Choga Mami

A settlement site of the Samarra culture in southeast Iraq with radiocarbon dates of the late 6th millennium BC. There are several occupation phases from the Samarran to the Ubaid culture. Cattle, sheep, and goats were raised and wheat, barley, and flax cultivated with the aid of irrigation. The site has buildings of mud-brick; houses were rectangular and had ranges of rooms, in two or three rows. A mud-brick tower guarded the entrance to the settlement. Artifacts include Samarran painted pottery and elaborate female figurines of clay.

A settlement site of the Samarra culture near Mandali in southeast Iraq. The site which has radiocarbon dates of the late 6th millennium be, has several occupation phases spanning the transition from the Samarran to the Ubaid culture. The subsistence economy of Choga Mami was based on mixed farming, involving the rearing of cattle, sheep and goats and the cultivation of wheat, barley and flax. These crops were cultivated with the help of irrigation, for which unequivocal evidence survives in the form of a series of ditches on the edge of the settlement. The site covers c3500 square metres and contains buildings of mud-brick with external buttresses; houses were rectangular and consisted of ranges of rooms, in two or three rows. A mud-brick tower guarded the entrance to the settlement. Artefacts from the site include the typical Samarran painted pottery and elaborate female figurines of clay.