This paper presents the methodology, goals and preliminary results of the Tell Gomel Archaeological Survey.
The project has its origins in the wider ‘Land of Nineveh Archaeological Project’ (LoNAP) which has been conducted
since 2012 by the University of Udine in the northern Region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The area examined
by the project is the heart of the Navkur Plain, an alluvial plain that covers the eastern hinterland of the Assyrian
capital of Nineveh. The focus of settlement throughout the entire Navkur Plain was the site of Tell Gomel,
where a preliminary survey documented the existence of a settlement sequence ranging from the Chalcolithic
to the Ottoman period. Due to its large size and position in the centre of the plain, Gomel must have played an
important role in this region, presumably as its political and economic centre. The area around Gomel is also of
great interest because of its position in the heart of the Navkur Plain, a trade route hub from the Late Chalcolithic
onwards, and the main focus of settlement for a much wider region. The project therefore aims to investigate
the archaeological landscapes of this crucial and still unknown area.
