Preface to Unit J6

J6 belongs in area JP, which includes the lower monumental stone architecture of the Temple Terrace that separates the upper sacred area with Temple BA (Area BT), from the plaza (Area JP). Other excavation units closely related to J6 are units J4, J2, J7, C2. Archaeological excavations in J6 exposed the southeastern end of the Temple Terrace. The revetment wall and the eastern flank staircase wall are the main architectural features in J6. The wall is located at the northeastern edge of the monumental staircase in J2 and makes a bend to the north. Chronologically, the first excavated layers are represented by a series of surfaces located south of the revetment wall and east of the staircase. These layers have a maked slope toward southeast. In front of the flank wall of the staircase, a continuous stratification of floors was recorded, dating from the middle of the 3rd millennium to the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. These floors can be correlated with the floors of J2 in front of the staircase.

During the Mittani period, a service area was built, characterised by the presence of floors and a mudbrick bin. The monumental staircase, directly to the west, was still used to access the Temple Terrace. A major event affecting unit J6 is the collapse of buildings coming from the south-east of J6. The mudbrick debris covered the southern part of J6 and J2, leading to the initial abandonment of the area and the swift of the Temple Terrace access to the west in J5.

For a fuller overall introduction see the Overview and the Chronicle.

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J6 and the Urkesh Global Record

An overview of the Urkesh Global Record is given elsewhere. In this red section, to the left of the main page, it is possible to read the excavation results as a traditional publication. It is already a very detailed description of the work done during the two years of excavation in Unit J6, divided into sections on stratigraphy (emplacement and deposition), typology (architecture, istallations, use areas, objects and samples). The text is accompained by schemathic drawings and photographs. All important features are listed in this part and have hyperlinks to the primary informations and observations done during excavation. The hiperlinks bring to the right side (black), where is the excavation data, which can be used as a database. The pottery analysis made by Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati, our excavation director and specialist for ceramics can be found in Ceramics.

The full J6 data appear one year after the closing of the excavations (in September 2008 after the first excavation season and in October 2009 after the second excavation season). One year close-up work continued after the close of excavations. This was partly due to the fact that J6 was chosen, along with the JP books, to serve as a test case for the implementation of the Global Record and this entailed a substantial amount of harmonization and fine-tuning of the system as a whole.
     Excavations were reopened in season 2009 and was possible to finish the right side of this book after one month of the end of excavations. This goal was reached working full time in the expedition house with the support of the excavation directors and by continuos confrontation with other staff members working on other books of the Urkesh Global Record.

For full bibliographical information see Front Matter.