, image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , pushpin_map = Iraqi Kurdistan , pushpin_mapsize= , map_caption = Location in

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan ( ku, باشووری کوردستان, Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also inc ...

, subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Governorate , subdivision_name1 =

Dohuk Governorate ar, محافظة دهوك , image_skyline = Collage_of_Dohuk_Governorate.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

, subdivision_type2 = Districts , subdivision_name2 = Simele District , leader_title =

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

, leader_name = , established_title = , established_date = , area_total_sq_mi = , area_total_km2 = , population_as_of= , population_total = , population_density_sq_mi = , population_density_km2 = , utc_offset = , coordinates = , elevation_ft = , elevation_m = , website = , footnotes = Bassetki ( ku, باستکێ, translit=Bassetkî) is a small village in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

, in

Dohuk Governorate ar, محافظة دهوك , image_skyline = Collage_of_Dohuk_Governorate.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

of autonomous

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region ( ku, هەرێمی کوردستان, translit=Herêmî Kurdistan; ar, إقليم كردستان), abbr. KRI, is an autonomous region in Iraq comprising the four Kurdish-majority governorates of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok ...

. The village is associated with several archaeological finds.

History

The site was occupied in the Early Bronze, Middle Bronze, Mittani, Middle Assyrian, Neo-Assyrian, Hellenistic, Islamic, and Modern periods.

Archaeology

In 1975 a fragment of a figure of

Naram-Sin of Akkad Naram-Sin, also transcribed Narām-Sîn or Naram-Suen ( akk, : '' DNa-ra-am D Sîn'', meaning "Beloved of the Moon God Sîn", the "𒀭" being a silent honorific for "Divine"), was a ruler of the Akkadian Empire, who reigned c. 2254–2218 BC ...

, known as

Bassetki Statue The Bassetki Statue is a monument from the Akkadian period (2350–2100 BCE)Dates according to the so-called Middle Chronology. in Mesopotamia. It was discovered in the 1974 during road construction near the site of the village Bassetki (located ...

, was discovered near Bassetki. The statue was stolen from the

National Museum of Iraq The Iraq Museum ( ar, المتحف العراقي) is the national museum of Iraq, located in Baghdad. It is sometimes informally called the National Museum of Iraq, a recent phenomenon influenced by other nations' naming of their national museum ...

during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

, but was later retrieved by US soldiers. Since 2016 archaeological excavations have been conducted in Bassetki by the Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies team from the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W� ...

and Hasan Qasim from the Directorate of Antiquities in

Dohuk Duhok ( ku, دهۆک, translit=Dihok; ar, دهوك, Dahūk; syr, ܒܝܬ ܢܘܗܕܪܐ, Beth Nohadra) is a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It's the capital city of Duhok Governorate. History The city's origin dates back to the Sto ...

. They revealed a large

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

city established in which flourished for more than 1,200 years. From the city had a wall protecting the upper part of the city from invaders. The city had an extensive road network, several residential districts and a palatial building. A contemporary cemetery was located outside the city. The city was connected to other regions of

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

and

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

by an overland roadway dating from . The archeologists also discovered settlement layers dating from the

Akkadian Empire The Akkadian Empire () was the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia after the long-lived civilization of Sumer. It was centered in the city of Akkad () and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one ...

, which also encompassed the territory of modern Iraq. The finds were announced by the University of Tübingen on 3 November 2016. In the summer of 2017, archaeologists from the University of Tübingen in Germany uncovered, on the eastern slope (Area C), a collection of 3,200 year old

cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-sh ...

tablets hidden inside a collection of ceramic jugs. These tablets reveal the location of the ancient lost royal city of

Mardaman Mardaman (modern Bassetki) was a northern Mesopotamian city that existed between ca.2200 and 1200 BC. It was uncovered in 2018 after translation of 92 cuneiform tablets. The tablets were discovered in summer 2017, near the Kurdish village of Bas ...

that may have once stood where Bassetki lies today. The tablets date back to when the area was part of the Middle

Assyrian Empire Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyr ...

. In the same room of the governor's building a number of

Faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major a ...

objects were found including bowls, ornaments, and tokens. Faience was apparently both produced and stored in the room. Excavation continued in 2018 and 2019.

Muqable

Excavations at the nearby site of Muqable, 5 kilometers southeast of Bassetki, have revealed a Middle Assyrian rural building complex.Puljiz, I./H. A. Qasim (2020): The Middle Assyrian rural complex of Muqable, ZOrA 13, pp. 90-126

References

{{reflist

External links

Video about the current excavations - Aug 18, 2020

On the Fringe of Mesopotamia - Peter Pfalzner
Oriental Institute lecture on the excavations at Bassketi

Populated places in Dohuk Province Archaeological sites in Iraq

History

Archaeology

Muqable

See also

References

External links