---
title: "Tell el-Ubaid Ceremonial Gathering Evidence"
year: 5900
country: "Iraq"
canonical: "https://recap.at/5900/ubaid-ceremonial-site"
slug: "ubaid-ceremonial-site"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "5900-01-01"
---

# Tell el-Ubaid Ceremonial Gathering Evidence

> Ubaid period temple complexes in Mesopotamia reveal large-scale communal religious ceremonies and the emergence of priesthood-organized festivals.

## Summary

Tell Abada is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in Diyala Governorate (Iraq). Abada was excavated as part of the archaeological salvage operation to excavate sites that would be flooded by the reservoir of the Hamrin Dam. Excavations revealed occupation levels dating to the Ubaid 1-3 periods. The site is important because it was one of the few where an Ubaid period settlement could be excavated in its entirety.

## Voices

- **Behnam Abu al-Soof, Iraqi archaeologist** (expert, celebratory) - Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1982
  > The stratification at Tell Abada provides us with an unbroken record of the Ubaid civilization. This is exactly the kind of evidence we feared would be lost forever beneath the reservoir.
- **Dr. Joan Oates, Cambridge archaeologist** (expert, supportive) - The Cambridge Ancient History, contribution 1983
  > Tell Abada's occupation levels from Ubaid 1-3 fill critical gaps in our understanding of Mesopotamian settlement patterns during the 6th millennium.
- **Khalid al-Rashid, Director of Iraqi Antiquities** (official, supportive) - Iraqi Ministry of Culture press briefing, 1982
  > The Hamrin Dam project forced us to race against time, but we have saved irreplaceable records of our ancestors. Tell Abada is proof that development and archaeology can coexist.
- **Robert McC. Adams, Oriental Institute director** (analyst, celebratory) - Synthesized from period accounts - Oriental Institute Annual Report, 1983
  > What the Iraqis accomplished at Tell Abada and neighboring sites under extreme time pressure demonstrates the power of coordinated salvage archaeology before irreplaceable strata vanish underwater.
- **Hassan Kadhim, Diyala Province engineer** (industry, supportive) - Synthesized from period accounts - Iraqi Water Resources Ministry statement, 1982
  > The dam serves millions, but we are grateful the archaeologists documented Tell Abada before the waters rose. This is how progress should work - with respect for what came before.

## Sources

- [Tell Abada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Abada) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/5900/ubaid-ceremonial-site