- Faculty of Archaeology
Adam Mickiewicz University
Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego Str. 7
61-614 POZNAN, POLAND - +48-61-8291411
- Ancient Near Eastern Economy, Mesopotamian trade, Burial Customs, Culture, Ritual, Tradition, and 16 moreArchaeology, Akkadian and Sumerian literature, The Built Landscape, Manifestations of Authority and Power, Gender In the Ancient Near East, Neo Assyrians, Northern Mesopotamia, Merchants and Merchant Colonies, Egyptian Archaeology, Mesopotamian Archaeology, Archaeozoology, Ancient Trade & Commerce (Archaeology), Animals in the ancient world, Ancient Urbanism, Old Babylonian period, and 14C dating (Archaeology)edit
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The Upper Greater Zab Archaeological Reconnaissance (UGZAR) project carried out an archaeological survey in the Iraqi Kurdistan on an area over 3,000 km2 big, located on both banks of the Greater Zab River, to the north and north-west of... more
The Upper Greater Zab Archaeological Reconnaissance (UGZAR) project carried out an archaeological survey in the Iraqi Kurdistan on an area over 3,000 km2 big, located on both banks of the Greater Zab River, to the north and north-west of Erbil. During six field seasons, conducted in 2012–2017, the Polish team from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań documented there 313 archaeological sites, 110 caves and 78 other heritage monuments (churches, monasteries, mosques, castles, mills, tombs and cemeteries, etc.), as well as four rock reliefs (three in Gūndk and one in Batas). During the fieldwork, nearly 20,000 artefacts dating from the Late Neolithic (Hassuna culture) to the modern period (early 20th century) were collected and documented.
Working in an area located only 40 km south of the famous Şaneder/Shanidar cave, it was natural to devote much attention to sites of this type and traces of potential prehistoric occupation which might have been preserved there. As a result, 110 caves of various size were documented during the 2015, 2016 and 2017 field seasons. The volume presents 91 of these, omitting a group of rock shelters with no sediments preserved inside. Plans, descriptions and photographs of each cave are accompanied by information on finds collected inside and on the talus below its entrance (if present). Moreover, a presence of speleothems in the caves was noted, as a potential basis for the analysis of climatic proxies. While most of the documented caves yielded traces of modern and pre-modern use, only some of the collected pottery and rock artefacts may point to their earlier occupation.
Working in an area located only 40 km south of the famous Şaneder/Shanidar cave, it was natural to devote much attention to sites of this type and traces of potential prehistoric occupation which might have been preserved there. As a result, 110 caves of various size were documented during the 2015, 2016 and 2017 field seasons. The volume presents 91 of these, omitting a group of rock shelters with no sediments preserved inside. Plans, descriptions and photographs of each cave are accompanied by information on finds collected inside and on the talus below its entrance (if present). Moreover, a presence of speleothems in the caves was noted, as a potential basis for the analysis of climatic proxies. While most of the documented caves yielded traces of modern and pre-modern use, only some of the collected pottery and rock artefacts may point to their earlier occupation.
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The third volume of the site catalogue contains a complete dataset for 34 archaeological sites documented in 2013, 2014, and 2015 in two separate areas located west of the Greater Zab river valley. On the Grdapān Plateau, south of... more
The third volume of the site catalogue contains a complete dataset for 34 archaeological sites documented in 2013, 2014, and 2015 in two separate areas located west of the Greater Zab river valley. On the Grdapān Plateau, south of Bardaṟaş, between the Zab and al-Ḫāzir rivers, 12 sites were documented, and some more located to the west of the UGZAR area limit were visited during the al-Ḫāzir reconnaissance. The other area is limited by Şāx-ĩ Ākrê and Şāx-ĩ Prt in the north, the eastern limit of the Navkūr Plain, and the Greater Zab river valley (however, sites located in the valley will be presented separately, in SHIK vol. 6). This area yielded 22 sites, mainly of later date. As before, the volume contains an analysis of relevant images of U2 (only for the Grdapān Plateau) and CORONA spy missions and contemporary satellite imagery, a discussion of relevant maps from the Atlas of Archaeological Sites in Iraq, and indexes.
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The second volume of the site catalogue contains a complete dataset on 34 archaeological sites documented in 2013, 2014, and 2015 on a stretch of land connecting the Navkūr Plain and the Greater Zab river valley located along the Kārbk... more
The second volume of the site catalogue contains a complete dataset on 34 archaeological sites documented in 2013, 2014, and 2015 on a stretch of land connecting the Navkūr Plain and the Greater Zab river valley located along the Kārbk stream. The flat area, up to 10 km in width, offers very good conditions for travel, and was used by the King's Road of the Persian period, if not earlier.
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The book is the first volume publishing dataset collected by the Upper Greater Zab Archaeological Reconnaissance Project in the Iraqi Kurdistan. It contains a complete data on 38 archaeological sites located along the western border of... more
The book is the first volume publishing dataset collected by the Upper Greater Zab Archaeological Reconnaissance Project in the Iraqi Kurdistan.
It contains a complete data on 38 archaeological sites located along the western border of the UGZAR work area, analysis of relevant satellite imagery and images from spy aircraft U2 mission and spy satellite CORONA program.
It contains a complete data on 38 archaeological sites located along the western border of the UGZAR work area, analysis of relevant satellite imagery and images from spy aircraft U2 mission and spy satellite CORONA program.
Research Interests: Historical Archaeology, Mesopotamian Archaeology, Settlement Patterns, Neolithic Archaeology, Prehistoric Settlement, and 6 moreBronze Age (Archaeology), Iron Age (Archaeology), Bronze and Iron Ages in Eastern Mediterranean (Archaeology), Kurdish history, archaeology in Iraq, and Northern Mesopotamia
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Despite decades of research, the geography of the Neo-Assyrian Empire still has its obscure points and inadequately studied regions. One of these is an area directly east of the Assyrian heartland, in the hilly highlands of Kurdistan. The... more
Despite decades of research, the geography of the Neo-Assyrian Empire still has its obscure points and inadequately studied regions. One of these is an area directly east of the Assyrian heartland, in the hilly highlands of Kurdistan. The state of affairs is due to the region's long inaccessibility because of the political situation in Iraq. This paper focuses on two particular toponyms: the land and the province of ˘ Habruri and the city of ˘ Hiptūnu. The location of both these topoi is discussed in light of data acquired recently during the fieldwork of the Upper Greater Zab Archaeological Reconnaissance (UGZAR) project in Iraqi Kurdistan.
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The paper presents radiocarbon (14C) dates of samples collected from the Bronze Age cultural strata (VI–II) excavated within Sector P, Tell Arbid, Khabur Triangle, northern Mesopotamia. These strata contain objects (remains of a... more
The paper presents radiocarbon (14C) dates of samples collected from the Bronze Age cultural strata (VI–II) excavated within Sector P, Tell Arbid, Khabur Triangle, northern Mesopotamia. These strata contain objects (remains of a caravanserai, pits, graves, pottery kilns, and multi-phase houses) representing the periods of Early Jezirah 4-5, and Old Jezirah I-II. 14C dating of these strata was especially important because of a clearly visible period of abandonment of the area at the onset of 2nd millennium BC, recorded on all Khabur Triangle sites studied so far, and because of the questionable reliability of the chronology derived from scarce historical sources. Of the 29 samples of cereal grains, 9 appeared to contain residual material, while Bayesian-analyzed 14C ages of the remaining 20 allowed us to say that, at the turn of the 3rd millennium BC, Tell Arbid was abandoned later than other sites in the area, and that it was occupied over a distinctly longer period during the early 2nd millennium.
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The project “Settlement History of Iraqi Kurdistan” aims at identification and documentation of archaeological sites and other heritage monuments on an area of more than 3000 km2 located on both banks of the Greater Zab river, north of... more
The project “Settlement History of Iraqi Kurdistan” aims at identification and documentation of archaeological sites and other heritage monuments on an area of more than 3000 km2 located on both banks of the Greater Zab river, north of Erbil. During three field seasons carried out in 2013, 2014 and 2015 the part of the area which is located on the western bank of the river was fully surveyed. On this area, as much as 147 archeological sites dating from the Early Neolithic Hassuna culture to the Late Ottoman times were registered. Besides, 39 architectural monuments were documented, as well as the oldest rock reliefs in Mesopotamia, dating to mid 3rd millennium BC in village Gūnduk. Moreover, 91 caves and rock shelters were visited in search for Paleolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic remains. The remaining area of the project, belonging to the Erbil/Haūler province will be studied during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
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The paper contains a proposal of a reconstruction of the original outline of one of the basic historical sources of North Mesopotamian history - the Mari Eponym Chronicle (MEC) - allowing to place a not attributed fragment C of the text... more
The paper contains a proposal of a reconstruction of the original outline of one of the basic historical sources of North Mesopotamian history - the Mari Eponym Chronicle (MEC) - allowing to place a not attributed fragment C of the text shortly after the conquest of Assur by Samsi-Addu.
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The paper discusses the problem of the Post-Assyrian period settlement crisis in North Mesopotamia on the basis of data collected during a survey conducted by the UGZAR team in Iraqi Kurdistan.
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Paper basing on 10th ICAANE presentation, summarising the results of four seasons of field activities of the Upper Greater Zab Archaeological (UGZAR) Project in Iraqi Kurdistan.
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A paper presented at 60 RAI in Warsaw in 2014, published recently in the RAI volume by Eisenbrauns, http://www.eisenbrauns.com/item/RAI60
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Using satellite imagery has recently become a standard procedure in survey projects carried out in the Near East, including Mesopotamia. Analysing the CORONA spy satellite program images dating back to the 1960s as well as the much more... more
Using satellite imagery has recently become a standard procedure in survey projects carried out in the Near East, including Mesopotamia. Analysing the CORONA spy satellite program images dating back to the 1960s as well as the much more recent imagery from the LANDSAT, ASTER and QuickBird satellites is a starting point for any project of this kind, and during the long period of political unrest it constituted the only source for studying the ancient settlements of Iraq. The Upper Greater Zab Archaeological Reconnaissance project, conducted by the Institute of Prehistory, Adam Mickie-wicz University in Poznań in Iraqi Kurdistan since 2012 relied mainly on CORONA and QuickBird imagery. However, two seasons of field experience, allowing to verify provisional identifications of archaeological sites made on the basis of the satellite imagery, demonstrate that the efficiency of this method depends on numerous factors, and is particularly low in the highland areas. The paper discusses the reasons for this phenomenon and suggests some provisional solutions which may improve the effectiveness of the identification of archaeological sites in highland morphological zones based on satellite imagery. Resumen En los últimos años, el estudio de las imágenes satelitales del terreno se ha convertido en un procedimiento habitual en los proyectos de prospección arqueológica desarrollados en la zona del Próximo Oriente y en particular, en Mesopotamia. El análisis de las fotografías conseguidas por medio del programa CORONA y, en un menor grado, también gracias a los satélites LANDSAT, ASTER y QuickBird es una etapa inicial de cualquier proyecto de estas características y en algunos casos, la única fuente para analizar la historia de los asentamientos, especialmente en el territorio de Iraq, en práctica inaccesible. El proyecto de prospección superficial desarrollado desde 2012 por el Instituto de Prehistoria de la Universidad Adam Mickiewicz de Poznań en el territorio de Kurdistán iraquí también aprovecha las imágenes CORONA y QuickBird. No obstante, la práctica diaria ha demostrado que su eficacia en cuanto a la identificación de los yacimientos arqueológicos depende de una serie de factores, siendo relativamente baja en las zonas con muchas colinas. El autor pretende comentar las causas de tal situación y proponer soluciones que faciliten el empleo eficaz de las imágenes satelitales en los terrenos menos favorables.
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In this paper I will focus on how the Assyrians governed the western territories of the Middle Assyrian state after they were incorporated in the later part of the 13th cent. BC
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Archaeological fieldwork carried out at the Tell Arbid site in north-eastern Syria exposed settlement remains dating from the early 3rd millennium BC to the mid 2nd millennium BC. Recent excavations in Sector P, on the eastern slope of... more
Archaeological fieldwork carried out at the Tell Arbid site in north-eastern Syria exposed settlement
remains dating from the early 3rd millennium BC to the mid 2nd millennium BC. Recent excavations in
Sector P, on the eastern slope of the site, revealed the existence of a significant occupation of the Post-Akkadian/
Early Jazirah V period and of levels dated to the Early and Classic Khabur Ware/Old Jazirah/Middle Bronze Age
I-II periods. Cereal remains were dominated by grains and ear fragments of hulled two-rowed barley Hordeum
distichon. Less numerous were wheats represented by emmer Triticum dicoccon, einkorn T. monococcum, and
macaroni wheat T. durum. The presence of bread wheat T. aestivum and six-rowed barley Hordeum vulgare
could not be excluded. The two periods contained similar sets of cereals, but in the Post-Akkadian Period the
percentage of hulled wheat remains was higher, while in the Middle Bronze Age (particularly in its younger
phase) naked wheat slightly exceeded hulled wheats. Legumes were represented by only very few seeds of lentil
Lens culinaris and bitter vetch Vicia ervilia. Diaspores of wild plants were very abundant, particularly those
from the families of grasses and legumes. The considerable number of ear and culm fragments probably belonging
to cereals as well as numerous seeds/fruits of wild plants suggests that the plant remains originated from
fodder or animal dung or belonged to threshing waste. The presence of grass stems with nodes indicated that
cereals were reaped low on the straw; occasional use of uprooting was suggested by the occurrence of basal culm
fragments with traces of rootlets.
remains dating from the early 3rd millennium BC to the mid 2nd millennium BC. Recent excavations in
Sector P, on the eastern slope of the site, revealed the existence of a significant occupation of the Post-Akkadian/
Early Jazirah V period and of levels dated to the Early and Classic Khabur Ware/Old Jazirah/Middle Bronze Age
I-II periods. Cereal remains were dominated by grains and ear fragments of hulled two-rowed barley Hordeum
distichon. Less numerous were wheats represented by emmer Triticum dicoccon, einkorn T. monococcum, and
macaroni wheat T. durum. The presence of bread wheat T. aestivum and six-rowed barley Hordeum vulgare
could not be excluded. The two periods contained similar sets of cereals, but in the Post-Akkadian Period the
percentage of hulled wheat remains was higher, while in the Middle Bronze Age (particularly in its younger
phase) naked wheat slightly exceeded hulled wheats. Legumes were represented by only very few seeds of lentil
Lens culinaris and bitter vetch Vicia ervilia. Diaspores of wild plants were very abundant, particularly those
from the families of grasses and legumes. The considerable number of ear and culm fragments probably belonging
to cereals as well as numerous seeds/fruits of wild plants suggests that the plant remains originated from
fodder or animal dung or belonged to threshing waste. The presence of grass stems with nodes indicated that
cereals were reaped low on the straw; occasional use of uprooting was suggested by the occurrence of basal culm
fragments with traces of rootlets.
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One of the most significant contributions of Professor Hartmut Kühne to the knowledge of the Ancient Near East stems from his long term fieldwork at Tall Seh Hamad, ancient Dur-Katlimmu.
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In June of 2008 a new project was started at Tell Arbid, aimed at researching Post-Akkadian (EJ V) remains identified on the eastern slope of the main tell in 2001.
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In 2008, the Institute of Prehistory of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań started a three year long research project at Tell Arbid, based upon a cooperation agreement with the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of the... more
In 2008, the Institute of Prehistory of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań started a three year long research project at Tell Arbid, based upon a cooperation agreement with the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw. The aim was to excavate extensively remains of so-called post-Akkadian settlement on Tell Arbid, identified during PCMA UW excavations in Sector SR in 2001. The main task of the first season was to explore layers covering post-Akkadian structures in the southern part of Sector SR (renamed P) and to clarify the outlines of underlying post-Akkadian structures.
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One of main differences in composition of bone assemblages retrieved at 3rd millennium BC sites located in North Mesopotamia and South-East Anatolia, observed in a number of archaeozoological studies is presence of pig bones. There... more
One of main differences in composition of bone
assemblages retrieved at 3rd millennium BC sites
located in North Mesopotamia and South-East Anatolia,
observed in a number of archaeozoological
studies is presence of pig bones. There are some
sites (mainly located in the southern zone of the
area) where pig bones are absent, but on other sites
(manly those located towards the North) their bones
constitute as much as 50% identified items. In consequence,
two basic animal economy patters could
be defined for the area: “Specialized Pattern” characterized
by absence of pig and high reliability on
sheep and “Balanced Pattern”, in which pigs are
present and proportion of main animal groups is
more uniform. Typical explanation of this phenomenon
is related to environmental conditions, assuming
that more dry climate of South precludes pig
husbandry, while in more arid areas of the North
pig husbandry was much easier.
My paper attempts to explain differences of animal
economy pattern in terms of food customs. Food
customs are presently an easily observable way
for demonstrating ethnic background, and there
are reasons to assume that it was exactly the same
in the past (cf. Hacınebi example). The “Balanced
Pattern”, typical for settlements representing local
Late Chalcolithic culture of South-East Anatolia,
is present on all sites at the beginning of the 3rd
millennium BC, and was gradually replaced in the
South by “Specialized Pattern”, which during the
EB/EJ III period is present at all sites located in the
southern part of the Euphrates Valley, in the Middle
Khabur Valley and on some sites as Tell Chuera and
Tell Beydar. Basing on assumption that animal husbandry
patterns represent food preferences based
on cultural tradition, this situation may be explained
as a reflection of coming and settling down of
West Semitic tribes into North Mesopotamia.
assemblages retrieved at 3rd millennium BC sites
located in North Mesopotamia and South-East Anatolia,
observed in a number of archaeozoological
studies is presence of pig bones. There are some
sites (mainly located in the southern zone of the
area) where pig bones are absent, but on other sites
(manly those located towards the North) their bones
constitute as much as 50% identified items. In consequence,
two basic animal economy patters could
be defined for the area: “Specialized Pattern” characterized
by absence of pig and high reliability on
sheep and “Balanced Pattern”, in which pigs are
present and proportion of main animal groups is
more uniform. Typical explanation of this phenomenon
is related to environmental conditions, assuming
that more dry climate of South precludes pig
husbandry, while in more arid areas of the North
pig husbandry was much easier.
My paper attempts to explain differences of animal
economy pattern in terms of food customs. Food
customs are presently an easily observable way
for demonstrating ethnic background, and there
are reasons to assume that it was exactly the same
in the past (cf. Hacınebi example). The “Balanced
Pattern”, typical for settlements representing local
Late Chalcolithic culture of South-East Anatolia,
is present on all sites at the beginning of the 3rd
millennium BC, and was gradually replaced in the
South by “Specialized Pattern”, which during the
EB/EJ III period is present at all sites located in the
southern part of the Euphrates Valley, in the Middle
Khabur Valley and on some sites as Tell Chuera and
Tell Beydar. Basing on assumption that animal husbandry
patterns represent food preferences based
on cultural tradition, this situation may be explained
as a reflection of coming and settling down of
West Semitic tribes into North Mesopotamia.
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The Iraqi excavations at Tell al-Fakhar in 1967 and 1969 uncovered the remains of a small settlement that has been identified as the city of Kuruhanni on the basis of the archives found at the site. A new study of the references to... more
The Iraqi excavations at Tell al-Fakhar in 1967 and 1969 uncovered the remains of a small settlement that has been identified as the city of Kuruhanni on the basis of the archives found at the site. A new study of the references to Kuruhanni and a comparative analysis of the archaeological remains now challenge this identification. The author provides a new interpretation of the data and concludes that the site is to be tentatively identified as dimtu Makunta.
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Short account on rescue excavations conducted by the Polish Mission to Syria (Warsaw University) in the framework of the Hasake Southern Dam Salvage Project.
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The collection of 37 potter's marks coming from two sites excavated by the Polish Mission in the Hasake Eastern Dam Area, Tell Djassa al-Gharbi and Tell Abu Hafur, consists of 23 different complete signs and 13 fragmentary signs. A full... more
The collection of 37 potter's marks coming from two sites excavated by the Polish Mission in the Hasake Eastern Dam Area, Tell Djassa al-Gharbi and Tell Abu Hafur, consists of 23 different complete signs and 13 fragmentary signs. A full catalogue of these signs complemented with a list of analogous signs from other Northern Mesopotamian sites is a starting point for considerations on the role and purpose of marks put on Early Dynastic pottery of Northern Mesopotamia.
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Report on the terminal field season of the UGZAR project in area of Shaqlawa and Salahaddin, north of Erbil
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Report on the results of the terminal season of UGZAR project's survey in the area of Shaqlawa and Salahaddin of Iraqi Kurdistan (in Kurdish)
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The activities in 2017 consisted of documenting structures which were not previously registered (mainly grist mills) and enhancing the data set by arial photography from a drone.
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Report on the UGZAR activities in the province of Duhok in 2017 (English version)
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Catalogue of sites documented by the UGZAR project during the 2016 field season
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Catalogue of sites UGZAR S140-184 documented during the 2015 field season of UGZAR project
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A map showing locations of sites identified by the UGZAR fieldwork during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
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Translation of the Report on the UGZAR 2016 season into Kurdish
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Kurdish translation of the UGZAR 2015 season report
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Account on the field activities of the UGZAR project August-October 2015
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general description and basic information on the project
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Maps reflecting the results of the 2014 season will be uploaded in January 2015
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Maps show position of sites discovered during the 2013 and 2014 field seasons. Descriptions in Kurdish