5,000-year-old iraqi city discovered under a 10 metre-deep mound - along with remarkably...

8/14/2019 5,000-year-old Iraqi city discovered under a 10 metre-deep mound - along with remarkably well-preserved works

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5,000-year-old Iraqi city discovered under a10 metre-deep mound - along with remarkablywell-preserved works of art

The city was a hub of activity in Iraq between 3,300 and 2,900 years ago.

Discovery made after a local villager found clay tablet with 'Idu' carved in

City of Idu spent much of its time under the control of the Assyrian Empire

Archaeologists have found ornate wall plaques and tiles as well as beautiful

paintings

By Ellie Zolfagharifard

PUBLISHED:10:31 GMT, 3 October 2013 | UPDATED:16:34 GMT, 3 October 2013

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An ancient city called Idu has been discovered in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.

Hidden beneath a 32 foot (10 metre) mound, the city is thought to have been a hub of activity between

3,300 and 2,900 years ago.

Inscriptions made for kings in walls, tablets and stone plinths, reveal that it was once filled with

luxurious palaces.


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The ancient city of Idu is now part of a Tell that rises about 32 feet (10 metres) above the

surrounding plain. The modern day name of the site is Satu Qala and a village lies on top

of the Tell

The discovery was made five years ago after a local villager found a clay tablet with the name Idu

carved in.

It is thought the inscription was made by the local kings celebrating the construction of the royalpalace.

Archaeologists at the University of Leipzig in Germany spent the next few years excavating the area.

They believe the city of Idu spent much of its time under the control of the Assyrian Empire about 3,300

years ago.


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This cylinder seal dates back around 2,600 years, to a time after the Assyrians had

re-conquered Idu. The seal would show a mythical scene if it was rolled on a piece of

clay. It depicts a crouched bowman, who may be the god Ninurta, facing a griffon

The city is thought to have been a hub of activity between 3,300 and 2,900 years ago. The

above image shows a living structure, with at least two rooms, that may date to around

2,000 years ago when the Parthian Empire controlled the area in Iraq

THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE

Assyrian civilisation can be traced back to the third millennium BC.

Some of its most spectacular remains date to the first millennium BC when Assyria dominated the

Middle East.


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The Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC) established Nimrud as his capital. His palaces were

decorated with gypsum slabs carved with images of himself.

During the eighth and seventh centuries BC Assyrian kings conquered the region from the Persian Gulf

to the borders of Egypt.

But archaeologists also found evidence that it was a fiercely independent city.

Its people fought for, and won, 140 years of independence before they were reconquered by the

Assyrians.

Among the treasures found were artwork showing a bearded sphinx with a human head and the body

of a winged lion.

Above it were the words: Palace of Ba'auri, king of the land of Idu, son of Edima, also king of the land

of Idu.

They also found a cylinder seal dating back roughly 2,600 years depicting a man crouching before a

griffon.

'We were lucky to be one of the first teams to begin excavations in Iraq after the 2003 war,'archaeologists Cinzia Pappi told MailOnline.

'The discovery of ancient Idu at Satu Qala revealed a multicultural capital and a crossroad between

norther and southern Iraq and between Iraq and Western Iran in the second and first millennia BC.

'Particularly the discovery of a local dynasty of kings fills a gap in what scholars had previously thought

of as a dark age in the history ancient Iraq.

'Together these results have helped to redraw the political and historical map of the development of the

Assyrian Empire.'


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The left image shows a clay model of a bed something which has been found at other

sites in the Middle East. On the right is a work of art showing a bearded sphinx with a

human male head and the body of a winged lion


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On the left is a plaque that reads 'Palace of Assurnasirpal'. Researchers claim that it was

created for Assurnasirpal II and that he must have had a palace built or rebuilt after the

Assyrians had re-conquered Idu. On the right is a work of art showing a horse wearing a

headstall being led by a man in a short robe

The city was hidden beneath a mound, called a tell, which is currently home to a village called Satu

Qala.

For wide-scale excavations to continue, at least some of these houses will have to be removed, said

archaeologists Cinzia Pappi

Unfortunately, until a settlement is reached between the villagers and the Kurdistan regionalgovernment, further work is currently not possible.

Archaeologists plan to continue excavating the site once they reach an agreement.

In the meantime, a study on the materials from the site, now stored in the Erbil Museum of Antiquities,

has just been completed in co-operation with the University of Pennsylvania.

Together, the researchers will explore the surrounding area to determine the extent of the kingdom of

Idu in its regional context

The findings have been reported in the journal Anatolica.


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Archaeologists are currently busy analysing artifacts already excavated. They also plan

to survey the surrounding area to get a better sense of how large the kingdom of Idu was

Read more:

Anatolica

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Comments (14)

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kengo,sydney, Australia, 2 days ago

Picture 4. First iPhone?! ..carl_francis60, Woking, 16 hours ago ............... My God, I think your right Carl. When I first saw

it, I thought it was just an early solar powered calculator.

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nonreligiousperson,wellington nz, 2 days ago


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good, now that you have made it public, i wonder how long it will take the Taliban to destroy it all.

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chimneysweep,london, United Kingdom, 1 day ago

well first they have fly ryanair from afghanistan, ensuring their RPGs meet the luggage requirements.

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noname,New York, United States, 2 days ago

What are they not showing us? So another picture of an ancient man hunting a Griffon. I guess the ancients just made this

stuff up. Obviously they were showing the image of something they knew.

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Ami,Boston, 2 days ago

They should build a roller-coaster going around the city and over it!!

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Paul,London, 2 days ago

This is a great news story from a region that deserves some positive news. Really interesting to read about the history.

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Big Nugget,London, United Kingdom, 2 days ago

We are again finding things that should not exist. TAKE CARE and tread caref

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chimneysweep,london, United Kingdom, 2 days ago

are you suggesting that griffins & sphinxes are real? Are you a harry potter fan

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Kristi,Indianapolis, 2 days ago

How cool is that?!! Must fun to be an archaeologist.


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SPEAKTHETRUTH,Portland, 1 day ago

Quite fun, if hanging out in the blazing Iraqui sun with no shade while digging in the dirt is your idea of fun.

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wontgetfooldtlnxtime,Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, 2 days ago

I'm surprised we didn't bomb it .

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noneOfYourBusiness,noneOfYourBusiness, 2 days ago

Stunning - and the patterns humans make haven't really changed that much have they....

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carl_francis60,Woking, 2 days ago

Picture 4. First iPhone?!

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