Pottery vessels, in which cuneiform tablets were kept, are standing in the corner of a space from the Middle Assyrian period (c. 1350– 1100 BC). Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
Ceramic vessels with over 100 cuneiform tablets.
They date to the Middle Assyrian duration, quickly after the earthquake disaster struck the city. The scientists hope this discovery will provide important information about the end of the Mitanni-period city and the start of Assyrian rule in the area.
After the research study team has actually finished their work, the excavation is covered extensively with plastic foil to safeguard it from the increasing waters of the Mosul tank. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
Preservation job to prevent damage by rising water.
To avert more damage to the crucial website by the increasing water, the excavated structures were totally covered with tight-fitting plastic sheeting and covered with gravel fill as part of a comprehensive conservation project funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation. This is intended to safeguard the walls of unbaked clay and any other finds still hidden in the ruins during times of flooding. When more entirely submerged, the site is now.
The historical site of Kemune in the dried-up area of the Mosul tank. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO
Dry Spell Reveals 3400-Year-Old Urban Center of the Mitanni Empire
The Kingdom of Mitanni, likewise referred to as Hurri to the Hittites, Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat to the Assyrians, and Maryannu, Nahrin or Mitanni to Egyptians, was a powerful nation around the 16th century BC that stretched over parts of present-day Syria, Iraq, and Turkey.
It was thought to be a considerable regional power for a time, not a lot is understood about it today compared to other ancient countries of the time. Part of the reason is that no native sources for the history of Mitanni have actually been discovered yet..
Now, a group of Kurdish and german archaeologists has actually revealed a 3400-year-old Mitanni Empire-era city when located on the Tigris River. The settlement emerged from the waters of the Mosul tank early this year as water levels fell quickly due to extreme drought in Iraq. The comprehensive city with a palace and a number of big buildings could be ancient Zakhiku– thought to have actually been an important center in the Mitanni Empire (ca. 1550-1350 BC).
Birds-eye view of the excavations at Kemune with Bronze Age architecture partially submerged in the lake. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
Bronze Age city resurfaced due to drought.
Iraq is among the countries in the world most impacted by climate change. The south of the country in particular has been experiencing extreme dry spell for months. To avoid crops from drying, big quantities of water have been drawn below the Mosul reservoir– Iraqs most important water storage– because December. This led to the reappearance of a Bronze Age city that had been immersed decades back with no previous archaeological examinations. It lies at Kemune in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Archaeologists and employees discover mud-brick walls of the buildings in the ancient city at Kemune. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
This unexpected occasion put archaeologists under unexpected pressure to document and excavate a minimum of parts of this big, crucial city as rapidly as possible before it was resubmerged. The Kurdish archaeologist Dr. Hasan Ahmed Qasim, chairman of the Kurdistan Archaeology Organization, and the German archaeologists Jun.-Prof. Dr. Ivana Puljiz, University of Freiburg, and Prof. Dr. Peter Pfälzner, University of Tübingen, spontaneously decided to undertake joint rescue excavations at Kemune. These occurred in January and February 2022 in partnership with the Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage in Duhok (Kurdistan Region of Iraq).
The mud bricks of the Bronze Age structures are soaked by the water of the tank but can still be easily recognized and exposed. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
Fritz Thyssen Foundation supported excavations.
A group for the rescue excavations was put together within days. Funding for the work was acquired at brief notification from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation through the University of Freiburg. Since it was not clear when the water in the tank would rise once again, the German-Kurdish archaeological team was under enormous time pressure.
The excavated large structures from the Mitanni duration are determined and archaeologically documented. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
Enormous stronghold, multi-story storage building, commercial complex.
Within a brief time, the scientists succeeded in mostly mapping the city. In addition to a palace, which had currently been documented throughout a brief project in 2018, a number of other big buildings were revealed– an enormous stronghold with towers and walls, a monumental, multi-story storage building, and an industrial complex. The substantial city complex dates to the time of the Empire of Mitanni (approx. 1550-1350 BC), which managed large parts of northern Mesopotamia and Syria.
Archaeologists and employees excavate the walls of a big building in the ancient city, which is translated as a storage structure from the time of the Mitanni Empire. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
” The substantial publication structure is of specific significance due to the fact that enormous amounts of items need to have been stored in it, most likely brought from all over the region,” says Puljiz. Qasim concludes, “The excavation results program that the site was an important center in the Mitanni Empire.”.
The walls of the Mitanni-period storage structure are partially maintained numerous meters high. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
The research team was stunned by the well-preserved state of the walls– sometimes to a height of several meters– despite the fact that the walls are made from sun-dried mud bricks and were under water for more than 40 years. This excellent preservation is because of the reality that the city was destroyed in an earthquake around 1350 BC, throughout which the collapsing upper parts of the walls buried the buildings.
View into among the pottery vessels with cuneiform tablets, including one tablet which is still in its initial clay envelope. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
The comprehensive city with a palace and a number of large structures could be ancient Zakhiku– believed to have actually been an important center in the Mitanni Empire (ca. 1550-1350 BC).
A conservator carefully retrieves the cuneiform tablets from an opened pottery vessel in the laboratory of the excavation group in Duhok. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.
Dr. Ivana Puljiz, University of Freiburg, and Prof. Dr. Peter Pfälzner, University of Tübingen, spontaneously decided to carry out joint rescue excavations at Kemune. Financing for the work was gotten at short notice from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation through the University of Freiburg. In addition to a palace, which had actually currently been documented during a short project in 2018, several other big buildings were discovered– a massive fortification with towers and walls, a monumental, multi-story storage structure, and a commercial complex. To avert more damage to the crucial site by the rising water, the excavated structures were entirely covered with tight-fitting plastic sheeting and covered with gravel fill as part of a comprehensive preservation project moneyed by the Gerda Henkel Foundation.
One of the vessels with cuneiform tablets is inspected prior to being recovered. Credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO.