Excavations of German archaeologists at the site of Bassetki, near Dohuk in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan, Iraq, revealed a 3000-years-old Bronze Age settlement.
Archaeologists of the Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Tübingen believe that the settlement was established around 3000 BC and existed for more than 1200 years. Moreover, settlement layer dated to the period of Akkadian Empire (2340-2200 BC) were found. The excavations were conducted prior to construction works on a highway running through the area. The site is located only 45 kilometres from territory controlled by the terrorists of Islamic State, but the work was conducted without disturbances.
Non-invasive techniques applied on the site revealed a possible extensive road network, various residential districts, grand houses and a kind of palatial building, all dating to the Bronze Age. The excavations revealed that the site had a wall running around the upper part of the town around 2700 BC and large stone structures built around 1800 BC. Archaeological investigation also revealed fragments of Assyrian cuneiform tablets dating from about 1300 BC, suggesting the existence of a temple dedicated to Adad, the Mesopotamian weather god, on this site. Excavations revealed without doubt that the settlement was connected with he neighbouring regions of Mesopotamia and Anatolia via an overland roadway dating from about 1800 BC.
(after Past Horizons)