Paesaggi e capitali imperiali della Mesopotamia preclassica: ricognizioni di superficie nell’Iraq centro-meridionale e gli scavi di Ninive e Dur-Kurigalzu

Between 2016 and 2024 the University of Bologna, in collaboration with the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, has carried out a series of large-scale archaeological projects in Iraq. Conceived to address severe threats to the region’s cultural heritage − including looting, large hydraulic infrastructures and urban encroachment − the QADIS project undertook an extensive surface survey in the districts of Afak and Bdayr, identifying 120 previously unknown sites and documenting in detail settlements, canal networks and cycles of urbanization from the fourth millennium BC to modern times. Subsequent surveys were conducted in Abu Ghraib and southern Samarra. The investigation integrates fieldwork, remote sensing, geoarchaeology and palaeochannel analysis with machine-learning algorithms for the automatic detection of sites. In parallel, excavation and conservation projects are under way at two major imperial capitals, Nineveh and Aqar Quf/ Dur-Kurigalzu, leading to the discovery of new monumental structures, city gates, administrative buildings and cuneiform libraries. These activities, combined with training programmes and community outreach, aim both to advance knowledge of the landscapes and institutions of the earliest Mesopotamian cities and to contribute to the protection and enhancement of Iraq’s endangered archaeological heritage.