Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace
Tell Brak · Nagar
Uruk (3800–3200 BCE) temple; city 4200 BCE·Northern Uruk / Ninevite 5·🇸🇾 Hasakah Governorate, Upper Mesopotamia, Syria
About
About Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace
Tell Brak excavated by Mallowan 1930s and Oates 1976–, Eye Temple with thousands of Eye Idols, proto-Zagros trade centre. Recorded context — Period: Uruk (3800–3200 BCE) temple; city 4200 BCE; Culture: Northern Uruk / Ninevite 5; Field status: excavated; Materials: mudbrick, alabaster, eye idols; Condition: ruins — damaged 2010s.
Why it mattersKey Northern Uruk / Ninevite 5 tell with stratified sequence and regional typology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing
Theories
- 01Defensive stronghold
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3800 BCE Eye Temple; tell from 4200 BCE
- Period
- Uruk (3800–3200 BCE) temple; city 4200 BCE
- Culture
- Northern Uruk / Ninevite 5
- Purpose
- Proto-urban temple platform covered with votive Eye Idols — earliest urban cult centre of north Mesopotamia
- Rediscovered
- Modern excavation 1886
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 800 CE major extension
Major expansion / refurbishment at Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace
1950 excavation
Modern rediscovery and scientific excavation of Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace
On the ground
Structures & features
36.6670° N · 41.0500° E · 350 m · 3 mapped features
- Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace — Principal Palacepalacepalace at Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace — primary structure36.6681° N · 41.0492° E
- Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace — Northern Templetempletemple at Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace — primary structure36.6661° N · 41.0517° E
- Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace — Gate Annex 3gategate at Tell Brak — Eye Temple Terrace — hydraulic feature36.6669° N · 41.0501° E
Gallery