Eski Mosul dam

Levels

Level I, dating back to the Halaf and Obeid periods, was architecturally identified in two major soundings from which two distinct dwellings emerged.
Level IIb-a corresponds to the mid-Uruk period, while level IIIb-a dates back to the late Uruk period.
Level IV dates back to the late Uruk period. Sublevel IVb is made up of a dwelling with a vestibule that opens onto two rooms and onto a courtyard in which traces of a round oven were found. The same dwelling was occupied in level IVa with a series of furnaces, especially in the small rooms near the vestibule at the entrance.
Level Vb-a can be dated to the transition period between Uruk and Nineveh 5. Architecturally it is represented by few traces of unbaked-brick masonry. Level VI dates back to the Accadic period and is also represented by a few wall fragments, stone bases and a few ceramic-filled pits.

In level VII , during the mid Assyrian-Mitannian period, the settlement was moved to the other side of the wadi. Level VIII belongs to the Neo-Assyrian period. The findings consist only of a few ceramic fragments, while it was not possible to conduct an excavation that could bring to light the architectural structures, probably concealed under a modern cemetery.
Level IXa-b-c dates back to the Hellenistic period. In this case too, the excavation was limited to a small sounding, as the location was occupied by the above mentioned modern cemetery. Several floor surfaces and a few wall structures were brought to light.
Level X pertains to a late Islamic phase of occupation.

Level I buildings

The dwellings found in level I are separated by an open area and are built with different techniques. One of the two (dwelling 2) had tauf walls, apart from two small brick fragments, and had an essentially cruciform shape. Dwelling 1, built from unbaked bricks, had an outer profile moved by pillars and corners, and a long central area that opened up at one end into two small rooms. The pottery found there dates back for the most part to the Obeid 3 period. On the outside of the dwelling, on its northwestern side, the remains of a large oven paved with pebbles and pottery fragments from the Early- and Mid-Halaf periods were found.

Level II

In level IIb the corner of a room, a corridor open on one side and a courtyard containing a large L-shaped structure were found. This last element was probably a platform used for butchering large animals and it had a serife covering.

An interesting find in sublevel IIa consists of a comb-like structure lying at the centre of the square. The spaces between the small walls were rich in animal bones and microliths. This led the excavators to believe it was a place where meat was preserved.

Level III

In IIIb a considerable number of silos and pottery kilns were found. It is interesting to note that approximately 20 fusaroles were concentrated at the east corner of the area. The pottery and small objects found in this area would suggest that it was exclusively an open-air craftsmen’s area.

In IIIa the area was used as a cemetery: six burials, of which three are in vases, were found. In addition to funerary furnishings, some of them also contained personal ornaments consisting in seashell and obsidian necklaces.

Level VII

A sounding here brought to light the remains of a large structure made from pebbles and stones, composed of a courtyard and a room whose corner contained an arch-shaped opening. A gutter led from the courtyard to the outside of the dwelling. On the inside, there was a large ditch used for baking bricks.