Unit Book A16

The Courtyard of the Tupkish Palace (Version 2)

A16 Synthetic View / Stratigraphy

Phase 6mAAH within unit A16

Lorenzo Crescioli – May 2012

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Current version

The brickfall was previously assigned to Phase 5cAAC and was attributed according the AAC strata sequence. In June 2016, C. Chaves Yates revised all strata and phase information to match the updated AAH strata sequence. During this review the brickfall was assigned to a separate phase from the other 5cAAC features and the two groups of features have been seperated into Phase 6m-AAH and Phase 6s-AAH. This page is current as of June 2016.

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Overview

Some of these later Khabur structures are identified as burials, other as rooms and other are still uncertain. In between the structures outdoor spaces with pavements and street are found. Their chronological assignment to a later phase is based mainly on the stratigraphic relationship with brickfall a4.

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Burial structures and rooms

In A16 can be identified 8 rooms/structures. 6 were built during this phase and their interpretation is not always easy, because the preservation condition is often bad. Some of them seem to be small houses, and moreover no foundation and very small doorway were found. a1 presents larger dimensions and a stone foundation, so it is probably a room, but unfortunately very eroded. To the East above an higher step other four structures are found. a9 is a burial, a6 is probably a burial too, because freestanding, without foundation small in dimension and with a very small doorway. a3 is a house with a niche and some vessels in situ. a10 is just partially excavated and it look like a tomb for typology, dimensions, doorway. During third construction phase in front of a10 two pisè walls were added forming an outdoor area (a8) with tannurs. Two flanking walls were added to room a1 too.

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Streets and open areas

The structures are not organized, they are oriented more or less in the same direction but they do not look following a organized plan. An open area was between a10/a8 and the western structures a6 and a9. East of house a3 a pebble and sherd street was running following the structure itself. To the east another open area was found north of a1 with a pebble pavement. a8 is a open room with tannurs.

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Objects

Not many objects were found in primary deposition inside the structures. In room a1 three Khabur jars (i2, i4, i9), another complete jar i14 and a clay figurine i1. Mainly bronze objects were found in burial a9 and structure a6 (silver earring i38, bronze earrings i33, i36, bucket i29) and a painted Khabur bowl i34.

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