Publications
Reconstructing the organization and agricultural capacity of the Late Bronze Age kingdom of Ugarit: a statistical and spatial modelling approach
Agricultural suitability modeling and spatial analysis reveal that the Late Bronze Age kingdom of Ugarit, located at Ras Shamra on Syria's northern coast, relied on a network of 200 hamlets to sustain its economy. The study quantifies the kingdom’s agricultural capacity for cereals, olives, and vines using suitability maps, while point pattern analysis integrates these findings with archaeological data to identify likely village locations. This approach provides new insights into Ugarit’s hinterland organization, highlighting economic differentiation among settlements and challenging previous estimates of its territorial extent.
The Impact of War on UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Displacement of Syrian civilians into UNESCO-listed archaeological sites, such as Dar Qita, has caused severe architectural damage while providing temporary refuge. A study assesses the feasibility of restoring these heritage sites for sustainable tourism and economic development, balancing preservation needs with humanitarian concerns. The research evaluates immediate solutions to mitigate harm while exploring long-term strategies for reintegrating displaced communities into cultural heritage conservation efforts.
Modeling how a Powerful Airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam, a Middle Bronze Age city near the Dead Sea
A powerful cosmic airburst, occurring approximately 3600 years ago, is confirmed as the likely cause of destruction for Tall el-Hammam, a Middle Bronze Age city near the Dead Sea. This conclusion is supported by extensive evidence including shock-fractured quartz, melted materials, and high-temperature breccia found in the site's terminal destruction layer. Fifteen years of excavations revealed directional scattering of debris, such as potsherds and charred grains, across multi-meter distances, strengthening the interpretation of a high-velocity cosmic event. Advanced analytical techniques, including TEM, SEM, and EBSD, identified glass-filled fractured quartz grains consistent with shock metamorphism. Hydrocode modeling further demonstrated that a Type 2 airburst could produce such destruction, releasing explosive energy capable of propelling fragments at high velocities to strike the Earth's surface, creating superficial craters susceptible to erosion.
The cultural landscape of the ancient villages of Northern Syria in the memories of displaced locals
A significant finding of this study is that the cultural landscapes of northern Syria, particularly those featuring ancient villages and olive groves, play a pivotal role in preserving collective memory and facilitating post-war psychological recovery for displaced locals. The research reveals how these landscapes, despite being threatened by conflict-driven destruction, resonate deeply within the memories of displaced individuals, offering a sense of healing and connection to their past. The study employs a qualitative approach, carefully assessing the features of cultural heritage at archaeological sites in southern Idlib province and mapping the memories of displaced locals. It highlights the potential for cultural heritage to serve as a tool in reducing trauma and supporting internal post-war recovery in Syria. Additionally, it underscores the importance of incorporating forward-looking heritage futures into research, focusing on resilient heritage and the ability to aspire during displacement.
Management and domestication of cattle (Bos taurus) in Neolithic Southwest Asia
A new analysis challenges the traditional narrative that taurine cattle domestication began around 8500 BC in northern Syria's Euphrates Valley. Instead, it argues that domestic phenotypes emerged later, around the eighth millennium BC, across multiple regions of Southwest Asia. The study distinguishes between 'cattle management'—preceding phenotypic changes—and actual domestication, which likely involved selective breeding and reproductive isolation. Using archaeological and ancient DNA evidence, researchers found that pre-domestic cattle management, including penning, foddering, and selective culling, predated morphological changes. This suggests a more complex, geographically dispersed process than previously thought, with multiple centers of innovation rather than a single origin. The findings redefine our understanding of cattle domestication's timeline and geographic spread.
Documentation of some Cultural Heritage Emergencies in Syria In August 2010 by Spherical Photrammetry
A pioneering application of spherical photogrammetry demonstrates that even non-professional, hand-held photographic documentation can yield valuable metric data for cultural heritage preservation, despite deviations from standard survey protocols. This approach successfully generated usable restitutions and plottings from images taken during a 2010 tourist trip in Syria, proving its utility for emergency documentation when formal survey methods are unattainable due to threats such as war. The study highlights the potential of rapid, accessible techniques in safeguarding endangered World Heritage Sites, including those inscribed on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger—six Syrian properties threatened by conflict. While the method's precision is compromised compared to tripod-based surveys, it offers a critical alternative for reconstructive efforts and documentation gaps.
Historical and cultural landscape of the Ancient Villages of Northern Syria
The Ancient Villages of Northern Syria exemplify a unique cultural landscape where architecture and nature merge seamlessly, challenging traditional distinctions between the two. This study highlights that such landscapes, shaped by human activity over time, form a harmonious unity with their natural surroundings, reflecting deep cultural significance. The research draws on philosophical perspectives, notably Le Corbusier's emphasis on landscape integration in architectural design, to argue for the preservation of these relict areas as vital components of national heritage. By analyzing the interplay between space, culture, and nature, the study underscores the importance of recognizing historical and cultural landscapes as distinct categories of heritage deserving urgent conservation efforts.
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