Tell Brak Project: Research

Current Research

Excavations

A new excavation programme was begun in 2006 under the Field Direction of Dr Augusta McMahon, with Dr Joan Oates continuing as Project Director. The research started with two primary aims: continuation of the exploration of early social complexity and early urbanism in the late 5th-early 4th millennium BC, and investigation of the site's reaction to political change, from collapse of empire through growth of a territorial state to imposition of a new empire, within the larger context of possible climate change from the terminal 3rd millennium through the later 2nd millennium BC.
These two aims were supplemented by a third research theme from 2007: examination of the prehistory of violent conflict within the context of intensifying urbanism.

Early Urbanism

Recent excavations in Area TW have identified an industrial area dating to the late 5th-early 4th millennia BC. The earliest level reached so far (Level 21, c 4200 BC, Late Chalcolithic 2) comprises an unstructured space, with ovens, ash pits, small ephemeral structures, and evidence for flint and obsidian working. The succeeding level (Level 20, c 4200-4000 BC, Late Chalcolithic 2) saw the construction of a monumental "Basalt Threshold Building" and of two structures to its west, again associated with ovens, flint and obsidian tools and debitage and shell inlay pieces. While the Monumental Building was still in use, these structures on its west were succeeded by a massive building (see image to left) with evidence for intensification of industry, including more large ovens, obsidian and flint tools and debitage, many spindle whorls and unworked chunks of limestone and jasper (Level 19, Late Chalcolithic 2/3, c 4000-3900 BC).

A major find from Area TW was a unique obsidian "chalice" with a carved marble base, found in a bin in the Level 19 building (c 17 cm high; see image at right). Clay seal impressions from Levels 19 and 20, bearing images of lions, walking or trapped in nets, point to a growing importance of ideological representation within an elaborated system of economic control (see image at left).

The TW area is situated next to a street which connects to the north entrance of the city, a location that suggests the Monumental Building had a formal economic role, perhaps controlling or overseeing the import of raw materials from Anatolia and their associated manufacturing activities. The increased structuring of this industrial area and the expanding scale of buildings and features during the late 5th through early 4th millennium BC are key evidence in support of the reconstruction of the economic aspects of early urbanism at the site.

The Prehistory of Conflict

Our investigation into prehistoric violent conflict is based at the outlying mound of Tell Majnuna, one of the 'corona' of sub-mounds at the edge of Brak's Outer Town in the early/mid-4th millennium BC. Two large mass graves have been found here, each with a dense layer of mostly-disarticulated human bones belonging to individuals between c 20 and 45 years of age. The conservative estimate of minimum number of individuals identified thus far is 70, with the final count likely to rise into the hundreds or more. One of the graves was covered by a thick layer of broken ceramic plates and animal bones, suggesting that a post-deposition feast had taken place. The debris in and around the graves contained a large number of clay seal impressions from containers and ceramic types datable to the local 'Late Chalcolithic 3' Period, c 3800 BC, contemporary with intensification of urbanism at the site.

The age curve, mostly young adults (and no children or elderly), makes it unlikely that the cause of death was "normal" or was catastrophic disease. Our current hypothesis is that the mass graves are the result of violent conflict, genuine warfare. The disarticulation and evidence of carnivore damage indicate that the skeletons lay exposed on the battlefield for some time before being somewhat haphazardly gathered for reburial. We do not yet know whether the conflict was between local groups or local versus foreign. Their contemporaneity with Brak's urban expansion is suggestive that the conflict was the result of social stresses associated with population aggregation, increasing economic disparity, and political disenfranchisement. The graves' location at the settlement edge may be evidence that the graves were conceived of as "disposal" rather than burial, yet the sub-mound in which they were interred was also artificially raised at the same time, as if the intent was the creation of a visible marker.

Cultural Continuity and Political Transition

Our long-term project exploring political, cultural and climatic change from the late 3rd through 2nd millennia BC involves excavation on the highest ridge of the site, in Areas HH and HN. Historically, this time sees the collapse of the Akkadian empire, growth and collapse of Samsi-Addu's territorial state, and finally the imposition of Mitanni and Middle Assyrian empires. Regional climatic data indicates increased aridification during this period, but the speed and "catastrophic" nature of this trend are the subject of debate, as is the reconstruction of human response in terms of settlement pattern. Brak appears to retract and then expand across these key transitions, but the scale and role of the site are thus far imprecisely determined. The palace and temple of the Mitanni Period are well-known, thus our excavations have focussed on the contemporary and earlier houses.

Two Mitanni Period houses and a street have been exposed in Area HH, just west of the Mitanni Palace complex. A room in one house had a vaulted roof; both structures contained a rich assemblage of painted and unpainted ceramics, bronze tools, terra-cotta figurine fragments and basalt grinding stones. These were built over houses of the Old Babylonian Period. The latter are still incompletely excavated, but it is notable that the east-west street is present in the same location in both the Old Babylonian and Mitanni Periods. It may connect these houses to the palace complex. Our excavations in Area HN (further west along the high ridge) are limited, thus far, but we have further evidence for substantial Mitanni Period houses there. In future seasons we plan to expose additional Old Babylonian structures and to excavate into earlier levels representing the little-known transition from the Early Bronze to Middle Bronze Age.

The Regional Survey and ‘Suburban Survey’

An intensive survey of the 20-km radius around Brak (2002-5), based on satellite imagery and on-ground sherd collection, has identified c 550 sites from Neolithic through Islamic date. In addition, a field-walking exercise has been carried out in the outer city of Brak by Jason Ur and Philip Karsgaard. This has revealed, inter alia, a Late Uruk outpost just north of the village of Majnuna, a Sasanian / Early Islamic settlement in the area around the Late Roman castellum, much evidence of 5^th, 4^th and 2^nd millennium occupation north of the tell itself, and a possible 3^rd millennium extension to the south, ending in a possible city wall.

The Corona satellite photograph to the right shows the 'hollow ways' leading to Tell Brak.

Corona satellite photograph showing 'hollow ways' to Tell Brak

Post-excavation Publication Programme

Preparation of the final report on excavations at Tell Brak continues to progress. Volume 1, describing the Second Millennium city, was published as a McDonald Institute Monograph in 1997; Volume 2 (on Nagar in the Third Millennium) appeared in 2001; and Volume 4 (Roger Matthews' seasons as field director) was published in 2004. Work on Volume 3, on the Uruk and 'Ubaid periods, is well advanced.

Preliminary reports on the 2006-2007 excavations include:
McMahon, A., J. Oates et al. 2007. Excavations at Tell Brak 2006-2007. Iraq 69: 145-171.
Oates, J., A. McMahon, P. Karsgaard, S. al-Quntar & J. Ur. 2007. Early Mesopotamian Urbanism: a view from the north. Antiquity 81: 585-600.