Brickfall as Marker
VC14

At the far eastern edge of Tell Mozan, an ancient event left its mark. This was no small occurrence - an entire building fell, brick walls tumbling down and over the surface of the mound.

This happened rather late in the life of the city - the palace and residence of Tupkish and his consort were only distant memories, hundreds of years in the past.

That Urkesh was not then at its apogee helps to explain why the building was not raised again on its foundations. The residents simply left the ruined structure there, exposed to the elements, a mass of jumbled brick wasting away into what Patricia (in this film) calls "brick melt".

Extending for over 30 meters, the brickfall marks one edge of the ancient city as it contracted, retreating from its furthest extension to a smaller presence. This was the beginning of an inevitable process - all cities decay and eventually come to an end.

Seldom is the beginning of the fall marked so clearly.