Hatra Unveiled: New Insights into Iraq’s Ancient City

The city of Hatra is situated 100 km south of Mosul, Iraq. The original settlement dates from the 5th century b.c.; by the 1st century a.d., Hatra had become a strongly fortified city, located between the Roman and Parthian empires, flourishing in the 2nd century a.d. but destroyed by the Sasanians and deserted in the 3rd century a.d. Over the past two centuries, this ancient city has been increasingly studied, revealing the significance of its historical and architectural heritage. The earliest aerial survey was by O. G. S. Crawford, supported by the Royal Air Force in a.d. 1928, and published in The Geographical Journal; in his article, the author briefly mentions the presence of soilmarks within the so-called sacred enclosure, or tèmenos. The present article presents an in-depth analysis of these previous studies, O. G. S. Crawford’s aerial images, further aerial surveys, and fieldwork investigations conducted in the past and more recently. Building on Crawford’s insights, the authors present an innovative perspective on the city’s development, with particular attention to the formation of the central sacred area.