Iraqi archaeologists find ancient Sumerian settlement

Found this in the inbox this morning so no site to link to;

Iraqi archaeologists find ancient Sumerian settlement

AFP - Iraqi archaeologists said on Friday they have discovered a 2,000-year-old Sumerian settlement in southern Iraq, yielding a bounty of historical artefacts.

The site, in the southern province of Dhi Qar, is in the desert near ancient Ur, the biblical birthplace of Abraham.

"There are walls and cornerstones carrying Sumerian writings, dating back to the era of the third Sumerian dynasty," said Abdul Amir al-Hamdani, head of the provincial government's archaeology department.

Hamdani said the artefacts, which included sickles and knives, largely dated back to around 2000 BC, during the rule of King Amarsin, the third king of the third Sumerian dynasty.

He said the site "changes our perceptions about the Sumerian settlements, because they used to be near water or rivers, and this one is located in the desert."

The newly discovered site lies around 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi Qar, and is close to the ancient city of Ur.

Ur of the Chaldees was one of the great urban centres of the Sumerian civilisation of southern Iraq, and remained an important city until its conquest by Alexander the Great three centuries before Christ.

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[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/440030217340.jpg[/atsimg]

Photo caption: A hand out image of an ancient Sumerian table. Iraqi archaeologists say they have discovered a 2,000-year-old Sumerian settlement in southern Iraq, yielding a bounty of historical artefacts.

Its good to see that despite all the hardships endured by the Iraqi people,they still get on with uncovering their rich history.

It should be interesting to see what else they will come up with in the future.

Its good to see that despite all the hardships endured by the Iraqi people,they still get on with uncovering their rich history

Not too bad considering after the US invasion and occupation so many sites were left unprotected and looted. And you never know, some of those coalition shell and bomb craters may even have churned up a clay tablet or two.