Field Project

Tell Baqrta (Kurdistan Region in Iraq)

Survey and excavation of a major multi-period urban site in the Erbil plain

Overview

The Tell Baqrta Project investigates one of the largest archaeological sites in the Erbil plain. Located approximately 28 km south of Erbil, Tell Baqrta consists of a high mound and an extensive lower town. Survey and excavation have revealed a long sequence of occupation from the Late Chalcolithic period to the Sasanian and Early Islamic periods, with major phases of expansion during the late 3rd millennium BCE, the Late Bronze Age, and the Parthian–Sasanian periods.

Tell Baqrta lies approximately 28 km south of Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The site consists of a high mound, measuring approximately 3.7 ha at its base and rising ca. 27 m above the surrounding plain, together with an extensive lower town. The total area of the site is approximately 90 ha, making Tell Baqrta one of the largest archaeological sites in the Erbil plain and one of the major urban sites of Bronze Age northern Mesopotamia.

The site was brought to the attention of the University of Athens team by Narmen Ali Muhamad Amen of Salahaddin University–Hawler. Research at Tell Baqrta began with preliminary survey in 2011 and was followed by extensive survey in 2012 within the framework of the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey. Excavation was subsequently initiated in selected areas of the mound.

The project aims to investigate the long-term settlement history of Tell Baqrta, its changing urban form, and its role within the political and economic landscape of northern Mesopotamia. Particular attention is given to the site’s large-scale expansion during the late 3rd millennium BCE, its later occupation phases, and the question of its possible identification with ancient toponyms known from cuneiform sources.

History of Research

In 2010 the University of Athens obtained permission from the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism of the Kurdistan Region Government and the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage to conduct archaeological research at two sites in the Erbil region: Tell Nader and Tell Baqrta. Tell Baqrta was identified as a particularly important target because of its size, prominent mound, extensive lower town, and strategic position south of Erbil.

In April 2011 Konstantinos Kopanias, Claudia Beuger, and Thanos Sideris conducted a preliminary survey of Tell Baqrta. Diagnostic pottery was collected from the top of the mound and from its western and southern slopes. Because of heavy rain, the survey focused primarily on the mound rather than the lower town. The preliminary ceramic material suggested a long occupational sequence, including late prehistoric, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and later periods.

In 2012 a more systematic surface investigation was carried out by the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey, directed by Jason Ur. The survey used satellite imagery, especially CORONA imagery, and systematic surface collection in order to reconstruct the extent and development of the site through time. The results showed that Tell Baqrta was not a single urban settlement of one period, but a site with repeated phases of expansion and contraction.

The cuneiform evidence relevant to the ancient name of the site was studied by John MacGinnis. Particular attention was given to the Neo-Assyrian toponym Baqarru, which is attested in texts from the reigns of Shalmaneser III to Sargon II and appears in the Zamua Itinerary. Although Tell Baqrta cannot be securely identified with ancient Baqarru, the possibility remains plausible. Another important question is whether the site might be connected with the Middle Bronze Age kingdom of Qabra, although the currently available archaeological evidence makes this identification uncertain.

Main Results

The combined results of survey and excavation show that Tell Baqrta was a major multi-period settlement whose size and function changed substantially over time. The high mound alone covers approximately 3.7 ha, while the total settlement, including the lower town, reached approximately 90 ha in its largest phases. This makes Tell Baqrta one of the most important archaeological sites in the Erbil plain.

The earliest surface material identified by the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey dates to the Late Chalcolithic 1–2 periods. Earlier preliminary survey also recovered a small number of Ubaid sherds, suggesting that the earliest occupation may reach back into the late 6th or early 5th millennium BCE. During the first phases of occupation, settlement was apparently limited to the high mound and probably did not exceed a few hectares.

Settlement continued into the early 3rd millennium BCE, including the Ninevite 5 period. The most dramatic phase of expansion occurred during the middle to late 3rd millennium BCE. At this time, diagnostic material was recovered across most of the site, indicating that the settlement may have occupied nearly the entire 90 ha area. In comparative terms, Tell Baqrta was larger than sites such as Ebla, Brak, and Chuera, and only slightly smaller than Mozan, Leilan, and Hamoukar.

During the Middle Bronze Age the site appears to have contracted substantially, with occupation concentrated again on the high mound and perhaps a small lower town to the south. This contraction is important for discussions of the political geography of the region, especially in relation to the kingdom of Qabra, known from textual sources. Although Tell Baqrta has sometimes been considered as a possible candidate for Qabra, the present evidence does not allow this identification to be confirmed.

A second phase of expansion occurred in the Late Bronze Age. Settlement continued on the high mound and also extended into lower areas to the south and west, reaching an estimated area of approximately 17 ha. Middle Assyrian and Late Bronze Age material are well represented in the ceramic assemblage, indicating that the site retained regional importance during this period.

In the Neo-Assyrian period, the settlement appears to have contracted again and may have functioned as a small town or village. John MacGinnis has discussed the possible relationship between Tell Baqrta and the Neo-Assyrian toponym Baqarru. Baqarru is known from administrative texts, letters, and the Zamua Itinerary, and lay somewhere north of the Lower Zab. The linguistic and geographical resemblance between Baqrta and Baqarru makes the identification possible, although not certain.

The Achaemenid period is difficult to identify archaeologically at the site, partly because post-Assyrian local ceramic traditions remain insufficiently understood. One notable find, however, is a sherd of an Attic oinochoe dated to the early 4th century BCE. This is an unusual discovery in the region and may reflect a specific historical episode rather than regular trade. It has been discussed in relation to the route of Xenophon and the Ten Thousand after the battle of Cunaxa, although no direct connection can be proven.

A major later phase of expansion began in the Parthian period and continued through the Sasanian period. During this long phase, occupation included the high mound and extensive parts of the lower town. The Sasanian occupation appears to have been especially important in the eastern lower town. The final phase of activity may have continued into the Early Islamic period, after which the site was gradually abandoned.

Excavation has begun to reveal the architectural remains behind this long sequence. In 2013 a test trench in Area A uncovered mudbrick walls, mainly dated to the Middle Assyrian period. In 2022 excavation on the top of the mound revealed a more complex architectural structure. The most important feature was a staircase with three steps, two of which were well preserved. The steps were built with brick and covered with a thick layer of white plaster.

The staircase connected two levels of a building. At the top of the staircase there was an upper room, mostly destroyed, but preserving part of its floor. The floor consisted of a layer of small stones and pebbles covered by a thick layer of white plaster. At the bottom of the staircase, a second square room was excavated, with walls preserved on three sides and floors constructed in the same way. A third room to the north, only partly excavated, had a similar plastered floor. The walls were built of mudbrick and originally covered with white plaster.

The use of thick white plaster on floors and walls, the presence of a staircase, the thickness of the walls, and the alignment of the rooms suggest that these remains belonged to a substantial building. Its function cannot yet be determined. The finds from these rooms were sparse and consisted mainly of pottery sherds, a few glass vessel fragments, and two partially preserved figurines, one of a horse and one anthropomorphic. Preliminary ceramic study suggests a date in the Parthian–Sasanian or Early Islamic horizon, but the chronological question requires further study.

Overall, Tell Baqrta is important because it preserves evidence for repeated episodes of urban expansion, contraction, and reoccupation over several millennia. Its maximum expansion in the late 3rd millennium BCE makes it central to the study of early urbanism in northern Mesopotamia, while its later occupation phases provide important evidence for the long-term history of the Erbil plain from the Bronze Age through the Sasanian period.

Selected Publications
Project Team
  • Konstantinos Kopanias, Professor of Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; Project Director.
  • Claudia Beuger, ceramic specialist; study of pottery.
  • John MacGinnis, British Museum; study of cuneiform sources and historical geography.
  • Jason Ur, Professor, Harvard University; Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey, GIS, and settlement analysis