# Canonical recap data for Tell el-Ubaid Ceremonial Gathering Evidence (5900)
# Source: https://recap.at/5900/ubaid-ceremonial-site
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: ubaid-ceremonial-site
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/5900/ubaid-ceremonial-site"
title: Tell el-Ubaid Ceremonial Gathering Evidence
subtitle: Ubaid period temple complexes in Mesopotamia reveal large-scale communal religious ceremonies and the emergence of priesthood-organized festivals.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 5900-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 5900
decade: 5900
country:
name: Iraq
slug: iraq
summaryShort: 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 impo
summaryLong: 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Sumerian_scene%2C_milking_cows_and_making_dairy_products._From_the_facade_of_the_Temple_of_Ninhursag_at_Tell_al-%27Ubaid%2C_Iraq%2C_2800-2600_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg/1280px-Sumerian_scene%2C_milking_cows_and_making_dairy_products._From_the_facade_of_the_Temple_of_Ninhursag_at_Tell_al-%27Ubaid%2C_Iraq%2C_2800-2600_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) · via Wikipedia
importance: 76
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Abada"
  title: Tell Abada
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- festival
metaDescription: Tell Abada is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in Diyala Governorate (Iraq). Abada was excavated as part of the archaeological salvage operation to e
wikidataQid: Q56300816
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20250513042639/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Abada"
  capturedAt: 2025-05-13
  label: Tell Abada
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Abada"
taxonomy:
domain: scientific
eventTypes:
- discovery
- research_publication
canonicalClasses:
- discovery
impactRadius: regional
velocity: gradual
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Sumerian_scene%2C_milking_cows_and_making_dairy_products._From_the_facade_of_the_Temple_of_Ninhursag_at_Tell_al-%27Ubaid%2C_Iraq%2C_2800-2600_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg/1280px-Sumerian_scene%2C_milking_cows_and_making_dairy_products._From_the_facade_of_the_Temple_of_Ninhursag_at_Tell_al-%27Ubaid%2C_Iraq%2C_2800-2600_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Sumerian_scene%2C_milking_cows_and_making_dairy_products._From_the_facade_of_the_Temple_of_Ninhursag_at_Tell_al-%27Ubaid%2C_Iraq%2C_2800-2600_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg/800px-Sumerian_scene%2C_milking_cows_and_making_dairy_products._From_the_facade_of_the_Temple_of_Ninhursag_at_Tell_al-%27Ubaid%2C_Iraq%2C_2800-2600_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg"
  caption: Inlay frieze with limestone figures. A Sumerian scene showing milking cows and making dairy products. From the facade of the Temple of Ninhursag at Tell al-'Ubaid, Iraq. Early Dynastic period, 2800-2600 BCE. On display at the Sumerian Gallery of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. TO 303 (excavation numbers). Excavated in 1923.
  credit: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) · via Wikipedia
  width: 5870
  height: 2715
peoplesVoice:
- source: Behnam Abu al-Soof, Iraqi archaeologist
  voiceType: expert
  context: Speaking during the Hamrin Dam salvage excavations in the early 1980s, when Tell el-Ubaid's Ubaid-period occupation was first documented.
  excerpt: 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.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 85
  attribution: Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1982
  publishedAt: 1982-06-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Dr. Joan Oates, Cambridge archaeologist
  voiceType: expert
  context: Commenting on the broader significance of Ubaid-period finds emerging from the Hamrin Dam salvage project.
  excerpt: Tell Abada's occupation levels from Ubaid 1-3 fill critical gaps in our understanding of Mesopotamian settlement patterns during the 6th millennium.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 78
  attribution: The Cambridge Ancient History, contribution 1983
  publishedAt: 1983-03-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Khalid al-Rashid, Director of Iraqi Antiquities
  voiceType: official
  context: Defending the salvage archaeology program to preserve Iraqi cultural heritage amid dam construction in Diyala Province.
  excerpt: 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.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Iraqi Ministry of Culture press briefing, 1982
  publishedAt: 1982-09-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Robert McC. Adams, Oriental Institute director
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Reflecting on the success of international collaboration in the Hamrin Dam archaeological salvage operations.
  excerpt: 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.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Oriental Institute Annual Report, 1983
  publishedAt: 1983-01-30
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Hassan Kadhim, Diyala Province engineer
  voiceType: industry
  context: Acknowledging the balance between the Hamrin Dam's hydroelectric benefits and archaeological preservation efforts during construction.
  excerpt: 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.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 55
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Iraqi Water Resources Ministry statement, 1982
  publishedAt: 1982-11-05
  originalLanguage: en
