Wow, cool

I guess 3400 years ago either the water level of the Tigris River was much lower, or the path of the river was very different, because look what drought in the region has uncovered as the water level fell:

Ancient 3,400-year-old palace discovered after drought reveals ruins

A team of German and Kurdish archaeologists reports that, in fall 2018, receding waters in the Mosul Dam reservoir unexpectedly revealed the remains in the ancient city, Kemune.

The Bronze Age palace was revealed on the eastern bank of the Tigris river in Iraq’s Duhok province. … The ruins of the palace, which in ancient times stood on a terrace overlooking the Tigris Valley, are preserved to a height of about 23 feet. The site was once part of the ancient Mittani empire, which encompassed much of modern-day Iraq and Syria from the 15th century to the 14th century BC.

Pretty snazzy find.

Experts are eager to gain new insight into the Mittani Empire by studying 10 tablets with Cuneiform writing that were discovered in the palace. One of the tablets indicates that Kemune was likely the ancient city of Zakhiku, which means that it may have existed for 400 years.

This reminds me of the lost Mayan cities discovered in Guatemala. Wasn’t that just last year? Remarkable that we’re still tripping over lost cities and palaces after all this time. Or perhaps not. Palaces beneath the Tigris . . . Mayan cities beneath the green ocean of the jungle . . . pretty hard to spot, either way.