Iraq has been particularly hard-hit, despite the fact that climate change and global warming affect nations all around the world. As a result of annual rainfall declining and temperatures rising twice as quickly, the nation is experiencing numerous catastrophic droughts. However, during these droughts, the Euphrates River's decreased water levels made it possible for the secrets of a vanished civilization to come to light. Join us as we set off on a remarkable expedition to explore the historic sites located beneath the Euphrates River!
Finding a Forgotten City Again
The water levels of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers were dangerously low in 2018 as a result of a devastating drought in Iraq. The Mosul Dam Reservoir in the Kurdistan area was drained in an effort to aid the nation, delivering much needed water to withering crops. But as the water level in the reservoir dropped, an old city's ruins suddenly became visible!
Archaeologists labored feverishly in a race against time to investigate and sketch out the recently exposed ancient ruins before the water again submerged them. They came across the remnants of a sizable palace, some of whose walls were 6 feet thick and 22 feet tall! Additionally, numerous walls were decorated with wall paintings that had been well-preserved and shone brightly with blue and red tones. The palace, which was constructed in two independent stages and had been in use for a very long time, might contain many of the secrets of the mighty Mitanni Empire. However, the palace and the remainder of the city retreated into the Euphrates River before they could further assess it, leaving their questions unsolved for the following four years.
Iraq once more had one of the worst droughts in recent memory in 2022. As a result, the reservoir was once more drained, revealing the submerged vanished city. Kurdish and German archaeologists who were sponsored by the University of Tübingen arrived right away to survey and map out the city as much as they could. The team was able to map out many of the major buildings and unearth hundreds of different artifacts after they had a better understanding of what they were looking for and because of how quickly they came together and worked.
The Euphrates River is one of the oldest and most important rivers in the world.
What did they discover when they explored the ancient city beneath the Euphrates River?
The bustling metropolis of Zakhiku, a significant city in the Mitanni Empire, once stood beneath the Euphrates River in the amazing ancient city that is today known as Kemune. From roughly 1600 BCE to 1260 BCE, this ancient empire stood mighty alongside other important nations like Babylonia and Egypt. However, the Assyrians assumed control as the empire started to crumble, and the Mitanni people were forgotten.
Researchers found a large fortification with towers, an industrial complex, and a massive storage facility with numerous levels during their face-paced digs. The immense scale of the storage building suggests that it originally housed a staggering amount of things, indicating the potential size and status of the ancient city and its inhabitants.
But what really stood out was how well-kept the structures are. The almost 3,000-year-old walls were built from sun-dried mud, which should have long since disintegrated beneath the Euphrates River's waters. The higher portions of the walls were devastated and reduced to rubble, however, by an earthquake that occurred approximately 1350 BCE. The lowest portions of the walls were covered in debris, which shielded them from the water.
A number of pottery vessels were also discovered and recovered by the archaeology team in addition to the walls and substantial buildings. These had more than 100 cuneiform-written tablets inside of them, which is the world's earliest writing format. Some of the clay-encased tablets were still there and ready for reading. These old clay tablets, which have been miraculously preserved across thousands of years and even decades underwater, should help us learn more about the inhabitants who previously called this ancient city home.
Cuneiform is the first writing system ever developed. It was created in Mesopotamia by the Sumerians around 3400 BCE.
Who Belonged to the Mitanni Empire?
The Mitanni Empire, which was one of the most powerful states of its era, was established in Mesopotamia and Syria somewhere between 1500 and 1600 BCE. It began in northern Iraq, traveled into Syria, and ended up in Turkey. The distance between the Zagros Mountains and the glistening Mediterranean Sea was more than 600 miles. The term "Mitanni" may have originated from the fact that the empire was ruled by warriors going by the name Maryannu. The Hittites referred to the kingdom as "the land of the Huri" because the inhabitants were Hurrian. Maryannu, however, was rendered as Naharin and Metani by the Egyptians.
Between 1500 and 1240 BCE, the Mitanni Empire flourished and ruled the northern Euphrates-Tigris region. Along with the headwaters at Nineveh and the upper Tigris River, it also controlled significant trade routes up the Euphrates to Carchemish and down the Habur to Mari.
Map of the near east circa 1400 BCE. The Mitanni Empire had powerful neighbors on all sides, from Assyria to the Egpyt, Hatti, and Babylonia.
However, you might be perplexed as to why so few people can recall this formidable and impressive empire. Well, the majority of the Mitanni cities and their antiquities were destroyed when the Assyrians conquered in the fourteenth century. Unfortunately, the Mitanni people's own documents were largely destroyed. In actuality, there were only three primary sources of Mitanni history before the recent discovery beneath the Euphrates River:
The Letters of Amarna
a pact between the Hittites and the Mitanni Empire
a historical horse handbook
Archival material from the Mitanni Empire
First off, the Amarna letters are largely responsible for the knowledge we have on the Mitanni Empire. These prehistoric letters were sent and received by the monarchs of Egypt and Assyria, as well as the Mitanni. In addition, a pact was forged between the Mitanni and the Hittites. These two sources demonstrate the great power and prosperity of the Mitanni Empire. Even the "Great Powers' Club" included it, along with nations like Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, and Hatti.
The third document from the Mitanni Empire academics is a horse handbook, which makes it quite distinctive and one-of-a-kind. But this isn't just any old textbook on how to ride a horse—it's the oldest horse training manual ever discovered! The guidebook was created in 1345 BCE by the Mitanni horse trainer Kikkuli on four tablets. The 1,080 lines of this extremely thorough text cover every facet of horse training, from what foods horses should eat to how they should be exercised.
According to Hittite records, the Mitanni people were excellent horsemen and innovators. The Hittites copied the new spoked wheel design and spread it to other neighboring kingdoms.
The guidebook also showed that the inhabitants of the Mitanni Empire were expert riders. In reality, the Matanni people created a brand-new class of chariot with spoked wheels. Compared to chariots with solid wood wheels, these were a lot faster and simpler to steer. The Mitanni were adept charioteers and horsemen who successfully expanded their empire.
The Mitanni Empire: How Did It Fall?
Like so many other ancient civilizations, the Mitanni Empire was formed by a variety of influences, which ultimately caused it to fall. For instance, vassals and tributes were used to manage the complicated political and social system of the empire. The stability of the empire was frequently broken by a tremendous degree of strife and power conflicts between numerous kings and factions.
The Matanni Empire was also surrounded by a number of strong and fearsome foes. The empire was frequently assaulted by the Assyrians, Hittites, and Kassites who lived nearby. The Matanni Empire and its economy were severely weakened by these repeated invasions, which frequently disrupted trade routes. The Assyrian invasions continued into the fourteenth century BCE, battering the already failing empire until they finally gained total control.
