In the Mosul Reservoir, which has become shallow due to drought, an ancient city of 3.4 thousand years old has surfaced for the second time in the last three years. After some time, he again went under water, but archaeologists studied the territory, found artifacts and protected the fortress walls from the advancing water.

The Mosul reservoir is located on the Tigris River in northern Iraq. Scientists suggest that under it are the ruins of the ancient city of Zahiku, one of the centers of the Mitanni state. It is mentioned in the annals, but without specifying a specific location. Presumably, Zahiku was destroyed by an earthquake around 1350 BC.

First of all, archaeologists made a map of the city. A palace had already been applied to it – it was discovered during the last ascent.

Now several more large buildings have appeared on the map: a fortress wall with towers, an industrial complex and a multi-storey warehouse. Dozens of different goods from Egypt and neighboring regions were found in it.

It is possible that trade routes crossed in Zahika at the crossing of the Tigris. Control over it could lead the city to prosperity – merchants, warriors, and travelers had to cross the full-flowing river.

The mud-brick walls of the buildings are well preserved, given that they were flooded about 40 years ago.

Of the interesting artifacts, five ceramic vessels with hundreds of cuneiform tablets were found in Zahiku. They were dated to the XIV-XI centuries BC. Experts are already busy deciphering.

When the water began to rise, the archaeologists covered the surveyed buildings with plastic sheeting. It fits snugly against the ruins of the walls and should keep the unbaked clay from moisture. Today, Zahiku is completely flooded again.

It is believed that the most perfect artistic Scythian things are the works of Greek jewelers commissioned by the Scythians, taking into account the spiritual needs of the latter.

The Scythian sword decorated with a golden handle was found only during the control cleaning of the catacomb, which seemed to have been plundered the day before. A golden pendant in the shape of a goddess’s head was found in the last clods of earth at the exit from the mound. Vitaliy Otroshchenko, who at one time was a participant in the excavations of the Kerch, Kakhovka and Zaporozhye expeditions, spoke about the details of his archaeological activities in the 70s and the secrets of the Scythian gold in an interview with Suspіlny.

One of the versions says that the aforementioned decoration depicts Demeter, there are holes for fixing behind the tiny decoration. Therefore, jewelers assume that the golden goddess is part of a necklace or breastplate. Found in one of the Great Belozersky mounds of the Zaporozhye region, dates back to the 4th century BC. e.

“The necklace, most likely, was taken by the robbers, and this head fell out. It is believed that the most perfect artistic Scythian things are the works of Greek jewelers commissioned by the Scythians, taking into account the spiritual needs of the latter,” Otroshchenko reveals the details of one of the finds.

Another interesting specimen is a blue-and-gold decoration for a horse with a hunting scene typical of the Scythians depicted on it. It comes from a mound near the village of Gyunovka. The decoration dates from about the 3rd-4th centuries BC. This conclusion was made by analyzing the style of performance – openwork. This is how it was common in the region at that time.

In the Soviet period, the combination of blue and yellow did not suit museum workers from an ideological point of view, so the substrate was made black. However, today, during its reconstruction, they returned to the authentic color.

Photo: A niche with dishes for wine, an archaeologist is clearing a mound near Velikaya Znamenka / from the archive of Vitaly Otroshchenko