

Iraq is filled with archaeological treasures. Image Credit: US Navy

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an ancient city that dates back to Neolithic times.

The discovery was made in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in a valley on the banks of the Zab River. What is left of the city once known as Idu is now part of a mound that rises up approximately 32ft from the ground and on which the village of Satu Qala now sits.Idu is believed to have thrived between 3,300 and 2,900 years ago under control of the Assyrian Empire. Having later gained its independence for 140 years following a decline, the city was eventually conquered for a second time by the Assyrians.A country rich in archaeological treasures, Iraq has proven somewhat inaccessible to researchers in recent years due to conflicts in the region. This is slowly starting to change, but it is likely that a significant number of potential discoveries will be missed because it is either too difficult or too dangerous to spend enough time studying sites of interest."Very few archaeological excavations had been conducted in Iraqi Kurdistan before 2008," said archaeologist Cinzia Pappi.