Yabrud rock shelter

Description

Yabrud is one of the earliest excavated sites in Syria. First excavations were conducted between 1930-33 by Alfred Rust and later by Ralph Solecki in the 1960s (Rust 1950; Solecki & Solecki 1986, 1995). The site consists of three rock shelters named Schutzdach I-III. The cultural stratigraphy stretches from Lower Palaeolithic to Epipaleolithic. Ever since the lithic material was restiudied over and ovber again by multiple researcher and for multiple purposes. Faunal and sediment anlyses have also been published including some radiometric datea (Schroeder 2011; Porat 1991, 2001; Lehmann 1970). Currently, one PhD student, Amal al Kassem is concerned with researching the Middle Palaeolithic material from Schutzdach I in order to compare it with Middle Palaeolithic lihtics from Hummal in northern Syria. Most recently Thomas Hauck restudied the Upper Palaeolithic material from Yabrud II,4 with the aid of some students from the University of Cologne (http://www.uni-koeln.de/fast/projects/yabroud/yabroud2_l4/yabroud.html).