The “Land of Nineveh” Archaeological Project (LoNAP) of the University of Udine has been investigating a large region of approximately 3000 km2 in the Governorate of Duhok since 2012. The project aims to study and comprehend the formation and evolution of the archaeological landscapes of a territory that has hitherto been historically and archaeologically unexplored. The activities have allowed for the mapping of over 1200 archaeological sites, largely previously unknown, and for the analysis of settlement processes and exploitation of the territory from prehistory to the Ottoman period. In addition, LoNAP conducted several archaeological excavations at key sites in the region, including Tell Gomel (ancient Gaugamela), the Assyrian aqueduct of Shiv Asha, and Khinis, the first identified wine-producing area in Mesopotamia. In particular, archaeological excavations in Gomel, focused on two crucial areas (one residential and one cemetery), shed new light on ancient urban societies of the Early and Middle Bronze Ages (3rd and 2nd millennium BCE).
Thanks to the close cooperation with the Directorate of Antiquities in Duhok, the project has also been active in training local archaeologists, involving the local communities and raising awareness about the protection of cultural heritage.
The Archaeological Environmental Park of Sennacherib’s irrigation system
One of the main objectives of the LoNAP project’s scientific activity is the study of the hinterland of the last two capitals of the Assyrian empire, Khorsabad and Nineveh. The new information gathered has strongly influenced our understanding of the empire’s structure and of the territorial management of its central region, in demographic, economic and ideological terms. The construction of the monumental Assyrian irrigation system (over 340 km of canals and canalised watercourses) commissioned by Sennacherib (704-681 BC) was part of the empire’s economic and demographic development strategy. Alongside this massive engineering work, rock reliefs depicting the sovereign and the gods of Assyria and cuneiform inscriptions celebrated the transformation of the landscape, through which the sovereign legitimised his power, claiming before the gods and his citizens the construction of the hydraulic works that guaranteed the country’s wealth.
Thanks to the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, LoNAP is committed to creating a large Archaeological Park to protect and enhance these unique and extraordinary sites.
The discovery of the Faida rock reliefs: research, protection and valorisation
The research activities conducted in Faida, Iraqi Kurdistan, by the joint Italian-Kurdish mission of the University of Udine and the Directorate of Antiquities of Duhok have made it possible to bring to light, protect and valorise a unique archaeological complex consisting of an Assyrian canal commemorated with exceptional low-relief panels carved into the rock forming its bank. The thirteen panels portray a sovereign in the presence of the main Assyrian deities.
In October 2022, restoration and enhancement activities at the site allowed for the inauguration of the first phase of the Faida Archaeological Park, enabling local and international visitors to visit and experience this extraordinary site.