Settlement Dynamics on the Banks of the Upper Tigris, Iraq: The Mosul Dam Reservoir Survey (1980)

Sconzo, Paola; Simi, Francesca

doi:10.5334/joad.63

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…In the 1980s, a large dam was built along the course of Tigris River (upstream of Mosul) creating an artificial lake basin and submerging ca. 350 km 2 of the region around the Tigris canyon, including hundreds of archaeological sites (Sconzo & Simi, 2020). Observations of declassified Corona aerial photographs helped identify the course of the Tigris River before the construction of the dam.…”

Section: Fluvial Landformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphology of the northwestern Kurdistan Region of Iraq: landscapes of the Zagros Mountains drained by the Tigris and Great Zab Rivers

et al. 2021

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We present the geomorphological map of the northwestern part of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where the landscape expresses the tectonic activity associated with the Arabia-Eurasia convergence and Neogene climate change. These processes influenced the evolution of landforms and fluvial pathways, where major rivers Tigris, Khabur, and Great Zab incise the landscape of Northeastern Mesopotamia Anticlinal ridges and syncline trough compose the Zagros orogen. The development of water and wind gaps, slope, and karsts processes in the highlands and the tilting of fluvial terraces in the flat areas are the main evidence of the relationship between tectonics, climate variations and geomorphological processes. During the Quaternary, especially after the Last Glacial Maximum, fluctuating arid and wet periods also influenced local landforms and fluvial patterns of the area. Finally, the intensified Holocene human occupation and agricultural activities during the passage to more complex societies over time impacted the evolution of the landscape in this part of Mesopotamia.

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Section: Fluvial Landformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphology of the northwestern Kurdistan Region of Iraq: landscapes of the Zagros Mountains drained by the Tigris and Great Zab Rivers

et al. 2021

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“…The Tigris River is less meandering than the Euphrates, and along many of its branches, especially after the Iraq–Turkey border, its course is strongly influenced by the geodynamic setting of the Arabian–Eurasian plate convergence. In modern times, the course of the Tigris River has been constrained in multiple places by human action through the construction of dams, which greatly modified the local landscape and flooded several villages and archaeological sites (ESCWA, 2013; Sconzo & Simi, 2020; Titolo, 2021). At the same time, new artificial basins show non‐homogeneous aspects, which probably follow previous natural constraints, ultimately related to the settings of the ancient course of the Tigris River.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Declassified intelligence satellite imagery as a tool to reconstruct past landforms and surface processes: The submerged riverscape of the Tigris River below the Mosul Dam Lake, Iraq

Forti

Mariani

Brandolini

et al. 2022

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Located along the Tigris River in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Mosul Dam Reservoir is the second biggest dam of the Near East and represents an important water storage for local human activities. The dam was built between 1981 and 1988 north of the village of Eski Mosul, submerging the course of the Tigris River for c. 100 km. The analysis of historical images derived from declassified Corona satellite imagery acquired between December 1967 and August 1968 reveals the pristine pattern of the Tigris River, including the seasonal changes of its riverbed, shifting across the hydrological year from meandering to anastomosing patterns. Geomorphological mapping based on Corona images allowed us to estimate the seasonal modification of fluvial elements such as the floodplain and point, middle and longitudinal bars. The comparison with Landsat data collected since the 1990s showed the first phases of the basin filling and the control on the present‐day aspect of the lake inherited from the setting of the Tigris channel belt and, more in general, the litho‐structural control over the evolution of the local hydrographic network; we also document the influence of the original Tigris River course on its recent insertion into the lake. Our work allowed reconstruction of the ancient fluvial landscape below the Mosul Dam Lake and the evolution of its riverscape controlled by litho‐structural factors and seasonal variations of the river discharge. Finally, this contribution highlights the relevance of declassified intelligence satellite imagery in interpreting natural geomorphic processes and landforms, today altered by human agency.

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Social Lives of Monumental Walls: Hunting along the Upper Tigris

Sconzo

Simi

Ahmadpour

2021

Journal of Field Archaeology

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Settlement Dynamics on the Banks of the Upper Tigris, Iraq: The Mosul Dam Reservoir Survey (1980)

Cited by 5 publications

References 3 publications

Geomorphology of the northwestern Kurdistan Region of Iraq: landscapes of the Zagros Mountains drained by the Tigris and Great Zab Rivers

Geomorphology of the northwestern Kurdistan Region of Iraq: landscapes of the Zagros Mountains drained by the Tigris and Great Zab Rivers

Declassified intelligence satellite imagery as a tool to reconstruct past landforms and surface processes: The submerged riverscape of the Tigris River below the Mosul Dam Lake, Iraq

Social Lives of Monumental Walls: Hunting along the Upper Tigris

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