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British Museum excavations at Nimrud and Balawat in 1989

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2014

John Curtis ,
Dominique Collon  and
Anthony Green
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Extract

In autumn 1989 a team from the British Museum worked at Nimrud and Balawat, resuming an association of the Museum with these two sites reaching back nearly a century and a half. At Nimrud work was confined to the excavation of a single room in Fort Shalmaneser (T20), while at Balawat a small trench was opened in that part of the mound where Hormuzd Rassam is believed to have found the two sets of Assyrian bronze gates in 1878. Originally it was intended that a report on the work at Nimrud would be held over until it could be presented in final form after the excavation of Room T20 was completed. In view of the present political situation, however, it is uncertain when operations will be able to resume. Therefore, we have decided to publish a report now.

This work would not have been possible without the co-operation and assistance of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq, to whom we owe a considerable debt of gratitude. In particular, we should like to mention Dr. Mu'ayyad Sa'id Damerji, the Director-General, and Sd Manhl Jabr, the Superintendent of the Northern Region. Both did everything in their power to facilitate our work. Our representative from the Directorate was Sd Fadhil Abbas Hamdani, who tolerated with great forbearance our ageing Land Rover and the logistical problems caused by working simultaneously at two sites. At Nimrud we also received help from Sd Muzahim Mahmud, in charge of the excavation and restoration work in the North-West Palace, and the discoverer of the immensely rich tombs of the Assyrian queens, and Sd Abd al-Salaam, the representative attached to the Italian mission also working at Nimrud. Throughout the season we stayed at the Nineveh dig-house in Mosul, commuting daily to Nimrud and Balawat. There, we had the good fortune to share quarters with the Italian team from the University of Turin. As well as good comradeship, we are much indebted to them for help with transport arrangements and for liberally sharing with us the fruits of their excellent cuisine. In particular, we should mention the Director of the Italian mission, Paolo Fiorina, and the field director, Angelo Ghiroldi.

Type
Research Article
Information
IRAQ , Volume 55 , October 1993 , pp. 1 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute for the Study of Iraq 1993

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