Summary: Severe drought in Iraq revealed an ancient city from the Mitanni Empire. Will it shed light on the biblical period of the Judges?
Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia [Mitanni]. – Judges 3:8 (ESV)
Severe Drought Exposes City of Mitanni Briefly
The ancient empire of Mitanni may be unfamiliar to many, but it played an important role in biblical history and even impacts the debate over the correct date of the exodus. Now, the remains of an ancient city emerging briefly above the depleted waters of a reservoir are giving a fascinating glimpse into Mitanni civilization and perhaps biblical history.
Mittani was once the dominant Mesopotamian power in the area of modern northern Iraq. One of its major cities, Zakhiku, was located on the Tigris River, but its remains have been covered with water for decades. Archeologists were given an exciting although high-pressure opportunity to study Zakhiku when it was exposed for seven weeks in January and February 2022 because of an extreme drought.
The city was submerged in 1985 due to the construction of the Mosul dam which caused the Tigris River to fill the reservoir and cover the city. No excavations had been done in the area before its flooding.
Since then, the only time the water receded enough for any excavation was in 2018. During the short dig, a palace was discovered with interior walls up to 6.5 feet thick, decorated with bright painted murals and plastered structures. Because of this previous discovery, archeologists were anxious to have the opportunity to explore more.
The Mosul reservoir is Iraq’s most important water storage source. Large amounts of water needed to be drawn from the reservoir early this year to prevent crops from drying out due to a long and severe drought. This led to the appearance of the Bronze Age city of Mitanni which is located at Kemune in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Mittani and the Bible
One reason this location is of great interest is because Mitanni is mentioned in the Bible’s book of Judges. In standard dating, the Mitanni kingdom ruled the northern Tigris-Euphrates region from before 1600 BC until about 1350 BC when it was overtaken by the Assyrian Empire. It became a weakened province of Assyria for about a century before fading from the historical record.
Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia [Mitanni]. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. – Judges 3:8-9 (ESV)
The name “Mesopotamia” in this passage is Ăram Nahărayim in Hebrew. Aram is a name for Syria, which Mitanni controlled, and Naharayim is a name for Mitanni as evidenced in ancient Egyptian and Canaanite texts. From these texts we know that the kingdom of Mitanni was known by several names; as Hurri to the Hittites, Hangalbat or Hani-Rabbat to the Assyrians and Maryannu, and Nahrin or Mitanni to the Egyptians.
Mitanni’s history makes a strong argument against the late Exodus date (also known as the Rameses Exodus date) in the 1200s BC since there is good evidence that Othniel, one of Israel’s first judges, was fighting against a Mitanni invasion in Judges 3. A Rameses Exodus date would put the judge Othniel in the 1100s BC and about two centuries after Mitanni ceased to be a strong kingdom, thus showing that the Exodus must have been much earlier.
Little is known about the details of Mitanni’s history since none of its native historical records have been found so far. Most of what we know of its history comes from the reports of neighboring kingdoms. This recent find may begin to change that.
Emergency Excavation Team Assembled
As the waters of the Mosul reservoir receded early this year and the site became exposed, a rescue excavation team was put together quickly. Funding for the work was obtained at short notice from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation through the University of Freiburg. The German-Kurdish archaeological team was under immense time pressure because it was unknown when the water would rise again to cover the site.
The spontaneous excavation was led by Kudish archeologist Dr. Hasan Ahmed Qasim, Chairman of the Kurdistan Archaeology Organization, and German archeologists Dr. Peter Pfälzner from the University of Tübingen, and Dr. Ivana Pujiz from the University of Freiburg.
“I saw on satellite images that the water level was falling but it wasn’t clear when the water would rise again. So, we had an unknown window of time,” said Puljiz.
During the few weeks they had for study, the researchers succeeded in largely mapping the city and uncovering some massive buildings such as a vast fortification with walls and towers that surrounded the city. The walls of the fort were made of sun-dried mud bricks and some stood several meters in height. The area was extremely well-preserved despite being underwater for over 40 years, due to an earthquake in 1350 BC which provided a protective covering of rubble.
The extensive urban center unearthed included an industrial complex and a huge multi-story storage building. “The sheer size of this building alone shows that it had to have housed an enormous amount of goods. And these goods had to be produced and brought there first,” said Puljiz. Qasim added that, “the excavation results show that the site was an important center in the Mitanni Empire.”
Over 100 Cuneiform Tablets Discovered
Of particular interest was the discovery of five ceramic jars which held over 100 cuneiform tablets dating to the Middle Assyrian period. Some clay tablets, which may be letters, are even still in their clay envelopes and are being translated.
The researchers hope this discovery will provide important information about the end of the Mitanni-period city and the beginning of Assyrian rule in the region including politics, economy and history.”There are very, very few mentions of this city name in other sources, so we are only now bringing new knowledge to light about it,” Puljiz explained.
“It is close to a miracle that cuneiform tablets made of unfired clay survived so many decades underwater,” marveled Pfälzner. “When you think that these clay tablets — which aren’t fired, they’re just solid clay — were underwater for so long and survived and hopefully can soon be read by a philologist, then that’s really a sensation,” continued Puljiz.
Conclusion
Before the water levels rose again, the excavated buildings were covered with plastic sheeting and gravel fill to protect them from further damage. The city is now completely submerged again. Perhaps in the future the lost city of Mitanni will appear again so we can continue the exploration, but until then let’s Keep on Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Aerial view of the excavations at Mittani with architecture partly submerged in the lake. (credit: Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO)
