The University of Athens currently has three ongoing projects in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: the excavation in Tell Nader, the survey in Tell Baqrta and the topographical survey for the location of the Gaugamela Battlefield.
- Tell Nader lies in Erbil. It was a small settlement, mainly dated in the 5th millennium, although surface finds suggest that the site was used from the 7th down to the early 1st millennium. The excavation started in April 2011 and already produced very promising results. Here you find the preliminary report. And here you can find the Audio PowerPoint presentation delivered at the 8th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (ICAANE).
- Tell Baqrta is located 28 km south of Erbil, near the village of Minara. It is one of the largest archaeological sites in the Erbil region. On the surface lie thousands of pottery sherds and hundreds of lithics, which indicate that the site was in use from the Chalcolithic down to the Parthian and Islamic periods. It can be identified with the Assyrian city of Baqaru. During a preliminary survey in April 2011 an Attic Late Classical pottery sherd, probably from the first half of the 4th century B.C., which could be connected with the march of Xenophon's Ten Thousand. In 401 B.C., on their way back from Cunaxa (ca. 70 km north of Babylon), they crossed the Great Zab river just a few kilometers west of Tell Baqrta.
- A team of historians from the University of Athens is conducting a topographic survey with the aim of locating the battle in Gaugamela, which was fought between Alexander the Great and Darius III.
In September 2012 a second excavation will take place at Tell Nader and also at Tell Baqrta. We, a group of undergraduate and postgraduate students of the University of Athens, have been selected to participate in it.
But the University cannot cover the cost of our airplane tickets (ca. 500 Euro per person). So we, the students, took this initiative hoping to win your support and collect some of the needed funds. Without wishing to sound like a cliché, everyone knows that times are tough right now. ”So please donate and send us there”, as our catchphrase urges. Your donations, no matter how small, will be very much appreciated.