Author name:
خليل جبار موله السوداني
Supervisor name:
بدر نعمة عكاش البدران | جينفر رينيه بورونيل
Abstract:
edimentology and dating studies were carried out for four archaeological sites, located in Hareer area. These sites are located in the southern part of Mesopotamian plain, north Basrah Governorate between two streams : Al - Mashab and Al - Sallal. The sites were visited four times in between 2013 and 2014. During three visits, 80 samples were collected, 20 Samples from each sample point were selected, individual site. At any sample point, specimens were taken at 0.25 m depth interval up to 5 m total depth. These samples were analyzed to determine grain size, fossils and their environments, sediments ages, minerals contents, carbonate content and organic material percentage. The last site visit was dedicated to a geophysical survey. Ground Penetrating Radar data of 783 m of total length was performed to prove archaeological structure existence.Grain size analysis showed three types of sediments : silt, mud, and sandy silt. These sediments were deposited by low - energy conditions. They can be classified as poorly sorted, platy kurtic and very platy kurtic to meso kurtic and course skewed to symmetrical skewed. Fossils assemblages suggest three biofacies : first B1, a marsh to fluvial environment was found in sites 1, 2, 3 and 4 at depth; from surface to about 1 - 1.5m. Second B2, a shallow/ upper estuarine, brackish marsh environment, was found in sites 1, 2, 3 and 4 at depth; 1.5m to about 3 - 3.5m. Third B3, a lower estuarine to marine environment was found in sites 1, 2, 3 and 4 at depth 3.5 - 5m. The existence of Elphidum excavatum, Ammonia beccarii, and Cyprideis torosa, could indicate that the environment was estuarine influenced by marine water. Out of 80 samples, only eight specimens were analyzed by C14 method to delineate the sediments ages. These ages were - 6638 to - 6456 cal CE in depth 4.8m; - 4717 to - 4546 cal CE in depth 4.25m; 1385 to - 1146 cal CE in depth 1.25m; - 385 to - 196 cal CE in depth 0.6m and 69 - 245 cal CE in depth 1m; 568 - 665 cal CE in depth 1,1m; 1167 - 1276cal CE in depth 0.25m; 1296 - 1415 cal CE in depth 0.5m which fall in Ubaid 0 - Neolithic; Ubaid 2; Kassite; Parthian - Sassanian; Sassanian; Seljuk - Abbasid - Mamluk/Mongol; Abbasid respectively.Mineral content analysis showed that calcite, quartz, dolomite and feldspar are the dominant bulk minerals. Their percentages graded from high to low. Calcite was the highest percentage (48%) and Feldspar was the lowest percentage (5%). Clay minerals assemblages analysis indicate that Kaolinite, illite, chlorite, montmorillionite, palygorskite, and mixed - layer of montmorillionite - chlorite, palygorskite - illite are presented in the four sites. The percentages of carbonate content in the sediments of sites 1,2,3, and 4 were 10.31% - 24.04% , 8.61% - 22.32% , 10.31% - 29.11% , and 8.58% - 25.56%, respectively; while the percentage of total organic carbon in the sites were 1.27% - 8.33% , 1.48% - 7.89% , 4.53% - 7% , and 1.86% - 5.70%.The GPR data at Tell 1 showed good evidences for archaeological features, that may represent buried archaeological walls of about 60 cm width. However, no archeological remains showed evidence at tell 2 that may be due to incorrect profile setting or bad layer dielectric contrasts. In both tells, scattered hyperbolas features were
