Back to top: Typology of the built environment in Unit J2 Use areas
Discussion
The use areas in J2 are all open air use areas. The area was primarily used as an open area, or for activities that leave little trace like walking. After the brickfall covered the area, however, some areas were used for different activities, such as burning, walking, and cooking.
The lowest use area (^use1) is associated with the curtian walls (^ctwl2, ^ctwl3) that were built during the brickfall. This use area is characterized by ashy deposits and has two pits (f298 and f300) associated with it. Because this period of use takes place during the process of brickfall it includes bricky materials and the areas are not well-defined, sometimes blending with the brickfall.
After the brickfall, the area is again reoccupied and reused (^use2). A large flat stone (f154) is placed on the apron and some walking floors and sherd surfaces are associated with it. It has been suggested that the stone was placed as part of the sacral area and perhaps the use areas were part of religious ceremonies.
Several stone scatters (^use3) are found across J2 in its uppermost layers. These stones appear to be part of a ‘memory’ of J2 as a sacral area in which these stones were placed as markers in the area. Several deposits are associated with the placement of these stones.
In the top layers of J2 the area was reused (^use4) for cooking with three tannurs. The tannurs were filled with burned material and had hard surfaces around them, where the people were working.
Back to top: Typology of the built environment in Unit J2 Use areas