Editing Neolithic (section)

==== Fertile Crescent ====
[[File:20100923 amman37.JPG|thumb|right|[['Ain Ghazal Statues]], found at [[Ayn Ghazal (archaeological site)|'Ain Ghazal]] in [[Jordan]], are considered to be one of the earliest large-scale representations of the human form dating back to around 7250&nbsp;BC.]]
[[File:Neolithic wall painting in Tell Bouqras, Deir ez-Zor Museum.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Neolithic wall painting from [[Tell Bouqras]] at the [[Deir ez-Zor Museum]], Syria]]
Around 10,000 BC the first fully developed Neolithic cultures belonging to the phase [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic A]] (PPNA) appeared in the Fertile Crescent.{{sfn|Bellwood|2004|p=384}} Around 10,700–9400&nbsp;BC a settlement was established in [[Tell Qaramel]], {{convert|10|mi}} north of [[Aleppo]]. The settlement included two temples dating to 9650&nbsp;BC.<ref name="eduskrypt">[http://www.eduskrypt.pl/yet_another_sensational_discovery_by_polish_archaeologists_in_syria-info-6775.html Yet another sensational discovery by polish archaeologists in Syria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001171824/http://www.eduskrypt.pl/yet_another_sensational_discovery_by_polish_archaeologists_in_syria-info-6775.html |date=2011-10-01 }}. eduskrypt.pl. 21 June 2006</ref> Around 9000&nbsp;BC during the PPNA, one of the world's first towns, [[Tell es-Sultan|Jericho]], appeared in the Levant. It was surrounded by a stone wall, may have contained a population of up to 2,000–3,000 people, and contained a massive stone tower.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9043547/Jericho "Jericho"], Encyclopædia Britannica</ref> Around 6400&nbsp;BC the [[Halaf culture]] appeared in Syria and Northern Mesopotamia.

In 1981, a team of researchers from the [[Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée]], including [[Jacques Cauvin]] and Oliver Aurenche, divided Near East Neolithic chronology into ten periods (0 to 9) based on social, economic and cultural characteristics.<ref name="boustani">Haïdar Boustani, M. [http://www.usj.edu.lb/mpl/pdf/1.pdf "The Neolithic of Lebanon in the context of the Near East: State of knowledge"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116043349/https://www.usj.edu.lb/mpl/pdf/1.pdf |date=2018-11-16 }} (in French), ''Annales d'Histoire et d'Archaeologie'', Universite Saint-Joseph, Beyrouth, Vol. 12–13, 2001–2002. Retrieved on 2011-12-03.</ref> In 2002, [[Danielle Stordeur]] and [[Frédéric Abbès]] advanced this system with a division into five periods.
# [[Natufian]] between 12,000 and 10,200&nbsp;BC,
# [[Khiamian]] between 10,200 and 8800&nbsp;BC, [[PPNA]]: [[Sultanian]] (Jericho), [[Mureybet]]ian,
# Early PPNB (''PPNB ancien'') between 8800 and 7600&nbsp;BC, middle PPNB (''PPNB moyen'') between 7600 and 6900&nbsp;BC,
# Late PPNB (''PPNB récent'') between 7500 and 7000&nbsp;BC,
# A PPNB (sometimes called PPNC) transitional stage (''PPNB final'') in which Halaf and [[dark faced burnished ware]] begin to emerge between 6900 and 6400&nbsp;BC.<ref>Stordeur, Danielle., Abbès Frédéric., [http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/bspf_0249-7638_2002_num_99_3_12712 ''"Du PPNA au PPNB: mise en lumière d'une phase de transition à Jerf el Ahmar (Syrie)"''], ''Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française'', Volume 99, Issue 3, pp. 563–595, 2002</ref>
They also advanced the idea of a transitional stage between the PPNA and PPNB between 8800 and 8600&nbsp;BC at sites like [[Jerf el Ahmar]] and [[Tell Aswad]].<ref name="exoriente">[http://www.exoriente.org/associated_projects/ppnd_summary.php PPND – the Platform for Neolithic Radiocarbon Dates – Summary]. exoriente. Retrieved on 2011-12-03.</ref>