Excavations begin on "oldest continuously inhabited place in the world": Erbil Revealed

An article in the latest issue of Archaeology Magazine (LINK) reveals that recent excavations are showing that:

The 100-foot-high, oval-shaped citadel of Erbil towers high above the northern Mesopotamian plain, within sight of the Zagros Mountains that lead to the Iranian plateau. The massive mound, with its vertiginous man-made slope, built up by its inhabitants over at least the last 6,000 years, is the heart of what may be the world’s oldest continuously occupied settlement. At various times over its long history, the city has been a pilgrimage site dedicated to a great goddess, a prosperous trading center, a town on the frontier of several empires, and a rebel stronghold.

The Sumerians warred with the inhabitants of this place! I wonder what will be found over the next few years?

Thoughts?

Great discovery. Great pictures in the article ty.

I like how they use old arael photos to make these discoveries.

I'd be very interested to see how many of the buried structures are still viable.

Similarly how far out into the city the 'lower levels' of [whatever was there before] expand. Legendary citadels like this one always hide nifty secrets. I just wish I could supervise ( simultaneously ) all archaeological digs worldwide - to ensure that those nifty secrets get shown to the public.

"Oh look we found a magic crystal of eminent doom - off to the warehouse for you little fella."

If they find anything cool, we won't know about it. We'll get 'cultural analysis' and architectural insight. The 'Great Book of Surpaslingodorkonom' will never see the public's eyes.

Cool stuff either way - I think I'm gonna go take this place over. Seems like a cool vacation pad. You're all welcome to visit, of course.




a reply to: EzekielsWheel

A great read, many thanks to the poster.

Great article! Hopefully they find the temple relatively intact. What a find that might be!

a reply to: EzekielsWheel

Bloody hell that's an amazing site, all the people living around it now, they are right imagine what is still there.

Imagine defending that thing from all those years of invasions! I would love to see aload of pottery and texts perhaps their own cuneiform style writing discovered before Assyrian times. Though Assyrian artifacts would be great still

I love this cold war satellite pictures they are using its working so well.

This is historian and anthropologist porn!!! Sooooo goood
Cant wait to see the artifacts of all different cultures in one area!

ewww, the temple of Ishtar, I would love to see that revealed.

Great find S&F

I followed the link and came upon this picture on the 3rd page...

An inscribed clay cylinder found at Nimrud details how the Assyrian King Esarhaddon made Arbela’s temple to Ishtar “shine like the sun.”

To me it sorta looks like a "printing roller" of some kind?!?

Could they have had printing way back then?

Just a thought!

a reply to: Teye22

en.wikipedia.org...

Actually I would love to see what is beneath the temple of Ishtar

a reply to: Teye22
They did. They had 'cylinder seals' which were cylinders with images/words that would be rolled across a tablet to inscribe it with their personal signature. This might be a larger variety.

a reply to: EzekielsWheel

To bad this site is in a war zone again, I suspect the excavations will be delayed for some time.