Recent results from the Ishan Hâfudh fieldwork (project RuBab Rural Babylonia), situated within the "heartland of cities" coined by Robert McC. Adams (1981) in Southern Iraq, will be presented. First, the current situation of ancient waterways and irrigation systems in such a multilayered landscape will be outlined. The focus will lie the Ishan Hâfudh survey region in Southern Iraq (ca. 170 km to southeast of Baghdad). New insights are gained through remote sensing (modern and historical satellite imagery) and ground truthing (canal sections, sampling).
Most of the current Geo-archaeological research in Mesopotamia is based heavily on 14C dating. This in turn may be influenced to an unknown degree by a hard-water effect (freshwater reservoir effect). Therefore, the presentation will also include the most recent results gained from OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) dating of soil samples. Through this, in combination with archaeological and historical data from the region, a more nuanced picture of the situation within different periods of history can be gained.

First Author: Bernhard Schneider

Co-Authors: Jaafar Jotheri, Ali Al-Gburi

Keywords:
Mesopotamia
Waterways
Irrigation
Landscape
Babylonia
Sumer