ABSTRACT

On the left bank of the Tigris in northern Iraq, in an area today partially flooded by the Mosul Dam reservoir, lies an enigmatic monumental enclosure known in the literature as the “Tigris Wall.” Before its partial submersion under the waters of the modern lake, the large L-shaped embankment, about 4 × 4 km long, enclosed an area of ca. 1600 ha, overlooking the Tigris and its alluvial plain. By means of a holistic strategy that includes different levels of analysis (remote sensing, pedestrian and UAV photogrammetric surveys, excavation, and settlement pattern analysis), this paper addresses the structure, its context, and its environment. Relying on the results of this multi-disciplinary approach, we present an updated and detailed discussion of the structure’s possible functions and interpretations. Parallels from northern Mesopotamia and neighboring regions are used to suggest that the Tigris Wall may be the first archaeologically known hunting park in the region, probably dating to the Late Sasanian or Early Islamic epoch.

摘要

在伊拉克北部底格里斯河的左岸，今天被摩苏尔大坝水库部分淹没的地区，是一个神秘的巨大围墙，在文献中被称为“底格里斯围墙”。在它被部分淹没在现代湖水之下之前，大的L形路堤长约4×4 km，围成一圈。1600公顷，俯瞰底格里斯河及其冲积平原。通过一种包括不同分析级别的整体策略（遥感，行人和无人机摄影测量，挖掘和沉降模式分析），本文研究了结构，环境和环境。依靠这种多学科方法的结果，我们对结构的可能功能和解释进行了更新和详细的讨论。