Preface to Unit A15

James L. Walker – June 2023

For full bibliographical information see Front Matter.

The book

This book is completely digital from origin to display. During the excavation each element recovered, from the smallest sherd to the largest wall is located, described, and grouped in discrete terms (emplacement) following a special grammar developed by Giorgio Buccellati. These data are presented on the right hand side of the web page.

This permits full comparison between a single element and all others recovered leading to an analysis of how they got there (deposition) These stratigraphic and typological comparisons are presented on the left hand side of the web page.

In particular, this book documents the excavation of a portion of the Akkadian palace that marked the transition from a formal, ceremonial courtyard to interior rooms used for reception of guests. Near the surface later uses of the built=up area included industrial spaces of a Khabur village,

Authorship

As the excavation proceeds to publication there are several functional tasks that may be performed by different individuals:
  a. there is a unit director who manages both the excavation and the preparation of the emplacement section (RHS). These tasks are primarily performed on site.
  b. there is an author - the individual who prepares the record for publication with an emphasis on deposition (LHS), They may rely on subject matter experts (particular typology) but do the bulk of the analysis and writing.

In this excavation there were three unit directors in the two seasons of field work:
  Ong Kar Khalsa (2001)
  James Walker (2001)
  Mary Stancavage (2003)

James Walker is the sole author of this edition.

Data

Data are the foundation of every archaeological book. In this book data are highly structured and interdependent. Missing data can impede the analysis. There was a system of data storage and preservation that was based in part on storage at the site.

This system was severely disrupted when armed conflict erupted in Syria in 2011. It immediately became too dangerous to work at the site, which continued to be maintained by local staff. Some data was stored in places that were inaccessible to them. As a result, some documants and files are at least temporarily missing from the record. When they can be obtained they will be incorporated into future editions.