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Unit Book J6

The Northeastern End of the Temple Terrace and the Betili (Version 1a)

J6-introduction

Processed on 2024-11-29


Date Author Record
0000-00-00 fAB Patrizia Camatta will be the supervisor of this area in the MZ21 season-The main goal of this unit is to gain understanding in the area to the east of the temple terrace staircase from J2. [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [INTRA-SITE STRATIGRAPHY] Unit J6 is located south of J4 and East of J2. The most important result of this unit was in the new understanding of the duration of the Mittani sequence at Tell Mozan. Since the brickfall ^bf1 and ^bf2 are dated to the Mittani period by the pottery (mKB), and since these go under the even Mittani levels seen in J2 and J1, they must reflect the early Mittani period. Thus the brickfall in J6 comes from a building or buildings used in the early Mittani period, during which the plaza JP was still kept clean. This brickfall seems to come from the West or South-West of unit J6, since to the North in J4 no significant brickfall levels were found, and to the East the amount of brickfall diminishes the farther from J6 it gets. The brickfall contains several human bones, especially in J7 (lR) but these bones are not articulated and thus seem not to stem from a primary burial context. This would then also exclude the fact that the persons died in the brickfall itself. This then raises the question as to the function of the building from which the brickfall originated: while this is much more difficult without the floor accumulations, some hypotheses can be made. Because of its vicinity to the Temple Terrace, it is likely that the structure or structures were in some way linked functionally to the temple. Additionally, the fact that it borders on the plaza with the temple terrace increases its relative importance within the urban landscape. However, the results from J6 would indicate that the revetment wall continues from the staircase north of the walls J4f129 J4f130, and runs East and then presumeably angles North. This means that the structure or structures from which the brickfall originates were located outside of the temple terrace wall. This structure is still founded considerably higher than the plaza level, when we consider the elevation of the accumulation on which the brickfall fell. This means that, while the revetment wall is presumeably North of the structure or structures, there is still a sharp difference in elevation between the accumulations in front of the J2 staircase and those to the East of the brickfall. This difference is attested, for now, only in the Mittani period, but it makes sense that this difference is a reflection of an earlier Eastern boundary to the plaza JP. A further piece of the puzzle regarding this Eastern boundary to the Plaza is f24 in k100. This wall is covered in material which contains EDIII seal impressions, giving us a firm ante-quem date, and the material and method of construction recall the revetment wall. It appears that the face of the wall f24 is to the south, and that on the north side there is no distinct face. This indicates that the wall is a type of revetment wall against an earthen fill or previous accumulation. The N-S running wall f26 seems to be the Eastern boundary to f24, giving a corner which does not clearly fit into the morphology of the plaza as we now understand it. This construction could be part of the entrance to the plaza from the SE, where we presume a city gate is located, or it could be part of the access to the structures lining the East of the plaza. [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [UNIT STRATIGRAPHY] Within J6 the stratigraphy is characterized by a series of large accumulations which are found in several loci above the brickfall, the brickfall itself (^bf1 ^bf2), followed by a series of sloping accumulations running from North down to the South (^glacis1 ^glacis2 ^glacis3). These stratigraphic events are few, but are spread out over a large vertical distance. The most difficult area to excavate was the area to the south and east of f129 and f130 in k83 and k100. Here we thought to find a continuation of the revetment wall running from the southern edge of f129 towards the east. Instead, the wall is free standing with a series of glacis sloping down from what we assume is the continuation of the revetment wall in the north, under what we have now in J4. We were not able to dig down to the first floor associated with f129 and thus see the bottom of the sloping stone f177, which we associate with the initial construction of the monumental staircase and f129. [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [DEPOSITION] In terms of deposition, the two most important elements we have are the accumumation on which the brickfall lands and f150, a red, laid accumulation like a glacis. The glacis are sloping from the North down towards the South, with a sharp angle in the earlier levels (f150) becoming a more gradual slope with the superimposed glacis. It is onto these levels that the ash (^ash1) comes to rest, followed by the two layers of brickfall (^bf1 and ^bf2) and finally covered by natural accumulations and topsoil. ^ash1 is a smaller pocket and, since it is located in the eastern part of the unit, could be associated with the building or buildings which later produced ^bf1 and ^bf2. [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [CHRONOLOGY] Striking in J6 is the gap in chronology between Phase h33 and Phase h67, late Akkadian and early Mittani. This may be due to the wash of accumulation down the glacis, piling the intervening material farther to the South towards the center of the plaza JP (fAB). There is a second possibility, that f150 was cut during the Mittani times; this cut is perhaps visible in the section, but it is difficult to descern (pC). [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [MORPHOLOGY] J6 has one element of morphology which is of particular note: there is a sharp step in the stratigraphic-chronological sequence from east to west between k84 and k200. In k84 and the rest of J6 there are no features from Phase h41 or h55, instead we have Phase h67 resting on Phase h33. In the DOG documentation, pC has read that there is Khabur pottery present at the same elevation as the Mittani of J6 on the staircase. This discrepancy cannot be explained. [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [INSTALLATIONS] The most unique find was the stone slab (f177) resting against f129 / f130. The slab is very smooth, and appears to have a slight blue tint (pC). Most interesting is the sequence of strata which abut this slab: the base of the slab is presumeably resting on the original construction surface, and so is Phase h23 at the latest. The lowest layer we have now at the end of the end of the MZ21 season is Phase h33, while the top of the stone was covered in early Phase h6. This means that the structure of the temple terrace was kept clean for this very long span of time, and that the area was not significantly changed in its structure during this time. Only at the time of the brickfall do things change: at this point, the access to the stairway is partially blocked and the plaza begins to fill with accumulations that we have from J2, accross J3 to J1. Several pieces of tannurs and andirons have been found, but apparently not in a primary use context. [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [ARCHITECTURE AND SPACE] The area explored by J6 is primarily an open area defined parimarily in relation to the wall f129, the staircase in J2 and the presumed revetment wall still to be uncovered in J4. With such a large focus in the north, it is interesting that there is the brickfall ^bf1 and ^bf2 which indicate the presence of another focal point to the East. This lack of competing elements indicates the emphasis that the plaza allows the revetment wall and the staircase. In addition, while the staircase is wide and gives a very easy access (designed for ease of use and very difficult to control access) to the top of the temple terrace, f129 and its parallel along the western side of the staircase gives very much of a direction to this access. [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [PRESENTATION AND CONSERVATION] There are few elements requiring conservation from this season's discoveries in J6. The only areas requiring protection are the top of f129, to protect this freestanding wall from erosion of the mortar by water, and the wall complex around f166 which will be backfilled. [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [FURTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS] Two areas should be explored further in a future excavation in J6. First, it would be interesting to continue excavating the accumulation against f177 to determine the kind and date of surface on which the base rests. Second, it would be intersting to further explore wall f166 (^wall7). While this cannot be linked to the brickfall since ^glacis3 lies between the brickfall and it, it may be of great help in determining the function of this area. Also, if it does constitute part of a structure, it would be the second structure we have which faces directly onto the plaza, after the temple and its terrace. If it is not outside of the plaza, it would also be the first structure which we find within this empty urban space. Lastly, it would be very interesting in date if it comes from Phase h33 and may therefore associated with f150, thereby giving us information as to the use of the temple complex and plaza in this time period which is so underrepresented in other areas. [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [TYPOLOGY] [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-09-06 fAB [CERAMICS] [Input: FABJ06.j]
2008-07-08 pC J6 is located South of J4 and East of k200 and of area J2. k200 is a long trench excavated for several years (1999-2002) by a team of the university of Tübingen, directed by prof. Peter Pfälzner (MDOG 124 2002). In season 2004 and 2005 was excavated in J2 the monumental stone staircase and part of the revetment wall, which continues to the West in J3 and J1. In J2 was found above the staircase 4 meters of accumulations dated to the Mittani period, alterned by several floors. East of the staircase there is a wall, f129, which makes a boundary to the East, and the stratigraphy here is completely different: east of the wall, in the area J4, there were very high Khabur levels, with brick structures (a bin). This is a very different situation than West to the wall, were are only natural accumulations covering the staircase. In J6 the main aim is to find the continuation to the East of the wall f130, which can be seen for the first part at the end of the wall f129: f129 bonds to f130 and therefore were constructed in the same period, which is Phase 1, as for all the lower part of the monumental staircase. There are several possibilities for the wall: the first is that stops after few meters; the second is that the wall makes a turn to the south, or to the north. [Input: S707PC.j]