Researchers made new findings during their exploration of the Bronze Age location known as Kurd Qaburstan. This research enhances our understanding of regional heritage and addresses knowledge gaps concerning the lives and progress of ancient people.
Recent discoveries made by a UCF researcher and her team at the ancient Mesopotamian site of Kurd Qaburstan—including clay tablets inscribed with ancient cuneiform writing, a board game, and substantial architectural remnants—could provide significant insights into this Middle Bronze Age city and unveil lesser-known aspects of Mesopotamian history.
The clay tablets are unprecedented finds in the area and are currently under analysis. Preliminary interpretations suggest that they offer deeper knowledge about the inhabitants and the critical events they experienced.
Tiffany Earley-Spadoni, an associate professor of history at UCF, along with her research team, have been diligently uncovering culturally important discoveries hailing from the Middle Bronze Age (around 1800 BCE) at the Kurd Qaburstan site, located in the Erbil region of northeastern Iraq.
A significant chapter of human development and history relates to the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, which lies primarily in modern-day Iraq.
Investigating these new tablets could uncover crucial information regarding the city’s relationships with other regions during the Middle Bronze Age and its overarching historical relevance. Through careful examination of people’s names, vocabulary choices, and writing techniques, researchers may gain a better understanding of literacy and cultural identity in the area, as noted by Earley-Spadoni in her fieldwork summary.
A Hidden History
The complexities of the Middle Bronze Age in northern Iraq remain largely unexplored due to previous research limitations and biases present in existing historical records, as mentioned by her.
“We are hopeful to uncover more historical records that will enable us to narrate the story of this city from the viewpoint of its inhabitants rather than solely through accounts penned by their adversaries,” Earley-Spadoni explains. “While there’s extensive knowledge about the evolution of writing in southern Iraq, literacy in northern Mesopotamian cities—especially in the vicinity of Erbil, home to Kurd Qaburstan—remains little understood.”
Regarded as the cradle of urban civilization, Mesopotamia boasts a dense cluster of ancient cities flourishing in the fertile plains along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers near the Persian Gulf. These sites, largely preserved as towering tells formed by centuries of cultural accumulation, have fascinated scholars over the years.
“While we hold a significant understanding of southern Mesopotamian cities—considered the traditional heart of urban civilization—people often envision the emergence of civilization occurring there, in places like Uruk,” Earley-Spadoni shares. “We aim to bridge this knowledge gap by probing a major urban location, one of the few receiving investigative attention in northern Iraq.”
New Areas Uncovered, New Questions Raised
Earley-Spadoni and her team have focused their efforts on two main regions: the northwest residential sectors and a newly discovered administrative structure termed as a lower town palace, which was hypothesized to exist based on findings from 2022.
The researchers employed techniques such as magnetometry, allowing them to visualize architectural designs beneath the surface, to facilitate excavation of the site.
The research is significant in its right, shedding light on both local history and global heritage, according to her.
“Our research is aimed at understanding the layout of ancient cities, specifically Kurd Qaburstan,” Earley-Spadoni notes. “You may be familiar with King Hammurabi, known for his well-known law code. Our investigations occur around the same time nearly 4,000 years ago. We deemed this site worthy of exploration to comprehend what life was like for ordinary individuals in a city during the Middle Bronze Age, a topic that has received limited focus. Most excavations tend to emphasize palaces and temples, with few probing into residential areas.”
Excavation efforts in the palace uncovered impressive structures, human remains, and indications of destruction, hinting at the occurrence of a significant historical event. The complex has been identified through geophysical surveys, and ongoing excavations are aimed at detailing its characteristics and understanding its purpose better.
In the northwest neighborhoods, researchers found external courtyards, clay drainage systems, and domestic refuse. The pottery excavated included common household items, such as cups, plates, bowls, and storage jars; some pieces were unexpectedly well-crafted and beautifully decorated, indicating that private wealth might have been more prevalent than previously thought, according to her fieldwork summary.
Animal remains discovered alongside the pottery suggest a varied diet for residents, encompassing both domesticated meats and wild game. This level of dietary variety is surprising for the non-elite members in Mesopotamian cities considering current limited evidence.
These observations may challenge the established notions about strict divisions between social classes in ancient urban settings. The material culture and dietary habits reflect a community where some individuals lived relatively well, suggesting a need for further research to address ongoing questions, Earley-Spadoni explains.
“Our investigations into this ancient city aim to uncover very specific details about its past residents,” she articulates. “First, to what extent did they plan their environment, or was it purely a result of natural development? We also seek to comprehend the dynamics of social inequality in this ancient city. Did wealth disparities exist, or was there possibly a middle class?”
Encouraging Findings and a Promising Future
The city’s historical significance could grow even further if it is validated as Qabra, a notable regional center mentioned in Old Babylonian records like the acclaimed Stele of Dadusha, according to Earley-Spadoni.
Numerous indicators support the hypothesis that Kurd Qaburstan was indeed the prominent city of Qabra referenced in Old Babylonian inscriptions. One such indicator highlights the considerable evidence pointing to Kurd Qaburstan as a central administrative hub, as she explains.
“Kurd Qaburstan is thought to be the ancient Qabra, a crucial regional center acknowledged in the records of other city-states,” Earley-Spadoni explains. “The existence of writing, remarkable architecture, and various administrative items in the lower town palace bolsters this identification, strengthening the notion that the site was a significant city during its era.”
The tablets are undergoing interpretation, but there are early findings that are optimistic and help reveal more about the identity of the Kurd Qaburstan inhabitants and their epoch, according to her.
“The first of the three tablets was found in a refuse deposit accompanied by construction debris and human remains,” she notes. “Its context suggests potentially dramatic events, possibly linked to ancient warfare. We anticipate that our research in 2025 will further illuminate this narrative.”
The research and excavation efforts are funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, in collaboration with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The work took place from May to July 2024, following earlier efforts conducted from 2013 to 2023 by a team from Johns Hopkins University that included Earley-Spadoni.
