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Hatra

الحضر

Iraq · Nineveh

Ancient cityUnknownUNESCO · 1985
Approximate period100 BCE — 241 CEParthian period from approximately the 1st century BC; Sasanian conquest in the 3rd century AD See on the map ↓

In brief

Hatra is a city in northern Mesopotamia known for its walls and monumental sanctuary. Excavations of houses have provided evidence of daily life, weaving and household production alongside the temples.

What was found?

  • 1Temples of the great sanctuary

    The temples at the center of the city are notable for their tall, vaulted iwans with open fronts. They combine Hellenistic and Roman architecture with eastern decorative traditions.

  • 2Wall paintings with hunting scenes

    The paintings decorating a large room in Building A depict hunting scenes. They provide insight into the interior decoration of a wealthy residence.

  • 3Young god carrying a standard

    It is among the statues found on the altar in the courtyard of Building A. It provides tangible evidence of religious practices within the residence.

  • 4Winged victory figures

    Two winged victory figures found in the same courtyard share a tradition of representation also seen in the central sanctuary. They show the connection between the visual worlds of the residence and the temples.

  • 5Loom weights

    The weights found in the northern section of Building A document weaving. Together with small ovens and grinding stones, they reveal production activities within the household.

What does it point to?

Religious life in Hatra extended into the courtyards of wealthy residences. The architecture and statues indicate the combination of different cultural traditions, while the weaving tools suggest that these imposing buildings also accommodated everyday production.

What did it teach us?

  1. It showed that worship, food preparation, and weaving could take place together in residences.
  2. It documented the combined use of iwans and Hellenistic and Roman elements in temple architecture.
  3. The assemblage of finds from Building A contributed to dating the city's final settlement phases.

Images

Hatra-71339
Multi-National Corps Iraq Public Affairs · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Local Arab kingdom connected to the Parthian world
First modern dig
1951
Team / historical
Torino Üniversitesi İtalyan Arkeoloji Misyonu; Roberta Venco Ricciardi
Coordinates
35.5881°, 42.7183°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. centroscavitorino.it

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