Severe drought in northern Iraq has uncovered a remarkable archaeological discovery, as receding water levels at the Mosul Dam reservoir have revealed around 40 tombs dating back more than 2,300 years to the Hellenistic era, 24NewsHD TV reported on Sunday.
The tombs were found in the Khanke region of Duhok province, along the edge of the Mosul Dam reservoir.
Archaeologists believe the burials belong to the Hellenistic-Seleucid period, roughly between 330 and 150 BCE, only a few centuries after the conquests of Alexander the Great.
Prolonged drought has caused the dam's water level to drop to its lowest point since it was built in the 1980s, revealing archaeological sites that have been submerged for decades.
Droughts in recent years have revealed other ancient sites and artifacts in the same area, including the remains of a 3,400-year-old Bronze Age city in 2022.
The Duhok Directorate of Antiquities is leading the excavation work to study and preserve the tombs before the water levels rise again.
In May 2025, a German archaeological team working at the ancient Assyrian capital of Ashur uncovered graves and skeletal remains from several historical layers, including the Parthian, Hellenistic-Seleucid, and Assyrian periods.
Modern mass graves: The unearthing of mass graves from crimes committed during the Saddam Hussein regime in the late 20th century and more recently by ISIS continues to be a major effort in Iraq, though these are much more recent.