24 Sep 2015
Fieldwork NINO back in Iraq
Research on the Rania Plain in Iraqi Kurdistan, autumn 2015
A small team from NINO is now back on the Rania Plain. We plan some excavation on Shemshara – and will continue the pilot survey of the plain, initiated last year.
Images in the gallery below:
- Ivan Kisjes and Vaclav Tuma setting out a new trench on Tell Shemshara.
- The Dokan Lake has caused massive erosion on especially the east flank of Shemshara. This season we are recording the cut sections with photogrammetry – a work here in progress on the northern hill of the site.
- And here a preliminary result... the section shows a Neolithic terrace (grey layer at top of section) cut into the natural hill (image by Ivan Kisjes).
- In preparation for the survey we visited the very eroded site of Girda Gulle, on the west bank of the lake.
- By coincidence the local antiquities guard a few days later showed a variety of objects which have eroded out of the site and were found by fishermen when the lake receded in late summer. Among the items are several Islamic coins and a small First Millennium BC jar. More about this site later when we begin the survey.