A Bronze Age city was completely submerged in the Tigris River since the Mosul Dam construction in the 1980s. Extreme drought conditions created low water levels which caused part of the settlement to briefly resurface in 2018. And in December 2021 ruins of a sprawling 3,400-year-old lost city emerged.
On Monday an archaeology team detailed their findings. The team included German and Kurdish experts. And the scene of the dig is believed to be the ancient city known as Zakhiku. And it is known by the archaeology team as the Kemune dig site.
Ivana Puljiz, professor of Near Eastern archaeology at the University of Freiburg in Germany explained that the city dates back to the Mittani Empire, from 1550 to 1350 B.C. And archaeologists have known of its existence for a long time.
However, it was impossible to access while fully covered by the water.
It is believed the Bronze Age city was originally destroyed in an earthquake around 1350 B.C., according to the research team.
The earthquake disaster may have caused the upper parts of the walls to bury most of the buildings which preserved them. It also may have wiped out a large population since Zakhiku was believed to be a bustling city.
Bronze Age city emerges
The research team raced to investigate. And map the ancient city located in the modern-day Kurdistan region. No one could be certain how long they would have before it disappeared again.
