Defenses in the cities of Iraq
Natural defenses:
There is no doubt that the choice of a settlement site is linked to many interrelated factors, foremost among which is the validity of the climatic and natural conditions surrounding the site and its suitability for housing, as its proximity provides the basic essentials such as potable water, natural plants, arable land and grazing, when life depended on hunting, grazing and agriculture. Primitive. After the civil developments that followed the emergence of cities and city life, many other factors emerged that are no less important than the previous ones. They played their role in selecting and determining the sites of cities, calling for the taking of fortified and security sites with tight natural defenses.
Among the oldest examples of exploiting the geographical location and adopting it as a means of protecting settlements is the site of the village of Nimrik, which dates back to the end of the ninth millennium BC. The settler is located at the southern edge of the high mountains, specifically between the Tigris River Valley in the west and the foothills of the mountains to the east. In this region, the Tigris Valley, with its branches, crosses the region, forming, through the ages, a number of river terraces and terraces. The village of Numrik is located on the balcony of the second Tigris River.
Among the settlements that are characterized by a good choice of their location, and located south of the alluvial plain, is the site of Eridu (from the fifth millennium BC). The settler is located in a low-lying plain area in which water always collects, forming marshes and large swamps.
Continuous alluvial and sandy deposits that occurred as a result of flooding of rivers and as a result of the movement of sand dunes in the area, and with the passage of time the Eridu area rose, and its elevated location became immune from the danger of drowning at high water levels, in addition to that it became naturally protected and almost isolated from the rest of the settlements spread around
As for the Babylonian capital, Durkurikalzo (Aqarquf), its location had important defensive advantages that had a great impact even on determining the shape and capacity of the city, as it occupied a longitudinal area of land.
As this city is located north of the alluvial plain in a narrow plain area, then the direction of the Tigris River turns from its course south-southwest to the southeast, and the course of the Euphrates River from the south-southeast side turns slightly to the south, thus the course of the Euphrates approaches the course of the Tigris significantly, forming What looks like a bottleneck. The city is located a little to the north, over a cliff. Thus, the city was surrounded by streams from most of its sides.
Among the other cities that are distinguished by their naturally tight location, we mention the city of Assyria, which is located at the mouth of the Umm al-Shababit valley in the Tigris River on the right bank of the river south of Mosul near the southern end of Mount Makhoul.
The site of the city is a plain tongue consisting of sandy rocks surrounded on the east and almost straight by the Tigris river, while from the north the city is bordered by a wide water channel that was originally the ancient course of the Tigris River, in addition to the presence of steep rocky heights that formed a high dam.
On the west side, there is a rocky plateau that formed a rugged natural obstacle in front of the city. As for the south of the city, it borders Rawabi, which is of low rise, but it is characterized by its steepness and rugged paths.
Trenches:
Trenches were taken in ancient Iraq as one of the most important defenses that were frequent in use since the early Neolithic period (from the ninth or eighth millennium to the middle of the sixth millennium BC). The settler trench of Tell al-Sawan (sixth millennium BC) is the oldest example of trenches discovered so far. The trench surrounds the wall of the settler from the outside and has been dug to a depth of approximately 3 m. Its cross-section shape is approximately 2.5 m wide from the top, and from the bottom, it has a width of about 50 cm.
Among the examples of trenches from the Kuttabi era (the fourth millennium BC) is the trench surrounding Tell al-Kubba, surrounding the site on all sides in an almost circular pattern, its depth is approximately 2 m and its cross-section forms a letter (U), and its width is approximately (3.5-4 m).
Among the examples of trenches surrounding the cities of Assyria is the city of Assyria, which surrounds the city on its western and southwestern sides, while its eastern side is surrounded by the Tigris River and one of its branches extends to surround the northern side of the city. The trench was dug in rocky ground and is distinguished by its length and breadth of size.
Its depth reached about 20 m in the northern division, while the depth of its southern section reached approximately (8-15 m). The width of its base was approximately 11 m.
Fences:
The importance of the walls in fortifying settlements and strengthening their defenses and fortifications was known since the sixth millennium BC. The wall of Tal Al-Sawan village is the oldest model of the walls in ancient Iraq, and it surrounds the central area of the settlement.
This wall is built of mud and extends in a rectangular shape with its corners towards the four sides. Three ribs were found. The thickness of the body of the fence is about 60 cm, and the remainder of its height is about one meter. As for its remaining length, it reaches (138 m) for all the visible ribs. On the inner side of the wall are distributed a number of pillars (sorties) that were mostly built to strengthen the body of the wall. The wall has three entrances.
The wall of the city of Warka is one of the oldest examples of city walls in the era of the dawn of the dynasties (2800 - 2370 BC). And more elaborate than the outer wall. The wall has a solid foundation of mud, above which the body of the wall, whose thickness ranges from 4 to 5 m, interspersed with its façade, is rectangular in shape.
As for the outer wall, it is located approximately ten meters from the inner wall, its thickness is about (3 m), and the wall has two entrances, one from the north and the other south.
From the era of the third dynasty of Ur (2112 - 2004 BC), one of the best examples of the walls of this period is the city wall of Ur (the capital). This wall was built at the time of the founder of the dynasty, Urnmo (2112-2095 BC). The wall consists of two parts, the first is the base of the wall, which is built of mud and is about 15 m thick, and the rest is about 8-10 m high.
The lower sections of the base were constructed with a width greater than its upper parts, as its sides slope gradually back slightly as the building rises to the top. As for the second section on top of the base, it appears from the very few parts that remain of it that the base of the wall was topped by a wall constructed with pay, part of which bore the seal of King Urnmo. And because of the demolition of most of this brick wall, all the features indicating the design of the wall, its construction pattern, and the shape of its façade, have disappeared, as well as the features of the gates and their places in the city wall.