Recent excavations at Shakhi Kora in Iraqi Kurdistan have uncovered dozens of clay bowls dating back to the 4th millennium BC, shedding light on the origins and decline of early governmental structures. The research, which has been ongoing since 2019, suggests a connection to Uruk, one of the world's earliest cities, located in present-day southern Iraq.
Archaeologists previously identified monumental precincts and thousands of clay tablets at Uruk, marking it as a significant urban center. The newly discovered bowls, found within ancient institutional buildings at Shakhi Kora, resemble those unearthed at Uruk and other contemporary sites.
According to a study published in the journal Antiquity, these bowls were likely used for communal meals, possibly serving hearty meat stews to workers associated with the institutions. Analysis of animal bones and residues supports this theory.
Additionally, certain deposits suggest parts of the site may have had ritualistic purposes. The findings imply that early governing institutions may have formed partly due to their capacity to provide communal meals, potentially as compensation for labor.
Evidence also indicates that these governing structures were abandoned without signs of violent overthrow or environmental stress, suggesting a societal rejection of centralized governance. Claudia Glatz, co-author of the study from the University of Glasgow, noted, 'Our excavations at Shakhi Kora provide a unique, new regional window into the development, and ultimately the rejection, of some of the earliest experiments with centralized, and perhaps state-like, organization.'
This research challenges the notion that hierarchical governance was an inevitable progression in early societies, highlighting that local communities could resist centralized power.