Sumer Journal

In this research, we will discuss the rescue excavations of Al-Judafiyah settlement. This site took precedence as it is one of the sites that vulnerable to inundation due to its vicinity to the dam site. The research also includes a review and study of the finds collected from the site, which included various pottery and stone finds, and an attempt to compare them with finds from other sites to reveal their identity, as well as foundations of stone walls dated back to different building blocks.

In 2022, a second season of excavation was carried out at the site of Kobeba, near the town of al-Rifa’i, in Dhi Qar governorate, southern Iraq. The results were very
successful. One sounding has confirmed a deep sequence of Jemdet Nasr occupation with evidence for pottery
production and a fragment of a jar with part of
a carefully incised pictographic inscription. A second sounding has gone below the latest two levels of 8th
century early Islamic occupation to reach a third level with more substantial architecture datable to the 7th century, and a Sasanian level below that. This sequence is now one of the most important for these periods from Iraq and there are clear changes in the pottery which will help future
surveys in this region. Finally, a test trench excavated last year in the fields beyond the site was expanded into
a larger area and proved that an archaeological layer
contemporary with the latest period of occupation at
Kobeba lies at a depth of 1.60 m below plain level,
directly above an ancient marsh deposit: this demonstrates that at this period Kobeba was in a wetland environment very
different to the present situation and, by illustrating
changes to the surrounding environment, suggests a reason why the site may have been finally abandoned.

Religion has a great role in human life, as it was and still is the influential element in human thought, if he cannot live without religious connection and personal belief in God has been since eternity in order to protect him from dangers, disasters, witchcraft and other acts. Here we talk about the role of religious beliefs in ancient civilizations, the most prominent of which is civilization Mesopotamia and of the Nile Valley, as we witness the society’s obsession with God in these two civilizations, and their complete belief in them to save them from everything. If the ancient individual did everything to please and protect his own deity, there was absolute belief in magical works in the world or the underworld, the world after death. As these two civilizations were interested in magic, and here came the talk in this search for the god in Mesopotamia, which was interested in magic. We would also like to point out that the term gods was used for the section on civilization in Mesopotamia, and the term deities for the section on Egyptian civilization, due to the different concepts, religious names and ideas between those two ancient civilizations.

The archaeological excavations in an 10 hectares within the area numbered 7933/1 located within the Quds quarter in Al-Najaf Governorate were characterized as salvage due to the various urban expansion that included several parts in the center of Najaf Governorate and its suburbs. The archaeological excavations for the aforementioned site were limited to 90 actual days only according to the official contract concluded between the General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage and the beneficiary, and according to the time period specified above, an area of (10) hectares was divided into squares measuring 10 x 10 m 2 that included two eastern regions (A) and western B, The results of the excavations did not reveal any monuments or archaeological finds in the western region B except for the sand, while the presence of fixed and movable antiquities was concentrated within (A) number of squares in the eastern region A. And I will come to address the results of excavations in this site through the axes of research.

The State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) has constituted a rescue excavation
mission to the site that located within the plot numbered (1/7881), district (3), Najaf
Island, which has an area of 3,000 square meters. The SBAH concluded an excavation
contract with one of the investors. The excavation work revealed a single layer consisting
of two floors dating back to the Abbasid era during the period of Caliph Al-Muqtadir
Billah in particular. This was proved by the coins that were found at the site that carrying
the minting year (310 AH) and (311 AH) in the Kufa House for minting. Building units
consisting of (20) rooms were discovered that spread over (15) squares. (127) artifacts of
various materials were found, all of which were handed over to the Iraqi Museum.

This research looks at the planning and architecture of this rare and unique pattern of
complex circular buildings spread in ancient Iraqi architecture and the desired purpose
or function of their construction, as well as counting their number, places of distribution
and method of spread, according to the latest results of excavations and the most accurate
archaeological studies presented on this subject..

The research deals with the definition of a type of weapon that was mentioned frequently
in ancient languages and a historical introduction to axes and their uses in sculptures
and works of art, as part of them were used in combat and the other section in daily life
and religious rituals.
This research deals with the method of manufacturing axes and their makers, highlighted
the most important metals that were used in their manufacture with the machines and
tools used in the industry and we focused in this research on the four pieces of axes now
displayed in the Erbil Cultural Museum, which is in good condition dating back to the era
of dawn strains and was accurately described with their shapes and photographed with
comparison with other pieces

This research deals with the emergence of cylindrical seals in ancient Iraq and their
artistic development, their forms, drawings, religious and social scenes that are engraved
on them, the materials from which they are made such as stones, shells, ivory, clay, and
sometimes metals such as gold and copper, the methods in which they are engraved, and
the purposes in which they were used, starting with magical purposes. Finally, by making
it mandatory within the general law of the state, each person has his own seal that distinguishes
him from others in commercial transactions.
In this research, we have studied the seals that we found at the site of Al-Sawari (Taas
al-Kafir), for the first and second seasons, which are twelve cylindrical seals plus the
stamp of a seal on roasted clay and a primitive flat seal in the shape of a foot dating back
to the Jemdet Nasr era.

What some cuneiform texts indicated about fasting, albeit very brief, clearly indicates
that fasting in Mesopotamia was known and practiced since ancient times by some Assyrian
kings in particular, as well as by the general public who wished to fast for certain
reasons, and We can discern from the contents of these texts and related information
that fasting among the ancient peoples was associated with multiple motives and goals
that differed according to their events, and although there is no indication that fasting
was obligatory or imposed in the ancient Iraqi beliefs, this did not prevent it from being
practiced. Practicing it voluntarily or out of desirability to purify the soul from sins and
committed sins, and to seek forgiveness and win the favor of the gods and their pleasures.
It is likely that there were two types of fasting, the first is an absolute fast and the second
is restricted, so to speak, and it is not known precisely the origin of the ancient Iraqis›
knowledge of fasting.

The seals are among the important artistic productions that reflected many aspects of
the life of ancient societies. It was shown through our study of the seal print, which was
discovered at the Zindan site within the vertical arcade between the tenth and eleventh
towers, and dated back to the Sasanian era. A group of pottery was discovered at the site,
some are in good condition, and some with cracked parts. Models of this pottery were
chosen, and their bodies and covers were adorned with seals. Through comparison, the
scenes executed are all of a mundane nature and embodied animals such as (bull, deer,
goat, lion, snake, and eagle). Perhaps it had a religious meaning also, scraping was used
in the process of carving the scene on the surface of the seal, and the sculptor followed
the realistic method in executing the scenes.

The research will address the issue of classifying the languages that appeared in the Arabian
Peninsula in the past and the names that had given to them, their pros and cons, and
the problematic ones while finding solutions that the research believes will be appropriate
to reach a formula that may be closer to accurate linguistic expression.
Many books and studies have appeared, including in Arabic, most of them in foreign
languages, and most of them were successful and scientific and provide the reader with
the information he needs about the history, rules and jurisprudence of those languages and
their dialects based on the method of pronouncing words, meaning and grammar, as well
as the common origin of the peoples who speak them.

The Syriac and Arabic sources are rich in information about mentioning many villages
in Mosul’s countryside. Those villages were thriving economically and scientifically
during the Middle Ages. But some of them now have been consigned to oblivion, and
they are only ruins and archaeological hills bearing their old names remaining. The names
of the villages suffered from the morphological changes in the letters of words and from
attributing names to some sites wrongly. Nonetheless, the description of their geographical
position at the Tigris banks or on both of its tributaries, The Upper and Lower Zabs
or at a spot of its several rural counties which is made the picture clear and contributed
to pinpointing their position according to geographical and historical texts, besides the
researcher’s views and conclusions.

The city of Girsu (Tello) is one of the important cities in southern Mesopotamia, which
originated and developed throughout the ages. In the city of Girsu and the region (Lagash),
dynasties of strong rulers ruled the country and they were able to establish administrative,
commercial and economic centres, managed by several officials and employees,
Also, archives of merchants and administrators, employees and professionals
were found, who were affiliated with the temple or palace, among them was the writer
Luga-lu-Sasa (lugal-lu2-sa6-sa6), who was part of that administrative system in UrIII
(2112-2004 BC), which necessitated showing an archive of the works he was engaged in
through cuneiform texts. The publication was found in the city of Girsu.

Al-Gaim Castel considered one of the most important historical and architectural building
in Alqadisyah governorate,We see it standing proudly, and surprisingly, due to its luxurious
architecture, numerous walls, massive height, and regular construction. The thickness of its
external walls ranges from 120 to 130 cm. , and the elevation reaches approximately nine and
a half meters. It was built of unrefined limestone and covered from the outside with regular
bricks, and supported by semi-circular towers (three-quarters of the circle) in its four corners,
in addition to the presence of semi-circular towers in the middle of each wall, meaning that its
outer walls contain eight Towers, due to the importance of this landmark, it was included in
the plan of The State Board of Antiquities and Heritage to carry out preliminary maintenance
work to preserve it from extinction. Work began in the first phase on its western wall, which is
adjacent to the waterway that passes beside it.