Recent excavations at Kurd Qaburstan in northern Iraq, led by Tiffany Earley-Spadoni, an associate professor at the University of Central Florida, revealed unexpected findings that could redefine knowledge of the ancient region, according to Enikos. Among these discoveries are the first clay tablets with cuneiform writing found in the area, which are currently being studied to decipher their content and promise to provide unprecedented evidence about the inhabitants and events that shaped their history.
The presence of writing and monumental architecture strengthens the argument that Kurd Qaburstan may be the ancient city of Qabra, an important regional hub mentioned in Babylonian inscriptions, including the Stele of Dadusha, as noted by Biblical Archaeology Review.
Despite the scale of its remains, Kurd Qaburstan has remained a mystery due to lack of prior study and biases in historical sources. After more than ten years of excavation, it is now clear that Kurd Qaburstan was a major regional center during the Middle Bronze Age (circa 2000–1550 BCE), helping to change the understanding of northern Mesopotamian cities and redefining life in ancient northern Iraq.
Artifacts suggest Kurd Qaburstan was a thriving city around 1800 BCE, coinciding with the reign of the Babylonian king Hammurabi (1792–1750 BCE). Preliminary research indicates these findings could shed light on the level of education, cultural interactions, and the city's identity during the Middle Bronze Age.
While Mesopotamia's southern cities like Uruk have been extensively studied, northern cities in Iraqi Kurdistan have remained obscure. Reconstructing history from the local perspective involves studying not only monumental architecture but also everyday aspects such as housing patterns, diet, and social relations. In addition to its administrative significance, the site reveals much about daily life.
Researchers have unearthed a large palace in the lower city of Kurd Qaburstan, identified as a center of administration with monumental architecture and evidence of destruction, as noted by Biblical Archaeology Review and reported by GreekReporter.com. The signs of destruction suggest catastrophic events, such as military conflicts, that affected the city.
Excavations in residential areas uncovered open courtyards, clay pipelines, and elaborately decorated pottery, indicating a high standard of living. The ceramic findings include storage jars, plates, and intricately designed bowls with elaborate decorations, reported GreekReporter.com. Animal bones found nearby indicate a varied diet, combining meat from domesticated animals with wild game. These findings suggest that even non-elite residents enjoyed a higher standard of living than previously thought, raising questions about social organization in Iraqi Kurdistan.
These finds challenge ideas of a sharp divide between the haves and the have-nots in ancient Mesopotamia, suggesting a much larger middle class than previously thought, as noted by Biblical Archaeology Review.
"We're studying the ancient city to learn very specific things about the ancient inhabitants," said Earley-Spadoni, according to Biblical Archaeology Review. "First, to what degree did they plan their environment, or was it just the result of an organic process? We also want to know how social inequality worked in the ancient city. Were there very poor people and very rich people? Or was there possibly a middle class?" she added.
The research at Kurd Qaburstan is supported by the Kurdistan region and funded by the US National Science Foundation. Researchers intend to continue exploring the site in the coming years.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq