Ancient Assyrian relics found in northern Iraq

Shafaq News / The General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage announced on Sunday a significant discovery made by the Italian archaeological mission in the northern province of Nineveh, Iraq.

According to a statement released today, under the directives of the Director-General of Investigations and Excavations, Ali Shalgham, a monitoring committee led by Suhail Al-Tamimi, head of the Excavations Department at the General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage, visited the Italian mission working in the eastern part of Tell Qoyunjıq in Nineveh province.

Al-Tamimi reported that the Italian mission, operating under a bilateral agreement between the two countries, discovered a section of an administrative building constructed with mud bricks, dating back to the modern Assyrian era. The excavation also yielded a diverse array of artifacts, with the most significant find being a collection of over 120 clay tablets containing literary texts.

The statement further indicated that the committee examined one of the mission's excavation sites, revealing two distinct cultural layers—one from the modern Assyrian era and the other from the Middle Assyrian period. The committee recommended the continuation of excavations at these sites to explore layers from the ancient Assyrian era, if present.

Additionally, the committee inspected the excavation and restoration work on the Add gate, which had suffered damage due to excavation by the ISIS terrorist organization. The committee emphasized the importance of adhering to the guidelines set forth by the General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage in Iraq.