DÅ«r-Katlimmu

35.64333333333340.740277777778Koordinaten: 35 ° 38 ' 36 "N, 40 ° 44' 25" E

Tell Sheikh Hamad, Sheikh Hamad also tell, the Assyrian major Katlimmu, is a settlement mound in northeastern Syria. The focus of the excavations of the ancient city in the former northern Mesopotamia form palatial building complexes of the central and the Neo-Assyrian period from the 13th to the 6th century BC

Location

Tell Sheikh Hamad is on a limestone terrace on the east bank of the lower Khabur, which flows about 60 kilometers south into the Euphrates. From the main road between the 65 km south of Deir el -Zor and Al- Hasakah is the leading along the east bank branch line a, as seen from Tell Sheikh Hamad from, 20 kilometers south or 10 km in the north of the Khabur about crossing bridge accessible. Immediately at the excavation site is located to the scattered settlements Gharibe, the modern village of Sheikh Hamed is 5 miles to the north. Both towns were founded in the 20th century by nomadic pastoralists who have become settled here.

The former climatic conditions are according to pollen analyzes with today's comparable. Tell Sheikh Hamad receives less than the minimum required for rainfed rainfall of 250 millimeters per year and was therefore dependent on food security on artificial irrigation, made possible the Assyrian time via a parallel in the east of the Khabur extending channel. The river meanders on its lower reaches in a one kilometer wide area with fertile alluvial soils. The river level is defined by a first steep section of the desert steppe. Here irrigated farming was possible and was carried out with a strictly organized economic system, above that level was semi-nomadic animal husbandry operated. Two wadis flow near the town in the Khabur.

History

Oldest remains of settlements date to the end of the 4th millennium BC in the area of the citadel. In the 2nd millennium, the place became head east to a city with the ancient Babylonian sources from known major Igitlim is possibly identical. In medium-and Neo-Assyrian, and in spätbabylonischer time ( between the 13th and the 6th century BC) the city had its greatest importance. The 1978-1983 excavated on the citadel hill mittelassyrischen signboards identifying the place as the seat of the governor mittelassyrischen major Katlimmu in the Jazirah region. He was probably of King Šulmanu - ašared I. (1263-1234) founded with the construction of a temple for the city god Salmānu. In the 13th century the city was a provincial center and the seat of the Grand Vizier ( sukkal GAL).

In Neo-Assyrian period, from the 9th century BC, the city was enlarged and created the Undercity II. From the 8th century major Katlimmu had a function as a garrison town, the increased importance is evident in the system of palace buildings and residences. This area was still inhabited in the 6th century in the neo-Babylonian period. At the time, lived a large number of Syrians in the city that gave her the second Aramaic name Magdalu. Although the city was under Babylonian rule, the Assyrians continued to form the elite.

In the Persian period the city lost its importance, from the 6th to the 4th century, the Lower Town was only partially inhabited. The main settlement was in Parthian -Roman times in the area of ​​town I and the citadel. In the 2nd century BC spread through the Lower Town II a Parthian burial ground. Most grave goods ( silver jewelry and gold earrings ) come from the mittelparthischen time, ie by 70 BC to 70 AD After that and up to the task of the burial ground in the 3rd century there were hardly any grave goods.

There was probably a settlement continuity of the city Magdalu whose name was modified to Roman Magdala, to the 3rd century AD At that time the populated area again coincides largely with that of the 2nd millennium BC, as excavation trenches at the Citadel Hill show.

Cityscape

The highest elevation is the citadel hill in the south of the city, which rises 25 meters from the river bank. There was on the western slope of a 200 -square-meter Palace (Building P) from mittelassyrischer time, origin of the mittelassyrischen archive of the 13th century BC Possibly it was the palace of the Grand Vizier Ashur iddin. In Seleucid and frühparthischer time the house stood 5, also a palatial building at this point. The functional continuity does not end until house 4, a simpler house, which was built in the first half of the 1st century BC.

The ruin finds an approximately 10 -acre area are referred to as a city I immediately east. The Neo-Assyrian residential city from the 6th century, the middle Undercity II, was excavated 200 meters northwest. On 35 acres, there were around 7,500 people. A further 200 meters is in the same direction, farthest from the river, the Neo-Assyrian palace residence with 12,000 square meters of area, the northeast corner of the ancient city (buildings F and W). To the east, on the border of farmland, the city wall was identified and partially exposed. Outside of that there were suburbs. Major Katlimmu was in Neo-Assyrian period, the largest settlement on the lower reaches of the Khabur.

In mittelassyrischer time the city consisted of only about 25 acres. From the 9th century was a city extension. The greatest expansion during the Neo-Assyrian / Babylonian period was a total of about 110 hectares. The four -kilometer-long and three meters thick outer wall from the 8th / 7th century enclosed an approximately 60 -acre area outside were sparsely populated neighborhoods or villages.

The today most striking building complex of the entire city complex is located in the Lower City II The administrative and residential city was structured by wide streets and generous availability. There, Neo-Assyrian palace-like buildings ( Building G ) fully excavated from the 8th and 7th century. In Room B was found wall paintings with plants and animals.

A little north-west and partly on the Neo-Assyrian building complex dating to the period after the fall of the Assyrian Empire Red House was built with 5400 square meters of area. According found on the floor Assyrian cuneiform texts with the years of 2 and 5 years of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II ( 605 and 602/603 ) the house must have been inhabited ( 626-539 BC) during the period of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The name comes from some red-painted interior walls in the west wing ago. The three wings of the Red House fulfill different functions: the north wing served as a warehouse and Business area. He was connected via a reception hall with a representative east wing. The west wing is considered to be a residential area; Stairwells indicate that there was a second floor over at least some of the rooms. The building was destroyed by fire.

The previously partially restored adobe walls to be rebuilt at present ( end of 2009) to a height of up to two meters. The discovered in the yard of the West Wing original brick paving was removed, leveled the surface and covered with a new brick paving. The work extends beyond preservation of the inventory and have the presentation of investment for tourism to the destination.

History of Research

1879 happened to the fragment of a stele of Adad - nirari III during construction work. to the fore. The results of a subsequent investigation by Hormuzd Rassam are not known. Max von Oppenheim Max Mallowan in 1911 and in 1934 visited the Tell. A systematic surface exploration took place only in 1975 by a research project of the University of Tübingen ( TAVO ) instead. Random villagers found some 1977 clay tablets with cuneiform mittelassyrischer, followed a year later the first excavations began. Until 1984, the Lower Town II was excavated at the site of Tontafelfunde. A second working section, which should make the structure of all living identifiable city, lasted until 1987. According to a disruption investigations were continued in 1990. The Red House was excavated from 1993 to 1998. The excavations found since 1978 under the direction of Hartmut Kühne, who holds a professorship at the Freie Universität Berlin since 1980. A team of his students practiced every year during the holidays during the summer months.

In a building was found in 1998 a collection of 550 Akkadian texts and fragments in cuneiform and 40 texts in Aramaic script. Both languages ​​, as well as Babylonian and Phoenician were used at the same time. It is the private archive of a superscript bodyguard of King Ashurbanipal ( 668-631 ).

Until 2004 25.000 square meter area of the city II were excavated. Instead of the expected residential buildings they found some representative buildings and palatial structures, above which there was a partherzeitliches burial ground. 800 graves were identified and 500 of them are exposed. State of the residential areas for ordinary people there are only clues that resulted from a 1999 to 2003 carried out geomagnetic survey of a further 40 hectares.