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Walking the Kassites: The ‘aqar Qūf Survey and the Functional Organization of a Late Bronze Age Capital City

MARIANI, Eleonora / CAVALIERE, Francesca

The Abu Ghraib Survey Project has been carried out jointly by the University of Bologna and the SBAH in the district of Abu Ghraib between October 2022 and January 2024, under the direction of N. Marchetti. During its three campaigns, part of the project focused on the intensive survey of the Kassite capital of Dūr-Kurigalzū (modern ‘Aqar Qūf). We first attempted at defining the limits of the site of ‘Aqar Qūf, confirming through ground-truthing the data obtained through remote sensing analysis (our UAV photogrammetry and satellite imagery). Successively, we investigated the functional characteristics of the urban layout of this ancient capital city through the systematic collection of surface materials and the detailed analysis of topographic features. This paper aims to present the preliminary results of the survey project in respect of the characterization of a newly founded settlement, which for more than two centuries represented the beating heart of one the main polities of the ancient world.

Session 3. Urban and Landscape Studies: Finding Interpretative Approaches [info]