Prehistoric period of Mesopotamia
Neolithic Iraq is an archaeological term used to refer to the Neolithic stage of prehistoric Mesopotamia (Iraq). Mesopotamia was inhabited by several distinct, flourishing cultures in between the end of the Last Glacial Period (c. 14000 – c. 6500 BCE) and beginning of the Copper Age (c. 5000 – c. 4500 BCE). Archaeological sites such as those of the Samarran and Halafian cultures were centered at central and upper Mesopotamia (central and northern Iraq); settlements of the Ubaidians' in lower Mesopotamia (southern Iraq) required complicated irrigation methods. It appears that the archaeological culture of the Ubaidians' may have been derived from that of the Samarrans'. The first among these Lower Mesopotamian settlements were tells el-'Oueili, al-'Ubaid, and Abu Shahrain.
Dating, periodization, and extent
Periodization, chronology, and timeline
Periodization and chronology
Century BCE
|
Age
|
Stage
|
Period
|
Phase
|
Style
|
Level (Eridu/Eabzu)
|
Level (Uruk/Eanna)
|
100th
|
Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) |
PPNA |
1 |
|
99th
|
98th
|
97th
|
96th
|
95th
|
2
|
94th
|
93rd
|
92nd
|
91st
|
90th
|
89th
|
88th
|
Early PPNB |
3
|
87th
|
86th
|
85th
|
84th
|
83rd
|
Middle PPNB
|
82nd
|
81st
|
80th
|
79th
|
78th
|
77th
|
76th
|
75th
|
Late PPNB |
4
|
74th
|
73rd
|
72nd
|
71st
|
70th
|
69th
|
68th
|
67th
|
66th
|
65th
|
PPNC |
5 |
Ubaid 0 |
Oueili |
|
64th
|
Pottery Neolithic (PN) |
PNA |
6
|
63rd
|
62nd
|
61st
|
60th
|
59th
|
58th
|
57th
|
56th
|
55th
|
Early Ubaid |
Eridu |
XVIII |
|
54th
|
XVIII
|
53rd
|
XVII
|
52nd
|
XV
|
51st
|
XIV
|
50th
|
Early Chalcolithic |
XIII |
XIX
|
49th
|
XII
|
48th
|
7 |
Hadji Muhammed |
XI
|
PNB |
8 |
Tell al‐Ubaid
|
47th
|
9 |
Late Ubaid |
X |
XVIII
|
46th
|
45th
|
Late Chalcolithic (LC) |
LC 1 |
IX
|
44th
|
43rd
|
VIII
|
42nd
|
LC 2 |
Terminal Ubaid |
Ubaid V |
VII |
XVII
|
XVI
|
41st
|
XV
|
XIV
|
XIII
|
40th
|
VI |
XII
|
XI
|
39th
|
X
|
38th
|
LC 3 |
V |
IX
|
Timeline
Schematic outline of contemporaneous cultures
Locations of sites, environment, and climate
Sites
Biota
Environment
Climate
Estimated settlement sizes and populations
Map
Technology
Agriculture, domestication, and hunting
Fauna and flora
Fauna
Wildlife
Livestock
Flora
Crops
Structures, tools, utensils, and weapons
See also
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
Bibliography
Further reading
External links