The ASPRO chronology is a nine-period dating system of the ancient Near East used by the Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée for archaeological sites aged between 14,000 and 5,700 BP.[1]
First published in 1994,[2] ASPRO stands for the "Atlas des sites du Proche-Orient" (Atlas of Near East archaeological sites), a French publication pioneered by Francis Hours and developed by other scholars such as Olivier Aurenche.
The periods, cultures, features and date ranges of the original ASPRO chronology are shown below:
| ASPRO Period | Cultural phases | Dates |
| Period 1 | Natufian, Zarzian final | 12,000 – 10,300 BP or 12,000 – 10,200 cal. BCE |
| Period 2 | Protoneolithic, Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA), Khiamian, Sultanian, Harifian | 10,300 – 9,600 BP or 10,200 – 8,800 cal. BCE |
| Period 3 | Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB, PPNB ancien) | 9,600 – 8,000 BP or 8,800 – 7,600 cal. BCE |
| Period 4 | Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB, PPNB moyen) | 8,600 – 8,000 BP or 7,600 – 6,900 cal. BCE |
| Period 5 | Dark Faced Burnished Ware (DFBW), Çatalhöyük, Umm Dabaghiyah-Sotto, Proto-Hassuna, Ubaid 0 | 8,600 – 7,600 BP or 6,900 – 6,400 cal. BCE |
| Period 6 | Hassuna, Samarra, Halaf, Ubaid 1 | 7,600 – 7,000 BP or 6,400 – 5,800 cal. BCE |
| Period 7 | Pottery Neolithic A (PNA), Halaf final, Ubaid 2 | 7,000 – 6,500 BP or 5,800 – 5,400 cal. BCE |
| Period 8 | Pottery Neolithic B (PNB), Ubaid 3 | 6,500 – 6,100 BP or 5,400 – 5,000 cal. BCE |
| Period 9 | Ubaid 4 | 6,100 – 5,700 BP or 5,000 – 4,500 cal. BCE |
In 2001, the institute revised the chronology of the first six periods based on newer carbon data and calibration curves.[3] In Period 3 an early and late phase could be distinguished, but Periods 4 and 5 were merged. Overall they found more overlap in time between different cultural phases between different sites.
| ASPRO Period | Cultural phases | Dates BP | Dates BCE |
| Period 1 | Natufian, Zarzian final | 12,000 – 10,300 BP | 12,500 – 9,500 cal. BCE |
| Period 2 | Protoneolithic, Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) | 10,300 – 9,600 BP | 10,500 – 8,300 cal. BCE |
| Period 3 | early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB ancient) | 9,600 – .... BP | 9,200 – 8,300 cal. BCE |
| Period 3 | middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB moyen) | .... – 8,000 BP | 8,400 – 7,500 cal. BCE |
| Period 4,5 | middle to late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB moyen, PPNC) | 8,600 – 7,600 BP | 7,600 – 6,000 cal. BCE |
| Period 6 | Hassuna, Samarra, Halaf, Ubaid 1 | 7,600 – 7,000 BP | 6,400 – 5,600 cal. BCE |
- ^ Francis Hours (1994). Atlas des sites du proche orient (14000 - 5700 BP). Maison de l'Orient méditerranéen. ISBN 978-2-903264-53-6. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
- ^ "ASPRO : Atlas des Sites du Proche-Orient". MAISON DE L'ORIENT ET DE LA MÉDITERRANÉE JEAN POUILLOUX. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ Auranche, O (2001). "Proto-neolithic and Neolithic Cultures in the Middle East — the Birth of Agriculture, Livestock Raining, and Ceramics: a Calibrated 14C Chronology 12,500–5500 cal BC". Radiocarbon. 43 (3): 1191–1202. Bibcode:2001Radcb..43.1191A. doi:10.1017/S0033822200038480. S2CID 11569311.