Since its inception in 1997, the Ziyaret Tepe excavations have enjoyed strong collaborative partnerships with a number of scholars and institutions worldwide. Our current fieldwork is a joint effort between the University of Akron (Matney), Cambridge University (MacGinnis), the University of Mainz (Wicke) and Marmara University (Koroglu). Excavators, specialists, and advanced students from over a dozen countries participate each summer in the excavations at Ziyaret Tepe. Past major collaborators include: the University of Munich (Roaf), Sweet Briar College (Rainville), and the University of Helsinki (Parpola).

The ancient mound at Ziyaret Tepe comprises two distinct areas: a high citadel and an extensive lower town. The citadel mound rises 22 meters above the surrounding modern agricultural fields and is approximately 3 hectares in extent. The lower town was surrounded by a fortification wall and covers an area of 29 hectares.

Our work has explored both the citadel and the lower town and has expanded off-site looking at the regional environment and the impact of the ancient Assyrian city of Tushhan on the upper Tigris River valley.

A Brief History of Archaeological Fieldwork at Ziyaret Tepe/Tushhan

Work at Ziyaret Tepe started with a modest survey season in 1997. During that season we created a topographic map of the ancient site and made a systematic surface collection of artifacts in order to better understand the history of the site. In 1998 and 1999, we started an ambitious subsurface geophysical survey program with the long-term goal of mapping the entire ancient settlement with a variety of instruments. These first two seasons (and four subsequent seasons) were spent collecting magnetic gradiometry data and generating maps of shallow subsurface magnetic anomalies. The magnetic gradiometry project was completed in August 2009.

Excavation at Ziyaret Tepe started in 2000 and we have completed nine full excavation seasons as of the end of 2009. The excavations include sites on the citadel and in the surrounding lower town. In all, we have excavated 17 different operations (labelled Operations A through R, skipping O) ranging from a single 5m by 5m square to areas over 2,000 square meters.

Scientific Aims

Since the first season, our overall project goals have remained consistent. These are: (1) to document the entire Assyrian city in order to better understand how the city worked in antiquity and the principles of city planning employed at Tushhan; (2) to document the archaeological sequence of occupation in the upper Tigris River valley; (3) to explore the relationship between the Assyrian and indigenous Anatolian populations; (4) to study the impact of urbanization on Late Bronze Age and Iron Age ecology.

While we have made considerable progress in our studies, there are still many questions left unanswered. These goals will remain the primary research objectives of the Ziyaret Tepe Archaeological Project for the foreseeable future.

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