https://urkesh.org/MZ/A/A16/D/F/0194.htm

Unit Book A16

The Courtyard of the Tupkish Palace (Version 2)

A16f194

Processed on 2024-12-04

1. OVERVIEW

Roster Date Author Record
Category !! !! installation
Best definition 2001-07-23 !! drain [Input: L723LR.j]
Summary 2007-08-02 pC Baked bricks under stone pavement f193. f194 could be an earlier phase of the pavement a12 or part of a drainage system, since it is in line with the drain found in A13 and slopes towards South-West. It is part of a24 [Input: R731PC.j]
Best image 2007-08-02 pC
v118a [Input: R731PC.j]
2012-03-26 lC
v135a [Input: W326LC.j]

2. IDENTIFICATION

Designation

Roster Date Author Record
Definition 2001-06-09 lr pavement [Input: L815LR.j]
2001-07-23 lR drain [Input: L723LR.j]
Description (summary) 2001-07-23 lR brick pavement found under the stone pavement exposed by the pit cut f189. Fired brick pavement containing yellow and pinkish bricks in the western end a groove with brown chunky clay is found which may have resulted from damage caused by the pit cut. The pavement slopes down from south to north. [Input: L723LR.j]
2002-09-29 lR The stone pavement was cut by f189, which removed the stones and exposed a series of baked bricks underneath. These bricks measure 30 x 30 centimeters and alternate from a pale yellow color to an orange color with cracks running through the bricks. These bricks are baked, hard, and arranged in rows. There are 8 rows of bricks visible with some damage in the northern and southern portion. The first row to the north has 3 bricks visible with the northern edges cut or eroded away. The first brick goes under the stones but the third brick to the east appears to end and does not continue under the stones. In this area the bricks are immediately below the stones with a thin layer of packing material and it appears that the bricks do not continue north. In the south the packing material increases appearing that the bricks slope down. The first 4 rows of bricks have some kind of eroded areas but the next two rows south are complete and in good condition. There are 9 bricks in each row with no clear pattern. The bricks are in line but not evenly spaced or symmetrically placed, there is also no order to the color purely arbitrary whether the orange or yellow brick was used. The last three rows in the south appear to make a sudden slope upwards with one brick row placed at a sharp slant then the next row flat. The last row contains only 2 complete bricks in view, there is however either brick mortar or the shape the packing material retained from the bricks showing traces of lines and a flat surfaces almost like a brick. When this area was poked and scraped it revealed nothing below. This may be the impression of the bricks that were removed. The rest of the southern area has traces of disintegrated bricky material but appears that the brick pavement also ends in the south. [Input: N303LR.j]

3. STRATIGRAPHY

Recovery/Assignment

Roster Date Author Record
Daily notes about recovery of elements 2001-08-02 lr We excavated the area around the pit a13 and cut f189, in some cases mixing both the brown and the clay chunky layer together. When the clay layer was removed we encountered a hard surface, which we presumed was the stone pavement of the courtyard. After cleaning the area we noticed that the material was not stone but fired baked bricks, f194. The bricks are a pink and yellow color (when moist) and cover the bottom of the circular pit cut f189 with a chunky clay material running North-South in the East. This may be a possible damaged area by the pit cut f189. After excavating the circle in its entirety we noticed large stones forming the same shape as the cut, circular. We then decided to excavate in the Southern portion of k108 since we can follow the stones from the pavement. What we found was that the stones sit on top of the bricks and we have hypothesized that the stones were cut by the pit since the stones from the pavement form a circular shape and the bricks are below. However, we do not know if the bricks belong to the stone courtyard as an installation or whether they represent an earlier floor. [Input: L815LR.j]
Argument 2001-08-02 lr We have two possible situations, one that the fired bricks are an earlier phase, a pavement under the palace or that the fired bricks are part of a drainage system since it is in line with the drain found in A13, and may continue underneath the Eastern portion of the stone pavement. [Input: L815LR.j]
2002-09-29 lR there are several arguments for the eroded areas; one that the bricks were cut by the pit a17 that left gaps of disintegrated bricks, or two that the presence of water seeped it through the cracks and eroded small areas. One eroded area measures 40 x 10 cm linear in shape running north to south across 3 rows of bricks. There is a small circular hole in one of the northern stones that may have funneled water causing the eroded bricks. It is unclear whether this circular hole is natural or man made but was in place when the stone pavement was in use and therefore inadvertently caused water to funnel through this hole and settle on the baked bricks possibly eroding them over time. [Input: -MX12-99.j]
Options (alternatives) 2011-02-02 lC For a more detailed description see a24 [Input: V202LC.j]

Volumetric Localization

Roster Date Author Record
Locus 2001-06-09 lr k108 [Input: L815LR.j]
Elevation 2001-06-17 fAB 8470 [Input: L724LR.j]

Contact Association

Roster Date Author Record
Type of contact: latest events 2007-08-28 fab f164 (^ pit) cuts f194 (drain) [Input: R828FAB.j]
2002-09-25 lR f189 (^ pit) cuts f194 (drain) [Input: M926LR.j]
2002-09-25 fAB f340 (^ layer) covers f194 (drain) [Input: M926LR.j]
2014-12-03 cJC f197 (accumulation) overlays f194 (drain) [Input: YY06CJC.j]
2002-09-25 lR f330 (^ fill) overlays f194 (drain) [Input: M926LR.j]

Spatial Aggregation

Roster Date Author Record
Aggregate (to which element belongs) 2000-12-18 !! a24 (^pb) [Input: A-CUMUL.j]

Time Sequencing

Roster Date Author Record
Stratum (to which element belongs) 2015-05-20 cJC s530AAH [Input: ZA520CJC.j]
Phase (to which element belongs) 2015-05-20 !! h4jAAH [Input: ZA520CJC.j]

4. TYPOLOGY

Morphology

Roster Date Author Record
Ware or Material, species 2001-06-09 lr bricks [Input: L815LR.j]
2001-06-09 lr fired clay [Input: L815LR.j]
Color 2001-06-09 lr yellow and pink [Input: L815LR.j]
Hardness, compaction 2001-06-09 lr hard [Input: L815LR.j]

6. REFERENCE

Analogical Record

Roster Date Author Record
View/drawing of features

v118
2007-08-03 pC [Input: R803PC.j]

v118a
2007-08-03 pC [Input: R803PC.j]

v139
2007-08-03 pC [Input: R803PC.j]

v146
2007-08-03 pC [Input: R803PC.j]

Disposition

Roster Date Author Record
Removed (feature), discarded/missing (item) 2001-06-09 lr current [Input: L815LR.j]