Tell Arpachiyah

Tell Arpachiyah (outside modern Mosul in Ninawa Governorate Iraq) is a prehistoric archaeological site in Nineveh Province (Iraq). It takes its name from a more recent village located about from Nineveh. The proper name of the mound on which the site is located is Tepe Reshwa.

Tepe Gawra is also a contemporary Neolithic site located in the Mosul region.

History of archaeological research

After being scouted by Reginald Campbell Thompson in 1928, it was excavated by Max Mallowan and John Cruikshank Rose of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, along with Agatha Christie, in 1933. Additional soundings were conducted in 1976 by a team led by Ismail Hijara.Ismail Hijara, Three New Graves at Arpachiyah, World Archaeology, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 125-128, 1978 Several Halaf structures were uncovered, including tholoi and the "Burnt House". An array of Halaf pottery and sealings were also found, along with some Ubaid burials.

Tell Arpachiyah and its environment

Tell Arpachiyah is a small tell, or settlement mound, with a maximum diameter of and a peak height of . The full site has a diameter of around .

Occupation history

The site was occupied in the Halaf and Ubaid periods. It appears to have been heavily involved in the manufacture of pottery. The pottery recovered there formed the basis of the internal chronology of the Halaf period.

Gallery

File:Obsidian jewelry from Tell Arpachiyah, in Ninawa Governorate Iraq. 6000-5000 BCE. British Museum.jpg, Obsidian jewelry. It is unknown whether they were sewn to clothing or they were joined together to make a necklace, bangle, or belt. 6000-5000 BCE
File:Handmade pottery jar. The surface is painted with lustrous black paint on a salmon-pink slip. From Tell Arpachiyah, Iraq. Halaf period, 6000-5000 BCE.jpg, Jar. The surface is painted with lustrous black paint on a salmon-pink slip. Halaf period, 6000-5000 BCE
File:Bowl from Tell Aprachiyah, Iraq. The bowl was found fragmented, and the pieces were scattered over the floor before the building was slight. 6000-5000 BCE. British Museum.jpg, Bowl. The bowl was found fragmented and the pieces were scattered over the floor. 6000-5000 BCE
File:Handmade pottery shallow plate. The interior is decorated with a floral design in the center, with polychrome in black and red on the buff surfaces. From Tell Arpachiyah, Iraq. Halaf period, 6000-5000 BCE.jpg, Shallow plate. The interior is decorated with a floral design in the center, with polychrome in black and red on the buff surfaces. 6000-5000 BCE
File:Two sherds (fragments of a pottery vessel). The exterior is painted with a design; lustrous black paint on apricot-colored clay with a burnished surface. The design of spotted animals possibly represents leopards. From Tell Arpachiyah.jpg, Sherd. The exterior is painted with a design; lustrous black paint on apricot-colored clay with a burnished surface. The design of spotted animals possibly represents leopards

See also

*Cities of the ancient Near East
*''Come, Tell Me How You Live''

References

Further reading

*Hijara, Ismail. The Halaf Period in Northern Mesopotamia, Nabu, 1997,
*Stuart Campbell, The Burnt House at Arpachiyah: A Reexamination, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 318, pp. 1–40, 2000
*Peter M. M. G. Akkermans, Glenn M. Schwartz, The Archaeology of Syria: From Complex Hunter-gatherers to Early Urban Societies (c. 16,000-300 BC), Cambridge University Press, 2003,
*T. Davidson and H. McKerrell, The neutron activation analysis of Halaf and Ubaid pottery from Tell Arpachiyah and Tepe Gawra, Iraq, vol. 42, pp. 155–67, 1980

External links

Halaf Bowl from Arpachiyah - British MuseumSnake image on Pottery from Arpachiyah - British Museum
* ttps://www.nature.com/articles/131685b0 Excavations in Northern Mesopotamia - Nature volume 131, pages 685–686 (13 May 1933)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arpachiyah
Archaeological sites in Iraq
Former populated places in Iraq
Nineveh Governorate
Halaf culture
Ubaid period
1928 archaeological discoveries
Tells (archaeology)