The 33-hectare site Tall Toucan site, located to the east of Saraqib city in Idleb Province, some 330 km from Damascus in northern Syria, bears witness to the successive civilizations of the region.
The site is believed to be that of Ursho city, mentioned in the Mari Archives. The site is distinguished by successive settlements and periods dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages as well as the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, said Nicola Kabbad, Head of the Idleb Antiquities Department.
According to Anas Zidan, Head of Excavation and Archaeological Studies and Restoration Departments in Idleb, among the finds are decorated pottery and various household ceramics (cocking pots, dishes and cups), pottery kilns, a clay doll and a clay model model of a carriage with a man sitting in it and dated to about 1800 B.C.
Zidan added that a large number of horse, deer, sheep and dog bones were also recovered from the site, shedding a great deal of light on the life-styles of the inhabitants during the successive periods of occupation.
Zidan pointed out that the remains of Tall Toucan include both a defensive High City or Acropolis and also the main Lower City, surrounded by fortification walls with three main entrance gates.
Source: Global Arab Network [February 07, 2011]