| Description (summary) |
2026-03-04 |
pC |
Its stone-built portion occurs along the western curve of Revetment Wall ^wall6, where runoff water would have posed the greatest risk of erosion at the foot of the wall. The escarpment has a polygonal plan and is composed of three segments constructed of large and medium-sized, angular stones with relatively flat surfaces, arranged in three to five low steps. The first segment measures 1.66 m in length, the second 9 m, and the third 8.85 m, giving a total preserved length of 19.51 m. Each segment changes direction slightly, by only a few degrees, to the east, following the curvature of the revetment wall. In the western segment, the stones are arranged as a series of clearly defined steps. Here the escarpment reaches its maximum width of 2.80 m and rises through a height of approximately 55 cm. The lowest step lies at an elevation of about 8720 m, while the highest reaches approximately 8800 m. The second and third segments consist of three rows of stones, approximately 1.50 m wide. In these sections, the steps are much lower, spanning only about 0.20 m in height, between elevations of approximately 8750 m and 8770 m. In the western portion, a single obliquely set stone is positioned between the fifth step and Wall ^wall13. Its upper end is inserted into the lowest visible course of ^wall13. No comparable oblique stones were identified elsewhere within Stone ^escarpment1. It is therefore possible that similar stones originally bridged the gap between ^wall6 and the stepped surface of the escarpment but were subsequently removed or lost. West of the stone-built section, the escarpment continues as an earthen slope that covers the base of Revetment ^wall6. The earthen escarpment extends between the elevation of approximately 8700 m to 8600 m. It consists of a sequence of deliberately laid deposits forming a steep slope between the base of the revetment wall and the plaza surface. The uppermost layer is composed of very compact clay containing numerous small pebbles and occasional charcoal fragments. The underlying deposits consist of material derived from the surrounding area, including fragments of mudbrick, medium- to large-sized stones, loose sandy soil, and pottery sherds. [Input: ZK304pC.j] |
| List of components |
2026-03-04 |
pC |
Step 1: 2.50 m wide, consisting of 4 medium size stones, the first western stone is half covered by soil. Step 2: 9.50 m wide, 12 medium stones. A few stones have slipped from their original position by about 5-10 cm. Step 3: 14.60 m wide, 21 medium sized stones, beginning in the west (as step 1 and 2) under a thick accumulation. The step ends abruptly in the east. Step 4: 14 m wide, begins with a large stone partly covered by soil under ^stair3 and laid in an alternative direction to the others. Similar to steps 1, 2 and 3, it keeps a north-west south-east direction and continues as a step with 20 large to medium sized flagstones with a tread height of about 0.20 m in the western portion. Stone 15 of step 4 is a large block set on a position where the entire structure changes direction and bends slightly to the east with a further 5 stones. Step 5: 12.45 m wide, starts under a thick layer of soil under the first step of ^stair3. It starts with 4 medium sized flagstones, not laid in a regular row. The step continue to the south-east under a thick accumulation below ^wall11. Fourteen large and medium sized stones follow the same direction as step 4, 3 and 2 and the 6th stone is a large block set higher than the others (0.23 m high). Under this large stone and its western neighbor, other rough undressed stones are visible. The first visible western stone of step 5 touches the lower visible course of ^wall6, but then turn away 0.20 m from the wall and from its base (^wall8). Step 5 ends abruptly in the east, where the last 3 stones of this step have slipped about 0.30 m to the south. A stone found 1 m to the east is probably still part of this step. [Input: ZK304pC.j] |