Tell Qaramel, Archaeological site north of Aleppo, Syria.
Tell Qaramel is an archaeological site in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, featuring several stone towers and structures that span a fertile river valley at 444 meters (1,457 feet) elevation. The settlement remains spread southward from the main mound, documenting one of the earliest known permanent human occupations.
The settlement began around 11000 BCE during the early phase of the Neolithic period, before agriculture and animal domestication became widespread. Archaeologists have uncovered structures that show how people started to stay in one place and build permanent foundations.
Excavated skeletons show evidence of ritual skull removal after death, a practice documented in early sedentary societies. These burial customs suggest shared beliefs about the transition between life and death that were present across different settlements in the region.
The area extends southward from the main mound and is now crossed by a railway line that runs through parts of the old settlement. Visitors should pay attention to the valley topography to understand the location of the different structures.
Archaeologists found a polished copper nugget in the excavation layers, one of the earliest metal objects ever discovered in human settlements. This small object shows that people were already experimenting with native metals long before they learned to smelt ores.
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