Aerial view of excavations, Kani Shaie, Iraq© Kani Shaie Archaeological Project
Posted on 11/11/2025 8:23:29 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Traces of a monumental building thought to be at least 5,000 years old have been discovered at the Kani Shaie archaeological site, which is located in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains in northern Iraq, according to a statement released by the University of Coimbra. Researchers from the University of Coimbra, the University of Algarve, the University of Cambridge, and the Slemani Antiquities and Heritage Directorate think that the building may have been used as a temple. They note that it was decorated with wall cones, which are typically found in monumental architecture in Uruk, an early Sumerian metropolis in southern Mesopotamia where as many as 40,000 people lived around 3300 to 3100 B.C. A fragment of a gold pendant and a cylinder seal dated to this period were also uncovered at the building site. "If the monumental nature of this building is confirmed -- which we are now investigating in detail -- the discovery could transform our understanding of Uruk’s relationship with surrounding regions, showing that sites such as Kani Shaie were not marginal, but rather key actors in shaping cultural and political networks," the researchers explained. To read about remnants of an ancient boat uncovered near Uruk, go to "Sailing in Sumer."
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
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Aerial view of excavations, Kani Shaie, Iraq© Kani Shaie Archaeological Project
Uruk cylinder seal and its imprint© Kani Shaie Archaeological Project
It reminds me that Civilization is not guaranteed. Apparently it lit up, burned brightly for a little bit, then faded away. More than once. It took many tries before it stayed lit.
It’s not unlikely that this wasn’t the first time it happened.
It sucks that so many of these incredible historic places from Turkey to Afghanistan are chock full of relative newcomer savages that actively want to destroy these sites as it reminds them of how bad their current useless islamic culture is compared to the Greeks and Persians before.
It’s in the Kurdish areas.
You can actually go there without being shot or kidnapped.
Not all of Iraq is a freak show, only the 2/3rds that are Suni and Shia areas.
Sadly, the Kurds get the short end of the stick.
We are their big brother and life line to a large degree. But may it be Iran, the Turks, Syria or Iraq, no one wants a free Kurdistan which would be carved out of their country.
We are in the precarious situation of having to balance the interests of the Kurds (our ally) with the interests of the Turks (our ally).
Not the Kurds.
Don’t lump them with the morons to their South.
Many Kurds even though Muslim today, know that they were actually Christians all the way until the Ottomans I believe forced them to convert or die.
You can actually go there without being shot or kidnapped.
I remember going to Erbil from Baghdad in ‘06 with a couple of our engineers to see about a compound being built for some police liaison personnel. (CPATT stuff.)
I was very surprised to find that we could walk around town with no body armor on and dine at local restaurants.
It was like being on a vacation.
I would think changes in pollen records in nearby water bodies pursuant to deforestation for purposes of construction would be a good proxy for dating urban sites. Is that done?
All the area was non-islamic until forced upon death to convert. Kurds need to give up and go back if they want my respect.
A good Ex-British friend of mine from volunteering in the IDF went to Sulaymaniyah where he drank beers with the head of the largest Kurdish political party who tried hard to set him up with a beautiful Kurdish girl.
Tower of Babel?.....................
I wonder what’s growing in those greenhouses?...............
Tomatoes 🍅
Our civilization is currently undergoing collapse. This is pretty far along now.
Years ago the pond up in the crater was sampled with cores, which was how it was figured out that the whole island had been altered.
Whoops, I thought I was replying to a post in the topic about Easter Island. [blush]
That site is located in Metaphoria.
Same thing happens all over — but yeah.
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