Other finds

Prehistoric finds

from grindstone to 'piercing'

The thousands of objects that we recover at Tell Sabi Abyad every year provide a good picture of the material culture of a Neolithic village in the Syrian steppe.

On the whole the finds match our expectations of a village like this in the Middle East: coarse grindstones, mortars and pestles. They have been found in all sorts and sizes.

Enormous quantities of clay sling missiles were found all over the village. Perhaps they served in hunting or in battle, but they may also have been used to keep wild animals well away from the herds.

Ornaments were found in the form of beads and labrets. Labrets are small, elongated, pointed objects made of clay or polished stone that were pierced through the ear, the nose or the lips, the forerunners of modern piercings.

Now and again we have come across 'objects of art', in the shape of human figurines made of clay.

So the objects were made of very different kinds of materials: stone, bone, pottery, etc. Most materials were indigenous to the area. However, now and again we have come across imported materials: special stones for luxury goods and obsidian (volcanic glass from Turkey) for razor-sharp knives. The majority of the finds were made of pottery. Striking are a few very early metal finds.