Researchers have found dozens of ancient Mesopotamian clay bowls at an archaeological site in northern Iraq. These artifacts offer new insights into the collapse of one of the world’s earliest systems of centralized governance, providing a glimpse into early attempts at organized rule in ancient Mesopotamia.
Experts believe the bowls were used to serve food as payment for labor, shedding light on the rise and fall of early governance structures. This discovery marks an important chapter in understanding the development of human societies.
The site, located at Shakhi Kora in the Kurdish region near Kalar, dates back to around the fifth millennium BC. However, it was later abandoned.
Researchers think this might show that the local people rejected the central authority, although this is uncertain. Following this early government collapse, no similar system of central rule appeared in the area for another 1,500 years.
Claudia Glatz, an archaeologist from the University of Glasgow and leader of the excavations, explained that this site provides important insights.
It shows how early people tried and eventually abandoned centralized governance. Glatz, who has worked on this project since 2019, shared these findings in a study published on December 4th in the journal Antiquity.
Uruk is the earliest phase of Sumerian civilization
Excavations at Shakhi Kora, led by archaeologist Glatz and her team, have uncovered structures that reflect centuries of history. Pottery fragments and other cultural items show a transition in the area.
Early on, the local farming communities followed their own traditions. Later, they adopted practices influenced by the city of Uruk, located over 220 miles to the south in Mesopotamia.
NEW Excavations at a 4th millennium BC settlement in Iraqi Kurdistan uncover evidence for the earliest state institutions, but suggest that they were later abandoned, implying people deliberately rejected centralised forms of government.
A rebellious #AntiquityThread 1/17 🧵 pic.twitter.com/YaCrZNvUiX
— 🅰ntiquity Journal (@AntiquityJ) December 4, 2024
Uruk, which flourished between 4000 and 3100 BC, is considered the earliest phase of Sumerian civilization. Similar shifts have been observed at other ancient Mesopotamian sites. Some experts believe this points to an “Uruk expansion.”
They suggest that Uruk’s innovations, such as urban living, trade networks, and early writing, spread to distant regions through travelers or traders from the city.
Ancient Mesopotamian bowls indicate lack of hierarchical government
Archaeologists at Shakhi Kora discovered a large collection of beveled-rim bowls, a type of pottery believed to have been used for distributing food as payment for labor. This practice points to an early attempt at centralized governance, potentially laying the groundwork for ancient Mesopotamian city-states.
Residue analysis from the bowls suggests they once held meat dishes, such as stews or broths, indicating that sheep and goats were likely raised near the settlement to support this system.
Evidence suggests that workers came to Shakhi Kora to serve larger “institutional households.” One of these buildings featured architectural elements such as pillars and drainage systems, showing influence from southern Mesopotamia.
Despite this organized structure, the site was abandoned during the late fourth millennium BC. Researchers found no signs of war or environmental disaster, leading to the theory that locals rejected centralized governance and returned to farming independently.
“This reaffirms that top-down, hierarchical forms of government were not inevitable in the development of early complex societies,” Glatz said. “Local communities found ways to resist and reject tendencies towards centralized power.”