Created by Penn Art History 501

                         Environment


​Gawra lies in northwestern Iraq, east of the Tigris River and near modern-day Mosul. The site is a tell, or a mound created by humans from centuries of living and rebuilding. The tell at Gawra rises prominently from its flat surroundings, measuring 22 meters high and 120 meters in diameter.

The environment of Gawra allowed for agriculture supported by both rainfall and irrigation. There were also abundant pastures in the winter for domesticated herd animals. Gawra is situated along a natural mountain pass, and likely served as a stopping point for travelers bringing exotic goods. 
A view of Tepe Gawra and its surrounding area

  Excavations                               
Gawra's excavation is notable for being one of the only to expose the full extent of its occupation history. It also has the distinction of being the type site for the Chalcolithic period (5500 - 3300 BCE) in Northern Mesopotamia. A type site is a site that acts as the model for a particular archaeological period and culture.

Gawra has a long history of excavations beginning with English archaeologist Sir. Austen Henry Layard in the 1840s. Layard's work was brief and was followed by another short excavation led by Ephraim Avigdor Speiser in 1927. With $500 left from a grant, Speiser excavated a five meter trench, identifying twenty one distinct stratigraphic layers. 
Speiser subsequently led several seasons of excavation at Gawra between 1931 and 1938 in a joint expedition between the ​University of Pennsylvania and the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR). Charles Bache later joined the project and established a new recording system for the finds. Speiser and Bache would trade off as directors throughout the lifetime of the excavation.
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The excavation of Gawra was not without issues, however. The site was divided into five meter squares to facilitate study, but these squares ended up confused and proved troublesome for study. Gawra was excavated in tandem with the nearby Tell Billa, causing further problems. The two digs were so interrelated that it is often difficult to discern their separate archival information. Many of these issues were resolved in 2001 when Mitchell Rothman reinvestigated the records in the Penn Museum archives and clarified Gawra's stratigraphy.

Cultural Context

​Gawra's occupation began around 5000 BCE in what is termed the Neolithic period. This early period consisted of many small settlements dotting the landscape.  By the end of the fourth millennium, the structure of settlement at Gawra had changed. The distinct settlement groups coalesced into centralized administrative centers in the form of city states These new city states controlled the surrounding land and ushered in a new state-level society. Evidence of this transition is found in the archaeological record with the emergence of mud brick structures, monumental architecture, and administrative tools. This development also led to an increase in contact between Gawra and other parts of Asia. Gawra's status as a trade hub for goods like obsidian, lapis lazuli, and copper made the site important throughout its history of occupation.

Artifacts

Plan of Gawra

Picture
Plan of Gawra (Level X), Rothman, 2001 (pp. 44)

Further Reading

Peasnall, Brian and Rothman, Mitchell S. "One of Iraq's Earliest Towns," Expedition Magazine 45.3." Penn Museum: Philadelphia, 2003.
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Rothman, Mitchell S.  Tepe Gawra: The Evolution of a Small, Prehistoric Center in Northern Iraq. University Museum Publications: Philadelphia, 2001.