M'lefaat is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in

Upper Mesopotamia Upper Mesopotamia constitutes the Upland and lowland, uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey, in the northern Middle East. Since the early Muslim conquests of the mid-7th century, the regio ...

that was occupied during the

Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) denotes the first stage of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, in early Levantine and Anatolian Neolithic culture, dating to years ago, that is, 10,000–8800 BCE. Archaeological remains are located in the Levantine and U ...

History of research

The site was first excavated by

Robert Braidwood Robert John Braidwood (29 July 1907 – 15 January 2003) was an American archaeologist and anthropologist, one of the founders of scientific archaeology, and a leader in the field of Near Eastern Prehistory. Life Braidwood was born July 29, ...

in 1954 as part of their larger project on uncovering the early prehistory of the hilly flanks. At that time, the site was already damaged by the construction of a military installation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1984, a rescue excavation was carried out by the Mosul Department of Antiquities under the direction of Matti Baba Altun, as the site was threatened by road construction. Two further excavation seasons were conducted in 1989 and 1990, this time directed by Stefan Karol Kozłowski. M'lefaat is part of a small cluster of early Neolithic sites that have been excavated in northern Iraq and that also includes Qermez Dere and Nemrik 9.

The site and its environment

M'lefaat is located near the

Khazir River The Khazir River () is a river of northern Iraq, a tributary of the Great Zab river, joining its right bank. Geomorphology The area around the Khazir River is geologically active and crosses three anticlines from the north to the south and this ...

, in what is now northern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, at an elevation of 314 m above sea level. It is a small tell, approximately 90 m in diameter and up to 2 m high. The environment of M'lefaat is heavily degraded and characterised as moist

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

. Potentially, the area could support a

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

-type vegetation characterised by

pistachio The pistachio (, ; ''Pistacia vera'') is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, cashew family, originating in Iran. The tree produces nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses, seeds that are widely consumed as food. In 2022, world ...

. Oak woodland may have been closer to the site than it is today. Annual precipitation at M'lefaat is sufficient for winter cultivation without additional

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

History of occupation

M'lefaat was a 0.7 ha settlement dating to the

. More specifically, it has been described as belonging to the Taurus-Zagros Round House Horizon.

References

{{Neolithic Southwest Asia 1954 archaeological discoveries Archaeological sites in Iraq Neolithic sites of Asia Pre-Pottery Neolithic A History of Nineveh Governorate

History of research

The site and its environment

History of occupation

See also

References