SATU QALA, IRAQ—A tell near the Zab River in northern Iraq has yielded traces of an ancient city complete with palaces decorated in glazed bricks. A cuneiform inscription held by a resident from the modern village that rests on the tell revealed that it was known in antiquity as Idu. Under the control of the Assyrian Empire some 3,000 years ago, Idu gained its independence for some 140 years before it was reconquered by the Assyrians and used as an administrative center. “For wide-scale excavations to continue, at least some of these houses will have to be removed. Unfortunately, until a settlement is reached between the villagers and the Kurdistan regional government, further work is currently not possible,” said Cinzia Pappi of Germany’s Universität Leipzig.