Yassine & van der Steen (2012:81–83) report that a violent destruction marked the end of Stratum V at Tell el-Mazar. They note that the level was also "burnt in many places" ( Yassine & van der Steen 2012:5–15). Pottery from Stratum V indicates that it was contemporaneous with Deir Alla Phase VII, which likewise ended in destruction. Ibrahim and van der Kooij (1997:100–101) interpreted the sudden collapse of buildings, associated fire, and structural fracturing at Deir Alla as the result of an earthquake. The excavators date Stratum V at Tell el-Mazar to the 8th–7th century BCE, a chronology that Yassine & van der Steen (2012:5–15) state is "borne out by the finds." After a period of abandonment, builders constructed Stratum IV directly on the ruins of Stratum V ( Yassine & van der Steen 2012:81–83).