The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management i... more The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management in southern Mesopotamia. Thanks to many geoarchaeological research projects conducted throughout the central and southern Iraqi floodplains, a general understanding of the macrophases of anthropogenic manipulation of this vast hydraulic landscape has been achieved. However, current narratives mostly rely on studies at a regional scale and are based on excessively long chronological phases (often spanning a whole millennium). A finer‐tuned analysis at a submillennial scale is needed to better appreciate the dynamics that led to the development of artificial canals and irrigation systems and the creation of harbours in cities and other navigation‐related facilities. The Iraqi‐Italian QADIS project is addressing this issue through a systematic geoarchaeological investigation in the south‐eastern area of the Qadisiyah province. We aim to update the current narrative by analysing case studies involving specific periods of occupation. We performed 17 boreholes to propose a date on the functioning period of the hydraulic works in five selected archaeological sites of this region. This approach allowed us to understand changes in water management strategies in both the short and the medium term (i.e., on a scale of centuries). In this paper, we present the results for the fourth and third millennia B.C.E. This period witnessed a crucial passage from the basic exploitation of natural watercourses for irrigation and occasional navigation to the emergence of the first system of artificial canals and intraurban harbours.
The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management i... more The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management in southern Mesopotamia. Thanks to many geoarchaeological research projects conducted throughout the central and southern Iraqi floodplains, a general understanding of the macrophases of anthropogenic manipulation of this vast hydraulic landscape has been achieved. However, current narratives mostly rely on studies at a regional scale and are based on excessively long chronological phases (often spanning a whole millennium). A finer‐tuned analysis at a submillennial scale is needed to better appreciate the dynamics that led to the development of artificial canals and irrigation systems and the creation of harbours in cities and other navigation‐related facilities. The Iraqi‐Italian QADIS project is addressing this issue through a systematic geoarchaeological investigation in the south‐eastern area of the Qadisiyah province. We aim to update the current narrative by analysing case studies involving specific periods of occupation. We performed 17 boreholes to propose a date on the functioning period of the hydraulic works in five selected archaeological sites of this region. This approach allowed us to understand changes in water management strategies in both the short and the medium term (i.e., on a scale of centuries). In this paper, we present the results for the fourth and third millennia B.C.E. This period witnessed a crucial passage from the basic exploitation of natural watercourses for irrigation and occasional navigation to the emergence of the first system of artificial canals and intraurban harbours.
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie 113, pp. 152-168, 2023
In this paper, we publish some remarkable brick inscriptions of Takil-ilissu, king of Malgûm, whi... more In this paper, we publish some remarkable brick inscriptions of Takil-ilissu, king of Malgûm, which were recently found during a survey that led to the identification of Malgûm, the capital of an independent kingdom in the Isin-Larsa period. The bricks come from Tulūl al-Fāj, the site that has been identified as ancient Malgûm. Besides adding new details about Takil-ilissu, a relatively little-known ruler, these inscriptions are noteworthy for containing unusual words, expressions, and clauses.
[Revue d'assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale], 2019
In this article, fourteen texts from the rescue excavations of Tell Waresh2 in southern Iraq are ... more In this article, fourteen texts from the rescue excavations of Tell Waresh2 in southern Iraq are published. The site was close to Nippur and was destroyed due to hydraulic works in the 1990s. About seventy-two objects with cuneiform writing were discovered, mostly carrying date formulae belonging to the kings of Larsa.
This paper illustrates the preliminary results from two campaigns of the QADIS survey project, jo... more This paper illustrates the preliminary results from two campaigns of the QADIS survey project, jointly conducted by the University of Bologna (Italy) and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) in the south-eastern Qadisiyah province in 2016. The main aim of the project is that of producing a new understanding of a multi-layered historical landscape through cutting-edge documentation techniques including combined use of different spatial datasets, new aerial photogrammetric surveys, ground reconnaissance and small-scale excavations. This integrated methodology allowed us to identify more than 40 sites not recognized before, to document in detail the urban layouts of some major urban centers of the region, and to better understand the hydraulic landscape of the region by documenting more than 700 channels and several possible agricultural fields
Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Ear... more Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Early Uruk period has seldom been examined. This paper presents recent survey work at the Early Uruk site of Jemdat Zabi, located in the Sumer district in the Al-Qadisiya Governorate, Southern Iraq. From ths work at the site, we were able to record a wide variety of objects and document visible architectural remains on the surface dating to the Early Uruk period. Here we will provide a brief summary of the Early Uruk period, discuss our findings from the site of Jemdat Zabi and contextualize these findings within our overall understanding of the period. The aim here is to start a conversation about this period through the function of Jemdat Zabi as a town and its role in the region during this period. Résumé. En dépit de son importance comme fondement du paysage urbain ultérieur du Sud mésopotamien, la période de l'Uruk ancien a rarement été étudiée. Cet article présente une étude récente du site de Jemdat Zabi, datant du début de la période d'Uruk et situé dans le district de Sumer du gouvernorat d'Al-Qadisiya, en Irak du sud. Nos travaux ont permis d'enregistrer une grande variété d'objets et de documenter des vestiges architecturaux visibles en surface datant de la période de l'Uruk ancien. Dans cet article, nous présentons un bref résumé de la période, nous discutons de nos découvertes sur ce site, et nous les replaçons dans le contexte de notre compréhension globale de cette période. L'objectif est d'entamer le débat sur cette période à travers la fonction de Jemdat Zabi en tant que ville, et son rôle dans la région au cours de cette période.
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie
In this paper, we publish some remarkable brick inscriptions of Takil-ilissu, king of Malgûm, whi... more In this paper, we publish some remarkable brick inscriptions of Takil-ilissu, king of Malgûm, which were recently found during a survey that led to the identification of Malgûm, the capital of an independent kingdom in the Isin-Larsa period. The bricks come from Tulūl al-Fāj, the site that has been identified as ancient Malgûm. Besides adding new details about Takil-ilissu, a relatively little-known ruler, these inscriptions are noteworthy for containing unusual words, expressions, and clauses.
Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Ear... more Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Early Uruk period has seldom been examined. This paper presents recent survey work at the Early Uruk site of Jemdat Zabi, located in the Sumer district in the Al-Qadisiya Governorate, Southern Iraq. From ths work at the site, we were able to record a wide variety of objects and document visible architectural remains on the surface dating to the Early Uruk period. Here we will provide a brief summary of the Early Uruk period, discuss our findings from the site of Jemdat Zabi and contextualize these findings within our overall understanding of the period. The aim here is to start a conversation about this period through the function of Jemdat Zabi as a town and its role in the region during this period. Résumé. En dépit de son importance comme fondement du paysage urbain ultérieur du Sud mésopotamien, la période de l'Uruk ancien a rarement été étudiée. Cet article présente une étude récente du site de Jemdat Zabi, datant du début de la période d'Uruk et situé dans le district de Sumer du gouvernorat d'Al-Qadisiya, en Irak du sud. Nos travaux ont permis d'enregistrer une grande variété d'objets et de documenter des vestiges architecturaux visibles en surface datant de la période de l'Uruk ancien. Dans cet article, nous présentons un bref résumé de la période, nous discutons de nos découvertes sur ce site, et nous les replaçons dans le contexte de notre compréhension globale de cette période. L'objectif est d'entamer le débat sur cette période à travers la fonction de Jemdat Zabi en tant que ville, et son rôle dans la région au cours de cette période.
This paper presents preliminary results of the archaeological campaign carried out in the autumn ... more This paper presents preliminary results of the archaeological campaign carried out in the autumn 2019 at Tell as-Sadoum and Wanna, northwest of the city of al-Diwaniyah. The fieldwork comprised excavations at Tell as-Sadoum, where three test areas were opened, and a survey of the small site of Wanna in the southern neighborhood, providing data on the sequence of occupation and broadening our knowledge about the development and extension of the settlement. In particular the archaeological levels exposed in Area I shed light on the oldest phases of occupation, while textual evidence found in Area B adds new information about the history of ancient Marad. The layers and structures brought to light in Area I and Area B yielded materials dating from the Early Dynastic to the Isin-Larsa and Old Babylonian periods, and sporadic evidence of Kassite and Parthian date.
Any archaeological survey, in its essence, focuses on mapping ancient remains both for understand... more Any archaeological survey, in its essence, focuses on mapping ancient remains both for understanding the dynamics of human occupation in that given landscape and for singling out evidence which should be protected in the future. The joint Iraqi-Italian QADIS project is no exception in this respect and one of its main aims is enabling Iraqi cultural authorities. Specifically the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, to gain an updated knowledge of its territory, while at the same time facing the new threats which are affecting or are about to affect it. The region covered by the QADIS project has been interested by works which are well documented throughout all central-south Iraq, such as an artificial basin which submerged several sites, and the construction and cutting of roads, canals and ditches, not to speak of the growing reach of cultivations and the additional problem of deep ploughing. As if these threats are not enough, periods of political instability entailed systematic looting of sites, which has witnessed differing cycles of intensity but which is far from being over. Through the QADIS project, we reacted to this current state of affairs – thanks also to the funding provided by the EDUU project – by means of an intensive fieldwork training for SBAH personnel (about the GIS management of sites) and of activities for raising the awareness of local communities, in addition to our core scientific aims. However, the parallel need for sustainable structural law reforms in the field of preventive archaeology has become progressively evident. In this paper, we review the extent of damage to heritage in our region by discussing some study cases before proposing some possible mitigations of the problems which we documented.
Abstract: Ongoing interest in the fate and state of the archaeological and historical heritage of... more Abstract: Ongoing interest in the fate and state of the archaeological and historical heritage of Iraq is vividly attested by a spate of publications that shows no sign of drying up (the literature since 2003 is too vast even to summarise here. For this year alone see the ...
Any archaeological survey, in its essence, focuses on mapping ancient remains both for understand... more Any archaeological survey, in its essence, focuses on mapping ancient remains both for understanding the dynamics of human occupation in that given landscape and for singling out evidence which should be protected in the future. The joint Iraqi-Italian QADIS project is no exception in this respect and one of its main aims is enabling Iraqi cultural authorities. Specifically the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, to gain an updated knowledge of its territory, while at the same time facing the new threats which are affecting or are about to affect it. The region covered by the QADIS project has been interested by works which are well documented throughout all central-south Iraq, such as an artificial basin which submerged several sites, and the construction and cutting of roads, canals and ditches, not to speak of the growing reach of cultivations and the additional problem of deep ploughing. As if these threats are not enough, periods of political instability entailed systemati...
This paper presents a synthesis of the results by the 2016-2018 Iraqi-Italian QADIS survey projec... more This paper presents a synthesis of the results by the 2016-2018 Iraqi-Italian QADIS survey project in the eastern Qadisiyah region. The first part of the report discusses
the state-of-art in the field of landscape archaeology highlighting models, challenges and needs. A detailed analysis of the preliminary sequence of the pottery assemblages, as
defined during our fiedlwork, from the later prehistory until the Ottoman period follows. We then proceed to discuss the research methodology and provide some glimpses into the development of settlement patterns and of urban layouts, before concluding with an assessment on the endangered archaeological heritage of the region.
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie
This paper draws on the preliminary results of the QADIS survey project, conducted by the Univers... more This paper draws on the preliminary results of the QADIS survey project, conducted by the University of Bologna and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage since 2016 in the Qadisiyah province. The project addresses phenomena related to anthropogenic transformation of landscapes in a region that was at the core of the early Mesopotamian urbanization process. Building upon the seminal work conducted by R. McC. Adams in the 1960 s and 1970 s, we implemented an integrated documentation technique to reconstruct at regional levels the changes in the dense network of human settlements and artificial water infrastructures characterizing the evolution of this archaeological landscape over time. The aim of the article is that of providing a finer-grained regional picture of 4th and 3rd millennium BC urban developments which can be useful for better conceptualizing the scale and pace of early Mesopotamian urbanism.
Abstract: Ongoing interest in the fate and state of the archaeological and historical heritage of... more Abstract: Ongoing interest in the fate and state of the archaeological and historical heritage of Iraq is vividly attested by a spate of publications that shows no sign of drying up (the literature since 2003 is too vast even to summarise here. For this year alone see the ...
Revue d'Assyriologie et d'Archéologie Orientale, Vol. 113., 2019
In this article, fourteen texts from the rescue excavations of Tell Waresh2 in southern Iraq are ... more In this article, fourteen texts from the rescue excavations of Tell Waresh2 in southern Iraq are published. The site was close to Nippur and was destroyed due to hydraulic works in the 1990s. About seventy-two objects with cuneiform writing were discovered, mostly carrying date formulae belonging to the kings of Larsa.
The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management i... more The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management in southern Mesopotamia. Thanks to many geoarchaeological research projects conducted throughout the central and southern Iraqi floodplains, a general understanding of the macrophases of anthropogenic manipulation of this vast hydraulic landscape has been achieved. However, current narratives mostly rely on studies at a regional scale and are based on excessively long chronological phases (often spanning a whole millennium). A finer‐tuned analysis at a submillennial scale is needed to better appreciate the dynamics that led to the development of artificial canals and irrigation systems and the creation of harbours in cities and other navigation‐related facilities. The Iraqi‐Italian QADIS project is addressing this issue through a systematic geoarchaeological investigation in the south‐eastern area of the Qadisiyah province. We aim to update the current narrative by analysing case studies involving specific periods of occupation. We performed 17 boreholes to propose a date on the functioning period of the hydraulic works in five selected archaeological sites of this region. This approach allowed us to understand changes in water management strategies in both the short and the medium term (i.e., on a scale of centuries). In this paper, we present the results for the fourth and third millennia B.C.E. This period witnessed a crucial passage from the basic exploitation of natural watercourses for irrigation and occasional navigation to the emergence of the first system of artificial canals and intraurban harbours.
The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management i... more The last two decades witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the history of water management in southern Mesopotamia. Thanks to many geoarchaeological research projects conducted throughout the central and southern Iraqi floodplains, a general understanding of the macrophases of anthropogenic manipulation of this vast hydraulic landscape has been achieved. However, current narratives mostly rely on studies at a regional scale and are based on excessively long chronological phases (often spanning a whole millennium). A finer‐tuned analysis at a submillennial scale is needed to better appreciate the dynamics that led to the development of artificial canals and irrigation systems and the creation of harbours in cities and other navigation‐related facilities. The Iraqi‐Italian QADIS project is addressing this issue through a systematic geoarchaeological investigation in the south‐eastern area of the Qadisiyah province. We aim to update the current narrative by analysing case studies involving specific periods of occupation. We performed 17 boreholes to propose a date on the functioning period of the hydraulic works in five selected archaeological sites of this region. This approach allowed us to understand changes in water management strategies in both the short and the medium term (i.e., on a scale of centuries). In this paper, we present the results for the fourth and third millennia B.C.E. This period witnessed a crucial passage from the basic exploitation of natural watercourses for irrigation and occasional navigation to the emergence of the first system of artificial canals and intraurban harbours.
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie 113, pp. 152-168, 2023
In this paper, we publish some remarkable brick inscriptions of Takil-ilissu, king of Malgûm, whi... more In this paper, we publish some remarkable brick inscriptions of Takil-ilissu, king of Malgûm, which were recently found during a survey that led to the identification of Malgûm, the capital of an independent kingdom in the Isin-Larsa period. The bricks come from Tulūl al-Fāj, the site that has been identified as ancient Malgûm. Besides adding new details about Takil-ilissu, a relatively little-known ruler, these inscriptions are noteworthy for containing unusual words, expressions, and clauses.
[Revue d'assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale], 2019
In this article, fourteen texts from the rescue excavations of Tell Waresh2 in southern Iraq are ... more In this article, fourteen texts from the rescue excavations of Tell Waresh2 in southern Iraq are published. The site was close to Nippur and was destroyed due to hydraulic works in the 1990s. About seventy-two objects with cuneiform writing were discovered, mostly carrying date formulae belonging to the kings of Larsa.
This paper illustrates the preliminary results from two campaigns of the QADIS survey project, jo... more This paper illustrates the preliminary results from two campaigns of the QADIS survey project, jointly conducted by the University of Bologna (Italy) and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) in the south-eastern Qadisiyah province in 2016. The main aim of the project is that of producing a new understanding of a multi-layered historical landscape through cutting-edge documentation techniques including combined use of different spatial datasets, new aerial photogrammetric surveys, ground reconnaissance and small-scale excavations. This integrated methodology allowed us to identify more than 40 sites not recognized before, to document in detail the urban layouts of some major urban centers of the region, and to better understand the hydraulic landscape of the region by documenting more than 700 channels and several possible agricultural fields
Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Ear... more Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Early Uruk period has seldom been examined. This paper presents recent survey work at the Early Uruk site of Jemdat Zabi, located in the Sumer district in the Al-Qadisiya Governorate, Southern Iraq. From ths work at the site, we were able to record a wide variety of objects and document visible architectural remains on the surface dating to the Early Uruk period. Here we will provide a brief summary of the Early Uruk period, discuss our findings from the site of Jemdat Zabi and contextualize these findings within our overall understanding of the period. The aim here is to start a conversation about this period through the function of Jemdat Zabi as a town and its role in the region during this period. Résumé. En dépit de son importance comme fondement du paysage urbain ultérieur du Sud mésopotamien, la période de l'Uruk ancien a rarement été étudiée. Cet article présente une étude récente du site de Jemdat Zabi, datant du début de la période d'Uruk et situé dans le district de Sumer du gouvernorat d'Al-Qadisiya, en Irak du sud. Nos travaux ont permis d'enregistrer une grande variété d'objets et de documenter des vestiges architecturaux visibles en surface datant de la période de l'Uruk ancien. Dans cet article, nous présentons un bref résumé de la période, nous discutons de nos découvertes sur ce site, et nous les replaçons dans le contexte de notre compréhension globale de cette période. L'objectif est d'entamer le débat sur cette période à travers la fonction de Jemdat Zabi en tant que ville, et son rôle dans la région au cours de cette période.
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie
In this paper, we publish some remarkable brick inscriptions of Takil-ilissu, king of Malgûm, whi... more In this paper, we publish some remarkable brick inscriptions of Takil-ilissu, king of Malgûm, which were recently found during a survey that led to the identification of Malgûm, the capital of an independent kingdom in the Isin-Larsa period. The bricks come from Tulūl al-Fāj, the site that has been identified as ancient Malgûm. Besides adding new details about Takil-ilissu, a relatively little-known ruler, these inscriptions are noteworthy for containing unusual words, expressions, and clauses.
Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Ear... more Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Early Uruk period has seldom been examined. This paper presents recent survey work at the Early Uruk site of Jemdat Zabi, located in the Sumer district in the Al-Qadisiya Governorate, Southern Iraq. From ths work at the site, we were able to record a wide variety of objects and document visible architectural remains on the surface dating to the Early Uruk period. Here we will provide a brief summary of the Early Uruk period, discuss our findings from the site of Jemdat Zabi and contextualize these findings within our overall understanding of the period. The aim here is to start a conversation about this period through the function of Jemdat Zabi as a town and its role in the region during this period. Résumé. En dépit de son importance comme fondement du paysage urbain ultérieur du Sud mésopotamien, la période de l'Uruk ancien a rarement été étudiée. Cet article présente une étude récente du site de Jemdat Zabi, datant du début de la période d'Uruk et situé dans le district de Sumer du gouvernorat d'Al-Qadisiya, en Irak du sud. Nos travaux ont permis d'enregistrer une grande variété d'objets et de documenter des vestiges architecturaux visibles en surface datant de la période de l'Uruk ancien. Dans cet article, nous présentons un bref résumé de la période, nous discutons de nos découvertes sur ce site, et nous les replaçons dans le contexte de notre compréhension globale de cette période. L'objectif est d'entamer le débat sur cette période à travers la fonction de Jemdat Zabi en tant que ville, et son rôle dans la région au cours de cette période.
This paper presents preliminary results of the archaeological campaign carried out in the autumn ... more This paper presents preliminary results of the archaeological campaign carried out in the autumn 2019 at Tell as-Sadoum and Wanna, northwest of the city of al-Diwaniyah. The fieldwork comprised excavations at Tell as-Sadoum, where three test areas were opened, and a survey of the small site of Wanna in the southern neighborhood, providing data on the sequence of occupation and broadening our knowledge about the development and extension of the settlement. In particular the archaeological levels exposed in Area I shed light on the oldest phases of occupation, while textual evidence found in Area B adds new information about the history of ancient Marad. The layers and structures brought to light in Area I and Area B yielded materials dating from the Early Dynastic to the Isin-Larsa and Old Babylonian periods, and sporadic evidence of Kassite and Parthian date.
Any archaeological survey, in its essence, focuses on mapping ancient remains both for understand... more Any archaeological survey, in its essence, focuses on mapping ancient remains both for understanding the dynamics of human occupation in that given landscape and for singling out evidence which should be protected in the future. The joint Iraqi-Italian QADIS project is no exception in this respect and one of its main aims is enabling Iraqi cultural authorities. Specifically the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, to gain an updated knowledge of its territory, while at the same time facing the new threats which are affecting or are about to affect it. The region covered by the QADIS project has been interested by works which are well documented throughout all central-south Iraq, such as an artificial basin which submerged several sites, and the construction and cutting of roads, canals and ditches, not to speak of the growing reach of cultivations and the additional problem of deep ploughing. As if these threats are not enough, periods of political instability entailed systematic looting of sites, which has witnessed differing cycles of intensity but which is far from being over. Through the QADIS project, we reacted to this current state of affairs – thanks also to the funding provided by the EDUU project – by means of an intensive fieldwork training for SBAH personnel (about the GIS management of sites) and of activities for raising the awareness of local communities, in addition to our core scientific aims. However, the parallel need for sustainable structural law reforms in the field of preventive archaeology has become progressively evident. In this paper, we review the extent of damage to heritage in our region by discussing some study cases before proposing some possible mitigations of the problems which we documented.
Abstract: Ongoing interest in the fate and state of the archaeological and historical heritage of... more Abstract: Ongoing interest in the fate and state of the archaeological and historical heritage of Iraq is vividly attested by a spate of publications that shows no sign of drying up (the literature since 2003 is too vast even to summarise here. For this year alone see the ...
Any archaeological survey, in its essence, focuses on mapping ancient remains both for understand... more Any archaeological survey, in its essence, focuses on mapping ancient remains both for understanding the dynamics of human occupation in that given landscape and for singling out evidence which should be protected in the future. The joint Iraqi-Italian QADIS project is no exception in this respect and one of its main aims is enabling Iraqi cultural authorities. Specifically the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, to gain an updated knowledge of its territory, while at the same time facing the new threats which are affecting or are about to affect it. The region covered by the QADIS project has been interested by works which are well documented throughout all central-south Iraq, such as an artificial basin which submerged several sites, and the construction and cutting of roads, canals and ditches, not to speak of the growing reach of cultivations and the additional problem of deep ploughing. As if these threats are not enough, periods of political instability entailed systemati...
This paper presents a synthesis of the results by the 2016-2018 Iraqi-Italian QADIS survey projec... more This paper presents a synthesis of the results by the 2016-2018 Iraqi-Italian QADIS survey project in the eastern Qadisiyah region. The first part of the report discusses
the state-of-art in the field of landscape archaeology highlighting models, challenges and needs. A detailed analysis of the preliminary sequence of the pottery assemblages, as
defined during our fiedlwork, from the later prehistory until the Ottoman period follows. We then proceed to discuss the research methodology and provide some glimpses into the development of settlement patterns and of urban layouts, before concluding with an assessment on the endangered archaeological heritage of the region.
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie
This paper draws on the preliminary results of the QADIS survey project, conducted by the Univers... more This paper draws on the preliminary results of the QADIS survey project, conducted by the University of Bologna and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage since 2016 in the Qadisiyah province. The project addresses phenomena related to anthropogenic transformation of landscapes in a region that was at the core of the early Mesopotamian urbanization process. Building upon the seminal work conducted by R. McC. Adams in the 1960 s and 1970 s, we implemented an integrated documentation technique to reconstruct at regional levels the changes in the dense network of human settlements and artificial water infrastructures characterizing the evolution of this archaeological landscape over time. The aim of the article is that of providing a finer-grained regional picture of 4th and 3rd millennium BC urban developments which can be useful for better conceptualizing the scale and pace of early Mesopotamian urbanism.
Abstract: Ongoing interest in the fate and state of the archaeological and historical heritage of... more Abstract: Ongoing interest in the fate and state of the archaeological and historical heritage of Iraq is vividly attested by a spate of publications that shows no sign of drying up (the literature since 2003 is too vast even to summarise here. For this year alone see the ...
Revue d'Assyriologie et d'Archéologie Orientale, Vol. 113., 2019
In this article, fourteen texts from the rescue excavations of Tell Waresh2 in southern Iraq are ... more In this article, fourteen texts from the rescue excavations of Tell Waresh2 in southern Iraq are published. The site was close to Nippur and was destroyed due to hydraulic works in the 1990s. About seventy-two objects with cuneiform writing were discovered, mostly carrying date formulae belonging to the kings of Larsa.
Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Ear... more Despite its importance as the foundation of the later urban south Mesopotamian landscape, the Early Uruk period has seldom been examined. This paper presents recent survey work at the Early Uruk site of Jemdat Zabi, located in the Sumer district in the Al-Qadisiya Governorate, Southern Iraq. From ths work at the site, we were able to record a wide variety of objects and document visible architectural remains on the surface dating to the Early Uruk period. Here we will provide a brief summary of the Early Uruk period, discuss our findings from the site of Jemdat Zabi and contextualize these findings within our overall understanding of the period. The aim here is to start a conversation about this period through the function of Jemdat Zabi as a town and its role in the region during this period. Résumé. En dépit de son importance comme fondement du paysage urbain ultérieur du Sud mésopotamien, la période de l'Uruk ancien a rarement été étudiée. Cet article présente une étude récente du site de Jemdat Zabi, datant du début de la période d'Uruk et situé dans le district de Sumer du gouvernorat d'Al-Qadisiya, en Irak du sud. Nos travaux ont permis d'enregistrer une grande variété d'objets et de documenter des vestiges architecturaux visibles en surface datant de la période de l'Uruk ancien. Dans cet article, nous présentons un bref résumé de la période, nous discutons de nos découvertes sur ce site, et nous les replaçons dans le contexte de notre compréhension globale de cette période. L'objectif est d'entamer le débat sur cette période à travers la fonction de Jemdat Zabi en tant que ville, et son rôle dans la région au cours de cette période.
Tepe Gawra has long been seen as an essential site for late prehistoric and early historic period... more Tepe Gawra has long been seen as an essential site for late prehistoric and early historic periods, not only in Iraq but for the entirety of northern Mesopotamia. This importance stems from its long sequence, and its implications for understanding the development of societal complexity. Despite its small size, Tepe Gawra has produced evidence of highly specialized practices that overshadowed farming. This has led to the suggestion that the site was a "center" at the top of an administered network. Some scholars have challenged this assertion and suggested that the site had a lower town, which acted as the source of agriculture goods for the site. Since the area had been closed off to archaeological work this debate has not been resolved. Through recent survey work around Tepe Gawra, the authors show that there was an extensive lower town dating to the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age stages of occupation. These findings show that Tepe Gawra was a large self-sustaining settlement exploiting its own agricultural hinterland.
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the state-of-art in the field of landscape archaeology highlighting models, challenges and needs. A detailed analysis of the preliminary sequence of the pottery assemblages, as
defined during our fiedlwork, from the later prehistory until the Ottoman period follows. We then proceed to discuss the research methodology and provide some glimpses into the development of settlement patterns and of urban layouts, before concluding with an assessment on the endangered archaeological heritage of the region.
the state-of-art in the field of landscape archaeology highlighting models, challenges and needs. A detailed analysis of the preliminary sequence of the pottery assemblages, as
defined during our fiedlwork, from the later prehistory until the Ottoman period follows. We then proceed to discuss the research methodology and provide some glimpses into the development of settlement patterns and of urban layouts, before concluding with an assessment on the endangered archaeological heritage of the region.