Tell al-Wilayah
  Shown within Iraq  Tell al-Wilayah (Near East) | |
| Location | Wasit Governorate, Iraq |
|---|---|
| Region | Mesopotamia |
| Coordinates | 32°18′45″N 45°39′39″E / 32.31250°N 45.66083°E |
| Type | tell |
| History | |
| Periods | Ubaid period, Uruk period, Early Dynastic period, Akkad period, Ur III period |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1958; 1999; 2000 |
| Archaeologists | Tariq Madhlum |
Tell al-Wilayah is an archaeological site in the Wasit Governorate of eastern Iraq. The site has now been completely destroyed by large scale looting. It is located around 20 km southwest of the modern city of Kut and 6 kilometers southwest of Tulul al-Baqarat.
History[edit]
The site was occupied beginning in the Early Dynastic period extending into the Akkadian and Ur III periods.[1] It has been suggested as the location of Kesh (Sumer), now thought to be at Tulul al-Baqarat. It has also been proposed as the site of Irisaĝrig.[2][3]
Archaeology[edit]
There were two mounds. Tell al-Wilayah I covered 64 hectares with a height of 5 meters. Tell al-Wilayah II covered about 4.5 hectares and rose to about 5 meters above the plain.
Iraqi archaeologists led by Tariq Madhlum worked the site in 1958.[4] Sixteen degraded whole and partial cuneiform tablets of the Old Akkadian and Ur III periods were found in robber holes, discarded by looters. Also found were two Old Akkadian clay jar sealings, and ivory figurine and two Ur III bricks, of Shu-Shin and Shulgi.[5] An Early Dynastic palace was found at the northwest corner of the mound, constructed with plano-convex bricks.[6][7][8] In response to major looting, the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage conducted excavations in 1999 and 2000. Five Old Akadian cuneiform tablets were found.[9][10]
References[edit]
- ^ J. Moon, "The Distribution of Upright-handled Jars and Stemmed Dishes in the ED. Period", Iraq 44, pp. 39–69, 1982
- ^ Viano, M., "On the Location of Irisaĝrig Once Again", JCS 71, pp. 35–52, 2020
- ^ Lippolis, C. and M. Viano, "It is indeed a city, it is indeed a city! Who knows its interior? The historical and geographical setting of Tūlūl al-Baqarat. Some preliminary remarks", Mesopotamia, vol. 51, pp. 143–146", 2016
- ^ Rashid, S. A., "Die Ausgrabungen von Tell al-Wilayah und die Bedeutung ihrer Rollsiegel", Sumer 19, pp. 82-106, 1963
- ^ [1]Radner, Karen, "Cuneiform inscriptions in the Archaeological Museum of Sulaimaniya", Archiv für Orientforschung, pp. 98-103, 2013
- ^ J. N. Postgate, "Inscriptions from Tell al-Wilaya", Sumer, vol. 32, no. 1-2, pp. 77-100, 1976
- ^ T. A. W. Madhloom, "The excavations at Tell al-Wilaya", Sumer, vol. 16, pp. 62–92, 1960 (in Arabic)
- ^ Rumaiydh, Salah Salman. "Excavations at Tell Wilaya. Field Campaign June 8th – September 12th, 2001", Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie. ZOrA, vol. 8, pp. 62-89, 2015
- ^ Salim Younis Hussein et al., "Report on Excavations at Tell al-Wilaya, Iraq Further Information on the 1999 and 2000 Seasons", Akkadica, vol. 130/1, pp. 3-42 and pp. 113-166, 2009
- ^ Abather R.Saadoon, "New Cuneiform Texts from Tell Al-Wilaya (ancient Kesh?) Kept in Iraqi museum", Sumer 59, pp. 42- 61, 2014