Mesopotamian waterscapes: watermills in the ‘Land behind Mosul’

This paper summarises the results of an ongoing research focused on the water-driven grain mills of the hinterland north of Mosul (present Northern Iraqi Kurdistan). This line of research developed in the context of the ‘Land behind Mosul’ programme, within the ‘Land of Nineveh Archaeological Project’ (LoNAP). More specifically, this study concerns a group of watermills located in the wadi Bandawai area. A constructional and occupational sequence is formulated on the basis of the stratigraphy, typological elements and radiocarbon dating of the mortar; this stretches from the 7th-8th centuries until the early 20th century. Data from the archaeological analysis are combined with those derived from the written sources, with an in-depth study of those pertaining long Ottoman period.