Catalogue of archaeological sites : caves : Ākrê, Harĩr & Şaqlāūa regions

The Upper Greater Zab Archaeological Reconnaissance (UGZAR) project carried out an archaeological survey in the Iraqi Kurdistan on an area over 3,000 km2 big, located on both banks of the Greater Zab River, to the north and north-west of Erbil. During six field seasons, conducted in 2012-2017, the Polish team from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan documented there 313 archaeological sites, 110 caves and 78 other heritage monuments (churches, monasteries, mosques, castles, mills, tombs and cemeteries, etc.), as well as four rock reliefs (three in Gundk and one in Batas). During the fieldwork, nearly 20,000 artefacts dating from the Late Neolithic (Hassuna culture) to the modern period (early 20th century) were collected and documented. Working in an area located only 40 km south of the famous Saneder/Shanidar cave, it was natural to devote much attention to sites of this type and traces of potential prehistoric occupation which might have been preserved there. As a result, 110 caves of various size were documented during the 2015, 2016 and 2017 field seasons. The volume presents 91 of these, omitting a group of rock shelters with no sediments preserved inside. Plans, descriptions and photographs of each cave are accompanied by information on finds collected inside and on the talus below its entrance (if present). Moreover, a presence of speleothems in the caves was noted, as a potential basis for the analysis of climatic proxies. While most of the documented caves yielded traces of modern and pre-modern use, only some of the collected pottery and rock artefacts may point to their earlier occupation. Cover 1 Title page 6 Copyright 7 Table of contents 8 Body 12 Preface 12 UGZAR study area 15 Geological map of the UGZAR study area 17 Introduction 19 List of abbreviations 23 Bibliography 24 Chronological table 25 Documented periods of occupation 26 Previous work of the Antiquities Service 28 Introduction 30 Joint AASI maps 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 47, 51, 52, 128, 130 31 Identification of caves on maps 7 and 2 of AASI 33 Identification of caves from ASI and AASI with UGZAR caves 34 Index of sites present on joint maps 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 47, 51, 52, 128, 130 37 Ākrê Region 52 Map. Caves between Ĩsmāūa and Bêxmê Passes 53 Satellite imagery. Caves between Ĩsmāūa and Bêxmê Passes 55 Ākrê Region: Ākrê Massif 58 Between Ĩsmāūa and Gūndk Passes 60 Caves of Şermn 61 UC 001/C 001 Āşkaft-ê Mār Ĩūḥannā اشكه فتێ مار ئېوحه نا 63 UC 002/C 002 Āşkaft-ê Bĩārĩā اشكه فتێ بياريا 65 UC 003/C 003 Āşkaft-ê Sarūkānĩ Şrmn اشكه فتێ سروكاني شرمن 69 Caves of Gūndk 73 UC 004/C 005 Āşkaft-ê Āmbūsk اشكه فتێ امبوسك 75 UC 005/C 006 Āşkaft-ê Mār ʻAwdīšōʻ اشكه فتێ مار عوديشوع 81 UC 006/C 004 Āşkaft-ê Gūndk اشكه فتێ گوندك 87 Between Xrds village and Ākrê town 108 Caves of Xrds 109 UC 007/C 007 Āşkaft-ê Māzn اشكه فتێ مازن 111 UC 008/C 008 Āşkaft-ê Kçk-ê كچكێ 113 Caves of Rās al-ʻAĩn 115 UC 010/C 010 No name ناوى نيه 8 UC 011/C 011 No name ناوى نيه 121 UC 012/C 012 No name ناوى نيه 123 UC 013/C 013 No name ناوى نيه 127 Cave of Xerpe 129 UC 014/C 014 No name ناوى نيه 131 Caves of Ākrê 133 UC 015/C 015 No name ناوى نيه 139 UC 016/C 016 No name ناوى نيه 139 UC 018/C 018 No name ناوى نيه 143 UC 019/C 019 No name ناوى نيه 145 Caves of Bāşql Āḡā 147 UC 020/C 026 No name ناوى نيه 149 UC 022/C 025 No name ناوى نيه 155 UC 023/C 024 No name ناوى نيه 157 UC 024/C 023 No name ناوى نيه 161 UC 025/C 022 No name ناوى نيه 165 UC 026/C 020 No name ناوى نيه 167 UC 027/C 021 No name ناوى نيه 171 UC 028/C 029 No name ناوى نيه 175 UC 030/C 031 No name ناوى نيه 179 Caves of Bāşql Rāūnd 185 UC 031/C 028 No name ناوى نيه 187 UC 032/C 032 No name ناوى نيه 191 UC 033/C 035 No name ناوى نيه 195 UC 038/C 038 No name ناوى نيه 197 UC 040/C 040 No name ناوى نيه 201 UC 041/C 041 No name ناوى نيه 203 UC 042/C 042 No name ناوى نيه 207 UC 043/C 043 No name ناوى نيه 211 Caves of Cūnā West 215 UC 044/C 056 No name ناوى نيه 217 UC 045/C 053 No name ناوى نيه 223 UC 046/C 054 No name ناوى نيه 227 UC 047/C 055 No name ناوى نيه 229 UC 048/C 052 No name ناوى نيه 233 UC 049/C 046 No name ناوى نيه 237 UC 050/C 047 No name ناوى نيه 239 UC 051/C 044 No name ناوى نيه 243 UC 052/C 045 No name ناوى نيه 249 UC 053/C 048 No name ناوى نيه 251 UC 054/C 049 No name ناوى نيه 257 UC 055/C 050 No name ناوى نيه 261 UC 056/C 051 No name ناوى نيه 267 Caves of Cūnā East 273 UC 057/C 057 No name ناوى نيه 275 UC 058/C 058 No name ناوى نيه 279 UC 059/C 059 No name ناوى نيه 285 UC 060/C 064 No name ناوى نيه 287 UC 061/C 063 No name ناوى نيه 291 UC 062/C 060 No name ناوى نيه 295 UC 063/C 061 Āşkaft-ê Baraka اشكە فتێ به ره كه 297 UC 064/C 062 No name ناوى نيه 301 Ākrê Region: Prt Range 304 Between Zntā and Bêxmê Passes 306 Caves of Zntā 307 UC 065/C 069 No name ناوى نيه 309 UC 066/C 077 No name ناوى نيه 319 Caves of Xānagê 323 UC 068/C 068 No name ناوى نيه 325 UC 069/C 066 No name ناوى نيه 329 Caves of Bcêl 335 UC 072/C 071 No name ناوى نيه 337 UC 073/C 072 No name ناوى نيه 341 Caves of Būsêl 347 UC 074/C 074 No name ناوى نيه 349 UC 076/C 073 No name ناوى نيه 353 Cave of Kalātĩ 355 UC 078/C 078 No name ناوى نيه 357 Caves of Nêrūa 361 UC 079/C 090 No name ناوى نيه 363 UC 082/C 087 No name ناوى نيه 365 UC 083/C 086 No name ناوى نيه 369 Caves of Bĩê 373 UC 085/C 082 No name ناوى نيه 375 UC 087/C 084 No name ناوى نيه 379 UC 088/C 079 No name ناوى نيه 381 UC 089/C 080 Āşkaft-ê Ḥācĩā اشكه فتێ حاخيا 385 Harĩr and Şaqlāūa Regions 390 Map of Harĩr and Şaqlāūa Regions 391 Satellite imagery of Harĩr and Şaqlāūa Regions 393 Harĩr Region: Pĩrāt Mountains 396 Between Bêxmê and Spĩlĩk Passes 398 Caves of Āşkafta 399 UC 091/C 093 Āşkaft-ê Raşkĩn ئاشكه فتؽ ره شكين 401 UC 092/C 092 Āşkaft-ê Āv-ê ئاشكفه تؽ ئاوؽ 405 UC 093/C 108 Āşkaft-ê Haşārok ئاشكفه تؽ هه شارۆك 409 UC 094/C 091 Āşkaft-ê Mārān ئاشكه فتؽ ماران 415 Harĩr Region: Harĩr Massif 420 Between Spĩlĩk Pass and Xānzād-ĩ Sorān village 422 Caves of Gūḻak 423 UC 095/C 095 Āşkaft-ê Mām Sĩ ئاشكه فتؽ مام سي 425 UC 096/C 094 Āşkaft-ê Āū-ê ئاشكه فتؽ ئاوؽ 427 Cave of Xānzād-ĩ Sorān 431 UC 097/C 096 Āşkaft-ê Xānzād ئاشكه فتؽ خانزاد 433 Şaqlāūa Region: Qala Qāsm Range 446 Between Baraka and Āspĩndāra villages 422 Caves of Baraka 449 UC 098/C 104 Gal-ĩ Āşkafta II گه لي ئاشكه فته ٢ 451 UC 099/C 103 Gal-ĩ Āşkafta I گه لي ئاشكه فته ١ 455 UC 100/C 100 Āşkaft-ê Pĩr-ĩ Bĩbĩ ئاشكه فتؽ پيري بيبي 457 UC 101/C 101 No name ناوى نيه 459 UC 102/C 102 No name ناوى نيه 461 Caves of Kaūartĩān 463 UC 103/C 098 Āşkaft-ê Gārān ئاشكه فتێ گاران 465 UC 104/C 097 No name ناوى نيه 467 UC 105/C 099 No name ناوى نيه 471 Caves of Āspĩndāra 473 UC 106/C 105 No name ناوى نيه 475 UC 107/C 106 No name ناوى نيه 477 Şaqlāūa Region: Safĩn Massif 480 Between Pūngĩna village and Şaqlāūa 482 Cave of Pūngĩna 483 UC 108/C 107 No name ناوى نيه 485 Caves of Şaqlāūa 487 UC 109/C 109 Āşkaft-ê Raban Būĩa ئاشكه فتێ ره به ن بويه 489 UC 110/C 110 No name ناوى نيه 493 Conclusions 497 Indexes 500 Rules of transliteration 501 Transliteration table 502 Glossary 503 Geographical names 504 Names of villages and towns 508 List of caves 516 Concordance of field and UC numbers 517 List of maps and aerial imagery 518 List of caves not visited 520 The Upper Greater Zab Archaeological Reconnaissance (UGZAR) project carried out an archaeological survey in the Iraqi Kurdistan on an area over 3,000 km2 big, located on both banks of the Greater Zab River, to the north and north-west of Erbil. During six field seasons, conducted in 2012-2017, the Polish team from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań documented there 313 archaeological sites, 110 caves and 78 other heritage monuments (churches, monasteries, mosques, castles, mills, tombs and cemeteries, etc.), as well as four rock reliefs (three in Gūndk and one in Batas). During the fieldwork, nearly 20,000 artefacts dating from the Late Neolithic (Hassuna culture) to the modern period (early 20th century) were collected and documented. Working in an area located only 40 km south of the famous Şaneder/Shanidar cave, it was natural to devote much attention to sites of this type and traces of potential prehistoric occupation which might have been preserved there. As a result, 110 caves of various size were documented during the 2015, 2016 and 2017 field seasons. The volume presents 91 of these, omitting a group of rock shelters with no sediments preserved inside. Plans, descriptions and photographs of each cave are accompanied by information on finds collected inside and on the talus below its entrance (if present). Moreover, a presence of speleothems in the caves was noted, as a potential basis for the analysis of climatic proxies. While most of the documented caves yielded traces of modern and pre-modern use, only some of the collected pottery and rock artefacts may point to their earlier occupation