The Plaza and the Temple Terrace
An image oriented presentation

May 2006 - G. Buccellati

The monumental urban complex
The revetment wall
The monumental staircase
Historical inferences

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.

The monumental urban complex
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
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
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
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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