Cybernetica Mesopotamica

A Balzan Foundation Research Project

III. The goals

“Mesopotamica”: the Sites domain

Giorgio Buccellati – December 2022

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The Sites domain

We are concentrating on a number of specific websites, or “digital books,” from the excavations at Urkesh. These we aim to complete during the three year tenure of the project. Several other digital books remain to be done, and we expect that the know-how gained in the course of the project will allow us to complete them in future years.

The Python rewrite of the early programs, and especially the new MID program, is making it easier to process data and to write new display pages, so progress on the many projects listed below will be greatly facilitated.

The four major groups of digital books are as follows.

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(1) Sitewide

We have a number of digital books that have already been started or are in an advanced stage, and need to be completed:


In addition, we will work on seven new websites:

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(2) Excavation units in the Palace area

Closed digital books:

  • A16: The courtyard of the Tupkish Palace. – The digital book for unit A16 was effectively closed in 2006, though it was posted as such, i.e., as version 1, only in 2014. The current version 2 is very close to completion.


The following are open books on which work is currently being done and which are relatively close to completion:

  • J. L. Walker, A9: service courtyard north of the service quarter AK
  • J. L. Walker, A14: sacral area
  • J. L. Walker, A15: reception area
  • L. Crescioli, A20: eastern sector


The following are open books on which work is currently being done and which are in the early stages:

  • A. Ahmad and L. Crescioli, A6: the kitchen area of the service quarter AK
  • M. Stancavage, A12: the necromantic shaft (ābi)


The following are books which are the next ones to be worked on:

  • A7: the (presumed) entrance to the service quarter
  • A10: the kitchen area of the service quarter AK
  • A11: the service rooms of the courtyard
  • AP: the Palace area as a whole

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(3) Excavation units in the Temple plaza area

The following are open books which are largely completed and need only minor adjustments:

  • L. Crescioli, J1: the central portion of the revetment wall
  • L. Crescioli, J2: the monumental access area
  • J. L. Walker, J3: the LC3 levels
  • J. L. Walker, J5: the NW Mittani period access area


The following is an open book on which work is currently being done and is in the early stages:

  • Y. Mahmoud, J4: the Western end of the Plaza


The following are books which are the next ones to be worked on:

  • J7: the Eastern edge of the Plaza
  • JP: the Eastern edge of the Plaza

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(4) Other excavation units

The following is an open book which is completed but needs formatting adjustments:

  • J. L. Walker, OH2: the field of Saleh al-Abrash


The following in currently in the early stages:

  • M. De Pietri, S6: a path from the Temple to the Palace areas

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Sorted by author’s last name

  • A. Ahmad and L. Crescioli, A6: the kitchen area of the service quarter AK
  • G. Buccellati, Conservation
  • G. Buccellati, Grammar
  • G. Buccellati, Mozan sitewide
  • S. Comelli, Metal artifacts
  • L. Crescioli, A20: eastern sector
  • L. Crescioli, J1: the central portion of the revetment wall
  • L. Crescioli, J2: the monumental access area
  • M. De Pietri (ed.): R. Hauser, Animal figurines
  • M. De Pietri, S6: a path from he temple to the Palace areas
  • B. Forni, Python program documentation
  • M. Kelly-Buccellati, Ceramics
  • M. Kelly-Buccellati, Glyptics
  • A. Kharobi, Physical anthropology
  • Y. Mahmoud, Human figurines
  • Y. Mahmoud, J4: the Western end of the Plaza
  • M. Stancavage, A12: the necromantic shaft (abi)
  • J. L. Walker, A9: service courtyard north of the service quarter AK
  • J. L. Walker, A14: sacral area
  • J. L. Walker, A15: reception area
  • J. L. Walker, J3: the LC3 levels
  • J. L. Walker, J5: the NW Mittani period access area
  • J. L. Walker, OH2: the field of Saleh al-Abrash

  • A7: the (presumed) entrance to the service quarter
  • A10: the kitchen area of the service quarter AK
  • A11: the service rooms of the courtyard
  • AP: the Palace area as a whole
  • J7: the Eastern edge of the Plaza

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