Archaeologists uncovered approximately 40 ancient tombs at the edges of the Mosul Dam reservoir in the Khanke region of Duhok province in northern Iraq. The tombs are believed to date from the Hellenistic or Hellenistic-Seleucid period and to be more than 2,300 years old. Initial surveys in 2023 revealed only parts of a few tombs; full excavation became possible when reservoir water levels fell to their lowest this year. Teams are excavating the tombs to transfer finds to the Duhok Museum for study and preservation prior to re-submergence. The uncovering follows a five-year drought crisis that has sharply reduced Iraq’s water reserves.
The newly discovered tombs are believed to date back to the Hellenistic or Hellenistic-Seleucid period. Archaeologists in drought-hit Iraq have discovered 40 ancient tombs after water levels in the country's largest reservoir declined, according to an antiquities official. The tombs, believed to be more than 2,300 years old, were unearthed at the edges of the Mosul Dam reservoir in the Khanke region of Duhok province in the country's north.
So far, we have discovered approximately 40 tombs, Bekas Brefkany, the director of antiquities in Duhok and leader of the archaeological work at the site, said on Saturday. A worker at the archaeological site in Iraq [Ismael Adnan/AFP] His team surveyed the area in 2023 but spotted only parts of a few tombs. They were able to work on the site only when water levels dropped to their lowest this year, Brefkany said.
But, for us archaeologists it allows us to do excavation work, Brefkany said. Officials and workers at the site on the banks of Mosul Dam in Iraq [Ismael Adnan/AFP] The newly discovered tombs are believed to date back to the Hellenistic or Hellenistic-Seleucid period, according to Brefkany. He added that his team is working to excavate the tombs to transfer them to the Duhok Museum for further study and preservation, before the area is submerged again.
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