Damascus, (SANA) - Tal al-Shamia, 7km, north Ugarit in lattakia Province, is based on a rocky mountainous area next to al-Arab River where the Syrian mission started its excavation works.

Assistant Director of Excavation at Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums, Ahmed Farzat Taraqji, said excavation works aim at cleaning the tombs engraved into rock and draw their architectural projections to get some indications about their history.

The mission's works could identify the ages of the finds:

-Small architectural parts belong to the Hellenistic age.

-Remains of clay jars similar to those found in Ugarit belonging to the middle Bronze Age were found at the southern part of the site.

-Remains of clay jars belonging to the Old Bronze Age were found in the southern part of the site.

- Human Skeletons belonging to the Third Bronze Age were found in the north-west of the sits.

Taraqji said the finds indicate that the site was first inhabited in 2600 BC with coincidence of the second construction boom emerged in the Near East.

R. Milhem / Ghossoun