Archaeologists have uncovered new evidence about an ancient Mesopotamian landscape, offering fresh insight into the legacy of black slavery during the early Islamic Period.
Across the floodplain of the Shatt al-Arab river near Basra in modern-day southern Iraq, more than 7,000 long earthen ridges stretch across the land - evidence of a once extensive farming system.
Scholars have often suggested the ridges were created by slaves.
It was also believed that the hard work required to erect the ridges and farm the landscape may have provoked the Zanj Rebellion - a slave rebellion in the 9th century CE.
However, until now, there was little scientific evidence to confirm when the ridges were created or how long they were used.
Now an international team of archaeologists has provided the first absolute dates for the construction and use of the ridges in agriculture.
Using a technique called Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating, the team analysed soil samples buried deep within the ridges.
They discovered that the area remained under cultivation between the 9th and 13th centuries.
This indicates that farming in the region persisted long after the slave rebellion had ended, and that the rebellion was not the sole cause of the system’s eventual abandonment.
The exact reason the farming system was eventually deserted remains unclear.
Researchers suggest several possible causes.
This includes the Mongol invasions in the 13th century, outbreaks of plague in the 14th century, and climate change that may have reduced water availability for agriculture.
This study marks the first time a surviving structure connected to Iraq’s black minority population has been scientifically dated.
As such, it represents an important step in recognising and preserving the heritage of marginalised communities in Iraq’s history.
The research team involved archaeologists from Durham, Radboud University in the Netherlands, the universities of al-Qadisiyah and Basra in Iraq, and Newcastle University.
The study has been published in the journal Antiquity.
Main image shows, from left to right, Jaafar Jotheri of Durham University, Nawrast Abdalwahab of Basra University and Ali Al-Gburi of the University of Al-Qadisiyah conducting fieldwork in Iraq.
An aerial view of the Zanj irrigation system in Basra taken during the fieldwork
Archaeologists in the field, from left to right, Jaafar Jotheri of Durham University, Nawrast Abdalwahab of Basra University and Ali Al-Gburi a student at the University of Al-Qadisiyah
