Tell Abada

Tell Abada
	Shown within Iraq
Location	Iraq
Region	Diyala Governorate
Coordinates	34°6′0″N45°7′12″E / 34.10000°N 45.12000°E
Type	tell
Length	190 metre
Width	150 metre
Height	3.5 metre
History
Periods	Ubaid period
Site notes
Excavation dates	1977–1978
Archaeologists	Sabah Abboud Jasim

Last updated March 29, 2024

Tell Abada is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in Diyala Governorate (Iraq). Abada was excavated as part of the archaeological salvage operation to excavate sites that would be flooded by the reservoir of the Hamrin Dam. Excavations revealed occupation levels dating to the Ubaid 1-3 periods. The site is important because it was one of the few where an Ubaid period settlement could be excavated in its entirety.

The site and its environment

The site lies in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains in the Hamrin region, east of the Diyala River and 12 km (7.5 mi) southeast of Sadiyah.^[1] It measures 190 by 150 m and rises 3.5 m above the surrounding plain. Another nearby Ubaid period site is Tell Rashid, which is located 12 km (7.5 mi) north of Tell Abada.^[2]^[3]

History of research

Tell Abada was excavated for a single season from December 1977 until July 1978 under the direction of Sabah Abboud Jasim.^[4] The excavation was part of a large archaeological salvage operation to excavate sites in danger of being flooded by the reservoir of the Hemrin Dam, which was being constructed at the time. Some 80% of the site has been excavated and virgin soil (undisturbed by human activity) was reached in two locations.^[2] The fact that Tell Abada was excavated almost in its entirety makes it an important site in the study of the Ubaid period.^[5]

About ninety Proto-Literate clay tokens were found at the site, mainly in Building A (Levels I and II). Some of the tokens were in groups. As an example, in Building A Level I sixteen tokens were found in an "unpainted, carinated bowl of Hajji Muhammad type". The group consisted of "8 spheres, 4 cones, 2 discs, 1 rod, 1 plain 'tablet'".^[6]

Occupation history

Three different 5th millennium BC occupation levels were recognised, dating to a transitional phase between the Samarra and Ubaid periods (level III), after a gap late Ubaid 2 (level II), and early Ubaid 3 (level I).^[2]

The architectural remains of level III consisted of two houses with multiple rectangular rooms, with gypsum plastered walls. These buildings have been interpreted as a pottery production location based on the presence of large storage jars, red ochre and three nearby kilns. The kilns were located in an open area and were of different types and shapes. In one case, it has been suggested that it could have been used both for firing pottery as well as food production.^[7] Large quantities of painted Samarra and Ubaid 1 were recovered with a wide array of different decorative geometric motifs, including ceramics with both Samarra and Ubaid 1 characteristics.^[2] There seems to have been a clear break in the occupation history between levels III and II.^[5]

Level II consisted of 11 buildings which were separated by streets and narrow lanes. The buildings share a distinct design with a tripartite plan with rooms arranged around a T-shaped courtyard. The walls were constructed of mudbricks. One of the largest buildings (building A), in the center of the site, had exterior walls decorated with buttresses, indicating that it may have had a special function. A large number of infant burials were found there. Designs on the painted pottery included geometric motifs as wells as more naturalistic depictions. Pottery decorated with incisions and impressions was also common. Other finds included animal and human clay figurines, stone tools such as querns, mortars, mace heads, and bone tools such as needles and spatulas.^[2]

A certain degree of continuation existed between the architecture of level II and level I. Painted pottery was common and often wheel-thrown, and decorations shared characteristics with those observed on both Northern and Southern Ubaid sites. Decoration was both geometric as well as naturalistic.^[2]

Burials

A large number of child burials (127) have been recovered from the upper 2 levels of the site. Most of these children were below the age of 2. The bodies were placed in a shallow bowl covered with a second bowl, which in turn was buried below the floors of the houses. Almost half of the burials came from building A, reinforcing the apparent importance of this building that is also evident from its wall decorations and size. The excavators have searched the environment of the site for evidence of a burial site for adults, but did not find any.^[8]

Related Research Articles

The Diyala is a river and tributary of the Tigris. It is formed by the confluence of the Sirwan and Tanjaro rivers in Darbandikhan Dam in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate of Northern Iraq. It covers a total distance of 445 km (277 mi).

Jemdet Nasr is a tell or settlement mound in Babil Governorate (Iraq) that is best known as the eponymous type site for the Jemdet Nasr period, and was one of the oldest Sumerian cities. It is adjacent to the much larger site of Tell Barguthiat. The site was first excavated in 1926 by Stephen Langdon, who found Proto-Cuneiform clay tablets in a large mudbrick building thought to be the ancient administrative centre of the site. A second season took place in 1928, but this season was very poorly recorded. Subsequent excavations in the 1980s under British archaeologist Roger Matthews were, among other things, undertaken to relocate the building excavated by Langdon. These excavations have shown that the site was also occupied during the Ubaid, Uruk and Early Dynastic I periods. Based on texts found there mentioning an ensi of NI.RU that is thought to be its ancient name. During ancient times the city was on a canal linking it to other major Sumerian centers.

In the archaeology of Southwest Asia, the Late Neolithic, also known as the Ceramic Neolithic or Pottery Neolithic, is the final part of the Neolithic period, following on from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and preceding the Chalcolithic. It is sometimes further divided into Pottery Neolithic A (PNA) and Pottery Neolithic B (PNB) phases.

The Samarra culture is a Late Neolithic archaeological culture of northern Mesopotamia, roughly dated to between 5500 and 4800 BCE. It partially overlaps with Hassuna and early Ubaid. Samarran material culture was first recognized during excavations by German Archaeologist Ernst Herzfeld at the site of Samarra. Other sites where Samarran material has been found include Tell Shemshara, Tell es-Sawwan, and Yarim Tepe.

Lake Hamrin, is a man-made lake approximately 50 km (31 mi) north-east of Baqubah, in Iraq's Diyala Governorate. The town of Hamrin sits on the western shore of the lake, both of which are at the southern tip of the Hamrin mountains. The Hemrin Dam, which creates Lake Hamrin, was established in 1981 as an artificial dam to hold over two billion cubic metres of water. It is a source of fish and also provides water for nearby date palm orchards and other farms. In June 2008, it was reported that due to Iranian damming of the Alwand River, the lake had lost nearly 80% of its capacity.

Telul eth-Thalathat is an archaeological site located 40 miles (64 km) west of Mosul and just east of Tal Afar in Nineveh Province (Iraq).

Tell es-Sawwan is an important Samarran period archaeological site in Saladin Province, Iraq. It is located 110 kilometres (68 mi) north of Baghdad, and south of Samarra. It lies on a 12 meter high cliff overlooking the Tigris River.

The Hemrin Dam is a dam on the Diyala River 100 km northeast of Baghdad, Iraq. The main purpose of the dam is flood control, irrigation and hydroelectric generation. Its power station has a 50 MW capacity. The dam and the attached power house were built in years 1976-1981 by the then Yugoslav company GIK Hidrogradnja. All the equipment were also supplied by the then-Yugoslav companies.

Choghā Mīsh (Persian language; چغامیش čoġā mīš) dating back to about 6800 BC, is the site of a Chalcolithic settlement located in the Khuzistan Province Iran on the eastern Susiana Plain. It was occupied at the beginning of 6800 BC and continuously from the Neolithic up to the Proto-Literate period, thus spanning the time periods from Archaic through Proto-Elamite period. After the decline of the site about 4400 BC, the nearby Susa, on the western Susiana Plain, became culturally dominant in this area. Chogha Mish is located just to the east of Dez River, and about 25 kilometers to the east from the ancient Susa. The similar, though much smaller site of Chogha Bonut lies six kilometers to the west.

Choga Mami is a Samarran settlement site in Diyala province in Eastern Iraq in the Mandali region. It shows the first canal irrigation in operation at about 6000 BCE.

Tell el-'Oueili is a tell, or ancient settlement mound, located in Dhi Qar Governorate, southern Iraq. The site was excavated between 1976 and 1989 by French archaeologists under the direction of Jean-Louis Huot. The excavations have revealed occupation layers predating those of Eridu, making Tell el-'Oueili the earliest known human settlement in Lower Mesopotamia.

The prehistory of Mesopotamia is the period between the Paleolithic and the emergence of writing in the area of the Fertile Crescent around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as well as surrounding areas such as the Zagros foothills, southeastern Anatolia, and northwestern Syria.

Bestansur is a Neolithic tell, or archaeological settlement mound, located in Sulaimaniyah province, Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq in the western Zagros foothills. The site is located on the edge of the Shahrizor Plain, 30 km to the south-east of Sulaimaniyah. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

Dalma culture was a prehistoric archaeological culture of north-western Iran dating to early fifth millennium B.C. Later, it spread into the central Zagros region and elsewhere in adjacent areas. Its widespread ceramic remains were excavated in central and northern valleys of the Zagros Mountains in north-western Iran. Dalma assemblages were initially discovered by the excavations carried out at Dalma Tepe and Hasanlu Tepe in south-western parts of Lake Urmia, in the valley of Solduz.

Tell Saadiya is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in Diyala Governorate (Iraq).

Tell Rashid is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in Diyala Governorate, Iraq. The site lies in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, some 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Tell Abada, another Ubaid period site. It measures 54 by 30 m and extends 2.5 m above the surrounding plain. Tell Rashid was excavated for a single season in 1978 under the direction of Sabah Abboud Jasim as part of the archaeological salvage work being done for the construction of the Hemrin Dam. The excavation trench reached a depth of 5 m, at which point virgin soil was reached. Four different occupation levels were recognised, all dating to the Ubaid period.

Tell Madhur is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in Diyala Governorate (Iraq). The site was excavated due to it being flooded by the reservoir created by the Hamrin Dam. Madhur is best known for its particularly well-preserved Ubaid house. A significant Early Dynastic occupation, consisting of a rounded building typical for the Hamrin region at the time, has also been attested at Madhur.

Ginnig is a tell in Upper Mesopotamia that was occupied at the transition from the PPNB to the Pottery Neolithic.

M'lefaat is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in Upper Mesopotamia that was occupied during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A.

Tell Yelkhi, is an ancient Near East archaeological site in Diyala Governorate (Iraq). It was examined as part of the Hamrin Dam salvage excavation before it flooded. Other sites a part of that rescue excavation included, Me-Turan, Tell Gubah, Tell Songor, Tellul Hamediyat, Tell Rubeidheh, Tell Madhur, Tell Imlihiye, Tell Rashid, Tell Saadiya and Tell Abada. Some of these sites, including Tell Yelkhi, periodically emerge from the water. The site of Tell Yelhi was settled in the early 3rd millennium BC and occupation continued through the Kassite period late in the 2nd millennium BC. It's name in ancient times is not yet known though Awal^ki has been suggested.

References

↑ Jasim, Sabah Abboud (1983). "Excavations at Tell Abada a Preliminary Report". Iraq. 45 (2): 165–185. doi:10.2307/4200200. ISSN 0021-0889. JSTOR 4200200. S2CID 161062411.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Jasim, Sabah Abboud (1981). "Excavation at Tell Abada, Iraq". Paléorient. 7 (2): 101–104. doi:10.3406/paleo.1981.4302.
↑ Jasim, Sabah Abboud (1983). "Notes on the excavation at Tell Rashid, Iraq". Paléorient. 9 (1): 99–103. doi:10.3406/paleo.1983.4336.
↑ Jasim, Sabah Abboud (2021). Tell Abada : an Ubaid village in Central Mesopotamia (PDF). Sebastian Payne, Bob Bewley. Chicago. ISBN 978-1-61491-069-5. OCLC 1303909590.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
1 2 Dittmann, Reinhard (1992-05-01). "The Ubaid Period in Iraq. Recent Excavations in the Hamrin Region by S. A. Jasim". Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. 286: 91–94. doi:10.2307/1357122. ISSN 0003-097X. JSTOR 1357122.
↑ Jasim, Sabah Abboud, and Joan Oates, "Early Tokens and Tablets in Mesopotamia: New Information from Tell Abada and Tell Brak", World Archaeology, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 348–62, 1986
↑ Hansen Streily, Andrea (2000). "Early pottery kilns in the Middle East". Paléorient. 26 (2): 69–81. doi:10.3406/paleo.2000.4711.
↑ Hole, Frank (1989). "Patterns of burial in the fifth millennium". Upon this foundation : the Ubaid reconsidered : proceedings from the U̜baid Symposium, Elsinore, May 30th-June 1st 1988. Elizabeth F. Henrickson, Ingolf Thuesen, Carsten Niebuhr Institut. [Copenhagen]: Carsten Niebuhr Institute of Ancient Near East Studies, University of Copenhagen. pp. 149–198. ISBN 87-7289-070-3. OCLC 23199920.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)