The Waterscape of Ancient Girsu. The Geomorphology of a City Channel

This chapter presents the first reconstruction of the waterscape of Girsu, southern Mesopotamia, based on remote sensing, geoarchaeological fieldwork, and 14C dating. It demonstrates that a dynamic and complex waterscape existed around this important urban centre of the Lagash city-state, consisting of multiple, shifting channels, which were used and reused at different times. The 14C dates of shell and charcoal samples obtained from the main channels range between 5000–2000 bc. These dates correspond with the main occupational phases at Girsu and with the relative chronology of channel activity deducted from the satellite imagery. Some shell 14C samples predate the associated archaeological evidence, highlighting the impact of the hard-water effect from the Euphrates and/or Tigris Rivers, which is estimated to be 350–1000 years at Girsu. Besides providing the first detailed picture of the waterscape of Girsu, our approach, applicable to tell sites throughout southern Mesopotamia, also offers a geomorphological model explaining channel visibility and preservation.