Emplacement for unit A16
Amorphous amassment

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Introduction

All three types (fills, dumping and collapse) are well attested in A16.

Back to top: Emplacement for unit A16 Amorphous amassment

Fills

Fillings are attested in A16, even if they are not the most common feature. In A16 they can be divided in two categories: filling of pit, mainly pit burial and filling as packing material. This packing material was used to level the area on which to build the Palace. In fact below courtyard pavement were find two reddish hard material packing, one (f340) on top of baked bricks and one below (f339).

Some fillings were also found inside pits. For example pit fill f216 and f289 in pit a22 are interpreted as trash pit. In both pits, ash, charcoal, dirt were found. A not unusual, but still particular filling is f170, filling pit f169, constituted mainly of sherds, lying incoherently. Another kind of filling (for example f200) is found inside tannurs and is completely constituted of ash.

In some burial we have pit, a deposition and then a filling covering the body and the grave goods, like in a19 fill f277, in a16 fill f206. These filling are characterized by a compact soil with not many inclusion. Probably they reused the material coming from the pit cut.

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Dumping

The dumping action is well attested in A16, thanks to the large pit a13/a17. This large filling is constituted of ashy layers, with dirt and sherds lying oblique and following the hollow underneath. In fact this should be interpreted not as deep pit cut by human, but as a large hollow formed in the empty space of the courtyard after the collapse of its external walls. Then it was intentionally filled during Early Khabur with dirt and trash, mainly ashy material. We suppose this material could come from the activities of the early Khabur pit kilns found in A15. This specific kind of kiln (pit kiln) did not produce a lot of ash, in the sense that they were not used for a long period, and once they were filled by ash, they were abandoned. So far at least four kilns were found in A15 (the area right to the South of A16), but it is possible that further excavation could uncover more. So the material is probably coming from these kilns, but also from other activities, (to the north a smith workshop was found) mainly carried in open space all around this area.

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Collapse

In A16 two large collapse events are attested: the Late Khabur brickfall a4 and the Palace wall collapse a27 in the courtyard. The brickfall a4 is abutting and covering the phase 6h structures. The collapse is probably coming from the structures themselves and from more structures further North and East. In fact, if the bricks do not have any definite orientation, the brickfall is sloping from North to South and from East to West, following the pre-existing Tell slope. The brickfall is constituted of gray, red and pink mudbrick fragments. In the upper part the are crumbly small fragments of bricks, while deeper larger fragments and even whole mud bricks.

The other important collapse is a27 (v118b), constituted of reddish and very compact material with ashy patches and red bricks mixed. In some points even some pieces of broken wall (not resting on anything) have been found. This is probably the collapsed material coming from the walls of the Akkadian Palace, covering the pavement of the courtyard.