Layer A1b Earthquake (?) - Iron II
Levy et al. (2014:103–105)
report that the lower collapse layer (A1b) in the
gatehouse at Khirbat en-Nahas records the final
destruction phase of the structure. This debris layer
covers the entire gate complex and extends across the
adjacent compound wall, indicating a widespread
collapse event affecting both the gate chambers and
surrounding architectural elements.
According to the excavators, the deposit is composed
of a dense accumulation of stones derived from the
collapsed
superstructure of the
gatehouse. The debris
blankets all rooms and passageways and shows a
uniform character without internal stratification.
Levy et al. (2014: n.19)
note that such a homogeneous debris layer most likely
formed during a single traumatic collapse event—or a
series of closely spaced destructive events—rather
than through slow natural accumulation.
Artifacts within the deposit are sparse and poorly
preserved, consisting mainly of scattered pottery,
grinding stones, and occasional metallurgical debris
such as
furnace fragments,
tuyere pipes, and
small amounts of slag. The relatively small quantity of
industrial waste compared with earlier occupation
levels suggests that copper production activities had
already diminished prior to the collapse of the
structure.
The excavators conclude that Layer A1b represents the
final destruction of the gatehouse after its primary
use had ended. Although the precise cause cannot be
determined from the deposit alone, the large-scale
collapse of architectural blocks across the complex is
consistent with structural failure during a strong
earthquake affecting the fortress.
The date of the demise represented by Layer A1b is
uncertain (Levy et al. 2014:Tables 2.1 and 2.2).
However, the absence of wind-blown sediment between
this layer and the earlier phases suggests that the
collapse occurred relatively soon after the final
occupation of the structure, likely near the ninth
century BCE when the underlying Layer A2a is dated.
