Hisham's Palace was initially constructed in the 1st half of the 8th century CE, likely between 724 and 743 CE. Whitcomb (1988:63) suggested an initial destruction affected Hisham's Palace after which occupation continued. He noted that presence of "​ceramics of this period [1 - ca. 750-800 CE]" on or near to the floor, "amid destruction debris, fallen columns, and stone elements" which "tended to occupy a stratum of about 40 cm." thickness. Whitcomb (1988:63) also noted that "lying on the various floors were materials that [original excavator] Baramki took as evidence for interrupted and unfinished construction: plaster and marble screen production, stacked roof tiles, and window glass". The "floors were either not laid or showed little or no wear on the limestone (see Baramki 1937: 167, for a summary of this evidence)". Whitcomb noticed that "the evidence from the drawn sherds indicates at least two-thirds of the excavated locations had substantial Period 1 [ca. 750-800 CE] artifacts on or near the floor, perhaps twice the occupation Baramki recognized." Whitcomb (1988:64) further reports that "the deposits of Period 1 may have begun in the 740s but continued uninterrupted for the remainder of that century."
