Conclusions

James L. Walker – November 2024

reviewed gB Zj615

highlight keywords in each paragraph: integrate material from other sections, then we’ll have a second review

Goals

The initial goals of the J5 excavations in the first season were to:

Explore the western extension of the EDIII revetment wall previously excavated as part of unit J1.
Investigate the results of a geomagnetic survey that showed a possible large structure that directly linked the Tupkish palace with the BA temple.

The goals of the second season excavations were to explore structures at the base of the EDIII revetment wall to determine when they may have been built and used.

Results

The main findings of the two seasons may be summarized as follows:

sample new format:

A cut stone revetment wall, f41, that runs east to west, tentatively dated to the Ninivite V period. It is similar to revetment wall , f189, that runs north to south from the monumental stone staircase. Although now overlaid by the middle section of a newer Mittani wall segment, f3, at their east and southern ends, there is every indication that the two walls were once part of a single EDIII revement wall. A block of soil, f294, was left to fill this gap and support the later wall. (See view, v226.)
A major stone structure, an escarpment ^esc1, was built in the EDIII period to protect the base of the monumental revetment wall associated with the BA temple, ^wall2. A gap between the escarpment and the revetment wall in the vicinity of the stone apron, f186, indicates that this section of the wall may have collapsed and been rebuilt. See view, v226.)

old format:

A cut stone revetment wall, f41, that runs east to west, tentatively dated to the Ninivite V period. It is similar to revetment wall , f189, that runs north to south from the monumental stone staircase. Although now overlaid by the middle section of a newer Mittani wall segment, f3, at their east and southern ends, there is every indication that the two walls were once part of a single EDIII revetment wall. A block of soil, f294, was left to fill this gap and support the later wall. (See view, v226.)
A major stone structure, an escarpment ^esc1, was built in the EDIII period to protect the base of the monumental revetment wall associated with the BA temple, ^wall2. A gap between the escarpment and the revetment wall in the vicinity of the stone apron, f186, indicates that this section of the wall may have collapsed and been rebuilt. See view, v226.)
A Mittani monumental entrance to the temple mound, a miniature of the EDIII entrance, was located along the line of and west of EDIII wall, f41. (See view, v231.)
Soil accretion and water erosion governed the construction of various additions to the wall systems. Soil buildup covered the plaza, the EDIII staircase, and the revetment walls. The Mittani westward extension also was eventually covered and memory stones placed on the walltops. While the walls were in use, water was eroding the structures along their outside edges. Various attempts to control the damage included escarpments, a dam, and weirs.
Floors that abutted the escarpments and walls contained ceramic deposits and indicated activities as yet unknown. (See view, v217.)
Such things as floors, water channels, and dams indicate that there could have been structures outside the revetment walls.
Mittani cultural material was deposited directly atop those of Early Dynastic III. There were no such intervening deposits from the Akkadian, Isin Larsa, or Khabur periods.
There were deposits containing Middle Assyrian ceramics atop Mittani deposits. However there were no significant accompanying structures.
A wall top directly below wall f189 bespeaks of a substantial Chalcolithic settlement directly below that likely also had a temple atop the BA mound.

Main results

The main findings of the two seasons may be summarized as follows:

The western staircase, associated structures, and pavements
The stone escarpment and its associated pavement.
The superposition of Mittani deposits directly atop those of Early Dynastic III.
The presence of deposits containing Middle Assyrian ceramics atop Mittani deposits.
The presence of Early Dynastic III structures so close to the top of the tell bespeaks of a substatial earlier settlement directly below.
Persistent attempts to prevent or ameliorate damage from flowing water along the revetment walls.
An EDIII floor possibly linking the stone escarpment with major structures to the west and south.
Large ceramic inventory and attendant statistics

Goals for the future

One explanation for occasioning the persistent attempts to ameliorate the damage to the revetment wall system from flowing water may be a set of structures close to the wall just to the west and south of the stone escarpment and linked to it by the pebble floor. These structures and the wall system may have formed a channel that confined the water and forced it along a path that eventually flooded the Plaza.
If these structures exist, they should be between the staircase and the lines of stones to the west and within a few meters of the revetment wall elsewhere. Excavations in k32 to k34 and a new locus k42 to k44 to the west and k100 to the south should reveal what contained the water, which by the present shape of the mound, should have flowed harmlessly to the west and south.

The part of the EDIII wall that is built of cut stones turns north, but we do not know how far it extends in that direction after it passes under the western staircase. There is a possibility that it intersects with a line of stones which extends westward from the temple. These issues could be explored by following the stone escarpment northward past the staircase.

If the cut stone revetment wall continues to the north, then there should be a place to the west of its escarpment where it would be possible to probe beneath the Early Dynastic III layer to see if the expected Late Chalcolithic deposits and structures lay directly underneath.

There are several pillars of soil which obscure sightlines and cover portions of stone architecture and therefore should be removed.

Conclusions

The following can be concluded from the results:

One of the underground structures detected by the geometric survey was the new plaza and entrance to the BA temple complex constructed in the Mittani period after the EDIII plaza and entryway further to the east were completed covered by wind-blown soil.
Mittani walls and structures were built directly atop EDIII walls and structures. There were no intermediate deposits or structures. We assume that this was due to the retrenchment of the site to the west, following the filling in of the plaza and of the main staircase in J2.
The EDIII walls, escarpments, and walls continue to the south from J1 and take a turn to the west, further defining the outer limits of the EDIII temple complex.
Soil, carried by the wind began and continued to build up and cover the monumental structures on the temple mound. Excavations in J1 and J3 indicate this began in the Chalcolithic period and continued through the Mittani period. This accretion eventually covered every wall and building, forming the tell surface we now see since the end of the Mittani period.
Throughout their existence, water flowed along the base of the walls. necessitating protective features such as escarpments, dams, and weirs.
The top of an earlier wall can seen under the EDIII revetment wall. Late Chalcolithic walls and the base of a temple were found in adjacent units J1 and J3. The segment in J5 probably is a continuation of this construction.
Purpose-built floors and a dam abutting the walls and escarpments are most likely associated with other structures and buildings located further to the east and south of the wall systems.
We found no evidence of a direct path between Akkadian period palace and a separate temple entrance that would have been located under the Mittani staircase that was built much later in time.
Ceramic evidence coupled with a lack of building activity suggests that the Middle Assyrian presence was minimal and transitory.

Issues

Excavations in unit J5 began in 2008 and continued into 2009. A study season occurred in 2010. Hostilities that began in 2011 shut down the excavation and we were never able to return. Because the team was blessed with two capable assistants, Lujain Hatahet in 2008 and Stefania Ermidoro in 2009, the journal, logs, and stratigraphy data were maintained daily. Frequently, the data processing programs were run to produce a draft version of the UGR that could be used to help direct the excavations. As a result, the data needed to write a complete report are available to us. A major impediment is that we cannot sight check to resolve discrepancies. Nevertheless, because the record is so complete it should serve as a guide to those documenting earlier excavation units.

This report has taken 15 years to complete. Some of the delays can be attributed to computer program development required when existing programs ceased to be supported. Other delays occurred when the theory supporting the synthetic view development was expanded. Finally, some delays can be attributed to the hope that we would return to the site to expand excavations and finish data collection so that a more complete report could be written

Plans for the future

Several major issues remain to be resolved in future seasons.

First, what is the northern extent of the EDIII revetment wall system? Does it link with an east to west line of stones extending west from the northwest corner of the BA temple?

Second, if water flow past the revetment wall was a problem it must have been channeled by nearby structures to its west and south. What is the function and period of these?

Third, if near the wall there are no accumulations between the Mittani and Early Dynastic periods how does the wall system link up with Akkadian and Khabur structures to the west?

Future actions

If excavation resumed, the following could be accomplished to expand our understanding:

Completely expose the EDIII wall from the monumental staircase to the Mittani staircase and beyond to its end in the west where it possibly joins a similar wall extending south from the temple.
Expose more of the architecture inside the wall to further define the temple complex.
Continue excavations outside the wall to expose possible structures that supported temple activities.