Tell Raffaan

Tell Raffaan (Tall Raffan) is an archaeological site in Iraq, in ancient Upper Mesopotamia, in the valley of the Tigris River.^[1]

Archaeological research[]

Exploration of the site began in 1984 as part of the , an international archaeological salvage operation organized by the Iraqi Directorate of Antiquities due to the building of a dam on the Tigris River. Excavations on Tell Raffaan and in its vicinity were conducted by an expedition from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw.^[1] Piotr Bieliński directed the archaeological works, while Ryszard F. Mazurowski and Waldemar Chmielewski headed the field survey team, which identified Paleolithic sites on the hills surrounding the micro-region.^[2] The Polish expedition also carried out work at the site of Tell Rijim, located in the same micro-region.

At its highest point, Tell Raffaan rose 6.5 meters above the level of the Tigris.^[3] The research was conducted only in the eastern part of the tell since a modern cemetery occupied the western one.^[2] Only one archaeological layer was identified, dating to the Early Uruk period (second half of the 4th millennium BC).^[3] The excavations yielded numerous fragments of pottery as well as obsidian and flint tools. On the slope, there was a skeletal grave in stone setting, furnished with three undecorated cups similar to the pottery found in other parts of the site.^[3] This part of the tell was badly eroded; no architectural remains were uncovered.^[1]

External links[]

• Polish excavations at Tell Raffaan

Footnotes[]

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