Forty ancient tombs were unearthed along the Mosul Dam reservoir in northern Iraq due to a drought that lowered water levels in the country’s largest reservoir, reported CBS News.
A team of archaeologists had previously surveyed the area in 2023—working when water levels fell—but could only identify parts of a few tombs. The forty that have now been identified are thought to be more than 2,300 years old from the Hellenistic or Hellenistic-Seleucid period.
Ruins found in the same area, dating back thousands of years, have also revealed themselves in recent years due to five-consecutive years of drought.
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“The droughts have a significant impact on many aspects, like agriculture and electricity. But, for us archaeologists … it allows us to do excavation work,” Bekas Brefkany, the director of antiquities in Duhok and leader of the archaeological work at the site, explained.
Brefkany and his team are currently excavating tombs, which will be transferred to the Duhok Museum before water levels rise and the area is resubmerged. There, at the museum, the finds will undergo further study and preservation.
In 2022, drought conditions also revealed a 3,400-Year-Old sunken city in Iraq’s Tigris River.
This year, in particular, has been one of the driest since 1933, with water reserves reportedly down to eight percent of their full capacity. Along with climate change, upstream dams in Iran and Turkey are also impacting these water conditions.