https://sputnikglobe.com/20220531/dropping-water-levels-reveal-ancient-city-in-iraq-dating-back-to-the-mittani-empire-1095906347.html
Dropping Water Levels Reveal Ancient City in Iraq Dating Back to the Mittani Empire
Dropping Water Levels Reveal Ancient City in Iraq Dating Back to the Mittani Empire
Sputnik International
Climate change-fueled droughts have begun shedding light on secrets that have remained hidden at the bottom of bodies of water for decades. While scientists... 31.05.2022, Sputnik International
2022-05-31T22:11+0000
2022-05-31T22:11+0000
2023-01-08T16:43+0000
climate change
mosul
reservoir
archaeology
iraq
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An ancient city dating back 3,400 years has emerged from the depths of the Mosul reservoir due to an extreme drought in Iraq, allowing archaeologists to study the ruins for only the second time since a dam was built nearby in the 1980s.The site was not cataloged or studied before the dam’s construction.Archaeologists think the ruins may be of Zakhiku, a major hub for the Mittani empire which thrived on the banks of the Tigris River between 1550 and 1350 BCE. The site was previously studied in 2018 when the waters of the Mosul reservoir drained enough to reveal the remains of the ancient city. But scientists only had a short time to study it before the water filled back up again. They managed to unearth a large palace but not much else.This time, a team of archaeologists was able to discover a large fortification with walls and towers, an industrial complex and a multi-story storage facility.Amazingly, they also found over 100 unfired clay tablets, imprinted with cuneiform, that somehow survived not only centuries of time but decades underwater. Scientists hope the tablets will offer them some clues about the lives of the citizens of the Mittani empire, or what was going on when the city fell.It is believed that a large earthquake shook the region, toppling buildings in the city and forcing residents to abandon it. It was the rubble from the fallen buildings that helped protect the remaining ones from the elements, including the water that covered it for more than four decades.The team that studied the site was from Iraq and Germany. Their quick work has given archaeologists troves of materials that may tell us more about the Mittani empire.However, that will have to do for now, as the Mosul reservoir has filled up again, ending their chances for discovering more about the ancient site. Archaeologists did manage to cover the ruins with plastic coverings so that when the water drops again, it will be preserved for future studies.The Mosul reservoir is not the only body of water revealing long lost secrets due to climate change-fueled droughts. Over the last few months, dropping water levels in Lake Mead, which sits above the Hoover Dam, has revealed two bodies thought to have been hidden there decades ago.
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climate change, mosul, reservoir, archaeology, iraq
climate change, mosul, reservoir, archaeology, iraq
Dropping Water Levels Reveal Ancient City in Iraq Dating Back to the Mittani Empire
22:11 GMT 31.05.2022 (Updated: 16:43 GMT 08.01.2023) Climate change-fueled droughts have begun shedding light on secrets that have remained hidden at the bottom of bodies of water for decades. While scientists are excited by the mysteries that may be revealed, it is also a troubling sign for the planet’s climate.
An ancient city dating back 3,400 years has
emerged from the depths of the Mosul reservoir due to an extreme drought in Iraq, allowing archaeologists to study the ruins for only the second time since a dam was built nearby in the 1980s.
The site was not cataloged or studied before the dam’s construction.
Archaeologists think the ruins may be of Zakhiku, a major hub for the Mittani empire which thrived on the banks of the Tigris River between 1550 and 1350 BCE. The site was previously studied in 2018 when the waters of the Mosul reservoir drained enough to reveal the remains of the ancient city. But scientists only had a short time to study it before the water filled back up again. They managed to unearth a large palace but not much else.
This time, a team of archaeologists was able to discover a large fortification with walls and towers, an industrial complex and a multi-story storage facility.
Amazingly, they also found over 100 unfired clay tablets, imprinted with cuneiform, that somehow survived not only centuries of time but decades underwater. Scientists hope the tablets will offer them some clues about the lives of the citizens of the Mittani empire, or what was going on when the city fell.
It is believed that a large earthquake shook the region, toppling buildings in the city and forcing residents to abandon it. It was the rubble from the fallen buildings that helped protect the remaining ones from the elements, including the water that covered it for more than four decades.
The team that studied the site was from Iraq and Germany. Their quick work has given archaeologists troves of materials that may tell us more about the Mittani empire.
However, that will have to do for now, as the Mosul reservoir has filled up again, ending their chances for discovering more about the ancient site. Archaeologists did manage to cover the ruins with plastic coverings so that when the water drops again, it will be preserved for future studies.
The Mosul reservoir is not the only body of water revealing long lost secrets due to climate change-fueled droughts. Over the last few months, dropping water levels in Lake Mead, which sits above the Hoover Dam, has revealed
two bodies thought to have been hidden there decades ago.
