.bk J06
.fl S907pC.j
.fd summary and daily
.rd S902
.ri pC

-sm for the last week of excavation we decided to excavate only in k85 and k84: Under the ^glacis1 we found ^glacis2 and more mittani layers, were instead we expected to find Khabur or earlier. The main events that characterize these are the pit a3, just located under the ^glacis2 and cutting ^floor2: a thick accumulation f151 dated to the beginning of Mittani is located under the pit a3. At this point we expected to find wall f130, but instead we found only f151. We looked carefully for the red sloping accumulation which was excavated in season 2006 in J4 (J4f150), which we begin to suspect was the real boundary North-South, while we did not find the wall f130. We found the red accumulation at 9096@. This is f164, which we called ^glacis3. This glacis has a surface which slopes very sharply toward south and has a reddish-orange coloration with some brick inclusions; the pottery found in this feature was dated to Phase h33 (see comments on the pottery dating of f164 by mKB). It was probably cut or damaged at the beginning of mittani or earlier, while the surface in some points is irregular and mixed with f151. This glacis ends in f183, a very thin almost even layer in k85/k102. We decided to remove the west pseudo-baulk of k84 because we wanted to expose wall f130: we exposed the southern face of wall f130, which consists in 2 m almost freestanding stone wall; removing the pseudo-baulk we removed also ^wall3, which is a mittani rebuilding of wall f130 (^wall6); under this wall came out two obelisk, one of them was recognized already in the East section of J2. These obelisks are bounded to wall f130 and therefore date to the same period (a4). In front of this we found two floors: ^floor5 and ^floor6: these reflect the use of the area in front of installation a4 but also in front of the staircase. These floors were probably found also in k200, during the excavation of the German team in 2001. from their reports (Peter Phälzner MDOG 134, p156, 2002) above the steps of the staircase were found floors dated to Akkadian and Ur III. The floor dated to Ur III is related to the staircase and the wall f130, probably the same as ^floor6. We still do not understand why we have mittani directly above 3 millennium: one possibility is that at the beginning of Mittani were removed the layers between ^glacis3 and f151. This possibility is indicated by the cut on top of ^glacis3. A second possibility is that this area was not used between the end of third millennium and 1600 BC. The same lack of time is missing in front of the apron. These questions will have an answer in the next years.

^ floor1
df fb
>l f46
>l f67
ds It is a highly compacted surface dark brown in color. It was found only in k84 above ^bf1 and not to the south in k85; instead the same floor was found in J4 in k83 North (J4f119). This floor is probably related to a use area under the bin J4f93, located to the North: this floor in J4 goes under the stones of the bin. 
A12 L_V21d5044 J6v27 S723 dM.jpg

^ floor 3
ds This surface was only exposed in this season and not excavated, therefore we can only assume that it is a floor, or more probably the ^glacis1, which in the southern portion of J6 it levels and is more correct to name it floor.
df f?
>l f147

^ floor2
df fc
>l f140
>l f135
>l f157
ds a sherd floor located between ^glacis1 and ^glacis2. It is compact with small pebbles and lot of small sherds lying flat. It was found only in patches in k85, k84 and k74. The location and the same contact association between other features permit to make the equivalence of the floors. This floor could be related to the use of the area East of the staircase and ^wall6 during the middle of Mittani. It is also related to ^wall3, while it abuts its southern stones
A12 L_V21u1216 J6v72 S818 pC.jpg
A12 L_V21d5140 J6v93 S823 dM.jpg

^ floor4
df fd
>l f154
ds it is a compact surface with lot of small pebbles. It is probably a floor but compacted naturally, made by people walking by
A12 L_V21u1251 J6v87 S820 pC.jpg

^ floor5
df fc
>l f171
ds a patch of a compact surface characterized by some sherds lying flat. It was found only in front of the obelisk f177. This floor was probably damaged or we did not recognize it while removing the west baulk with the big pick. It marks the use of the area in front of installation a4.
A12 L_V21d5178 J6v108a S826 dM.jpg

^ floor6
df fb
>l f184
ds a highly compacted floor surface characterized by the presence of some sherds lying flat. Is located in front of installation a4 and was obviously continuing to the West above the staircase, but was not excavated in this season
ar this floor surface continues obviously to the West: the western part is a trench excavated by the german team in 2000 (see k200), till now we do not have the details of the stratigraphy; instead west of this trench, 1m from ^floor6, were found other floors which were stratigraphically associated to the apron J2f131 and partly to the staircase J2f130 (see J2f326, located at similar elevation)
A12 L_V21d5195 J6v114 S827 dM.jpg

^ wall1
df w
>l f76
>l f64
ds f76 is located in the South-East corner of k73, f64 in the East part of k74. They are possibly the same wall: f76 shows two rows of bricks in section, instead f64 was recognized as brick melt.
ar we are still not sure whether is a wall running North-South or f76 and f64 are two different things. In the East section, after removing all f64, came out a line of bricks, which could be possibly the missing wall. The structure to which this wall is related is located to the East.

^ wall2
df is
>l f84
ds it consists in one line of 5 large stones located in a line running North-East, South-West. While was exposed only for the top part, we do not know whether is a wall or another type of installation. Is clearly the same type of construction as J4f84, located just 5 meters to the North
ar we do not know still if it is a wall, but because of the similarity to wall J4f84, we suppose that they are the same installation. We removed a stone of J4f84 and we did not found another row of stones. It can be associated probably to some structures located to the east and not excavated.
A12 L_V21d5062 J6v41 S802 dM.jpg

^ wall3
>l f101
>l f128
ds 13 stones located on top and in front of wall f130 (^wall6). It is solidly built even if the stones are not located in rows: lot of the stones are bonded to each other and between them there is soil mixed with lot of pottery and pebbles
ar it is a memory of ^wall6: ^wall6 was built as a boundary between the west, where is the monumental staircase and the East, were instead there were buildings (^wall7). As the accumulations grow up and ^wall6 was anymore visible, were laid stones to remember the boundary. The same function has ^wall5, which probably comes slightly after ^wall3, while it covers it
A12 L_V21d5166 J6v104 S826 dM.jpg

^ wall4
>l f152
ds 5 large stones located in two rows
ar the wall was probably continuing to the West if we interpret it as a 'curtain wall', similar to the ones found in front of the apron at a similar elevation, and located just few meters to the West (see J2f144, J2f232).It is located under the ^glacis1 and above ^glacis2, like wall f127, therefore belongs to the same construction phase
A12 L_V21u1226 J6v77a S819 pC .jpg

^ wall5
>l f127
ds A wall running north-south located above wall f129. It consists in a line of large rough stones laid on top of ^glacis1, which covers f129. ^wall5 and ^wall6 are very different even if their function is the same. They are also separated by a thick layer of earth and ^glacis1.
ar it is the 'memory wall' of wall f129 and part of a rebuilding phase in Mittani time: this rebuilding phase concern the upper part of the monumental access, while the lower part was almost all covered. To the same construction phase there is the second apron J2f132 and in J3 a series of stones layed on top of the revetment wall, which was anymore visible. This series of rebuildings are to ascribe to a mittani constuction phase, when almost all the monumental access and the revetment wall were covered by accumulations.
A12 L_V21u1202 J6v57a S811 pC.jpg

^ wall6
>l f129
>l f130
ds The Third Millennium wall running North-South, located East of the staircase. Its southern end is wall f130, which comes out to the west for 30cm and its stones are set in east-west direction, whereas stones of f129 are layed in North-South direction: it has the function of a boundary between the area where is the monumental staircase and the East, were there are other buildings (only hypothetic, not excavated). On the top of the wall there is a layer of earth and probably of ^glacis1 on which rests on top of ^wall5, which is a later building phase of the same wall.
ns It is structurally connected to the staircase and because is bounded with it and the staircase is contemporary to the apron and the revetment wall, we can say that this wall belongs to the same construction phase.
ar The back part of the wall was not exposed due to safe reasons (removing the earth in both sides would create a collapse or damage of the wall)
A12 L_V21u1202 J6v57a S811 pC.jpg
ds The wall has been damaged in ancient times, while it has several cracks. One possible explanation is that on top of this wall was layed too much whight (^wall5 and ^wall3)