Tell al-Rimah


Tell al-Rimah is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in Nineveh Province. Its ancient name may have been either Karana or Qattara. It is located in Nineveh Province, roughly west of Mosul and ancient Nineveh in the Sinjar region.

History of archaeological research

The region was originally surveyed by Seton Lloyd in 1938. The site of Tell al-Rimah was excavated from 1964 to 1971 by a British School of Archaeology in Iraq team led by David Oates. A large temple and palace from the early second millennium BCE were excavated, as well as a Neo-Assyrian building. Tell al-Rimah also is known for having a third millennium example of brick vaulting.

Occupation history

While it appears that the site was occupied in the third millennium BCE, it reached its greatest size and prominence during the second millennium BCE and in the Neo-Assyrian period. The second millennium activity was primarily during the Old Babylonian and Mitanni periods. At various times, Tell al-Rimah has been linked with either Qatara or Karana, both cites known to be in that area during the second millennium.

Material culture

A number of Old Babylonian tablets contemporary with Zimri-Lim of Mari were found as well as other objects. The most notable artifact found was the stele of Adad-nirari III which mentioned an early king of Northern Israel as "Jehoash the Samarian" and contains the first cuneiform mention of Samaria by that name.

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