Archaeologists discover 5,000-year-old ancient city in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AGENCIES)

A mission of archaeologists has discovered an ancient city dating back around five thousand years in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.

The Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage in Duhok Governorate stated Saturday that the city includes the largest cemetery with clay coffins dating back to the Hellenistic period (300 BC).

The discovery ocurred after the water levels of the Mosul Dam receded, and urgent excavation work is currently underway to salvage the ancient graves and preserve the historical legacy.

According to initial findings, pottery from the "Nineveh V period," the Early and Middle Bronze Ages, the Mitanni, and the Neo-Assyrian periods were also discovered, in addition to many pottery shards from the Hellenistic period up to the Islamic era.

The site was submerged after the construction of the Mosul Dam, which opened in 1986, and only began to emerge this year due to the significant drop in the dam's water level.