Work

The sand deposit underneath the Ishtar Temple in Assur, Iraq: Origin and implications for the foundation of the goddess’s cult and sanctuary

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study presents the first-ever systematic mineralogical investigation of sands from an archaeological context in Iraq, establishing a methodological precedent for future geoarchaeological investigations in Mesopotamia and studies of ancient architecture more broadly. The sand derives from a deposit underneath the Ishtar Temple at Assur (Ashur; modern Qal’at Sherqat) on the Tigris River, once the political and religious centre of the Assyrian state. Since the earliest layers of the main Assur Temple are inaccessible, this sanctuary is the oldest temple explored through excavation at the site. Thus, data from its early strata are critical for understanding the city’s earliest history. In 2024, coring within the temple cella by the Assur Excavation Project revealed a thick sand layer beneath its foundations, deliberately placed prior to construction. As no comparable deposits exist locally, the material was sourced explicitly for this purpose. Sand foundations for monumental buildings are known from southern Mesopotamia but are here attested for the first time in the north. Mineralogical analyses show that the Ishtar Temple sand is traceable to the Zagros Mountains, linked to Assur via the Lesser Zab River. Thus, while southern building traditions were adopted, the sand was neither local nor imported from the south but sourced from the eastern mountains. Radiocarbon dating from the floor above the sand yielded a date range of 2896-2702 calBC (95.4 % probability), providing new information for the debate surrounding the temple’s foundation and its role within Mesopotamian cultural history. These results significantly inform debates on the origins of Ishtar’s cult at Assur.

Source: Journal of Archaeological Science Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105574

Authors: Mark Altaweel, Andrea Squitieri, Eileen Eckmeier, Eduardo Garzanti, Karen Radner

Institutions: University College London, University of Padua, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, University of Milano-Bicocca, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Language: English

Topic: Ancient Near East History

Subfield: Archeology

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,910

Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft