Tell Judaidah (Tell al-Judaidah)
تل الجديدة · Tell Judaidah, al-Judaidah, Judeideh
Neolithic to Iron; Amuq A-B emphasis·Amuq A/B Neolithic → Ubaid → EBA → Iron Syro-Hittite·🇹🇷 Hatay Province, Amuq Plain, near Jisr al-Hadid, Turkey
About
About Tell Judaidah (Tell al-Judaidah)
Northernmost major Amuq mound (c.18 ha) with longest Braidwood Amuq sequence: Neolithic Amuq A through Islamic. Dominates Amuq A-B levels (c.6000–5200 BCE) with earliest Amuq painted Neolithic village, then Ubaid and EBA. Iron II Syro-Hittite occupancy caps tell. Partner to Kurdu and Chatal for Neolithic incipient cultivation diffusion northwards. Bulky 18 m high, now partly quarried for brick.
Why it mattersType-site for Amuq A earliest Neolithic — informs north Levantine Neolithic origin alongside Tell Kurdu Halaf.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Is Amuq A truly Aceramic or early Ceramic Neolithic? Lime plaster preservation
Theories
- 01Braidwood diffusion from Levant vs Konya inland Neolithic model
- 02Quarry exposure bias for basal levels
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.6000 BCE Amuq A foundation; Iron II reuse c.900 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic to Iron; Amuq A-B emphasis
- Culture
- Amuq A/B Neolithic → Ubaid → EBA → Iron Syro-Hittite
- Builders
- Amuq A farmers; Hittite-Que iron villagers
- Purpose
- North Amuq gateway tell on Aleppo-Antioch pass
- Abandoned
- c.600 BCE Iron abandonment, later brick quarrying
- Rediscovered
- Excavated 1933–38 Braidwood; 1995– Harrison resurvey
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1935
Braidwood exposes Amuq A earliest painted Neolithic
1995
Amuq resurvey refines A-B absolute dates
On the ground
Structures & features
36.3600° N · 36.4000° E · 85 m · 2 mapped features
Amuq A basal village
settlement6000 BCE painted Neolithic houses
36.3602° N · 36.4005° EIron Syro-Hittite cap
settlementIron II pits and wall over EBA
36.3600° N · 36.4000° E