Depositional data for Unit A16
Discard

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Introduction

In A16 there are several episodes of intentional discard. Many small actions are linked to the filling of burial pits, dug in earlier levels and then refilled with the excavated material. A big action of dumping is attested during Phase 6c when the area was a large and some meters deep hollow, inside the Akkadian Palace courtyard after the wall collapse.

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Fill

The main intentional fillings in A16 can be divided in two broad categories: fill of pit, and fill of burial. Many small and medium sized pits were found, mainly in the lower A16 levels. Some of them were just empty pits filled later by natural accumulations or intentional filling, but it is not always possible to establish it. Other ones are interpreted as trash pits. Pit a22 has a very irregular and dirty filling f289, made of different color ashes, charcoal, large sherds, burnt bones.

The burial fills are intentional for the simple pit excavated in the ground, but in my opinion, even if often it is defined as fills, the material inside built up or structured graves, should be keep outside this group, because is just natural in formation process, often coming from collapse of the structure itself. Filling of pit burial are for examples f206, f277 and f343.

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Dumping

Some of the pits seen above can be interpreted as result of a dumping action (trash pits). the most impressive dump in A16 is the huge “pit” a13/a17. It is not a pit in the proper sense because there is no cut. The material was dumped here, where some large (deep?) hollows were born from the collapse of the Palace wall inside the courtyard. During the early Khabur period the area was probably at the edge of the settlement (see presence of kilns in the nearby unit A15) and it was perfect place to dump material. The filling of this hollow is made of different kind of ash, burnt material, reddish chunks, pottery. The material is irregular, because it is not part of a single dump moment, but from different actions, in different moment. Probably it did not take a very long period, (are visible differences in pottery?) from end of Phase 5 to Phase 6c included. The material in some points is sharply sloping, in other is almost flat.