In pictures: Two archaeological sites discovered in Iraq, one of which is 8,000 years old

An Iraqi-Italian excavation team uncovered two archaeological sites, one of which is 8,000 years old and dates back to the Neolithic era, in a step that the team considered important towards reconstructing the history of the development of human societies in the region.
Bex Privacne, Director of the Department of Antiquities in Dohuk Governorate, explained that the two sites were discovered in the Asinkaran and Kanisban areas in the Nafkor Plain, east of the governorate, which is located in northern Iraq.
The first forms of pottery production accompanied by grain processing were found in the first region, dating back more than 8,000 years.

Two 7,000-year-old buildings

Brevacne added: Two exceptional buildings dating back about 7,000 years were uncovered, one of which is called the “Rectangular Building,” which is made of clay bricks, and the other is called the “White Building.”

He continued: The two buildings were built on a high hill, because they represented the headquarters of the social elite at that time.
He said that traces were found at the second site indicating the beginnings of agricultural specialization and craft production, and that this site represents a settlement dating back to the Neolithic Age in the seventh millennium BC.
He pointed out that these discoveries were part of the excavation campaign within a joint project between the Department of Antiquities in Dohuk and the Italian University of Udine.