Shibaniba

Tell Billa is an archaeological site in Nineveh Province (Iraq). It is the ancient city of Shibaniba, not far from Assur.

History of archaeological research

After some minor soundings done by Austen Henry Layard around 1850, Tell Billa was excavated between 1930 and 1934 by a team from the University of Pennsylvania and the American Schools of Oriental Research. The excavation was led by Ephraim Avigdor Speiser with Charles Bache.

Tell Billa and its environment

The site consists of a large mound and covers around 30 acres (12 ha).

Occupation history

There is some evidence of occupation as far back as the Early Dynastic period, including some Hurrian presence in the middle second millennium. The majority of excavated material, however, is from the Middle Assyrian and Neo-Assyrian times, including glyptic and epigraphic material.

See also

References

Further reading