Area JP - The Plaza
JP introduction

The Plaza and the Temple Terrace

An image oriented presentation

Giorgio Buccellati – May 2006

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Introduction

The presentation is divided into four parts, which are briefly summarized below.

I have chosen to give the text in written, rather than audio, format, to allow readers to follow at their own pace.

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The monumental urban complex

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     Review the overall arrangement of the structures that frame the Plaza and together constitute one of the largest third millennium urban complexes in Syro-Mesopotamia.

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The revetment wall

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     The Temple Terrace is bounded by a revetment wall some 3 m in height. It provided an arresting sight from the Plaza as one looked up at the Temple.

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The monumental staircase

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     The Temple glacis is accessed through a monumental staircase. Twenty-four steps are flanked a wide stone apron that frames the access and points to the heights where the god's house is found.

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Historical inferences

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     The Temple Terrace is one of the most outstanding, and explicit, monuments of Hurrian culture. We think that the lions of Tish-atal, the earliest known Hurrian text, were the foundation deposit for one of the phases of this great structure.

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