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Image Title calendar2024-01-29

Late Prehistoric Investigations at Shakar Tepe, the Shahrizor Plain, Iraqi Kurdistan: Preliminary Results of the First Season (2019)

Grdi-Shakar Tapa on the Sharazor plain in Iraq's Kurdistan Region has revealed a new episode of the Neolithic discovery Shakar Tapa has been known as a conspicuous archaeological site in the south of the Shahrazor Plain since the mid-20th century. It has an oval plan consisting of a low northeastern mound and a high conical southwestern mound with a flat top. The Darband-i Khan Dam Lake is adjacent to the north of the site and its water occasionally reaches the skirt of the mound, causing crucial erosion of the northern edge of the mound. Many archaeological materials were collected on the surface of Shakar Tapa in the past. Although most of them can be dated to the historical ages, such as the Early-to-Middle Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Parthian-Sasanian Period, some artefacts were certainly dated to the prehistoric period. In 2019 a Japanese archaeological team (directed by Takahiro Odaka, Kanazawa University) started the excavations of Shakar Tapa to investigate its late prehistoric occupation. The first operation of a step trench was set at the northwestern skirt of the high mound and yielded the Ubaid deposit and the Late Neolithic stratigraphic sequence covering ca. 6400-6000 BC. Virgin soil was reached at the northwestern end of the trench about 5 m below the highest level of this trench. The second season carried out in 2023 revealed the younger Late Chalcolithic deposit at the area near the trench in 2019. In addition, a few low satellite mounds were identified west of the main mound and another late prehistoric deposit was uncovered at one of them.

Image Title calendar2024-01-28

Archaeological work in the region is concentrated in Slemani

Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage of Slemani, currently has many contracts and partnerships with several foreign universities and institutes for (surveying, excavation, reconstruction and maintenance….. etc) in Slemani province.

Image Title calendar2024-03-07

HUMAN OCCUPATION ALONG THE FOOTHILLS OF NORTHWESTERN ZAGROS DURING THE LATE PLEISTOCENE AND THE HOLOCENE IN THE RANIA AND PESHDAR PLAINS

The south-western foothills of the Zagros range, in Iraqi Kurdistan, have long been largely unexplored because it has been impossible for archaeologists to carry out fieldwork research in this area for more than half a century.

Opening a scientific course for training and teaching in photogrammetry program

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Training course on photogrammetry program was held from 18/2/2024 to 23/2/2024 in Slemani.  The course was taught by archaeologist Tiago Costa for a few days.  In the course, students were taught in practice and theory on the use of the program (Meta shape) to create 3D images, as well as how to photograph archaeological pieces and use drones for archaeological work.  

Then create a contour map of the archaeological site and restore the heritage houses.  

During the course, the students worked on the photographs of the archaeological pieces in the Slemani Museum and then the photos were taken by drone on the archaeological hill of Tapa Kal in Zhala village in southeastern Slemani.

The course was attended by several students from from Slemani Directorate of antiquities and heritage, Slemani University-department of Archeology and cultural heritage organization.

 At the end of the course, certificates were awarded to all participants.

 The supervisors of the course have previously opened similar courses in the cities of (Mosul, Baghdad and Nasiriyah).  The partners of this project so far are:

Creative Europe – STATE BOARD FOR ANTIQUITIES & HERITAGE, IRAQ – The Fact stories – SAPIENZA UNIVERSITY OF ROME – carare – doppel – University of Slemani – Slemani Antiquities & Heritage Directorate

 To learn more about previous activities in different places, please visit this website.  T4H – Training local people in 3D digitization of Cultural Heritage in Iraq (tech4heritage.com).