visited the excavation at Tell Sabi Abyad. He is no stranger to Syria: Theo trained as an archaeologist and joined an excavation quite near to our Tell Sabi Abyad in the 1980s. Now he is a full-time artist and draws his inspiration from the excavation and the Syrian landscape. » read more....


Again dozens of Assyrian cuneiform texts ...
A marvellous find during the 2004 excavation campaign: no less than 37 clay tablets with cuneiform inscriptions! The documents date from 1200 to 1175 BC. They are letters, administrative texts, court records, hymns, omina and a treaty between the Assyrians and local nomadic tribes. » read more....


... and again dozens of prehistoric sealings!
Another important find during the 2004 excavation campaign, one that dates from distant prehistoric times: dozens of clay sealings were found in a burnt storage building on the northeastern side of Tell Sabi Abyad, dated at around 6100 BC. The finds show that already quite early in the history of the Near East people had ideas about private property. Thousands of years before writing was invented an elaborate system had already been worked out for the management and the supervision of private property. » read more....


The 2004 excavation campaign
The excavation team of the National Museum of Antiquities and Leiden University has returned to the Netherlands. On October 31st the 2004 excavation campaign was concluded. Over 100 men and women had been working hard for months. Again they have discovered a wealth of archaeological information about a far and distant past. » read more....


Cooking in prehistory
One of the main reasons people use ceramic vessels is the preparation of foodstuffs: cooking, baking, stewing, that sort of thing. The undisputed advantages of cooked foods include a significantly better hygiene, a longer shelf life, an increased absorption of vitamins and other nutrients, and - last but not least - the opportunity to prepare culinary masterpieces. Unfortunately, placing a ceramic vessel above a heat source is one of the worst things you can possibly do to it. » read more....


New archaeological exhibition in Damascus
In December 2004 a new permanent exhibition on Syrian prehistory was opened in the National Museum of Archaeology in Damascus, with money from the European Union and under the direction of Danielle Stordeur from France. It beautifully shows the results of all the research mentioned above. The Tell Sabi Abyad project is also prominently present in the exhibition. For the first time a wide audience can now see with their own eyes the unique prehistoric pottery from Tell Sabi Abyad - almost 9000 years old and therefore the oldest pottery in the Near East. » read more....


Society of friends founded!
In June 2004 the Society of Friends of Sabi Abyad (FOSA) was formed to support the project. Please, join us by subscribing and contribute to the success of the excavation! » read more....


The colours of the excavation
In 2003 (and again in 2004 and 2005) the Dutch artist Mieke Verhaar joined the Tell Sabi Abyad expedition team for a period of three weeks. What was she doing there and why? Read on for a short account of her experiences. » read more....


Bitumen-painted pottery
An unexpected surprise: the excavations in the so-called Burnt Village at Tell Sabi Abyad, dated ca. 6000 BC, yield coarse pottery painted with what appears to be bitumen. Chemical analyses now show that the bitumen came from far. The closest source is about 500 km away from our prehistoric village. » read more....


Assyrian cylinder seals
Every year during our excavations at Tell Sabi Abyad we have found a number of stone cylinder seals. The year 2003 was no exception. Gods, archers and wild animals are depicted. The seals are genuine works of art, in miniature! » read more....


The oldest pottery of Syria!
Tell Sabi Abyad has come up with another sensational discovery recently. During the 2003 excavation campaign the archaeologists from the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities Leiden found the oldest pottery of Syria known so far. The vessels are more than 8500 years old... » read more....


Dutch institute in Damascus
For some years now the Netherlands Institute for Academic Studies in Damascus (NIASD) has been established in the Syrian capital Damascus. The institute is a Dutch foundation which aims to advance and maintain the academic relations between Syria and The Netherlands. In relation to that the institute also aims to advance and maintain the relations between both countries in the fields of culture and international co-operation. » read more....


Peter Akkermans appointed professor
Dr Peter M.M.G. Akkermans, curator of the department for the Ancient Near East of the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities and director of the excavations at Tell Sabi Abyad, has recently been appointed professor at Leiden University (The Netherlands). » read more....


New book on the archaeology of Syria
Peter M.M.G. Akkermans and Glenn M. Schwartz, The Archaeology of Syria - From Complex Hunter-Gatherers to Early Urban Societies (ca. 16,000 - 300 BC). Published by Cambridge University Press in December 2003. Go to the link below for a table of contents, as well as for a review of the book. » read more....

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