Tepe Gawra
Encyclopedia
Tepe Gawra is an ancient Mesopotamia
n settlement in northwest Iraq
, near the ancient site of Nineveh
, 2 miles from Khorsabad and 15 miles northeast of the modern city of Mosul
. It is located
in modern Ninawa Governorate
, Iraq
.
s and recesses. The Gawra Period (3500 B.C. - 2900 B.C.) is named for the site.
The name "Tepe Gawra" comes from the Kurdish
words for "great mound."
and the American Schools of Oriental Research
, led by Ephraim Avigdor Speiser
.
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
n settlement in northwest Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, near the ancient site of Nineveh
Nineveh
Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire. Its ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq....
, 2 miles from Khorsabad and 15 miles northeast of the modern city of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
. It is located
in modern Ninawa Governorate
Ninawa Governorate
Ninawa is a governorate in northern Iraq, and the Arabic name for the biblical city of Nineveh in Assyria. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,453,000 people in 2003. Its chief city and provincial capital is Mosul, which lies across the Tigris river from the ruins of ancient...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
History
Excavations at Tepe Gawri revealed 16 levels showing that the Tepe Gawra site was occupied from approximately 5000 B.C. to 1500 B.C. They include the earliest known temple to be decorated with pilasterPilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s and recesses. The Gawra Period (3500 B.C. - 2900 B.C.) is named for the site.
The name "Tepe Gawra" comes from the Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
words for "great mound."
Archaeology
The mound at Tepe Gawra was 120 meters in diameter and 22 meters high. A brief exploratory dig was performed by Austen Layard before 1850. The site was formally excavated in 1927, 1931 and 1932 for a total of 8 months by archaeologists from a joint expedition of the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and the American Schools of Oriental Research
American Schools of Oriental Research
The American Schools of Oriental Research, founded in 1900, supports and encourages the study of the peoples and cultures of the Near East, from the earliest times to the present. It is apolitical and has no religious affiliation...
, led by Ephraim Avigdor Speiser
Ephraim Avigdor Speiser
Ephraim Avigdor Speiser was a Polish-born American Assyriologist. He discovered the ancient site of Tepe Gawra in 1927 and supervised its excavation between 1931 and 1938.-Pre-war career:...
.