Susanne Rutishauser & Sebastien Borkowski. Исследовательский проект «Реки Месопотамии».

Susanne Rutishauser & Sebastian Borkowski - Universität Bern, Inst. für Archäologische Wissenschaften THE «RIVERS OF MESOPOTAMIA» RESEARCH PROJECT Throughout the millennia, the physical landscape of the Mesopotamian alluvial plain has altered continuously due to ever-shifting rivers and periodic flooding, as well as human endeavors to secure prosperity and meet the economic needs of growing populations in a semi-arid climate. The topography of the alluvial plain still bears witness of the close entanglement of these past natural and anthropogenic processes. Spatial patterns of archaeological sites indicate long-gone watercourses. And the construction of canals, the maintenance of dams, inland navigation routes, etc. are well documented by cuneiform texts from different periods. Over the last six decades, archaeologists, geoscientists, and cuneiformists have contributed pathbreaking studies on the reconstruction of Mesopotamia’s ancient riverscapes. However, there remains an e