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from the before-they-ironed-out-the-kinks dept.
Archeologists from the Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies (IANES) at the University of Tübingen have uncovered a large Bronze Age city not far from the town of Dohuk in northern Iraq. The excavation work has demonstrated that the settlement, which is now home to the small Kurdish village of Bassetki in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan, was established in about 3000 BC and was able to flourish for more than 1200 years. The archeologists also discovered settlement layers dating from the Akkadian Empire period (2340-2200 BC), which is regarded as the first world empire in human history.
Scientists headed by Professor Peter Pfälzner from the University of Tübingen and Dr. Hasan Qasim from the Directorate of Antiquities in Dohuk conducted the excavation work in Bassetki between August and October 2016. As a result, they were able to preempt the construction work on a highway on this land. The former significance of the settlement can be seen from the finds discovered during the excavation work. The city already had a wall running around the upper part of the town from approx. 2700 BC onwards in order to protect its residents from invaders. Large stone structures were erected there in about 1800 BC. The researchers also found fragments of Assyrian cuneiform tablets dating from about 1300 BC, which suggested the existence of a temple dedicated to the Mesopotamian weather god Adad on this site. There was a lower town about one kilometer long outside the city center. Using geomagnetic resistance measurements, the archeologists discovered indications of an extensive road network, various residential districts, grand houses and a kind of palatial building dating from the Bronze Age. The residents buried their dead at a cemetery outside the city. The settlement was connected to the neighboring regions of Mesopotamia and Anatolia via an overland roadway dating from about 1800 BC.
(Score: 2) by Sarasani on Tuesday November 08 2016, @09:59AM
Who is *really* leading the dig? Indiana Jones? I mean, really, the place is only about 100km north of Mosul (which is currently under siege). From the article:
Although the excavation site is only 45 kilometers from territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS), it was possible to conduct the archeological work without any disturbances. "The protection of our employees is always our top priority. Despite the geographical proximity to IS, there's a great deal of security and stability in the Kurdish autonomous areas in Iraq"
The place was probably guarded by female peshmerga fighters: interestingly, ISIS combatants are supposed to be terrified of getting killed by a female because they believe that this will prevent them from entering heaven and deny them their promised virgins in the afterlife. The Kurds have used this to their great advantage.
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Tuesday November 08 2016, @10:40PM
This was my first reaction, Northern Iraq is supposed to be a hot zone currently. However my understanding is that the territory handled by the Kurds is the most stable, and this article supports that.
Still, when interviewing for my current job (25-50% travel requirement), the only stipulation I gave for travel was no civil wars. So props to the archeologists, I doubt I would be on-site at this dig.