Tell Mozan (Urkesh) Satellite Mound
Mozan Satellite · Urkesh Outer Mound · Tell Mozan Satellite
Late Chalcolithic to Mitanni (4000 BCE–1300 BCE)·Late Chalcolithic → Ninevite V → Hurrian Akkadian → Mittani (Hurrian Urkesh)·🇸🇾 Al-Hasakah Governorate, Amuda District, Taurus Piedmont, Upper Khabur, Syria
About
About Tell Mozan (Urkesh) Satellite Mound
Tell Mozan (Urkesh) Satellite Mound is the 6.2-ha southern suburb 800 m south of Tell Mozan — the Hurrian capital Urkesh, city of Kumarbi at the Taurus piedmont. Buccellati's satellite trenches expose Late Chalcolithic pisé, a Hurrian Akkadian royal palace with Akkadian–Hurrian bilingual sealings, and a Mittani lower-town house with Nuzi ware — tracking Hurrian state formation from Ninevite V village (4000 BCE) to Hurrian kingdom (2600 BCE) to Mittani, anchoring Hurrian identity via the Urkesh lion and Kumarbi dynasty.
Why it mattersHurrian Urkesh capital satellite — Hurrian–Mittani kingdom suburb with Akkadian bilingual sealings
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Urkesh as Hurrian or Akkadian founded?
- 02Satellite as palace suburb or artisan quarter?
Theories
- 01Buccellati Hurrian state formation at Urkesh satellite
- 02Urkesh Kumarbi dynasty — Hurrian kingship materialized
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.4000 BCE Late Chalcolithic; Hurrian Urkesh 2700 BCE; Mittani 1500 BCE
- Period
- Late Chalcolithic to Mitanni (4000 BCE–1300 BCE)
- Culture
- Late Chalcolithic → Ninevite V → Hurrian Akkadian → Mittani (Hurrian Urkesh)
- Builders
- Hurrian founders, Akkadian Hurrian kings, Mittani nobility (Urkesh dynasty)
- Purpose
- Satellite mound 800m S of Tell Mozan/Urkesh — outer Hurrian suburb of Urkesh, capital of Hurrian kingdom (Kumarbi city) at Taurus piedmont
- Abandoned
- c.1300 BCE post-Mittani decline
- Rediscovered
- Excavated 1984–present Buccellati & Kelly-Buccellati (UCLA)
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
1984
Buccellati opens Mozan satellite, Hurrian palace sealings found
1998
Akkadian bilingual (Hurrian) palace archive published
2015
Mittani Nuzi ware south satellite house published
On the ground
Structures & features
37.0569° N · 40.9983° E · 450 m · 3 mapped features
Hurrian Royal Palace (Akkadian Bilingual Sealings)
palaceHurrian palace with Akkadian–Hurrian bilingual sealings, 2300 BCE
37.0577° N · 40.9989° EMittani Nuzi Ware House (South)
settlementMittani Nuzi ware lower-town house on satellite, 1500–1300 BCE
37.0562° N · 40.9974° ELate Chalcolithic Pisé Base
settlementLate Chalcolithic pisé houses at satellite base 4000 BCE
37.0580° N · 40.9990° E