Choga Mami

Choga Mami was a Samarran settlement site in Diyala in Eastern Iraq in the Mandali region. It shows the first canal irrigation in operation around 6000 BC. The site, about 70 miles northeast of Baghdad, has been dated to the late 6th millennium BC. It was occupied in several phases from the Samarran culture through the Ubaid. Buildings were rectangular and built of mud brick, including a guard tower at the settlement's entrance. Irrigation supported livestock (cattle, sheep and goats) and arable (wheat, barley and flax) agriculture. One important aspect of the site therefore is the evidence that it yields for chronological relationships between North and South Mesopotamian cultures, at least in the area of Mandali, and for connections with Iran. The introduction of irrigation, new types of grain, foreign ceramic styles and domestic cattle are all located in the Choga Mami phase, a late manifestation of the Samarran Period in lowland Mesopotamia. This chronological identification thus also suggests the source of these innovations: migration from the lowlands. Artifacts found at Choga Mami include Samarran painted pottery and elaborate clay female figurines.

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).