Preliminary report on human remains from Qasr Shemamok (Erbil): Season 2013 and concept of anthropological project
Preliminary report on human remains from Qasr Shemamok (Erbil): Season 2013 and concept of anthropological project

Summary/Abstract: For four years the French archaeological expedition, guided by Prof. Olivier Rouault (University Lyon 2 – Lumière) and Prof. Marii Grazi Masetti-Rouault (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris), has been conducting research at Qasr Shememomk. The excavation site, citadel and lower town, covering an area of around 70 hectares, is situated about 25 km from Erbil (capital of Kurdystan). Since 2013, the projects have also involved research on human remains. The biological project (Qasr Shememomk site) is conducted by the Department of Anthropology of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw (Poland). The aim of our research is to try to give biological characterization of the human population of Qasr Shememok in different chronological periods, and compare the obtained data with other sites from the Near East (e.g. Terqa, Tell Masaikh) (e.g. Tomczyk 2009, 2008; Tomczyk, Sołtysiak 2007). Human bones from Qasr Shemamok were studied in the laboratory in Erbil’s museum. All teeth and bone samples were exported to Poland for further laboratory studies. The fieldwork protocol was based on Standards of Data Collection (Buikstra, Ubelaker 1994), with some additional observations and measurements In sum, remains of 6 individuals have been found at Qasr Shememok (Table 1). They were dated to the Middle Assyrian periods. However, there are no doubts that Qasr Shememok has got older history.

• Details
• Contents