We cordially invite you to the guest lecture by Roxana Dörr on 21.06.2023 at 18:15 on the topic:
"The Missing Link: Die Sphinx in Vorderasien"
The lecture will take place at Hegelstraße 59, room 00-309, and online at Big Blue Button: https://bbb.rlp.net/b/sch-xeo-uay-dbq.
The lecture will be followed by a drink and buffet in the foyer. We ask everyone to contribute something to the buffet if possible, please sign up for the list posted in the library.
More pictures can be found at the project's page Tell Derabun.
After a delay caused by the Corona pandemic, it has been possible to start an excavation project in Kurdistan-Iraq in September/October 2022. The choice fell on the site of Tell Derabun in the province of Zakho in the very north of Iraq. This is a settlement mound of about 2.5ha at the lower reaches of the eastern Habur, a tributary of the Tigris. Several surveys at this site have suggested a long history of settlement from the 3rd millennium BC to Islamic times. This region on the northern periphery of Mesopotamia is still largely unexplored archaeologically. Through our investigations, we hope to be able to connect the neighbouring areas in the west (Syrian Jezirah) and southeast (Assyrian heartland), which have already been relatively well researched archaeologically, better than has been possible so far, and to better understand their relationships.
Fig.1
In September, the excavation licence was signed in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq. Then, from September 24th to October 14th, a first campaign took place on Tell Derabun. In addition to the project leader, seven students of Near Eastern archaeology from Mainz participated (Fig. *1), as well as Muhammad al-Yusifi, head of the antiquities administration of Zakho, and Assad Abbas from the antiquities administration in Erbil from the Kurdish side. With the help of 15 local workers, a total of 5 test trenches were made on the southern slope of the tell. The cooperation with the Kurdish colleagues on site as well as the accommodation in a house rented in Zakho went smoothly.
The vast majority of the layers uncovered in these sections date from the Ottoman period (17th-19th centuries). For the most part, only pits and rubble layers could be recorded; in one section, however, remains of several houses from this period were also uncovered. In the lowest section, however, several phases of a building from the Hellenistic period were found under these layers, some with massive stone foundations. In one pit a bronze statuette was found, probably imported from the Roman area, depicting a naked hero of the Farnesian Heracles type (Fig.*2). Individual finds (pottery and a brooch, Fig. *3) from the Hellenistic layers already date to the Neo-Assyrian period (8th/7th century BC) and now also prove settlement in this period through excavations.
Fig. 2 and Fig. 3
Despite the very short time available, the archaeological potential of the site was clearly confirmed. In 2023, the excavations are to be continued with another (longer) campaign. The work will concentrate on the Hellenistic and pre-Hellenistic layers.
Fig. 1: The Mainz members of the excavation team during a field trip to the Assyrian aqueduct of Jerwan (Photo: Emma Emine Sakal).
Fig. 2: Bronze figure (DRB22-7038-M-001) from Tell Derabun (Photo: Emma Emine Sakal).
Fig. 3: 8th/7th century bow brooch (DRB22-7034-M-005) from Tell Derabun (Photo: Emma Emine Sakal).
We cordially invite you to the guest lecture by Dr. Sepideh Maziar on 10.05.2023 at 18:15 on the topic:
"Pathways to Resilience: A View from Kura-Araxes Diaspora in Iran".
The lecture will take place at Hegelstraße 59, room 00-309, and online at Big Blue Button: https://bbb.rlp.net/b/sch-xeo-uay-dbq.
After the lecture there will be a buffet in the foyer. We ask everyone to contribute something to the buffet, if possible. Please sign up on the list posted in the library.
The Department of Near Eastern Archaeology offers a study trip to the exhibition "Syria - Against Oblivion" at the Rautenstruch-Joest Museum in Cologne. The study trip will take place on the 8th of July 2022.
If you are interested, please register with Prof. Alexander Pruß (apruss@uni-mainz.de).
Dear library users,
the library will be open during the semester break (07.02.-14.04.2022) from
Please note the following instructions for use:
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Tobias Helms (helmst@uni-mainz.de) or Tabea Schloß B.A. (tschloss@students.uni-mainz.de).
*Users who do not have a smartphone or do not wish to use the JGU app have the option of generating a personal QR code and asking other users to log in: https://kontakterfassung.uni-mainz.de/persoenlichen-barcode-erstellen/ Please note that the code must be generated before entering the library.
On Wednesday, 19.01.2022, at 18:15, the departments of Near Eastern Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Philology of the JGU Mainz cordially invite you to the 5th session of the Mainz Ancient Near Eastern Research Colloquium!
Dr. Julia Linke (RGZM) will give a lecture on the topic:
"The King Never Dies - Aspects of Ancient Near Eastern Kingship using the Example of Urartu"
You can participate digitally at https://bbb.rlp.net/b/hub-7hn-uxg .
We look forward to seeing you!
On Wednesday, 12.01.2022, at 18:15, the departments of Near Eastern Archaeology and Ancient Oriental Philology of the JGU Mainz cordially invite you to the 4th session of the Mainz Ancient Oriental Research Colloquium!
Fabio Bastici (Mainz) will give a lecture on the topic:
"On a linguistic and contextual characterisation of the Hurro-Hittite festival rituals".
You can participate digitally at https://bbb.rlp.net/b/hub-7hn-uxg.
We look forward to seeing you!
On Wednesday, 15.12.2021, at 18:15, the departments of Near Eastern Archaeology and Ancient Oriental Philology of JGU Mainz cordially invite you to the 3rd session of the Mainz Ancient Oriental Research Colloquium!
Anna Gomez Bach and Miquel Molist (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) will give a lecture on the topic:
"Banahilk (Soran): New data for a key site at the end of the Halaf period"
You can participate digitally at https://bbb.rlp.net/b/hub-7hn-uxg .
We look forward to seeing you!
On Wednesday, 08.12.2021, at 18:15, the departments of Near Eastern Archaeology and Ancient Oriental Philology of JGU Mainz cordially invite you to the 2nd session of the Mainz Ancient Oriental Research Colloquium!
Giulia Torri will give a lecture on the topic:
"Aspects of the Hittite Economy in the 13th century BC".
You can participate digitally at https://bbb.rlp.net/b/hub-7hn-uxg .
We look forward to seeing you!
We gladly invite you to our fourth session of the digital ancient near eastern research colloquium. The session is held on wednesday 17.11.2021 at 18.15.
Sergio Amor and Alejandro Mizzoni will talk about:
The colloquium will take place in hybrid, both in room 00-309 at Hegelstraße 59 and online at: https://bbb.rlp.net/b/hub-7hn-uxg
We are looking forward to your coming!
