Aleppo, north Syria, Sep. 30 (SANA)-

The French-Syrian Archeological Mission for Excavations working at Ja'adat al-Maghara site in Manbej on River Euphrates in northern Syria unearthed a great temple dating back to the 9th millennium B.C. in Modern Stone Era, so far the most ancient discovery in Syria and the Middle East.

Head of the Mission French Archeological expert Eric Kiniou said the great temple consists of pieces of stones, bone appliances, walls decorated with geometrical shapes, in addition to an ox head with two horns in red, black and white colors still in their freshness.  He said the ox painting indicates that this kind of animal was worshipped in that period.

Minister of Culture Riad Na'asan Agha visited the site and inspected the underway excavation works and the findings discovered during the 9-meter-depth excavations. Among the findings there were tools made of basalt stones available in that area like spears, head of arrows used in hunting.

The Minister told reporters at the site that the discovery  of the site is a "breakthrough and it's a pride for us in Syria and the for the humanity in general…this discovery and possible later excavations could allow us to re-read the story of civilization."

He added that "what we have seen in this site assets that people in Syria were the makers of history and civilization…and that the Syrian man-since most ancient periods- had been innovative man who was able in that period to exploit the basalt stone and turn it into tools used in everyday life."

The French-Syrian Mission has so far excavated for 16 successive seasons in this site as part of an international campaign to rescue archeological sites from waters of the lake of Tishreen Dam on River Euphrates.

Ahmad F. ZAHRA