Tell al-Wilayah (also Tell al-Wilaya) is an archaeological site in the Wasit Governorate of eastern Iraq. Due to looting, especially after 2003, this site has suffered severe damage, multiple levels of occupation have been extensively damaged. It is located around 20 km southwest of the modern city of Kut, several kilometers east of Tell Waresh 2, and 6 kilometers southwest of Tulul al-Baqarat. It has been proposed that the tutelary deities of the site were either the god Nergal or a local god Aški, and the goddess Mamma/Mammïtum.

History The site was occupied beginning in the Early Dynastic period extending into the Akkadian and Ur III periods.J. Moon, "The Distribution of Upright-handled Jars and Stemmed Dishes in the ED. Period", Iraq 44, pp. 39–69, 1982 It has been suggested as the location of Kesh, now thought to be at Tulul al-Baqarat. It has also been proposed as the site of Irisaĝrig.Viano, M., "On the Location of Irisaĝrig Once Again", JCS 71, pp. 35–52, 2020Lippolis, C. and M. Viano, "It is indeed a city, it is indeed a city! Who knows its interior? The historical and geographical setting of Tūlūl al-Baqarat. Some preliminary remarks", Mesopotamia, vol. 51, pp. 143–146", 2016 The lost city of Larak has also been proposed. As has Anzagar.Steinkeller, Piotr, "Two Sargonic seals from Urusagrig and the question of Urusagrig’s location", za 112, pp. 1-10, 2022

Archaeology There were two mounds. The main mound Tell al-Wilayah I covered 64 hectares with a height of 5 meters. Tell al-Wilayah II, about 500 meters to the south, covered about 4.5 hectares and rose to about 5 meters above the plain.

Iraqi archaeologists led by Tariq Madhlum worked the site in 1958. A large Akkadian Empire period building was found on the western edge of the mound.Rashid, S. A., "Die Ausgrabungen von Tell al-Wilayah und die Bedeutung ihrer Rollsiegel", Sumer 19, pp. 82-106, 1963 Twenty two degraded whole and partial cuneiform tablets of the Old Akkadian (3) and Ur III periods (19) were found in robber holes, discarded by looters. Also found were two Old Akkadian clay jar sealings, an ivory figurine, terracotta plaques depicting naked females clasping their breasts, and two Ur III bricks, of Shu-Shin and Shulgi.Graff, Sarah B., "Sexuality, Reproduction and Gender in Terracotta Plaques from the Late Third-Early Second Millennia BCE", Critical Approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Art, edited by Brian A. Brown and Marian H. Feldman, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 371-390, 2014Radner, Karen, "Cuneiform inscriptions in the Archaeological Museum of Sulaimaniya", Archiv für Orientforschung, pp. 98-103, 2013 An Early Dynastic palace was found at the extreme northwest corner (Area III) of the main mound, constructed with plano-convex bricks. In the center of the mound (in Area II) a large Akkadian Empire period plano-convex building was found. A late Early Dynastic period date for the building has also been suggested and Ur III period cuneiform tablets were found in a later phase. Matthews, R. and Matthews, W., "A palace for the king of Eres? Evidence from the Early Dynastic City of Abu Salabikh, south Iraq", in Heffron, Y., Stone, A. and Worthington, M. (eds.) At the dawn of history. Ancient Near Eastern studies in honour of J. N. Postgate. Eisenbrauns, Winona Lake, pp. 359–367, 2017 J. N. Postgate, "Inscriptions from Tell al-Wilaya", Sumer, vol. 32, no. 1-2, pp. 77-100, 1976T. A. W. Madhloom, "The excavations at Tell al-Wilaya", Sumer, vol. 16, pp. 62–92, 1960 (in Arabic)Rumaiydh, Salah Salman. "Excavations at Tell Wilaya. Field Campaign June 8th – September 12th, 2001", Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie. ZOrA, vol. 8, pp. 62-89, 2015 In response to major looting, the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage conducted excavations in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2007. Five Old Akkadian cuneiform tablets were found in the first two seasons.Salim Younis Hussein et al., "Report on Excavations at Tell al-Wilaya, Iraq Further Information on the 1999 and 2000 Seasons", Akkadica, vol. 130/1, pp. 3-42 and pp. 113-166, 2009Abather R.Saadoon, "New Cuneiform Texts from Tell Al-Wilaya (ancient Kesh?) Kept in Iraqi museum", Sumer 59, pp. 42-61, 2014 In the 2002 season, directed by Aeid Al-Taei, "over 50 cuneiform tablets, 61 stamp and cylinder seals, bronze weapons, ceramics, and important architectural remains dating primarily to the Early Dynastic and Akkadian periods" were found. Four tablets were lost in the looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.Tell al-Wilayah: the 2002 Iraqi State Board of Antiquities Excavation Season and its Wider Context - Levy-Wite foundation publication project - 2005 More brick inscriptions of Shu-Shin "Šu-Sîn, mighty king, king of Ur, king of the four quarters" and Shulgi "Šulgi, mighty man, king of Ur, king of the four quarters" were also found.Gabbay, Uri, et al., "Bricks with Cuneiform Inscriptions, Probably from Tell al-Wilaya", Akkadica 134.1, pp. 77-82, 2013Saadoon, Abather and Weeden, Mark, "Tablet Fragments from the Iraqi Excavations at Tell al-Wilayah (Fourth Season, 2002)", New Perspectives on the History of Early Mesopotamia: The Region of Irisagrig and Malgum, edited by Manuel Molina and Palmiro Notizia, De Gruyter, pp. 275-312 2026

A number of items illegally excavated from Tell al-Wilayah have appeared on the antiquities market. This likely includes two archives of Ur III merchant texts called the Turam-ilï Archive and the SI.A-a Archive.Van De Mieroop, Marc, "Tūram-Ilī: An Ur III Merchant", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 1–80, 1986Frayne, Douglas, "Unattributed Ur III", Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 393-426, 1997P. Michalowski, "Editorial Preface to the Turam-Ili Tablets", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 54, pp. 25–27, 2002Garfinkle, Steven, "Si.a-a and His Family: the Archive of a 21st Century (BC) Entrepreneur", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie , vol. 93, no. 2, pp. 161-198, 2003Taher, Sarood T. Mohammed, "Texts Relating to the Archive of Turam-ili in the Sulaimaniah Museum", Journal of cuneiform studies 62.1, pp. 25-27, 2010Garfinkle, Steven J., "Turam-ili and the Community of Merchants in the Ur III Period", Journal of Cuneiform Studies 54, pp. 29–48, 2002

See also Cities of the ancient Near East Tulul al-Baqarat

References

Further reading Frayne, Douglas, "On the Home of the SI.A-a Archive", N.A.B.U. no. 7, 1997 Mayr, Rudolf H., "The seals of the Turam-ili archive", Journal of cuneiform studies 54.1, pp. 49-65, 2002 Michalowski, Piotr, "Editorial Preface to the Turam-Ili Tablets", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 54, pp. 25–27, 2002 Van der Westhuizen, J. P., "Once again Turam-Ili: an Ur III merchant?", Journal for Semitics 3.2, pp. 122-128, 1991 Widell, Magnus, "The Ur III Calendar(s) of Tūram-Ilī", Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2003 (2), 2003