WARNING

ACCESS TO THE FOLLOWING FILE IS RESTRICTED TO FOUNDATION ARCHIVISTS.

Item #: SCP-4015
Level 4/4015

Object Class: Eparch1
Archival

Special Containment Procedures: Archaeological data regarding SCP-4015 is to be suppressed from the public and all digs at SCP-4015 sites are to be performed under the guise of non-anomalous archaeological research. A disinformation campaign is to ensure that mainstream historical works do not include any information regarding SCP-4015. Various provisional Foundation sites have been established near active SCP-4015 dig sites.

Due to its connection with anomalous objects, personnel are to closely monitor SCP-4015 ruins for any signs of anomalous activity.

Access to knowledge regarding SCP-4015 is restricted to high ranking personnel and Foundation archivists. Due to the nature of SCP-4015, access to knowledge regarding the object has been deemed unnecessary for individuals that are not directly connected with its research or containment process.

Local governments have been informed of SCP-4015's existence and are cooperating with the Foundation to streamline research and ensure adequate containment.

Description: SCP-4015 refers to the ruins of an ancient civilization dating from the late Bronze Age to the mid-twelfth century BCE. Its territory roughly corresponds to modern day northern Saudi Arabia, southern Iraq, southern Syria, and western Jordan. It appears that the society was highly militant and exerted significant political, military, and economic influence on its neighbors in Mesopotamia and the Levant.

SCP-4015 has been found to be culturally consistent with the contemporary nomadic Arabian tribes that existed along its borders, however it was noticeably influenced culturally by the urban civilizations to its north in the Greater Levant. Linguistically, SCP-4015 seems to have used Babylonian language in its writings in order to better communicate with its neighboring states2.

Notably, SCP-4015 lacks any evidence of state level religion, with only a small number of personal religious items being recovered from its archaeological sites. Literate individuals in SCP-4015, along with other civilizations in the Levant were known to only refer to the civilization as "The Keepers" however in some cases foreign cultures were known to refer to SCP-4015 as "The Heretics."

SCP-4015, for the most part, lacked the urbanization associated with other Bronze Age political entities at this time. However, in spite of its sparse population, it was a highly unified and organized society. SCP-4015 was a literate society which possessed knowledge of mathematics3, physics, chemistry, and medicine far beyond its contemporary neighbors. Moreover, translations of preserved documents suggests that SCP-4015 was ruled by a single continuous ruling council for the duration of its history.

Based on records kept by the ruling council, SCP-4015 seems to have possessed a long-term goal of limiting the influence of anomalies in its sphere of influence. In order to accomplish this, SCP-4015 developed an extensive network of fortresses and sites which were designed to contain anomalies recovered by the population of SCP-4015.

Records of SCP-4015 created by neighboring civilizations characterize the culture as a warlike and heretical one. They are recorded to have looted temples, killed priests, and stolen religious artifacts. Many writers of this time also express disdain for the influence of SCP-4015, citing that its incredibly powerful military and raiding tactics forced the most powerful kingdoms in the region to cooperate with them. It should be noted that all religious items acquired through SCP-4015's military activities were anomalous in nature and were not treated in a religious manner by the authorities of SCP-4015.

SCP-4015 also possessed technology beyond the scope of all other Bronze Age civilizations. Among these are its settlements, which were confined to small fortresses never exceeding a few thousand citizens. They were extremely sustainable and efficient, however, having been built for long term habitation. Its military technology was also on par with later Iron Age kingdoms rather than its contemporaries. This likely is why it was able to defeat every military opponent it faced.

SCP-4015's distinctive pattern of settlement shows that each settlement was organized around the containment of certain anomalies, most of which were taken from neighboring kingdoms and tribes. This also yields further evidence towards the highly centralized nature of SCP-4015.

Below is a Document recovered from Site-1/4015 detailing the containment of what was considered an extremely dangerous anomaly by SCP-4015's rulers. It should be noted that the translation of this document is unclear at points.

"Bull of Heaven"

Recovered from Uruk

Highly Unstable [translation unclear]

The beast is to be sealed 3 [units?] underground such that it cannot open a hole to the outside, a fortress must protect the entrance to its prison. It is to have each of its legs bound by iron chains and a rope is to be tied to its tail such that its tail is always being pulled. A strong metal mask is to be put on the creature to diminish its destructive gales. The gate to its chamber must be guarded by more than a dozen soldiers at all times, if it must be killed, a single guard is to use the sword recovered from Uruk to cut its back.

Two cisterns have been dug so as to flood the Bull's chamber should efforts to stop it fail. Ideally this should drown the creature, however based on past experiences, the bull will return to life several days after drowning.

To prevent it from taking the lives of its guards, the walls of the chamber are plated with lead, the floor is covered in gold. Numerous pots have been filled with an acidic substance, filled with a bronze cylinder, and an iron rod. This creates energy that can be transferred through the gold floor and will interfere with the spiritual powers of the beast. It is important to replace these pots frequently, as they are admittedly inefficient.

The Legendary Bull of Heaven was taken from Uruk after its king refused to give up on his heathen ways. By taking the beast we have saved the world from years of famine.

The beast can breathe with such great force that it creates large holes in the ground, the [unknown, possibly "shock wave"] is lethal, indeed no mortal army can stand before this creature.

The being is associated with death among the Sumerians. It seems that once a day, the beast can "will" death upon nearby humans, killing them instantly. It seems that whatever phenomenon the being uses to carry the [Force?] is mitigated by heavy metals like lead. It has been found that the magnetic phenomenon that creates [Shock?] can interfere further with this power.

Only the sword that belonged to the mighty Gilgamesh can cut its skin, therefore it must be used to slay the beast should its mighty prison fail to hold it.

The site believed to correspond with this document was recovered along with the skeleton of a massive bovine creature with a sword made from an unknown metal lodged in the entity's back.

The site4 also served as the first hard evidence of direct SCP-4015 involvement in containing anomalies, since then over ███ ancient containment sites have been recovered.

Site-1/4015

It appears that the Capital of SCP-4015 was a city-like settlement located at the heart of its proper territory which has been designated as Site-1/4015. Along with a large residential area, the majority of the site was dedicated to a massive administrative complex that oversaw the activities of all other SCP-4015 sites. This complex also possessed a massive library that served as the source for the majority of SCP-4015 literature. Of note are thirteen especially large fortified houses that likely served as a residence for the rulers of SCP-4015. The houses are clustered around a large gathering space that likely served as the capital building of the government. Additionally, a large palace-like structure of unknown function is present at the site.

The following document details the initial findings and thoughts regarding an excavation performed under Doctor Hertz which yielded evidence suggesting that SCP-4015 and Site-1/4015 were likely destroyed by an anomaly whose abilities exceeded their ability to contain it. It is likely that nearby kingdoms took advantage of this anomaly, believing that it would allow them to be freed of what they believed was religious oppression at the hands of SCP-4015.

Metal artifact composed from SCP-████, origin of the material is unknown.

Excavation Of Site-4015/1

Performed By Foundation Archaeological Division 3 Under Doctor Hertz

Location: Site-1/4015, Saudi Arabia

Date: 2/4/19██

Findings: When we initially excavated the site we found an extremely advanced settlement that, in numerous ways, had well surpassed its contemporaries.

Its water management system was incredibly advanced, it was able to store and distribute large amounts of potable water to the population of the site through a series of underground pipes and cisterns. The sewer system leads to a large series of hydraulic works that is unparalleled in the Bronze Age Middle East. Chemical analysis of the system shows that it might have actually been an attempt at sewage treatment by the population of SCP-4015 in and attempt to conserve, and possibly reuse water.

It also maintained what we dubbed "vertical farms." Presumably using a complex array of mirrors to reflect sunlight, they created multi story compact buildings for agricultural purposes. We even find evidence for a primitive attempt at hydroponics. This is likely an attempt at circumnavigating the lack of arable land surrounding the site.

Another example of the advanced technology present at the site was its near industrial production of weaponry. We find forges clustered together into factory-like structures. These structures have what has been dubbed an "assembly room" which is a large space with unusual equipment that presumably was used for the production of various sorts of weaponry on the site. Notably a few metal "cannon balls" were found that were made of an unknown anomalous element, similar in structure to SCP-████5.

Whats unusual about the site other than being another display of the impressive technological capabilities of SCP-4015 was its destruction. Hume analysis allows us to conclude that there was an unusual spike in anomalous activity around the Bronze Age Collapse. However there are no sites in the ancient middle east that show evidence of being destroyed via an extra-normal event. Site-1/4015 is the first site to provide us evidence for anomalous damage.

While the site is actually quite intact, its clear that most of the site's inhabitants were killed. To properly visualize and understand the destruction of Site-1/4015 we must start outside of the site itself.

Several kilometers outside of the site we find an ancient blast crater with trace amounts of SCP-████ indicating that they used their primitive explosive weapons for defense of the site. While we do not know what its target was, we do know that it failed to kill it. In fact, only a small stockpile of SCP-████ was recovered from Site-1/4015. Based on this it was clearly scarce and rarely used, indicating that the military SCP-4015 had likely exhausted nearly all other options for its defense.

Based on weapon findings, we can conclude that a large battle took place a few hundred meters outside of the settlements walls in the same direction as the blast crater. Interestingly we find that there are an incredibly small number of corpses from the army that opposed SCP-4015. On the other hand the army of SCP-4015 saw vast casualties, yet only a few of them were from traumatic injuries caused by metal weapons. Some skeletons have charred portions, with some parts of the remains appearing to have been vaporized. The vast majority of remains however, show no signs of injury, indeed there is no evidence for anything that could have killed them.

There were not just two opposing armies present, rather we find that the army that engaged SCP-4015 was carrying weapons and armor from all over the Levant. This was a coalition. We find Assyrians, Akkadians, even Amorites fighting side by side. We also found Egyptian chariots and Scythian short swords. We find individuals in Akkadian armor with weapons made from a reddish variety of bronze that we traced all the way to China, and genetic testing shows that these same individuals were originally from Crete. Amazingly, the vulnerability of SCP-4015 was enough to unite several major warring states in the Middle East, moreover, across the world. On nearly every non-SCP-4015 corpse we find a charm dedicated to Nergal. Based on this, its likely that the kingdoms in contact with SCP-4015 finally found a way to relinquish themselves of their supposedly heretical influence.

Some possible evidence that might suggest the nature of whatever allowed them to usurp SCP-4015 is a piece of rubble from the walls of Site-1/4015 with the word "Nergal6" written in Sumerian. The only reason that the inscription might be evidence for the existence of "Nergal" is the fact that corpses of the people inside Site-1/4015 show no signs of violence. Indeed the corpses of nearly every individual present at the site were in excellent health. As one of our researchers put it "It's as if they simply dropped dead."

We also find that the walls of Site-1/4015 suffered damage from high explosives, with heat damage and vitrification at parts leading some to suggest the use of high powered lasers to damage the walls.

From this evidence, we conclude that the battle that destroyed Site-1/4015 was not merely a case of political violence, but likely "divine retribution" as the people of the Levant saw it. After countless years of depriving various civilizations of their anomalous religious artifacts, it seems that someone came into possession of an anomaly that could overcome the historically unbeatable forces of SCP-4015, ending their rule in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, it is clear why SCP-4015 was so hated: their method of containment often meant looting, ransacking, and destroying of sacred places. This doubtlessly earned them the unconditional hatred of their neighbors.

The following document is an excerpt from a series of tablets recovered from the library at Site-1/4015. It is thought that the primary motivation for the containment of anomalies was a philosophical one.

The leaders of SCP-4015 seem to have believed that many anomalies, especially humanoid ones, acted in a way that forced humanity to appease them for their own safety. In this sense, SCP-4015 viewed themselves as "liberators" from the influence of anomalies.

"Purpose"

Our mission never changes, it never has, it never will.

For countless years mankind has tried in vain to worship and appease the fiends that they call gods. Indeed, these beings do not intend on helping a single human, they feed on them, they grow fat from our labor. This cannot be allowed.

That is why we exist, these strange apparitions have continued to bend the laws of our world, and they have only grown in numbers and power for the last century. We will not make the mistakes of our peers, instead we will use these flaws in the divine tapestry to understand it. We will fully comprehend all of nature, all of these flaws, and we will protect the world from them. So that everyone, farmer and king alike, can rest under the illusion that the sun shall rise again tomorrow.

The above document was the earliest evidence of the presumed ideological nature of SCP-4015.

As detailed above, Site-1/4015 along with the rest of SCP-4015 was destroyed suddenly during the Bronze Age Collapse. During this period Foundation archaeologists have concluded that a rapid upsurge in anomalous activity occurred across the Middle East. The latest known documents from SCP-4015 come from this period. The most important of which seems to have been written by a high ranking official who appears to have established control over SCP-4015 after the dissolution of the ruling council in its final years.

Based on the content of the following document it is believed that the author is anomalous in some capacity. Like many other SCP-4015 documents, the translation of some words is not entirely clear.

"Leader"

We have failed. More importantly however, I have failed.

I believed that I could guide these lowly tribesmen to become a mighty force. One that could oversee and fight the tyranny of these gods and demons that infest the world. However, every time we expel evils from one city, they return in a new form. We stole countless prophets, gods, and divine creatures from Uruk alone, yet we never broke their faith in these [Abominations?].

Every item we stole was another item to seal away. Just as everyone foresaw from the beginning, our collection would eventually grow too large to manage. When one of these demons finally escaped its prison, others would follow, and we would fail to ensnare them again.

At last the prophecy came true. Countless horrors, long sealed away, emerged again. At this moment, we knew that we were doomed. Our great works have been razed to the ground, annihilated forever.

Alas these fiends have already begun to turn on the faithful people of this world, soon it seems all of civilization shall be destroyed.

Unfortunately, my adversaries would not have undertaken such actions against us had I not been so controlling. Indeed, I waged destructive wars against these demonic powers. It was foolish of me to expect that they would not see our plight as an opportunity to crush their oppressors.

Perhaps it is indeed possible to stop these forces through cooperation, rather than ruthlessness. Perhaps I should have tried to convince worshipers of the parasitic nature of their gods.

Knowing this, I refuse to give up. This is merely a lesson to be learned. Victory will be mine, no matter how long I must struggle for it.

As the [Leader?] I will always be vigilant in my mission, I will start over and succeed no matter how many tries it will take.

My mission never changes, it never has, it never will

Secure, Contain, Protect

Footnotes

1. "Eparch" is an esoteric class denoting an object classed as an SCP for its anomalous circumstances or relationships rather than for having anomalous effects.

2. At this time Babylonian was essentially used as the "Lingua Franca" in the Middle East

3. Study of their mathematical texts suggests that SCP-4015 had built a mathematical framework for quantum mechanics through its study of anomalies.

4. Now designated Site-18/4015

5. Anomaly in question was an unidentified metal. Based on testing, its atomic number is unknown. When kinetic force in excess of 1000 joules is applied it can rapidly undergo a highly destructive nuclear reaction.

6. Nergal was the Sumerian god of death.