Area CAlexander Sollee, M.A.Hellenistic Structures
In the season of 2009, the trenches at the northern end of courtyard C were extended to the north and west. They showed that multi-level earlier building levels lie beneath the areas less effected by erosion. Four Hellenistic levels (C04a-C04d) were recognized above the walls of the Neo-Assyrian palace. It seems to be a sequence of two to three Hellenistic courthouses and it appears as though the southern parts of these structures have been partly excavated (Fig. 1). On the basis of coins and other objects, the levels can be dated to the period of the 3rd to the 1st century B.C. (Fig. 2). Some of the rooms were equipped with tannur-ovens for bread-production. It seems as if a pebble-paved open space lay west of the houses. The Hellenistic walls were built directly upon the Assyrian ones. This supports the continuity between the Neo-Assyrian and Seleucid periods that is also apparent in the material remains. Neo-Assyrian Structures
The layout of the Neo-Assyrian governor’s palace was further clarified, as well. A strongly robbed wall of a room from level C07 was recognized in the northwestern corner of the courtyard. The wall was cut in level C06 and was covered by a new, elevated pavement made of pebbles. In level C06 the stone-slab covered path leading northward, was covered by a row of rooms. These mark the northern boundary of the courtyard in the terminal period of the palace. The western boundary of the courtyard was not localized. (Translation: A. Sollee / B. Sollee) |
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