Al-Rawda () is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in the Syrian steppe, east of Hama. It was a large urban site with city walls and several temples, occupied in the late Early Bronze Age, between 2400–2000 BC. A French–Syrian mission has been excavating the site since 2002.

The site and its environment Al-Rawda is located east of Hama and 70 km from ancient Qatna. Both now and in the past, the area received less than of rainfall per year, which means that reliable agriculture without irrigation is impossible. The survey of the microregion around Al-Rawda revealed that the site is located in a fayda, a depression that collects runoff water from a wide region, and next to a wadi. Al-Rawda was surrounded by hydrological installations intended to harness runoff water for irrigation. The site itself is an almost circular tell with a maximum height of .

History Early Bronze Age The site was occupied for a relatively short period during the late third millennium BC, roughly coinciding with the Early Bronze IIIB (c. 2500-2350 BCE), Early Bronze IVA (c. 2350-2150 BCE) and Early Bronze IVB (c. 2150-2000 BCE) periods. From 2500 BCE, climate became drier with major drought events around 2200-2150 (4.2 ka event) and 2020 BCE. It was founded between 2560 and 2430 BC and finally abandoned in circa 2000 BC.Barge, Olivier; Corinne Castel; and Jacques Élie Brochier, "Human Impact on the Landscape around al-Rawda (Syria) during the Early Bronze IV: Evidence for Exploitation, Occupation and Appropriation of the Land", in Settlement Dynamics and Human–Landscape Interaction in the Dry Steppes of Syria, edited by Daniele Morandi Bonacossi, Studia Chaburensia 4, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, pp. 173–85, 2014

Settlement The magnetometric survey revealed a circular street pattern with streets radiating away from the centre of the site. Both the temple and the circular street pattern find parallels in Tell Chuera, located in a similar environment to the northeast of Al-Rawda. The settlement occupies a total of with the circular city walls enclosing and an outer town of . The southwestern part of the site is occupied by modern houses.Helms, Tobias, and Philippe Quenet, "The Fortifiction of Circular Cities: The Examples of Tell Chuēra and Tell al-Rawda", Circular Cities of Early Bronze Age Syria, pp. 77-99, 2020

Fortification The city was defended by a double rampart built of mudbricks on a stone foundation and two ditches. The town was accessible through five gates.

Trade The urban site indicates that it was a part of several trade networks of different scales. Al-Rawda probably served as a stopping place for caravans that crossed the plateau between the Euphrates valley and the region of Qatna (70 km). It played a major part in the development of extensive pastoralism and wool production at the end of the third millennium BC. Nearby centers Ebla, Hama and Qatna.

Religion The site served as a religious center for the region, with a large sanctuary that was likely dedicated to the city's patron god, At least three temples were identified, of which one has been excavated. The largest temple excavated had an entrance with a columned front porch, a square cella and faces a long sacred enclosure to the outside. Offerings that were found in this temple include alabaster from Egypt, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and agate from India.

The necropolis The necropolis is situated close to the site but outside the agricultural zone. Among the 97 tombs found, 54 were shaft tombs –intended for multiple burials and cut into the limestone crust of the plateau, 25 were simple cist tombs and 17 were circle tombs.

Excavations Al-Rawda was discovered in 1996 during an archaeological survey of the region east of Hama. Following this survey, a more intensive survey project was initiated focusing on a microregion of centred on Al-Rawda. Excavations at the site itself started in 2002 and are carried out by a French–Syrian mission. The excavations have focused on the circular walls, the northern gate of the town, the temple and the nearby necropolis. In addition to the excavations, a magnetometric prospection, a method that allows the detection of walls in the ground without excavating them, was carried out in the area within the city walls in 2003. Work continued at least through 2010.C. Castel, et al, Rapport préliminaire sur les activités de la mission archéologique franco-syrienne dans la micro-région d’al-Rawda (Shamiyeh): deuxième et troisième campagnes (2003 et 2004). Akkadica, vol. 126, pp. 51–96, 2005C. Castel, et al, Rapport préliminaire sur les activités de la mission archéologique franco-syrienne dans la micro-région d’Al-Rawda (Shamiyeh): quatrième et cinquième campagnes (2005 et 2006). Akkadica, vol. 129/1, pp. 5–54, 2008Castel, Corinne, et al., "Rapport préliminaire sur les activités de la mission archéologique franco-syrienne d’Al-Rawda, travaux 2007-2010. Première partie", Akkadica 135, pp. 1-54, 2014 The Al-Rawda project is sponsored by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums and co-directed by Corinne Castel and Nazir Awad.

See also Cities of the ancient Near East

References

Further reading Bakraji, E. H., et al., "PIXE multivariate statistics and OSL investigation for the classification and dating of archaeological pottery excavated at Tell Al-Rawda site, Syria", Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 347, pp. 20-25, 2015 Castel, Corinne. "Monumental Architecture at the Margins of the Syrian Desert: Spatial Analysis, Functions and Rituals of the Sanctuary of Tell Al-Rawda (Early Bronze Age IV)." ICAANE Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, held in Bologne. Vol. 12. Harrassowitz Verlag, 2021 Castel, Corinne, "Stratégies de subsistance et modes d'occupation de l'espace dans la micro-région d'Al-Rawda au Bronze ancien final (Shamiyeh)", Urban and natural landscapes of an ancient Syrian capital: settlement and environment at Tell Mishrifeh/Qatna and in central-western Syria...-(Studi archeologici su Qatna; 1), pp. 1000-1012, 2007 Castel, Corinne, "L'abandon d'al-Rawda (Syrie) à la fin du troisième millénaire: premières tentatives d'explication", Publications de l'Institut Français d'Études Anatoliennes 19.1, pp. 159-178, 2007 Castel, Corinne,, "Deux empreintes de sceaux-cylindres sur céramique du Bronze ancien IVB à Tell Al-Rawda: l'usage local d'une pratique sigillaire en Syrie intérieure", Pearls of the Past. Studies on Near Eastern Art and Archaeology in Honour of Frances Pinnock, hrsg. v. D'Andrea, Marta (marru 8), pp. 161-186, 2019 Castel, Corinne, "Urban planning and urbanization in 3rd Millennium Syria. Tell Al-Rawda in context", Ebla and Beyond Ancient Near Eastern Studies after Fifty Years of Discoveries at Tell Mardikh, pp. 75-105, 2018 Corinne Castel. The First Temples in antis : The Sanctuary of Tell Al-Rawda in the Context of 3rd millennium Syria. Becker J.; Hempelmann R.; Rehm E. Kulturlandschaft Syrien, Zentrum und Peripherie, Festschrift für Jan-Waalke Meyer, Ugarit Verlag, pp. 123-164, 2010

Jabbour, Ali, "The Evolution of Defensive Elements in the Syrian Cities and Kingdoms during the Bronze Age" "Syrian Jazirah, Euphrates region, Northern Levant, Between the Early and Middle Bronze Age", 2020 Moulin, Bertrand, and Olivier Barge, "Hydrological Modeling and Management of Water Ressources in the Syrian Steppe during the Early Bronze Age, the Case of the Fortified City of Al-Rawda", Archaeology and Computer (CHNT9), 2004 Emmanuelle Vila, "Animal Economy at the End of the Third Millennium bc in the Syrian Badiyah:A Comparative Study of Tell Chuēra and Tell Al-Rawda", Corinne Castel; Jan-Waalke Meyer; Philippe Quenet (eds). Circular Cities of Early Bronze Age Syria., SUBARTU, pp.201-210, 2020

External links Mission archéologique franco-syrienne de Tell Al-Rawda