Unit Book J2

The Temple Staircase (Version 1a)

J2 Synthetic View / Introduction / Topics

Notes on nderstanding of Mittani strata

Caitlin Chaves Yates – October 2010

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Review of Mittani Strata

There is some confusion in the later Mittani strata. The way I currently understand the deposition is as follows.

In the early Mittani some small curtain walls are constructed, cutting through the EDIII deposits (see f288, etc.). After this wall is built there are some accumulations that build up between the curtain wall and the revetment wall. Accumulations continued to build up and while the wall was being slowly covered from the north the brickfall came up against it from the south. At this point the area was generally abandoned. Several accumulations built up and the area leveled off again. Then the area was used for activities associated with the flat stone f154. Questions arise at this point in the sequence, as there are several different features/uses that are not clearly linked but appear related.

There are several ashy layers that appear to be embedded in the upper layers of the brickfall, indicating they are part of the initial reuse of the area after the brickfall, at this point the stone f154 is fairly high up. If the stone is placed on the level ground it would be associated with much higher levels, not those such as f150 and f171. After the ashy layers there are several more accumulation layers (f140 etc.) and then the layers that are associated with the base of the large stone (f125 etc.). There appear to be three main layers, the first post-brickfall ashy layer, the natural accumulations, and the accumulations against the base of the stone.

At this point the second apron was constructed. Accumulations continued in front of the wall until eventually it was covered, at this point there are scattered (non-Mittani) accumulations across J2, consisting of stone scatters and small tannurs.

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