Collins et al. (2015:58–59) inferred from rebuilding patterns that Tall al-Hammam experienced a significant earthquake that caused widespread structural damage across the city. They place this event at the transition from Early Bronze 2 to Early Bronze 3, around 2700 BCE. According to Collins et al. (2015:58-59), a disruptive event at this time required residents to rebuild most of the architecture across the site, and the effects of the disturbance are especially clear in the city’s fortifications. The Early Bronze 2 city wall, which enclosed more than 25 hectare, had been constructed with only one or two lines of boulders at the inner and outer faces, with mudbrick fill between them. This design left the 6 m-thick wall structurally vulnerable, and the earthquake severely damaged it, forcing large sections to be dismantled down to whatever remained stable. In the subsequent Early Bronze 3 rebuilding, the wall was reconstructed on a much more substantial all-stone foundation five to six course high and covering the full width of the wall, reflecting a direct architectural response to the earlier failure ( Collins et al. 2015:xxvii, 58-59).

The earthquake’s effects were not limited to the fortifications. Domestic areas show evidence that Early Bronze 3 occupation developed directly out of Early Bronze 2 structures, but only after extensive rebuilding. The tightly knit architectural phases and widespread ash deposits across the Early Bronze 2–3 domestic zones indicate a site-wide disruptive event, after which the city was immediately refurbished and reoccupied ( Collins et al. 2015:xxiii-xxiv, 71-73).

Following the earthquake, the Early Bronze 3 fortifications were strengthened. The city wall was widened slightly to about 6 m and supported by a foundation of six courses of medium-to-large fieldstones, topped by a tall mudbrick superstructure. This reconstruction created a more substantial defensive system that continued in use into later phases, demonstrating both the scale of the earlier destruction and the rapid recovery of the settlement ( Collins et al. 2015:71-73). The architectural disruptions, rebuilding of the city wall on a stronger stone foundation, and the evidence for widespread ash and reconstruction across domestic areas suggest that a significant earthquake at the Early Bronze 2–Early Bronze 3 transition around 2700 BCE affected much of Tall al-Hammam, after which the city was quickly rebuilt and continued in occupation ( Collins et al. 2015:xxiii-xxiv, xxvii, 58-59, 71-73). Dating appears to rely primarily on pottery evidence.

Fig. 5.8 - Earthquake activity of EB2 and EB3 rebuild of city wall at Tall al-Hammam - JW: The yellow arrow indicates what excavators interpreted as the original mudbricks forming the core of the original wall or foundation. These were the only mudbricks left in place after the collapsed material was cleared to construct a new wall or foundation built entirely of stone. - Click on image to open in a new tab - Collins et al. (2015)