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Reconstruction and Dating of palaeochannels in the Mesopotamian floodplain By Jaafar Jotheri Supervised by Mark Allen and Tony Wilkinson Earth Sciences Department Archaeology Departments [email protected] or [email protected]
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Page 1: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Reconstruction and Dating of palaeochannels in the Mesopotamian floodplain

By

Jaafar Jotheri Supervised by

Mark Allen and Tony Wilkinson Earth Sciences Department Archaeology Departments

[email protected] or [email protected]

Page 2: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Location of the Mesopotamian floodplain

Page 4: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Palaeochannels

Modern channels

Using SRTM elevation data to trace palaeochannels

Page 5: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Using DigitalGlobe satellite images to trace palaeochannels

Page 6: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Using CORONA 1960 satellite images to trace palaeochannels

CORONA 1960 Landsat 2002

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Samawah Samawah

Babylon Babylon

Using historical maps to determine changes of watercourse

Ottoman Empire map 1500 Landsat 2000

Kufa

Kufa

Marsh

es

Page 8: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Results of Identification of palaeochannels by satellite images

Modern channels

Palaeochannels

Page 9: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Groundtruthing of identified palaeochannels

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Groundtruthing of identified palaeochannels

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Typical cross section over palaeochannels belts

Ending of avulsion samples

Starting of avulsion samples

Bed before avulsion

River levees medium sand

River channel course sand

River floodplain mud

Landfill soil

River belt fine sand

A B

A

B

Page 13: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Collecting organic materials for radiocarbon dating

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Archaeological site

Archaeological site

Dating palaeochannels according to associated archaeological sites

Page 15: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Najaf

Samarra

Kut

Ur

Parts of the study area

Page 16: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

~ 5000 BP ~ 3000 BP 2000BP ~ 1000 BP

~ 200BP ~ 100BP Present

Modern channels

Palaeochannels

Palaeochannels changes throughout time - Najaf area

Page 17: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Two avulsion styles in Najaf area 2

1

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Analysis sand and clay samples to distinguish between Euphrates palaeochannels and Tigris palaeochannels

XRF test

Palaeochannels

Modern channels

Heavy mineral analysis

Epidote G.

Amphibole G. Clinopyroxene

Grain size analysis

Page 19: Mesopotamia geoarcaheology   jaafar jotheri

Thank you for your attention