Regional history and the coin finds from Assur
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- 5 Lesestunden
In July 1914, the excavation of Assur, a significant historical capital, concluded successfully. Following a division of finds, the artifacts were sent to Berlin just before the First World War. Assur serves as a crucial reference for coin discoveries in northern Iraq, offering an independent source for understanding the settlement's history, the Tigris region, and coin circulation from the Achaemenid to the late Ottoman empire after the Assyrian empire's fall in 614 BC. These coins help bridge a gap in Assur's history, particularly in the post-Assyrian period where its name is rarely documented. During the Arsacid period, coin finds reveal the surprising permeability of borders between Roman provinces and Arsacid northeastern Mesopotamia. Following the Sasanian conquest around 240/1, life in Assur seemingly ceased. Over the next 1,600 years, at least three distinct settlement phases emerged, each associated with different names for the city. While the name during the 7th to 8th century remains unknown, it was called al-'Aqr in the 12th and 14th centuries, with more literary references available compared to the previous 1,800 years. The combination of coin finds and textual references provides insight into the political and economic evolution of this "large village." By the 17th and 18th centuries, the coins indicate a renewed settlement under the name Qal'at Shirqat.
