Dr. Amir Abdullah AL-Jumaily Professor College of Archaeology, University of Mosul.

Translated by Matti Phillips Khoshaba Al-Bazi

 

Abstract :

This research deals with some of the geographical sites of Erbil and its surrounding mentioned in the cuneiform texts in the 1^st millennium B.C. specifically  of what have reached us of the Assyrian Royal Writings of Annals, Letters and etc., then attempting to shed light on some of them, investigating, and identifying some others with the current local and modern sites that we still have in the region.

Introduction:
The cuneiform texts that we received from the period of the first millennium BC. M. has many of the geographical location of the area of Erbil and its environs repeatedly being mentioned; and perhaps most of our information that we've got came to us through the Assyrian writings (inscriptions) of the Royal Assyrian known Annals ( Chronicles), as well as messages (letters),and trekking route (Itinerary) came to us from two Assyrian kingdom (911-612 BC. )including Sargonide dynasty (704-612 BC.).
This is an attempt  toshed light on those sites while trying to match them with the modern archeological sites and the modern local historical sites as far as possible.

Geographical Locations in Erbil and the Cuneiform References

The follower of those sites for geographical villages and towns that were mentioned in the context of these historical texts will find that most of them are located on the path through the military campaigns waged by and led by the Assyrian Kings in those areas , and those sites have been divided into two sections based on the cuneiform texts themselves and the places of ownership of the Assyrian Kings trying to match the sites with the vicinities of the current city of Arbil. The first topic ( i.e., chapter one) addressed: the surrounding villages and towns in Arbil , which is expressed in the cuneiform text format šá arba `illu : " belongings and affiliates of the area in ​​Arbil, " specifically  and in particular  came in the format of a (( ina SAG arbaila )) which literally means " head of the city of Arbil ;" while the second topic (i.e., chapter two) addressed: the villages and towns in the views and the parts that belong to the city of Erbil.

 

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