TOWARDS A RADIOCARBON-BASED CHRONOLOGY OF URBAN NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA IN THE EARLY TO MID-SECOND MILLENNIUM BC: INITIAL RESULTS FROM KURD QABURSTAN

ABSTRACT Radiocarbon ( 14 C) data for 2nd millennium BC urban sites in northern Mesopotamia have been lacking until recently. This article presents a preliminary dataset and Bayesian model addressing the Middle early Late Bronze Age (Old Babylonian pre/early Mittani) strata of Kurd Qaburstan—one largest archaeological on Erbil plain Iraqi Kurdistan. The results place large, densely occupied fortified city first part 18th century BC, an outcome consistent with site’s tentative identification as ancient Qabra. A long occupation gap (up to two centuries) probably ensued, before smaller town confined high mound northeastern lower resumed late 16th 15th centuries possibly this region became kingdom Mittani.