City of Idu Discovered in Iraqi Kurdistan

A new archaeological find in Iraqi Kurdistan has unearthed the ancient city of Idu complete with cuniform inscriptions (which are understood from previous work in the region) including local king lists, and artwork.  Politics have kept the region largely unexplored for decades until now.

The site was occupied as far back as the Neolithic period, when farming first appeared in the Middle East, and the city reached its greatest extent between 3,300 and 2,900 years ago. . . . [Some of the structures found] may date to relatively late in the city’s life, perhaps around 2,000 years ago when the Parthian Empire controlled the area. . . .

The city thrived between 3,300 and 2,900 years ago, said Cinzia Pappi, an archaeologist at the Universität Leipzig in Germany. At the start of this period, the city was under the control of the Assyrian Empire and was used to administer the surrounding territory. Later on, as the empire declined, the city gained its independence and became the center of a kingdom that lasted for about 140 years, until the Assyrians reconquered it.