Phases for Unit J4

Yasmine Mahmoud – July 2024

Introduction

PHASE 85

In J04 area, Phase 85-MZA is related with the upper layers, such as the topsoil and the layers below the toposil which are mainly wind and water-born accumulations: these natural accumulations, contribuited to the build-up of the tell mound for aproximately 1 meter in depth. The build-up of the tell mound, as visibile in the long N-S section of J04 unit (cfr. v32 and related subviews), is in total aproximately 2 meter deep, but only the first meter is related with Phase 85-MZA. This phase comprehends different strata that represent the different events that took place within J04 unit in this phase. These, are the following: s1, is related with the accumulations that build-up between different excavation seasons, s2 is related with the topsoil layers and the layers below the toposoil (including also layers related with tell surface wash and erosion), s3 concerns the upper layers with evidence of scattered occupation s5, is related with natural accumulations that build-up the tell surface below s3, and s5a is instead related with the erosion of the natural accumulations belonging to s5. Within all these accumulations, several pottery sherds and q-items were recovered (mostly within s5) toghether with isolated limestones (mainly within layers belonging to s5a). The presence of this material, however, is not related with human activity within this area of the tell mound in this time period, at least for what concerns J04 unit, but with the erosion of the tell surface. At present (i.e., as the results of the 2006 excavation season in J04 unit indicate) there are no evidence of activities carried out within J04 unit in Phase 85-MZA.
The build-up of the tell surface, as already mentioned, is almost 2 meter deep; this is clearly visibile in the long N-S section of J04 unit (cfr. v32 and related subviews). The pottery sherds recovered -while removing the accumulations that build-up the tell mound- allowed us to assigne the layers belonging to the first meter of accumulation (corresponding to stratum s5 and its substraum s5a) to Phase 85-MZA, and those found within the meter below (relative to stratum s12 and its substraum, s12a) to Phase 67-MZA.

PHASE 67

In J04 unit, Phase 67-MZA is related with the build-up of the tell surface caused by natural accumulations which is aproximately one meter deep. This Phase is very similar, in its depositional history to Phase 85-MZA, as it is clearly visibile from the stratigraphy shown in v32. This view, and its related subviews, shows the natural accumulations that build-up this portion of the tell mound in Phases 85-MZA and 67-MZA, which is almost 2 meter in depth. As for the accumulation below the toposoil layers (relative to Phase 85-MZA), all the accumulations beloning to Phase 67-MZA are mainly wind and water-born accumulations; the top-surface of these natural layers was characterized by compact areas mixed with patches of soft ones, which suggests their exposure to water. While digging these accumulations, different types of pottery sherds have been found, mostly late Mittani in date, periodization that was confirmed from the analysis of the pottery recovered in other excavation units within the tell mound (J01, J02, J06). In the light of these evidence, Phase 67-MZA has been dated to the Late Mittani. In J04 unit, Phase 67-MZA is represented by the following strata: s12, related with the natural accumulations that build-up the tell surface, and s12a, related with the accumulations that represent the tell surface wash and erosion within the same time period (represented for example, by the erosion of stones). In J04 Unit, there are no evidence (at least for what concerns the results of the investigations carried out in this unit during the 2006 excavation season) that the area was in use in the Late Mittani Period (Phase 67-MZA), situation that, apparently, is confirmed by the data recovered in other excavations unit within this portion of the tell mound (such, for example, in J05 and J06 units); on the contrary, activities were carried out in the western part of the tell mound (cfr. A20).
The build-up of the tell surface, as already mentioned, is almost 2 meter deep; this is clearly visibile in the long N-S section of J04 unit (cfr. v32 and related subviews). The pottery sherds recovered -while removing the accumulations that build-up the tell mound- allowed us to assigne the layers belonging to the first meter of accumulation (corresponding to stratum s5 and its substraum s5a) to Phase 85-MZA, and those found within the meter below (relative to stratum s12 and its substraum, s12a) to Phase 67-MZA.

PHASE 65

The excavations carried out in J04 unit indicate that some activities start to took place in this area -located east to the monumental staircase J2f130- between the Late and the Middle Mittani Period (Phase 65-MZA). As we know from J02 and J05 excavation units, Phase 65-MZA is a period in which major rebuilding took place in different areas of the tell mound. In J04 unit, this ‘rebuilding phase’ is represented by different mud-brick and stone structures, all located at the same elevation and concentrated in few loci: k72-k73, k62 and k83. These structures include two stone walls (f84 and f159, in k62, of which only the top face was exposed), a nicely preserved mud-brick wall (f161-f162, in the south portion of k72, on top of which a tannur was found) toghether with a almost complete mud-brick structure (f93, defined as ‘bin’ structure) and portion of a brick wall (f170) in k73; furthermore, portion of an undefined brick structure was visible in the east section of the same locus (which could be part of a badly preserved wall), on top of which another tannur was found. At present (i.e., as the results of the 2006 excavations season indicate) we think that all the mud-brick structures found in loci k72 and k73, togheter with the two wall stones in k62 are all countemporary one to eachother and belong to Phase 65-MZA, the Middle Mittani Period. Phase 65-MZA is divided in the following strata: s14, subdivided in substratum s14a, s14b and s14c; s14a is a time period in which the J04 area is interested by a gradual build-up due to natural accumulations and substratum s14b is related with the erosion of these natural accumulations; in substratum s14c some activities took place in this portion of the tell mound as indicated by the construction of various mud-brick and stone structures (as for example, f156). In s15 these structures were still in use but, at the same time, apparently no other activities seem to took place in J04 unit; in particular, the portion of J04 unit south to the bin (f93), i.e., the portion of the unit corresponding to loci k64 and k74, was not in use at all in this time period, probably as a consequence of the brickfall bf^2, which took place in the area where J06 unit was set, and that interested the southern portion of J04 unit as well (for more information about the brickfall bf^2, please, see bf^2 in J06 Unit). s16 is related with a period of minor activities in the area where J04 unit was set, probably as a consequence of the brickfall bf^2. In J04, few are the evidence of the extended brickfall bf^2 that -as the excavations carried out in J06 in the 2008-9 seasons indicate- interested the whole J06 unit (and partially J07 and J02 units as well). Substratum s16a is related with the fire that is thought to have took place in the area where J06 unit was set just before the brickfall bf^2 (for this, please, see J06 s16a). Within substratum s16b and s16c seems that no activities took place in the area of J04 unit; the only evidence of the use of this portion of the tell mound is in s19b and is linked with a large pit (f136-f137) found in k100, located in the southern portion of J04 unit.

PHASE 63

Phase 63-MZA has been attributed, on the basis of the excavation carried out in the tell mound, to the Early Mittani period. In this period there is a re-organization of the area around the so called ‘monumental staircase’ (J2f130) located west to J04 area. As part of the re-organization of the space east of wall J2f129, a series of glacis layers were placed on top of the mound, with the result of covering as well wall J2f129; furthermore, large stones were placed on top of the glacis layer. These stones have been defined ‘memory’ stones on the basis of the thought that they were placed right above the ancient wall (J2f129) previously covered by the glacis layer, with the will of maintaing the memory of the wall ‘still running below’ but not anymore visible in Early Mittani period. Concerning J04, there are no evidence of structures in use whitin Phase 63-MZA. Within the J04 unit, two are the strata related with this phase: s18, in which some glacis layers were layed on top of the tell mound (as part of the re-organization of the space east to the staircase J2f130 and wall J2f129), and s19, in which no activities seem to take place within J04 unit besides a gradual build-up of the tell mound (in substrata s19b and s19c) as a consequence of the brickfall bf^2 that interested J06, J02 and the south portion of J04 unit.

PHASE 32

k100 was the only locus, in J04 Unit, where we exposed layers belonging to the Imperial Akkadian Period (Phase 32-MZA) in the 2006 excavation season; this phase is represented by few features: f121 (i.e., the lower portion of f121), f150, f158 and f160. Once we finished digging in J04 unit, the nature of these layers was unclear, since, the analysis of the pottery recovered within features f158 and f160 indicated the presence of some Chalcolithic sherds (communication of mKB to J04 and all Mozan staff). The recovery of this pottery was very difficult to understand in the light of the fact that the top-most portion of f121 was dated to the Mittani period (always on the basis of the pottery recovered, cfr. analysis of the pottery on Q915 by mKB). Thanks to the excavations carried out in the same locus in 2008 and 2009 (k100 was incorporated, during these excavation seasons, within J06 unit as k84), it has been possible to understand the nature of the layers found while doing the deep sounding in k100, i.e., f158 and f160. These features are the same of J6f164 which is a glacis layer (i.e., J06^glacis 3) made to protect a stone wall located on the west, J2f129 (for this, please, see J6f164 and J06^glacis 3); the wall J2f129 was found in the 2004 excavation season during the excavations in J02 unit. The pottery recovered within J6f164 revealed Chalcolithic sherds, dating this and other layers related with this (cfr. all the features within s49 in J06 unit) back to the 3rd millennium BC (cfr. analysis of the pottery on S901 by mKB) thus revealing that in this portion of the tell mound 3rd millennium BC layers were located right below Mittani accumulations. Within s49, falls also f10. Concerning this stone structure, we suppose that it was probably built in Phase 32-MZA as well, o slightly earlier, as part of the building activities on the western side of the temple mound. In the beginning of the excavation in J04 unit, in 2006, we interpreted f10 to be a possible extension -on the east- of J2f131, the secondary Apron, thinking that J2f131 could have had a specular structure (cfr. Presupposition), altough the different elevation between the stone structure located in J02 (J2f131) and the one in J04 (f10). The excavations carried out in 2008-9, instead, cleared that f10 is an extension of the revetment wall (cfr. J06 and J01 excavation units).

Phase 32-MZA is represented, in J04 unit, by few features found while digging in k100. At the end of the 2006 excavation season, we did a deep sounding in this locus (in order to look for the possible presence of steps belonging to the so called ‘monumental staircase’ J2f130) which had the outcome of exposing 3rd millennium BC layers right below Mittani accumulations. This stratigraphical situation was not properly clear at that time, since we did not expect to find such stratigraphical situation. However, the excavations carried out in J06 unit (which incorporated some of J04 loci, those located in the southern portion of the unit, such as k64,k74 and k84) in the last two excavation seasons, revealed a similar stratigraphical situation, i.e., the presence of 3rd millennium BC levels located directly below Mittanian deposits (cfr J06 Phase 32-MZA and s49)