Fig 1.
A) Map of Syria highlighting location of Abu Hureyra (base map obtained from USGS National Map Viewer, public domain); B) photograph of superimposed structures within Trench E showing Neolithic 2A rectilinear structure atop Epipalaeolithic 1A pit dwellings in the foreground; C) Plan of excavations at Abu Hureyra highlighting location of trenches A–G; and D) reconstruction of the phase 1A pit dwellings showing a person seated on the open “bench” area in the foreground.
Table 1.
Chronology of occupation at Abu Hureyra.
Approximate date ranges reflect radiocarbon dates calibrated using IntCal20 [1, 2].
Fig 2.
Photographs of spherulites within: A) modern uncharred gazelle (Gazella gazella) dung; B) modern uncharred goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) dung with organic “fibers”; and examples of C) an isolated individual spherulite; D) a 2-dimensional cluster of spherulites; and E) a 3-dimensional spherulite cluster. Scale bar in all images = 20 μm.
Fig 3.
Bar charts illustrating relative proportions of large mammals (left), sheep and goat (center), and small game (right) within the Abu Hureyra sequence. All of the zooarchaeological data presented here were obtained from published reports produced by Legge and Rowley-Conwy [1, 76]. Following the method used by Colledge and Connolly [47] to explore published archaeobotanical data from Abu Hureyra, relative proportions and frequencies of fauna were obtained by measuring the length of the bars within Figs 13.6, 13.7, 13.8, and 13.1 from Village on the Euphrates [1]. Lengths of bars were measured in mm using low-power microscopy (10×) using the mid-point of lines at either end of the bar.– = no data available.
Fig 4.
Scatter plot illustrating adjusted number and area of dung spherulite clusters within samples, highlighting samples with visible modern contaminants (MC), visible modern contaminants and dung (MCD), and samples with inferred or possible modern contamination.
Inset: Scatterplot highlighting relationship between the isolated number of spherulites/g and the area of clusters mm2/g for contaminated, inferred contaminated and uncontaminated samples. No correlation between x and y variables: y = 0.0005x + 23.554, R2 = 0.0633.
Fig 5.
Photographs of spherulites documenting: A) and B) examples of spherulite clusters surrounding plant-based fibers within surface samples from Abu Hureyra known to be contaminated with modern dung (D,72,87 and D,73,95 respectively); C) modern sheep (Ovis aries) dung charred at 600°C for 2 hours revealing several large darkened spherulites indicating burning; D) general view of remains recovered from phase 2A/B plaster floor (E,369,73/225) rich in spherulites; E), F), G) a cluster of spherulites, an example of a darkened spherulite, and examples of isolated spherulites surrounded by abundant wood charcoal fragments respectively, all from Epipalaeolithic 1B firepit (E,427,73/283). Scale bar = 20μm in all images except for C, where bar = 10 μm. Images taken using cross-polarized light; PPL in images C and F indicates same view in plane polarized light.
Fig 6.
Bar charts illustrating the adjusted number of isolated spherulites (left) and adjusted area of clusters (right) per sample. The values presented are adjusted: A) per g of sample examined; and B) per g of sample examined/bucket of sediment to enable transparent comparison. Samples are organized from youngest (top) to oldest (bottom) following the Harris matrices from Abu Hureyra. Architectural and settlement trends for each phase of occupation are also illustrated. Key to color coding of bars: yellow = occupational debris and pitfill; red = pyric features (including hearths and firepits); blue = plaster floors; green = burials; grey = other (context details, including trench, level, and feature type, are noted in the y-axis sample labels).