History & Heritage
6.1.2022
Iraq: a 3,400-year-old city emerges from underwater
In northern Iraq, the dry season has brought to light the ruins of an ancient city dating from the Bronze Age, previously buried under the waters of the Mosul Dam. A race against time to excavate and document the site has just been launched by a team of Iraqi and German archaeologists, before the city disappears again under water.
Excavations subject to the test of time
The reservoir of the Mosul dam has revealed the remains of a city from the time of the Mittani Empire (1550-1350 BC), once located along the Tigris River to present-day Syria. From then on, the research work of the scientists had to be done in a hurry, as the water level was constantly rising. A map of the site has been updated, and the teams have begun the study of a huge fortress and a storage building.
The results are unanimous. The excavations prove that the site was among the important centers of the Mittani empire. Indeed, the enormous storage building can contain enormous quantities of goods, probably coming from the whole region.
A conservation which is a miracle
More than 100 cuneiform tablets, perfectly preserved despite the decades spent under water, have also been unearthed. Dated to the Medio-Assyrian period, its antiquities are of interest to researchers who hope to discover information about the city and the beginnings of the Assyrian occupation in the region.
The site is now submerged again by water. However, precautions have been taken to protect the excavated buildings. Hermetically sealed tarpaulins cover the remains, in order to preserve their condition until their next rise above the water level. Moreover, according to Dr. Qasim, head of the archaeological excavations, more than 500 archaeological sites have been brought out of the water due to the lowering of the water level on the eastern bank of the Tigris. These sites, still untouched, promise to be rich in history.
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