Syrian expedition of the institute of archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences (on the results of investigations at Tell Hazna I)

The paper is devoted to the researches carried on in the North-Eastern Syria, mostly concentrated at stratified urban settlement Tell Hazna I. The site's stratigraphic sequence includes cultural deposits of the Ubaid and Uruk epochs, and the Early Dynastic I. Economic and social development in the second part of the 4 th mill. BC was accelerated by favourable climatic conditions. The obtained materials reflect early stages of formation of state-like structures in the Habur steppe that was finally shaped in the second part of the 3 rd mill. BC. The existence of social elite is evidenced by the monumental administrative and religious complex built at the turn of the 4 th and 3 rd mill. BC. But the process of social development was stopped by serious aridization of climate that had undermined material welfare of the population, and, finally, caused the site abandonment in the late ED I (around 2700 BC). For some time the territory of the settlement was still used as a burial place.