Tell Ain Dara -

The tell and lower city of 'Ain Dara north-west of Aleppo in Syria are mainly known for their Iron Age citadel with high-quality basalt reliefs and were partly destroyed during the ongoing war. Its later strata are much less well-known and comprise the period between the destruction of the Iron Age temple in the 2nd half of the 8th century B.C. and the Middle Islamic / Crusader Period. The pottery repertoire with its many foreign influences from neighbouring regions and from afar reflects the special location of the site situated in the fertile Mediterranean landscape of the Afrin River at the intersection of changing political dominions. 'Ain Dara was part of the trade networks of the respective periods and imported both everyday and luxury goods. Settlement activity is attested until the 6th century B.C. and again from the 4th century B.C. onwards at the earliest. A major revival took place in the last two centuries B.C., and around the birth of Christ a settlement hiatus occurred that probably ended in Late Antiquity with the appearance of Early Islamic pottery. These ups and downs were possibly connected to contrarian developments at neighbouring Jindires / Gindaros.