Archaeologists discovered a Mittani Empire-era city on the Tigris River 3400 years ago. Early this year, the settlement emerged from the waters of the Mosul reservoir as water levels dropped rapidly due to Iraq’s extreme drought. The sprawling city with a palace and several large structures could be ancient Zakhiku, which is thought to have been an important center in the Mittani Empire (ca. 1550-1350 BC).
Archaeologists from Germany and Kurdistan have discovered a 3400-year-old Mittani Empire-era city once located on the Tigris River. Early this year, the settlement emerged from the waters of the Mosul reservoir as water levels dropped rapidly due to Iraq’s extreme drought. The extensive city with a palace and several large buildings could be ancient Zakhiku – believed to have been an important center in the Mittani Empire (ca. 1550-1350 BC).
The discovery of five ceramic vessels containing an archive of over 100 cuneiform tablets is of particular interest. They date from the Middle Assyrian period, shortly after the city was devastated by an earthquake. Some clay tablets, which could be letters, are still enclosed in clay envelopes. The researchers hope that this discovery will shed light on the end of the Mittani-period city and the beginning of Assyrian rule in the region.
Bronze Age city resurfaced due to drought
Iraq is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change. For months, the country’s south, in particular, has been experiencing severe drought. Since December, large amounts of water have been drawn down from the Mosul reservoir, Iraq’s most important water storage, to prevent crops from drying out. This resulted in the rediscovery of a Bronze Age city that had been submerged for decades with no prior archaeological investigation. It is situated in Kemune in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.
This unforeseen event put archaeologists under sudden pressure to excavate and document at least parts of this large, important city as quickly 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 took place in January and February 2022 in collaboration with the Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage in Duhok (Kurdistan Region of Iraq).
Fritz Thyssen Foundation supported excavations
Within days, a team was assembled for the rescue excavations. The Fritz Thyssen Foundation, through the University of Freiburg, provided funding for the project on short notice. The German-Kurdish archaeological team was under extreme time constraints because it was unknown when the reservoir’s water level would rise again.
Massive fortification, multi-storey storage building, industrial complex
The researchers were able to map the city in a relatively short period of time. A massive fortification with wall and towers, a monumental, multi-story storage building, and an industrial complex were discovered in addition to the palace, which had already been documented during a brief campaign in 2018. The extensive urban complex dates from the Mittani Empire (circa 1550-1350 BC), which ruled over much of northern Mesopotamia and Syria.
“The massive magazine building is particularly significant because enormous quantities of goods must have been stored in it, most likely brought from all over the region,” says Puljiz. “The excavation results show that the site was an important center in the Mittani Empire,” Qasim concludes.
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 of sun-dried mud bricks and were under water for more than 40 years. This good preservation is due to the fact that the city was destroyed in an earthquake around 1350 BC, during which the collapsing upper parts of the walls buried the buildings.
Ceramic vessels with over 100 cuneiform tablets
The discovery of five ceramic vessels containing an archive of over 100 cuneiform tablets is of particular interest. They date from the Middle Assyrian period, shortly after the city was devastated by an earthquake. Some clay tablets, which could be letters, are still enclosed in clay envelopes. The researchers hope that this discovery will shed light on the end of the Mittani-period city and the beginning of Assyrian rule in the region. “It’s almost a miracle that cuneiform tablets made of unfired clay survived so long under water,” says Pfälzner.
Conservation project to prevent damage by rising water
As part of an extensive conservation project funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, the excavated buildings were completely covered with tight-fitting plastic sheeting and covered with gravel fill to prevent further damage to the important site from rising water. This is intended to protect the unbaked clay walls and any other finds still hidden in the ruins from flooding. The site is now completely submerged once more.
