Product Code Database
Urkesh, also transliterated Urkish (Akkadian: 𒌨𒆧𒆠 UR.KIŠKI, 𒌨𒋙𒀭𒄲𒆠 UR.KEŠ3KI; modern Tell Mozan; ), is a tell, or settlement mound, located in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in Al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. It was founded during the fourth millennium BC, possibly by the Hurrians, on a site which appears to have been inhabited previously for a few centuries. The city god of Urkesh was Kumarbi, father of Teshub.Buccellati, Giorgio, and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati. “Urkesh: The First Hurrian Capital.” The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 60, no. 2, 1997, pp. 77–96
Tell Leilan is located about 50 km to the east of Urkesh. Leilan, Brak and Urkesh were particularly prominent during the Akkadian period.Margreet L. Steiner, Ann E. Killebrew, The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant: C. 8000-332 BCE. OUP Oxford, 2014 p398
Urkesh was an ally of the Akkadian Empire through what is believed to have been a dynastic marriage tradition. Tar'am-Agade, the daughter of the Akkadian king, Naram-Sin, is believed to have been married to the king of Urkesh.
The city appears to have been largely abandoned circa 1350 BC, although the reason for this is unknown to archaeologists at this time.[4] Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly‐Buccellati, Tell Mozan - ancient Urkesh. A visitor’s guide., 2007
Important excavated structures include the royal palace of Tupkish, an associated necromantic underground structure (Abi), a monumental temple terrace with a plaza in front and a temple at the top, residential areas, burial areas, and the inner and outer city walls.Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati, Great Temple Terrace at Urkesh and the Lions of Tish-atal, in General studies and excavations at Nuzi 11/2: in honor of David I. Owen on the occasion of his 65th birthday October 28, 2005 edited by Gernot Wilhelm, pp. 33-70, CDL, 2009,
Soundings at the site were first made by Max Mallowan during his survey of the area. Agatha Christie, his wife, wrote that they chose not to continue at the site because it seemed to have Roman Empire material.Agatha Christie, Come Tell Me How You Live, Akadine Press, 2002, No trace of Roman occupation levels have been found in later excavations, however. Mallowan went on to excavate Chagar Bazar, another site to the south of Mozan/Urkesh. Excavations at Tell Mozan began in 1984 and have been conducted for at least 17 seasons up to the present time. The work has been led by Giorgio Buccellati of UCLA and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati of California State University, Los Angeles.Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly Buccellati, Mozan 1: The Soundings of the First Two Seasons, Undena, 1988, Lucio Milano, Mozan: The Epigraphic Finds of the Sixth Season, Undena, 1991, Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati, The Seventh Season of Excavations at Tell Mozan, 1992, Chronique Archéologique en Syrie, vol. 1, pp. 79-84, 1997Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly Buccellati, Preliminary Report on the 21th sic Season of Excavations at Tell Mozan-Urkesh (July–September 2008), Chronique Archéologique en Syrie IV, pp. 127-132, 2010Giorgio Buccellati et al, Preliminary Report on the 22nd Season of Excavations at Tell Mozan-Urkesh (July–October 2009), Chronique Archéologique en Syrie V, pp. 107-116,2011 The 2007 season was primarily dedicated to working on publication material, primarily excavation units A16, J1, J3 and J4. A small sounding was done in J1 to clarify the transition between Mitanni and Khabur. The excavations have been assisted at various times by other groups including the German Archaeological Institute.
The excavations at Tell Mozan are known for the project's interest in pursuing the uses of technology in an archaeological context. The main focus is on the 'Global Record', a method of documentation that combines journal entries into a hypertext based output. This system marries the advantages of both the database and prose type approaches, in that elements are individually linked across both stratigraphy and typology, and yet remain tied in a more synthetic whole through the narrative of the archaeological record. Another focal point of research at the site is the application of conservation.Buccellati, G. and S. Bonetti, Conservation at the core of archaeological strategy. The case of ancient Urkesh at Tell Mozan., The Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 18-21, 2003
The Mudbrick architecture which comprises the majority of the structures found to date has been preserved over the years though an innovative system. This system protects the monument while still allowing a detailed inspection of the primary document as originally unearthed. The same system affords an overview of the architectural volumes as perceived by the ancients. A sizeable lab in the field research facility allows the conservators to give the best possible on-site care while interacting with the excavations.
Special emphasis is placed on documenting the concrete types of contact which are observed in the ground. This is done with great detail at the level of each individual feature. From this evidence is automatically derived a complete depositional history of all elements in contact. The strata are conceived as segments of this continuum in which a single depositional moment can be reconstructed. The phases are periods that are culturally identifiable on the basis of typological and functional analysis. Horizons are the broad chronological subdivisions based on comparative material and as they can be linked to the general historical understanding.
One of the most important fixed points of reference for chronology are impressions on door sealings of the seal of Tar'am-Agade, the daughter of Naram-Sin, which because of stratigraphy can be firmly linked to phase 3 of the AP palace occupation.[5] Tar'am-Agade, Daughter of Naram-Sin, at Urkesh, Buccellati, Giorgio and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati, in Of Pots and Plans. Papers on the Archaeology and History of Mesopotamia and Syria presented to David oates in Honour of his 75th Birthday, London: Nabu Publications, 2002
Finds from the excavations at Tell Mozan are on display in the Deir ez-Zor Museum.
|
|
