Diyala Project

The Diyala Project preserves and publishes the archaeological record of ISAC’s 1930s excavations in the Diyala region of Iraq, northeast of Baghdad. These excavations at Tell Agrab, Tell Asmar, Ishchali, and Khafaje uncovered temples, palaces, houses, workshops, texts, and thousands of objects dating from ca. 3200–1800 BCE, a crucial period in the emergence of urban life, writing, and early states in Mesopotamia. The project’s records remain foundational for the chronology and interpretation of early Mesopotamian history.

Through the Diyala Archaeological Database, the project brings together published and unpublished excavation documentation, including object records, photographs, plans, field notes, catalogues, and archival materials. By reconnecting artifacts with their archaeological contexts, the project allows researchers to revisit older exca