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New excavations at Tall Harmal
A joint archaeological project between Baghdad University and the German Archaeological Institute took place
in the spring 1997 and in the autumn of 1998 at the Old Babylonian site of Tall Harmal, the ancient city of Shaduppum. Our work was generously supported by the Director of the Department of Antiquities and Heritage
Dr. Muayad Said Damerji. To Dr. Damerji and to his staff we owe all our thanks and utmost gratitude. We would also like to thank our colleagues and friends at the Baghdad University and the Iraq Museum for their
help.
Tall Harmal is a well-known site. From 1945 until 1963 intensive excavations took place here carried on by
Taha Baqir and Muhammed Ali Mustafa of the Department of Antiquities. Several Old Babylonian archives containing about 3000 documents were found and the most important public buildings of the ancient city were
excavated and reconstructed. Finally the expedition executed few deeper soundings and found traces of three or four building levels from the 3rd millennium B. C. As a result of this work we know that the town
existed already in the Akkadian Period. This was revealed on account of several Akkadian cylinder seals were found in the site and they are pointing to the same roots.
The main result of this former excavations was nearly complete clearing out of the building levels II and
III with the settlement of the Isin-Larsa-Period. Many private houses, six or seven temples and a big public administration building were identified. The remains of the upper level II show traces of a fire and
destruction, probably dating back to the conquest of Eshnunna kingdom by the Babylonian king Hammurabi.
Temple B - Reconstruction
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