At the Dawn of Complexity: Investigating the Late Chalcolithic Period at Gird-I Matrab (Iraqi Kurdistan)

This paper presents the preliminary results of the exploration of the Late Chalcolithic (LC) occupation at Gird-I Matrab, a multi-mounded settlement on the Erbil Plain whose long, uninterrupted sequence offers a rare window onto emerging socioeconomic complexity in northern Mesopotamia. Drawing upon recent excavations and careful artifact analysis, this article reconstructs a settlement trajectory spanning the late LC 1–LC 3 periods and evaluates Matrab’s position within a wider regional cultural framework. Excavations on Mound 1 have revealed a sequence of substantial residential and production complexes comprising dedicated spaces for storage, craft production, pottery manufacture, and food processing, while the presence of clay sealings and seal impressions indicates household-level administrative practices. The ceramic assemblage demonstrates strong continuity with Erbil Plain sequences while also showing clear affinities with Trans-Tigridian and Syrian-Iraqi Jazira LC traditions. These findings collectively situate Matrab as an active participant in the broader networks of exchange, production, and cultural interaction that characterized the late 5th and early 4th millennia b.c.e. in North Mesopotamia.