Kurd Qaburstan
Kurd Qaburstan, is an ancient Near East archaeological site in the Erbil Governorate, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 22 kilometers southwest of Erbil. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in the region. The site is strategically located between the Upper and Lower Zab rivers. The modern village of Yedi Kizlar is adjacent to and covers a portion of the southeastern lower town. The site is primarily a single-period site dating to the early 2nd millennium BC, the Middle Bronze Age. There is also a compact Late Bronze Age occupation on the high mound. Kurd Qaburstan has been proposed as the location of the ancient city of Qabra. The site is located near Tell Halawa, Tell Aliawa, Tell Baqrta, and Qasr Shemamok, other prominent sites on the Erbil plain.
Archaeology
A regional survey by the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey led by Jason Ur of the Harvard University identified the location from satellite imagery and examination of the site. From the 1960's CORONA image it appeared to be a large walled city. The 11 hectare central mound is 17 meters in height with a lower town rising about 3 meters above the plain. The site has an area of around 100 hectares and the surrounding city wall is preserved to the height of between 1 and 3 meters and had bastions every 20 meters. The wall thickness ranged from 3.3 meters wide in the west to 5.3-7.6 meterswide in the north and the bastions were about 8 meters wide.
Excavation field seasons by a Johns Hopkins University team led by Glenn M. Schwartz and geophysics survey led by Andrew Creekmore of the University of Northern Colorado have been held in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2022. In 2013 a geophysical survey was begun and seven small sample sections were opened. Mitanni era remains were found on the upper mound and middle Islamic remains in the lower town and the city wall was confirmed. In 2014, the geophysical survey was continued augmented by surface sherd collection. The geophysical survey showed well ordered streets and neighborhoods in the lower town, within the wall. Five trenches on the upper mound found three phases of Mitanni occupation including a cylinder seal. A trench in the lower town found Middle Bronze residential occupation. A trench on the south slope of the upper mound revealed two Middle Bronze phases with the lower firmly Old Babylonian period. A Neo-Babylonian era grave was also excavated there. In 2017, continued work in the lower town showed that the Middle Bronze construction was bedded on virgin soil at a depth of 3 meters showing that the lower town was first occupied then. Continued geophysical work located a monumental Middle Bronze temple in the lower town which was confirmed by test excavation. In 2022 a 19 x 4 meter trench was excavated on the high mound north slope on a large Middle Bronze building showing signs of having been burnt. Three 10 meter by 10 meter trenches were begun in the eastern lower town. Continued magnetometry showed a large structure in the northern lower town, possible a palace.
Radiocarbon dates have now been obtained for four Middle Bronze Age stratified samples, three in the upper town and one in the lower town, resulting in a calibrated date range of c. 1875–1745 BC with the MBA destruction being dated c. 1805–1733 BC. Eight samples were obtained from the Late Bronze Age, all in the upper town. For the three phases of LBA occupation, dates were obtained of c. 1538–1505 BC for Phase three, with Phase two beginning c. 1512–1491 BC and ending c. 1501–1479 BC, and with Phase One beginning c. 1489–1463 BC and ending c. 1475–1435 BC. The data suggests a two century abandonment between the MBA destruction and the Mitanni re-occupation.
Since 2024, the site has been excavated by a University of Central Florida team led by Tiffany Earley-Spadoni. The NSF funded project investigates the social processes that led to the rapid growth of the Middle Bronze Age city. Results from the 2024 season confirm the presence of a lower-town palace based upon well-preserved monumental architecture and evidence for administrative activities such as cylinder sealings, a game board, and three cuneiform tablets. Excavations in a residential district northwest of the high mound also revealed glimpses of everyday life in the ancient northern Mesopotamian city. One of the tablets was found "in a trash-filled deposit along with building rubble and human remains". The other two tablets were found in an administrative context alongside cylinder sealings and storage vessels bearing identical pre-fired pot marks.