ASPRO chronology
Encyclopedia
The ASPRO chronology is a nine period dating system of the ancient Near East
used by the Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée
for archaeological sites aged between 14000 and 5700 BP.
ASPRO stands for the "Atlas des sites Prochaine-Orient" (Atlas of Near East archaeological sites), a French
publication pioneered by Francis Hours
and developed by other scholars such as Oliver Aurenche.
The periods, cultures
, features and date ranges of the ASPRO chronology are shown below:
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
used by the Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée
Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée
The Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée is a research body in Lyon, France that specialises in the Mediterranean and the Middle East and the first steps of humanity...
for archaeological sites aged between 14000 and 5700 BP.
ASPRO stands for the "Atlas des sites Prochaine-Orient" (Atlas of Near East archaeological sites), a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
publication pioneered by Francis Hours
Francis Hours
Reverend Father Francis Hours, born 1921 in France and died 1987 was a French Jesuit archaeologist known for his work on prehistory in the Levant....
and developed by other scholars such as Oliver Aurenche.
The periods, cultures
Archaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
, features and date ranges of the ASPRO chronology are shown below:
| ASPRO Period | Names | Dates |
| Period 1 | Natufian, Zarzian final | 12000-10300 BP or 12000-10200 cal. BCE |
| Period 2 | Protoneolithic, Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Pre-Pottery Neolithic A denotes the first stage in early Levantine Neolithic culture, dating around 9500 to 8500 BC. Archaeological remains are located in the Levantine and upper Mesopotamian region of the Fertile Crescent... (PPNA), Khiamian Khiamian The Khiamian is a period of the Near-Eastern Neolithic, marking the transition between the Natufian and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A... , Sultanian, Harifian Harifian The Harifian is a specialized regional cultural development of the Epipalaeolithic of the Negev Desert. It corresponds to the latest stages of the Natufian culture. Like the Natufian, it is characterized by semi-subterranean houses. These are often more elaborate than those found at Natufian sites... |
10300-9600 BP or 10200-8800 cal. BCE |
| Period 3 | Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Pre-Pottery Neolithic B is a division of the Neolithic developed by Dame Kathleen Kenyon during her archaeological excavations at Jericho in the southern Levant region.... (PPNB), PPNB ancien |
9600-8000 BP or 8800-7600 cal. BCE |
| Period 4 | Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Pre-Pottery Neolithic B is a division of the Neolithic developed by Dame Kathleen Kenyon during her archaeological excavations at Jericho in the southern Levant region.... (PPNB), PPNB moyen |
8000-8600 BP or 7600-6900 cal. BCE |
| Period 5 | Dark Faced Burnished Ware (DFBW), Çatal Hüyük, Umm Dabaghiyah, Sotto, Proto-Hassuna, Ubaid 0 | 8000-7600 BP or 6900-6400 cal. BCE |
| Period 6 | Hassuna Hassuna Hassuna or Tell Hassuna is an ancient Mesopotamian site situated in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq west of the Tigris river, south of Mosul and about 35 km southwest of Nineveh.-History:... , Samarra Samarra Sāmarrā is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700.... , Halaf, Ubaid 1 |
7600-7000 BP or 6400-5800 cal. BCE |
| Period 7 | Pottery Neolithic A (PNA), Halaf final, Ubaid 2 | 7000-6500 BP or 5800-5400 cal. BCE |
| Period 8 | Pottery Neolithic B (PNB), Ubaid 3 | 6500-6100 BP or 5400-5000 cal. BCE |
| Period 9 | Ubaid 4 | 6100-5700 BP or 5000-4500 cal. BCE |