Kemune

Kemune (probably the ancient city of Zakhiku)[1] is an archeological site discovered in the reservoir of the Mosul Dam in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in 2010, and first excavated by German and Kurdish archaeologists in 2019. It was originally a palace constructed on the banks of the Tigris River during the days of the Mitanni Empire.[2]

Kemune
Arabic: كمونة
Shown within Iraqi Kurdistan
LocationIraq
RegionDuhok Governorate
Coordinates36°45′51.5″N 42°45′06.1″E

Overview

The remains of the palace conserved to a height of about seven meters. According to Dr. Ivana Puljiz, the two usage phases are clearly noticeable, indicating that the building has been in use for a very long time. Archaeologists unearthed several rooms inside the palace and partially reviewed eight of them. They also uncovered big, fired bricks that were used as floor slabs in some places. Ten cuneiform clay tablets belonged to Mittani people and were translated by Betina Faist of Heidelberg University. According to one of the tablets, Kemune was probably the ancient city of Zakhiku. Well-preserved wall paintings were also found in some rooms, which are two meters thick and more than two meters high.[3][4]

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.