The 2002 season of excavations at Tell Qarqur lasted for seven weeks from June 8 through July 27. We worked in the fourteen squares in four areas of excavation, Areas A, B, D and E. Mr. Mohammad Mu'ulbawi, our representative, was very diligent and cheerful throughout the season. We worked with a maximum of seven supervisors in the field. Our total number of workers at the end of the season was 26 on the tell. We had at first two, and toward the end three, Tell Qarqur villagers washing pottery in Dhisr Choghour. Rita Kachedourian continued to do all of the floatation for the season at the Latin Church in Djisr Choghour. She continued to draw pottery as well. Samer Abdel Ghafour worked with us for two and one-half weeks on a variety of materials. We again thank Father Ibrahim Younis of the Latin Church at Ghassaniyah for his hospitality this year. Our camp arrangements worked excellently.

I joined the expedition after the first ten days of excavation. I must thank Dr. Lee Maxwell for doing an excellent job in starting the excavation and setting up the camp at Ghassaniyah. The start of the excavation was delayed by one day because of the floodwater left behind when the Zayzoun dam broke. There was water around the tell for many days but the tell was not damaged. During the season we could clearly see where the water destroyed crops and left silt over the fields. We could also see the break in the dam quite clearly from the top of the tell, figure 1. Small planes have sprayed the flooded area regularly to destroy bacteria from decaying materials. We were very fortunate that when Dr. Maxwell, Mr. Jensen and Mr. Orrange traveled past Tell Qarqur on the way to Ghassaniyah, that they passed this area just one hour before the dam broke!

The results of the excavations in each of the areas follow.