Area B

Dr. Jörg Becker

Excavations at the «West-Palast» and on the northern slope
Investigations at the «West-Palast» and the «Skorpionentor» were continued in 2007. However, we simultaneously made a sounding on the northern slope to investigate the prehistoric settlement. Here, a long N-S-trench had already been located in Max von Oppenheim’s days.

The investigations at the «West-Palast» and the «Skorpionentor» demonstrated even more clearly that the «West-Palast» was built on top of a prehistoric mound, in the younger depositions of which Iron Age structures were included, as well. The «West-Palast» was cut into these older buildings of the 10th/9th century B.C. through a large foundation pit.

On the northern slope, two small Halaf period round buildings with the characteristic keyhole-layout were brought to light (round buildings 2 and 3). Here, the walls usually consist of mudbricks, too, and in some places they are still covered with lime plaster. With an interior diameter of merely 3 m the buildings are fairly modest in size (Fig. 1).

(Translation: A. Sollee / B. Sollee)