Welcome to the Sebittu Project.
In the Akkadian language, the term sebittu (literally “the seven”) referred astronomically to a cluster of seven stars, the group we now call the Pleiades. My new archaeological project, the Sebittu Project, focuses on the exploration of seven small agrarian settlements dating to the Neo-Assyrian period (c. 900-600 BC, part of the Iron Age) clustered on a flat, dusty plain to the west of modern Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
As you will see in coming posts, these are unlikely and unassuming subjects for archaeological attention, but they hold great promise for providing useful information about the agrarian economy of the Neo-Assyrian empire, and about the everyday life of the Iron Age people who farmed the land and grazed their flocks here some three thousand years ago. Archaeologically, we know little about day-to-day life in the hundreds of small villages, hamlets, and farmsteads that dotted the wide plains in the imperial heartland of ancient Assyria.
My team and I arrive next week and I hope to provide regular updates on our progress. Above is a photo of the Erbil citadel I took last year while on the exploratory visit that led to my selection of our sites. Our dig house is located in Erbil and we will make daily trips out to the field. Erbil is a vibrant, modern city with a long and important past. More on that to come.