The Fertile Desert: A History of the Middle Euphrates Valley until the Arrival of Alexander

This book attempts to reconstruct the history of the Euphrates Valley between the mouths of the Balikh and the Khabour. Several surveys, archaeological expeditions, and interventions of the Syrian Directorate of Antiquities, have made a significant amount of data available which contribute to an improved overview of the region.

The Fertile Desert studies a region of the Euphrates Valley between the Balikh and Khabour in Syria that remains little known. Partial reports, isolated interventions, and proposals for a hypothetical reconstruction of the relationship and processes of cultural expansion between Mesopotamia and the Jazira suggest that the Euphrates has always been a major traffic route. But suggestions on a map must be confirmed on the ground. However, when looking at the usual tools for information or the relevant archaeological charts such as the Tübinger Atlas, we face a paradox: except for a few well-known sites, a surprising void reigns over the archaeological landscape. The difficult circumstances since the outbreak of the war in Syria have made the situation still more problematic. Fortunately, various archaeological expeditions have worked intensively in the region. The possibilities have changed, and the time has come for a review of the evidence. This volume thus attempts to reconstruct the history of the Euphrates Valley between the mouths of the Balikh and the Khabour. Several surveys, archaeological expeditions, and interventions of the Syrian Directorate of Antiquities, most featuring the author’s own participation, have made available a significant number of data, the majority unpublished, which contribute to an improved overview of the region.