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 14,000 and 5,700 BP.[1]

First published in 1994,[2] ASPRO stands for the "Atlas des sites du Proche-Orient" (Atlas of Near East archaeological sites), a French publication pioneered by Francis Hours and developed by other scholars such as Olivier Aurenche.

The periods, cultures, features and date ranges of the original ASPRO chronology are shown below:

ASPRO Period Cultural phases Dates
Period 1 Natufian, Zarzian final 12,000 – 10,300 BP or 12,000 – 10,200 cal. BCE
Period 2 Protoneolithic, Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA), Khiamian, Sultanian, Harifian 10,300 – 9,600 BP or 10,200 – 8,800 cal. BCE
Period 3 Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB, PPNB ancien) 9,600 – 8,000 BP or 8,800 – 7,600 cal. BCE
Period 4 Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB, PPNB moyen) 8,600 – 8,000 BP or 7,600 – 6,900 cal. BCE
Period 5 Dark Faced Burnished Ware (DFBW), Çatalhöyük, Umm Dabaghiyah-Sotto [de], Proto-Hassuna, Ubaid 0 8,600 – 7,600 BP or 6,900 – 6,400 cal. BCE
Period 6 Hassuna, Samarra, Halaf, Ubaid 1 7,600 – 7,000 BP or 6,400 – 5,800 cal. BCE
Period 7 Pottery Neolithic A (PNA), Halaf final, Ubaid 2 7,000 – 6,500 BP or 5,800 – 5,400 cal. BCE
Period 8 Pottery Neolithic B (PNB), Ubaid 3 6,500 – 6,100 BP or 5,400 – 5,000 cal. BCE
Period 9 Ubaid 4 6,100 – 5,700 BP or 5,000 – 4,500 cal. BCE

In 2001, the institute revised the chronology of the first six periods based on newer carbon data and calibration curves.[3] In Period 3 an early and late phase could be distinguished, but Periods 4 and 5 were merged. Overall they found more overlap in time between different cultural phases between different sites.

ASPRO Period Cultural phases Dates BP Dates BCE
Period 1 Natufian, Zarzian final 12,000 – 10,300 BP 12,500 – 9,500 cal. BCE
Period 2 Protoneolithic, Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) 10,300 – 9,600 BP 10,500 – 8,300 cal. BCE
Period 3 early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB ancient) 9,600 – .... BP 9,200 – 8,300 cal. BCE
Period 3 middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB moyen) .... – 8,000 BP 8,400 – 7,500 cal. BCE
Period 4,5 middle to late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB moyen, PPNC) 8,600 – 7,600 BP 7,600 – 6,000 cal. BCE
Period 6 Hassuna, Samarra, Halaf, Ubaid 1 7,600 – 7,000 BP 6,400 – 5,600 cal. BCE

See also

References

  1. ^ Francis Hours (1994). Atlas des sites du proche orient (14000 - 5700 BP). Maison de l'Orient méditerranéen. ISBN 978-2-903264-53-6. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  2. ^ "ASPRO : Atlas des Sites du Proche-Orient". MAISON DE L'ORIENT ET DE LA MÉDITERRANÉE JEAN POUILLOUX. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  3. ^ Auranche, O (2001). "Proto-neolithic and Neolithic Cultures in the Middle East — the Birth of Agriculture, Livestock Raining, and Ceramics: a Calibrated 14C Chronology 12,500–5500 cal BC" (PDF). Radiocarbon. 43 (3): 1191–1202. doi:10.1017/S0033822200038480. S2CID 11569311. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-01-24.

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