Syria - Badiya

The arid fringes of the Fertile Crescent

Geo-archaeological prospecting mission in Syria

Between the Fertile Crescent, populated by a sedentary people, and the Arabian desert, travelled by nomadic shepherds, lies an expanse of grasslands where nomadic and sedentary populations have alternated for tens of thousands of years depending on climate and historical factors. In this fragile environment, archaeological vestiges speak of periods of dense population alternating with periods of withdrawal, to the point of a total return to nomadic life. This study, centred on a region southeast of Alep (Syria), is aimed at gaining a better understanding of man and his natural habitat, the evolution of landscapes, and the changes in lifestyle in the arid fringes of the Fertile Crescent from the Neolithic period to present day.