Observing and safeguarding archaeology in Uruk-Warka Uruk-Warka,
situated c. 300 km south of Baghdad, is one of the oldest
metropolises of the ancient world. It was inhabited from c. 4000
BC to c. 400 AD and is known as the city where writing was
invented. It is the home of one of the world’s oldest epics, the
Epic of Gilgamesh, and is also the place where early state
formation and administration were developed. The cultural site
itself is enormous: by 3000 BC the city had already spread over
5.5 km². Excavations by German missions started at the site in
1912. The German Archaeological Institute has been involved in
on-going research, although field work has recently had to
cease. To date, it is estimated that only 5% of the enormous
city has been analysed. In 2001, a scientific project was
launched to collect information that could provide better
knowledge of the whole structure of the city. With the help of a
geophysical survey, precious insights into structures buried
under mud hills became possible. Cross