Tulul al-Baqarat or Tulūl al-Baqarāt, is an ancient Near East archaeological site in Wasit Governorate of Iraq about 180 kilometers southeast of modern Baghdad.
It is located seven kilometers to the northeast of Tell al-Wilayah (with which it was connected by an ancient canal) and 20 kilometers south of the city of Kut. The site was occupied from the 4th millennium BC to the Islamic period. It is thought to be the site of the ancient Early Dynastic city of Kesh.
Alternative name | Tulūl al-Baqarāt |
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Location | Wasit Governorate, Iraq |
Coordinates | 32°20′14.86″N 45°43′17.48″E / 32.3374611°N 45.7215222°E |
Type | settlement |
History | |
Founded | c. 2600 BC |
Abandoned | 600 AD |
Periods | Bronze Age, Iron Age |
Cultures | Early Dynastic, Ur III period, Akkadian Period, Neo-Babylonian Empire |
Site notes | |
Excavation dates | 2008-2021 |
Archaeologists | Carlo Lippoles, Ayad Mahir Mahmud |
Condition | Ruined |
Ownership | Public |
Public access | Yes |
Various portions of Tulul al-Baqarat were occupied from the 4th millennium BC all the way up to the 1st millennium AD.
The site is about 3 kilometers across and contains ten tells. The largest mound TB1 was excavated, in response to serious looting, by a team from the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage led by Ayad Mahir Mahmud from 2008 to 2010. They found an enclosed multiperiod temple/sanctuary area which had been rebuilt during the Neo-Babylonian period, dedicated to the goddess Ninhursag. Bricks used in the rebuilding had stamps of Nebuchadnezzar II. An apparent destruction layer was found dating to the end of the 3rd millennium BC. Mound TB4 was also briefly excavated with a single sounding on the southern end of the top. To date publication of architecture and stratigraphy have been limited. In 2013 excavations by an Italian team from the University of Turin led by Dr. Carlo Lippoles, in conjunction with the Iraqi Department of General Investigation and Excavations resumed. The first season consisted of a survey and soundings on TB1 and TB4. The second season in 2015 entailed surveying and soundings on TB1 and TB7. In the 3rd season, surveying continued and augmented by laser scanning and excavation was extended on TB1 and TB7. Another excavation season was held in 2021 and ran from 25 September to 17 November focusing on TB4 and TB7. The 2022 excavation season was from 25 April to 22 May focusing on TB7 holding a large Uruk period residential building.
An important find at Tulul al-Baqarat was an Akkadian period diorite fragment with a long portion of the military campaign of Naram-Sin where he destroyed the city of Armanum and proceeded on tho the Cedar Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. Also found was a fragmentary Early Dynastic stele of a worship scene.
By the time of the original Iraqi excavations the site was already heavily damaged by looters, especially in the northern and central sections. The looting exacerbated the already serious effects of erosion. Agricultural activity is also a major problem. The TB5 mound was surveyed in 2013 but by the time excavators returned in 2015 it had been completely bulldozed away, including 3 feet below the surface level, for cultivation even though it was a designated archaeological location. Numerous modern irrigation canals have also causes damage throughout Tulul al-Baqarat.
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