Sunken city unearthed in Iraq

The water released them: the ruins of a Bronze Age city in northern Iraq that are otherwise flooded by the Mosul reservoir. Kurdish and German archaeologists have examined them and made valuable discoveries.

Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,400-year-old city in Iraq that may be ancient Zachiku. The remains actually lie in the Mosul reservoir, which dams the Tigris. But because of the extreme drought, the water level had dropped so low that the ruins were released, said the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg. Kurdish and German archaeologists were involved in the excavations.

The researchers found an extensive city complex with a palace and several large buildings. Zachiku was an important center of the Bronze Age empire of Mittani, which existed between 1550 and 1350 BC.

Special opportunity due to drought

Because of the drought, a lot of water has been drained from Iraq’s most important water reservoir since December to irrigate the fields. When the ruins reappeared, archaeologists from the Kurdistan Archeology Organization and the Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen decided to carry out a rescue excavation. After the dam was built, the remains of the city had been flooded before they could be archaeologically examined.

During the excavations in January and February, the researchers were able to largely reconstruct the plan of the city within a short period of time. In addition to a palace, they also uncovered massive fortifications of walls and towers, a multi-story warehouse building, and an industrial complex.

City flooded again

Although the buildings are made of unfired mud bricks and have been under water for more than 40 years, they are well preserved. The scientists also found an archive of more than 100 cuneiform tablets written around 1350 BC in ceramic vessels. At that time, the city went under after an earthquake, the researchers explained. From the scriptures they hope to gain valuable knowledge about that time.

The excavated buildings were eventually wrapped in plastic sheeting and then covered with gravel to prevent further damage from the reservoir water. The water level is now so high that the site is completely flooded.