Khafajah

The oldest remains of the city of Tutub found at Khafajah (or Khafadje) can be dated back to the Jemdet Nasr and Early Dynastic Periods. In the written records, however, little is known of the city before the Akkadian Period, when it seems to have been an important administrative center, governed by an ensi or priest-governor. During the Ur III period, the city was part of the rule of the city of Ur, as most of its environs. Later, Tutub fell in the hands of the rulers of Eshnunna during the Isin-Larsa Period, under whose control it remained, with an interval of local rulers until the city was (re)conquered by Warassa of Eshnunna during the Old Babylonian period. It seems that after this event the settlement came to an end.

The site of Khafajah was excavated in the 1930’s for seven successive seasons. The staff of first five seasons came from the Oriental institute of Chicago. The activities in Khafajah were part of a larger project, called the Iraq Expedition, led by Henri Frankfort, which also conducted research in the sites of Tell Asmar and Khorsabad. The Khafajah team was supervised successively by Dr. Preusser and P. Delougaz. The last two seasons were conducted by a joint team of the American schools of Oriental Research and the University of Pennsylvania.

Tablets: The excavations in Khafajah revealed two tablet collections. In Mound A, a group of Old Akkadian tablets was found, and hundred and twelve Old Babylonian tablets in the Larsa-Sin Temple. This second find provided valuable information about Tutub and its relation with its surroundings. The tablets can be considered to have been part of an archive, as they are related to each other regarding subject and persons mentioned. In many cases, these are functionaries of the Larsa-Sin Temple; the archive thus probably was an official archive. The contents further reveal the dominant economic role of the temple, which functioned as a creditor in the person of the enum priest. The numerous loan contracts point to a relatively poor population within Tutub. When the debts could not be paid, people would be sold as slaves. Moreover, as the archive contains contracts from other localities, it suggests that Tutub was an important administrative center. Finally, the archive provides information about the history of Tutub, especially from the domination period by Eshnunna to its (re)conquest by Warassa of Eshnunna.

Seals: Numerous seals were found in Khafajah, in two formats: stamp seals and cylindrical seals. The former are simpler in design, use and information provided. Usually, they would have the shape of animals. The latter were more complex: they involved more workmanship and often feature fine decorative motifs. Both were used as signature, containing textual or visual elements that could be linked to a specific person or institution. In this way, property could be claimed through impressing the stamp in wet clay.

Votive plaques make up a substantial part of the findings. These plaques have a hole in the center, through which they were stuck in a wall with the help of a pin. Usually, they are divided in several registers, and represent feasting scenes or processions. One of the found plaques is different: it has no hole, and the scene represented covers the entire surface. On the left, a god, probably Nergal, is depicted stabbing a demonic figure on the right. The latter, whose face is shown in a frontal way, has one eye (cyclops), and rays emanate from his head. This kind of mytholohical scenery is relatively rare in the given context.

The statues found in Khafajah, dating from the Early Dynastic period, are stylistically quite similar, despite varying formats and figures represented. It are adult males and females, portraited in a static, usually standing, position. Their traits are universalized. Two bronze figures found also show the same position and aesthetics, with the notable difference of the male wearing no skirt. Besides giving an idea of what the inhabitants of Tutub probably looked like, the statues are interesting because of the detailed treatment of physical aspects, such as muscles or bones. This distinguishes them from statues found in surrounding cities, such as Tell Asmar.

As in many Mesopotamian sites, large quantities of pottery were excavated, allowing for the dating of areas of Khafajah. A highlight in this respect is a painted jar, typical of a type of pottery called Scarlet Ware, which developed around 2800 BC in the Diyala region. This jar was for a large part reconstructed from fragments. The scenes, painted in red and black, include a feast with music, a chariot being pulled by donkeys, and animals. They are organized in registers, separated by the typical red coloured bands. Another find is a clay vessel in the shape of a duck dating from the Jemdet Nasr Period, showing the same interest in fauna as source of inspiration for design as the stamp seals.

Since the excavations of Tutub in Khafajah ninety years ago, our knowledge of Mesopotamia has changed, as well as archaeology as an academic field. Some of the conclusions reached then might be up to reconsideration based on new insights into the Ancient Near East based on posterior excavations. However, it seems that the approach used by the team of Pinhas Delougaz has been quite modern regarding their interest in secular and private buildings. The houses excavated in Khafajah have provided the field with valuable information sources about the life of the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia, as well as early interpretations and conclusions by Delougaz. The study of domestic life, one of the latest interests in archaeology, might well benefit from the extensive writings about (the excavations in) Tutub as well as the evidence collected there. 

The artefacts found in Khafajah have been dispersed over the globe, with the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, the Oriental Institute of Chicago and the British museum as notable possessors. They testify of the cultural richness and wealth of the ancient city of Tutub, as well as its contributions to the narrative of the Ancient Near East. Based on the excavations, Tutub appears to have been deeply embedded in the Mesopotamian culture of the Early Dynastic period as we know it nowadays, with the temple functioning as an important economic and social institution, close-knit neighborhoods wherein the dead were buried under the houses, substantial defensive structures needed by the recurring conflicts between the cities, and a characteristic art that continues to fascinate.