Exciting finds in the wake of a drought: archaeologists report on the remains of a Bronze Age city that emerged from the waters of the Mosul reservoir in northern Iraq. In addition to a palace complex discovered in 2018, they have now also uncovered extensive settlement structures, monumental warehouses and fortifications. They also found over 100 cuneiform tablets. The finds show that the city was an important center of the mysterious Mittani Empire around 3400 years ago.
As bad as droughts are, they can sometimes be helpful for archaeologists: in the course of irrigation measures, low levels of the Mosul reservoir in 2018 released the first parts of an archaeological site near Kemune in the Kurdistan region. She had previously sunk after the construction of a dam in the Tigris River before she could be examined more closely. However, the low water of 2018 enabled a team of German and Kurdish archaeologists to uncover the remains of a Bronze Age palace. It was once enthroned on a hill above the Tigris Valley and was magnificently furnished. The findings already suggested that it could be a building from the time of the Mitanni empire, which existed from about 1550 to 1350 BC. BC ruled large parts of northern Mesopotamia and modern-day Syria.
A city belonged to the palace
Investigations in the vicinity of the palace also indicated that the remains of a city still slumber in the water. This has now been confirmed by a further drop in the water level – further traces of settlement have appeared. The team of archaeologists therefore decided to carry out an emergency excavation in January and February 2022. The aim was to uncover and document the city complex as quickly as possible before it sank back into the water. As it turned out, the hasty action paid off: The scientists were able to largely reconstruct the city plan and uncover impressive remains of buildings.
They came across a massive fortification with walls and towers, a monumental, multi-storey warehouse building and an economic complex. The remains of the structures have partly been preserved several meters high. The assignment of the complex was also confirmed: “The excavation results show that the site was an important center in the Mittani Empire,” says Hasan Ahmed Qasim from the Kurdistan Archeology Organization. Ivana Puljiz from the University of Freiburg says: “The huge warehouse building is of particular importance, because enormous quantities of goods must have been stored in it, which were probably brought in from the entire region”. According to the scientists, there is evidence that the site was the ancient city of Zachiku, which is mentioned in an ancient Near Eastern source from the Middle Bronze Age.
Ceramic vessels with over 100 cuneiform inscriptions
In addition to the building structures, the researchers also came across another spectacular find: five ceramic vessels in which an archive of over 100 cuneiform tablets was housed. Some are still in their clay cases. As previous studies show, however, they do not date from the Mittani period, but from the era when the region came under the control of the Assyrian Empire. The researchers now hope that this discovery will provide insights into the transition of power relations. As they point out, the Mittani Empire is the least studied ancient Near Eastern power structure, although it was of considerable importance. For example, ancient Egyptian writings show that the Mittan kings interacted on an equal footing with the pharaohs and the great kings of Hatti and Babylonia.
As the team concludes, what is particularly noteworthy is the amazing preservation of the city’s remains, despite being adobe structures that have been submerged for over 40 years. The researchers attribute this to a protective covering of rubble: it appears that the city was built around 1350 BC. was destroyed in an earthquake and the collapsing upper parts of the walls buried the buildings. In order to ensure protection against the rising water masses again, the excavated remains of the building were completely covered with tight-fitting plastic foil and covered with gravel. Apparently, this was just in time, because the site is now flooded again by the water from the reservoir.