Tell Saidiyeh Archaeo

Transliterated Name	Source	Name
Tell Saidiyeh	Arabic
Tell Es-Sa'idiyeh	Arabic

Description and identification

from Pritchard (1965c)

Midway between the Lake of Tiberias and the Dead Sea stands the impressive landmark of Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, situated about a mile to the east of the Jordan River. This mound of 20 acres rises to a height of 40 m above a vast plain of arable land that is once again being made productive by water which flows through the East Ghor Canal system. Although tell was occupied extensively in biblical times its ancient name has not been preserved. Nelson Glueck has argued that it is the site of Zarethan¹ preferring this identification to the earlier suggestion of Zaphon that was made tentatively by Albright² and accepted as probable by Abel³.

Footnotes

1. AASOR, XXV-XXVIII (1951), 340 ff.

2. AASOR, VI (1926), 46.

3. Geographie, Vol. II, p. 448.

Exploration

from Tubb (1998:40-42)

The site was first investigated in the 1940s by Nelson Glueck, during his comprehensive Survey of Eastern Palestine. His surface collections indicated a long history of occupation from the Chalcolithic period of the fourth millennium BC through to the Roman period. Basing his suggestions on historical geography, combined with the results of his survey, Glueck proposed that Tell es-Sa'idiyeh should be identified as the biblical Zarethan, a city referred to in the books of Joshua (3:16), I Kings (4:12: 7:46) and 2 Chronicles (4:17). During the 1960s James Pritchard conducted the first large-scale excavations at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania. On the Lower Tell, an area on the north side uncovered an of an extensive cemetery dating to the very end of the Late Bronze and beginning of the Iron Age. Some of the graves were exceptionally rich. The cemetery was found to have been cut into occupation of the Early Bronze Age of the third millennium, but, beyond a note of presence, these levels were not explored.

The Pennsylvania excavations came to a close in 1967, with the war of that year, and were not subsequently resumed. In 1985, the author resumed excavations at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh on behalf of the British Museum, and one of the main objectives of the new campaign was to examine in detail the Early Bronze Age occupation of the Lower Tell.

Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, in common with many sites in northern Canaan, shows some degree of continuity from the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age. A deep sounding placed towards the centre of the Lower Tell produced a small quantity of Chalcolithic pottery resting on bedrock and, directly above it, material which could be related to the first phase of the Early Bronze Age. The Early Bronze I settlement was clearly extensive. Remains of a city wall have been found at two locations on the perimeter of the mound where it appears as a well-constructed double defensive circuit with a passageway between — similar in many respects to the fortification system at Ta'anach mentioned above. The most fully excavated phase of the Early Bronze Age occupation at Sa'idiyeh belongs to the Early Bronze II period, which would date to between about 2900 and 2650 BC. Remains of this period were found in three main areas on the Lower Tell: towards the centre, on the south-west side and in an area which lies 30 m south of the central area. Altogether. four levels of Early Bronze Age occupation have been identified. The uppermost level is a squatter phase, named Stratum 11. Below Stratum 11, the more substantial mud-brick architecture of two previous phases, known as Strata 12 and 13, has been defined, and it is with these two phases that the following discussion is mainly concerned.

Stratum 12 was found to be associated with dense destruction debris (ashes, burnt mud-brick rubble, and charred timber), but both Strata 12 and 13 were apparently built on the same plan. In contrast to the continuity of the architecture of these phases the walls of the earliest occupation level, Stratum 14, where expcsed, appear to follow a different layout.

Tell Saidiyeh Paleoseismic Site

Maps, Aerial Views, Plans, Sections, and Photos

Maps

Normal Size

Fig. 1 - Location Map

Fig. 1

Location Map

Petit & Kafafi (2016)

from Petit & Kafafi (2016)
Location Map from

Fig. 1

Map of Deir 'Alla region, based upon topographic map 1947

Van der Kooij (2006)

Van der Kooij (2006)
Jordan Valley Sites from
Figure 6

Archaeology of the Jordan Valley.
- White squares, main populated areas cited in historical documents
- white dots, archaeological sites visited and reappraised in this study
- gray dots are archaeological sites not studied here (lack of evidence and/or available literature) but of potential interest for future studies
- gray squares, paleoseismic sites
- black squares, geomorphological sites studied by Ferry et al. (2007)
Ferry et al. (2011))
Ferry et al. (2011)
Fig. 2 Map of Iron Age I

Figure 2

Map of the Jordan Valley with Iron Age I sites mentioned in the thesis. The open circles are modern cities.

Halbertsma (2019)

sites in the Jordan Valley from Halbertsma (2019)
Fig. 13 Map of Iron Age sites

Figure 13

Map of Iron Age sites discussed in this chapter

(after Van der Steen 1999, 179).

Halbertsma (2019)

in the Jordan Valley from Halbertsma (2019)
Fig. 4.1 Map of sites

Fig. 4.1

Map of major archaeological and historical site in central and northern Israel and Jordan

Mazar et. al. (2020 v.1)

in central and northern Israel and Jordan from Mazar et. al. (2020 v.1)
Fig. 1b Fault segments

Figure 1b

Detailed map of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) segment between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The segment itself is organized as six 15-km to 30-km-long right-stepping sub segments limited by 2 km to 3 km wide transpressive relay zones. The active trace of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) continues for a further ~10 km northward into the Sea of Galilee (SG) and ~20 km southward into the northern Dead Sea (DS).

Ferry et al. (2011)

in the Jordan Valley from Ferry et al. (2011)
Fig. 3a Geomorphology of

Figure 3a

Geomorphology of the Jordan Valley fault

Central section of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) (see location on Fig. 1b), showing drainage (outlined) that is systematically left-laterally displaced at the passage of the fault. The active trace of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) is pointed out by the arrows.

Ferry et al (2011)

the Jordan Valley fault from Ferry et al. (2011)

Magnified

Location Map from

Fig. 1

Map of Deir 'Alla region, based upon topographic map 1947

Van der Kooij (2006)

Van der Kooij (2006)
Jordan Valley Sites from
Figure 6

Archaeology of the Jordan Valley.
- White squares, main populated areas cited in historical documents
- white dots, archaeological sites visited and reappraised in this study
- gray dots are archaeological sites not studied here (lack of evidence and/or available literature) but of potential interest for future studies
- gray squares, paleoseismic sites
- black squares, geomorphological sites studied by Ferry et al. (2007)
Ferry et al. (2011))
Ferry et al. (2011)
Fig. 2 Map of Iron Age I

Figure 2

Map of the Jordan Valley with Iron Age I sites mentioned in the thesis. The open circles are modern cities.

Halbertsma (2019)

sites in the Jordan Valley from Halbertsma (2019)
Fig. 13 Map of Iron Age sites

Figure 13

Map of Iron Age sites discussed in this chapter

(after Van der Steen 1999, 179).

Halbertsma (2019)

in the Jordan Valley from Halbertsma (2019)
Fig. 4.1 Map of sites

Fig. 4.1

Map of major archaeological and historical site in central and northern Israel and Jordan

Mazar et. al. (2020 v.1)

in central and northern Israel and Jordan from Mazar et. al. (2020 v.1)
Fig. 1b Fault segments

Figure 1b

Detailed map of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) segment between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The segment itself is organized as six 15-km to 30-km-long right-stepping sub segments limited by 2 km to 3 km wide transpressive relay zones. The active trace of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) continues for a further ~10 km northward into the Sea of Galilee (SG) and ~20 km southward into the northern Dead Sea (DS).

Ferry et al. (2011)

in the Jordan Valley from Ferry et al. (2011)
Fig. 3a Geomorphology of

Figure 3a

Geomorphology of the Jordan Valley fault

Central section of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) (see location on Fig. 1b), showing drainage (outlined) that is systematically left-laterally displaced at the passage of the fault. The active trace of the JVF (Jordan Valley Fault) is pointed out by the arrows.

Ferry et al (2011)

the Jordan Valley fault from Ferry et al. (2011)

Aerial Views

Fig. 8b Aerial View

Figure 8b

the satellite imagery shows the relationship between the active fault trace (thick line), the archaeological site (LT, lower tell; UT, upper tell), and geomorphology (white outline represents the extent of the microtopographic survey in Fig. 3b).

Ferry et al. (2011)

showing Jordan Valley Fault and Tell from Ferry et al. (2011)
Tell Saidiyeh in Google Earth

Tell Saidiyeh in Google Earth

click on image to explore this site on a new tab in Google Earth

Plans

Site Plans

Normal Size

Fig. 1 Site plan with

Figure 1

Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

excavation areas from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 1 Site plan with

Figure 1

Contour Plan of the site with survey grid showing positions of areas investigated in 1993

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

survey grid from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Magnified

Fig. 1 Site plan with

Figure 1

Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

excavation areas from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 1 Site plan with

Figure 1

Contour Plan of the site with survey grid showing positions of areas investigated in 1993

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

survey grid from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Area Plans

Upper Tell

Normal Size

Fig. 2 Location plan for

Figure 2

Location plan for areas on Upper Tell

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

areas on Upper Tell from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

Magnified

Fig. 2 Location plan for

Figure 2

Location plan for areas on Upper Tell

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

areas on Upper Tell from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

Area AA and EE on Upper Tell

Normal Size

Fig. 2 Grids for Areas

Figure 2

Plan of the AA-EE linkage area showing configuration of trenches and their relationship to the main grid.

Tubb & Dorrell (1991)

AA and EE on Upper Tell from Tubb & Dorrell (1991)
Fig. 5 Composite plan

Figure 5

stratum V. Composite plan of Areas AA and EE (Grid squares 22, 23, 32, and 33) incorporating the southern part of Pritchard's exposure(taken from Pritchard 1986, fig. 79). Again, note that this plan has been simplified for the purposes of this report.

Tubb & Dorrell (1991)

of stratum V Areas AA and EE on Upper Tell from Tubb & Dorrell (1991)

Magnified

Fig. 2 Grids for Areas

Figure 2

Plan of the AA-EE linkage area showing configuration of trenches and their relationship to the main grid.

Tubb & Dorrell (1991)

AA and EE on Upper Tell from Tubb & Dorrell (1991)
Fig. 5 Composite plan

Figure 5

stratum V. Composite plan of Areas AA and EE (Grid squares 22, 23, 32, and 33) incorporating the southern part of Pritchard's exposure(taken from Pritchard 1986, fig. 79). Again, note that this plan has been simplified for the purposes of this report.

Tubb & Dorrell (1991)

of stratum V Areas AA and EE on Upper Tell from Tubb & Dorrell (1991)

"Palace" complex in Area EE in stratum XII

Normal Size

Fig. 8 Plan of "Palace"

Figure 8

Area EE, stratum XII: plan of "Palace" complex.

Tubb (1990)

complex in Area EE in stratum XII from Tubb (1990)

Magnified

Fig. 8 Plan of "Palace"

Figure 8

Area EE, stratum XII: plan of "Palace" complex.

Tubb (1990)

complex in Area EE in stratum XII from Tubb (1990)

Western Palace complex in Area EE

Normal Size

Fig. 10 Plan of Western

Figure 10

Plan of the Western Palace complex in Area EE (Area 32-A/B-7/10, Area 33-H/K-7/10) and the 'Aqueduct' in AA goo (Area 32-B/D-IO, Area 23-B(D-l/2).

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

Palace complex in Area EE from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

Magnified

Fig. 10 Plan of Western

Figure 10

Plan of the Western Palace complex in Area EE (Area 32-A/B-7/10, Area 33-H/K-7/10) and the 'Aqueduct' in AA goo (Area 32-B/D-IO, Area 23-B(D-l/2).

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

Palace complex in Area EE from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

Area KK

Normal Size

Fig. 24 Stratum XII

Figure 24

Area KK: Remains of Stratum XII alleyway and associated building and part of the underlying phase (Stratum XIII).

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

alleyway and associated building in area KK from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

Magnified

Fig. 24 Stratum XII

Figure 24

Area KK: Remains of Stratum XII alleyway and associated building and part of the underlying phase (Stratum XIII).

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

alleyway and associated building in area KK from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

Stratum VII bathroom in AA 1300 (Area 32-E-7)

Normal Size

Fig. 7 Plan of Stratum

Figure 7

Plan of the Stratum VII bathroom in AA 1300 (Area 32-E-7).

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

VII bathroom in AA 1300 from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 8 Axonometric

Figure 8

Axonometric reconstruction of Stratum VII bathroom.

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

reconstruction of Stratum VII bathroom from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

Magnified

Fig. 7 Plan of Stratum

Figure 7

Plan of the Stratum VII bathroom in AA 1300 (Area 32-E-7).

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

VII bathroom in AA 1300 from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 8 Axonometric

Figure 8

Axonometric reconstruction of Stratum VII bathroom.

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

reconstruction of Stratum VII bathroom from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

Hellenistic building (Stratum IIA) in Area 32

Normal Size

Fig. 3 Plan of Hellenistic

Figure 3

Plan of Hellenistic building (Stratum IIA) in Area 32. The plan is a composite, drawing together Pritchard's work in E/G-8, the excavation of AA 700 in 1989(H/J-8), and the most recent results from AA 1300 (E/G-6/7).

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

building (Stratum IIA) in Area 32 from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

Magnified

Fig. 3 Plan of Hellenistic

Figure 3

Plan of Hellenistic building (Stratum IIA) in Area 32. The plan is a composite, drawing together Pritchard's work in E/G-8, the excavation of AA 700 in 1989(H/J-8), and the most recent results from AA 1300 (E/G-6/7).

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

building (Stratum IIA) in Area 32 from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

Persian period Residency in Area 31

Normal Size

Fig. 2 Plan of the

Figure 2

Plan of the Persian period Residency in Area 31 (taken from Pritchard 1985, fig. 185) showing position of the 1993 sounding.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Persian period Residency in Area 31 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Magnified

Fig. 2 Plan of the

Figure 2

Plan of the Persian period Residency in Area 31 (taken from Pritchard 1985, fig. 185) showing position of the 1993 sounding.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Persian period Residency in Area 31 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Lower Tell

Field I - Lower Tell

Normal Size

Fig. 8 Plan of Field I

Figure 8

Overall plan of Field I showing the possible relationship between the Early Bronze Age architecture of Area BB 100-600, and that of Areas BB 700/DD.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 3 Plan of Field I

Figure 3

Overall plan of Field I (Lower Tell) showing architecture relating to the Early Bronze Age complex(es) in Areas BB and DD (revised since 1995).

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

Magnified

Fig. 8 Plan of Field I

Figure 8

Overall plan of Field I showing the possible relationship between the Early Bronze Age architecture of Area BB 100-600, and that of Areas BB 700/DD.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 3 Plan of Field I

Figure 3

Overall plan of Field I (Lower Tell) showing architecture relating to the Early Bronze Age complex(es) in Areas BB and DD (revised since 1995).

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

Square BB 700

Normal Size

Fig. 13 Location plan for
Figure 13

Plan of Square BB 700 (Grid F/G-1/2) at Phase L2. The numbered artifacts are:

store-Jar

store-Jar

open-mouth vessel

Juglet

Jug

store-Jar

store-Jar

beaker

jug

door-socket

bowl

jug

platter

flint scraper

Juglet

platter

platter

Jug

Juglet

juglet

bowl

juglet

group of 3 juglets

open-mouth vessel

store-jar

store-Jar

Jug

sunken stone bowl

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
areas on Upper Tell from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

Magnified

Fig. 13 Location plan for
Figure 13

Plan of Square BB 700 (Grid F/G-1/2) at Phase L2. The numbered artifacts are:

store-Jar

store-Jar

open-mouth vessel

Juglet

Jug

store-Jar

store-Jar

beaker

jug

door-socket

bowl

jug

platter

flint scraper

Juglet

platter

platter

Jug

Juglet

juglet

bowl

juglet

group of 3 juglets

open-mouth vessel

store-jar

store-Jar

Jug

sunken stone bowl

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
areas on Upper Tell from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

Stratum L2 in Area BB 700

Normal Size

Fig. 16 Plan of Stratum

Figure 16

Plan of Stratum L2 in Area BB 700 (Area 35-F/H-I/3).

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

L2 in Area BB 700 from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 12 Plan of Stratum

Figure 12

Plan of Stratum L2 (revised 1993) in BB 700.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

L2 in BB 700 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Magnified

Fig. 16 Plan of Stratum

Figure 16

Plan of Stratum L2 in Area BB 700 (Area 35-F/H-I/3).

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

L2 in Area BB 700 from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 12 Plan of Stratum

Figure 12

Plan of Stratum L2 (revised 1993) in BB 700.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

L2 in BB 700 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Stratum L1 in Area BB 700

Normal Size

Fig. 17 Plan of Stratum

Figure 17

Plan of Stratum LI in Area BB 700 (Area 35-F/H-1/3)

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

L2 in Area BB 700 from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 10 Plan of Stratum

Figure 10

Plan of Stratum LI (revised in view of 1993 excavations) in BB 700.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

LI in BB 700 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Magnified

Fig. 17 Plan of Stratum

Figure 17

Plan of Stratum LI in Area BB 700 (Area 35-F/H-1/3)

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

L2 in Area BB 700 from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 10 Plan of Stratum

Figure 10

Plan of Stratum LI (revised in view of 1993 excavations) in BB 700.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

LI in BB 700 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Early Bronze Age Complex in Area BB 700

Normal Size

Fig. 9 Sketch of the

Figure 9

Sketch reconstruction of the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 looking north-east (not to scale).

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Magnified

Fig. 9 Sketch of the

Figure 9

Sketch reconstruction of the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 looking north-east (not to scale).

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

BB 700 and DD

Normal Size

Fig. 4 Location plan

Figure 4

Location plan for general loci within areas BB 700 and DD.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

for general loci within areas BB 700 and DD from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

Magnified

Fig. 4 Location plan

Figure 4

Location plan for general loci within areas BB 700 and DD.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

for general loci within areas BB 700 and DD from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

Area DD

Normal Size

Fig. 7 Area DD: Covered

Figure 7

Area DD: Covered drain and bath installation associated with Stratum L2.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

drain and bath installation associated with Stratum L2 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

Magnified

Fig. 7 Area DD: Covered

Figure 7

Area DD: Covered drain and bath installation associated with Stratum L2.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

drain and bath installation associated with Stratum L2 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996)

'scullery' area in DD900

Normal Size

Fig. 13 Plan of 'scullery'

Figure 13

Plan of 'scullery' area in DD900.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

area in DD900 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

Magnified

Fig. 13 Plan of 'scullery'

Figure 13

Plan of 'scullery' area in DD900.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

area in DD900 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

Sections

Normal Size

Fig. 46 - Iron age Section

Fig. 46

Drawing of the main east section in Area AA showing complicated sequence of Iron Age occupation phases above stratum XII

(photo:JNI)

Tubb et al. (1990)

above stratum XII in Area AA from Tubb et al. (1990)
Fig. 4 AA 1300 (Area 32-E/G-6/7)

Figure 4

AA 1300 (Area 32-E/G-6/7) West Section

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

West Section from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 6 AA 1000/1100 (Area 32-C/E-7/9)

Figure 6

AA 1000/1100 (Area 32-C/E-7/9) South Section

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

South Section from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 2 North Section BB 900-1000

Figure 2

Area BB 700: North Section BB 900- 1000 showing two phases of destruction of Stratum L2 ' staircase and evidence of faulting through seismic activity

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

showing two phases of destruction of Stratum L2 staircase and evidence of faulting through seismic activity from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 4 South and West

Figure 4

South and West sections of 31-H-7 showing the stratigraphic sequence of phases below Stratum III.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

sections of 31-H-7 showing the stratigraphic sequence of phases below Stratum III from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Magnified

Fig. 46 - Iron age Section

Fig. 46

Drawing of the main east section in Area AA showing complicated sequence of Iron Age occupation phases above stratum XII

(photo:JNI)

Tubb et al. (1990)

above stratum XII in Area AA from Tubb et al. (1990)
Fig. 4 AA 1300 (Area 32-E/G-6/7)

Figure 4

AA 1300 (Area 32-E/G-6/7) West Section

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

West Section from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 6 AA 1000/1100 (Area 32-C/E-7/9)

Figure 6

AA 1000/1100 (Area 32-C/E-7/9) South Section

Tubb and Dorrell (1993)

South Section from Tubb and Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 2 North Section BB 900-1000

Figure 2

Area BB 700: North Section BB 900- 1000 showing two phases of destruction of Stratum L2 ' staircase and evidence of faulting through seismic activity

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

showing two phases of destruction of Stratum L2 staircase and evidence of faulting through seismic activity from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 4 South and West

Figure 4

South and West sections of 31-H-7 showing the stratigraphic sequence of phases below Stratum III.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

sections of 31-H-7 showing the stratigraphic sequence of phases below Stratum III from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Photos

Fig. 8a and 8b Photo of tell

Figure 8a and 8b

Tell Saydiyeh archaeological site. (a,b) General view of the site and satellite imagery (inset) showing its relationship to the fault. The archaeological site is composed with a lower and an upper tell that were occupied at different periods. The original site was a limited mound that looked over the region and has grown with the successive addition of settlement layers, each related to a specific period.The obvious proximity of the JVF is marked by the active fault scarp. In (b), the satellite imagery shows the relationship between the active fault trace (thick line), the archaeological site (LT, lower tell; UT, upper tell), and geomorphology (white outline represents the extent of the microtopographic survey in Fig. 3b).

Ferry et al. (2011)

and its relationship to the Jordan Valley Fault from Ferry et al. (2011)
Fig. 8c Burn layer at

Figure 8c

Tell Saydiyeh archaeological site. Open pit at the top of the tell showing conspicuous ~5-cm-thick black burnt layers. Those layers contain broken pottery, charred wood, and ashes and are remnants of a widespread intense fire.

Ferry et al. (2011)

tell from Ferry et al. (2011)
Fig. 8d 12th century

Figure 8d

The twelfth century B.C. olive processing area (Palace) that displays signs of destruction

(from Tubb, 1998)

Ferry et al. (2011)

BCE olive processing area (Palace) that displays signs of destruction from Ferry et al. (2011)
Fig. 8e Blocked doorway

Figure 8e

Blocked doorway and broken vessel interpreted as a direct result of earthquake shaking

(from Tubb, 1988)

Ferry et al. (2011)

and broken vessel interpreted as a direct result of earthquake shaking from Ferry et al. (2011)
Fig. 9 overhead view

Figure 9

Area EE, stratum XII: overhead view of "Palace"

Tubb (1990)

of "Palace" in Area EE, stratum XII from Tubb (1990)
Fig. 10 Crushed pottery

Figure 10

Area EE, stratum XII: water channel in westernmost plastered room. The crushed pottery vessel near to the scale is that shown on Fig. 14:1.

Tubb (1990)

adjacent to water channel in westernmost plastered room of Area EE, stratum XII from Tubb (1990)
Fig. 12 mud-brick paving

Figure 12

Area EE, stratum XII: mud-brick paving in room of "Palace" complex

Tubb (1990)

in room of "Palace" complex in Area EE, stratum XII from Tubb (1990)
Fig. 13 pottery vessels

Figure 13

Area EE, stratum XII: pottery vessels on burnt floor of "Palace", close to tabun constructed of krater sherds

Tubb (1990)

on burnt floor of "Palace" in Area EE, stratum XII from Tubb (1990)
Fig. 4 Area AA 900 showing

Figure 4

AA 900 from the west. The stratum V stalls are on the left of the photograph, and on the right is the depressed stone-paved surface of stratum VII.

Tubb and Dorrell (1991)

stalls and depressed stone-paved surface of stratum VII from Tubb and Dorrell (1991)
Fig. 16 Brick Collapse and

Figure 16

Deposit of Early Bronze II pottery, in situ, showing nature of overlying brick collapse and destruction debris (BB 700).

Tubb and Dorrell (1991)

destruction debris in BB700 (Early Bronze II) from Tubb and Dorrell (1991)
Fig. 17 Early Bronze II pottery

Figure 17

Deposit of Early Bronze II pottery, in situ, on the floor of the stratum L2 building in BB 700.

Tubb and Dorrell (1991)

(in situ) on the floor of the stratum L2 building in BB 700 from Tubb and Dorrell (1991)
Fig. 5 Deep storage

Figure 5

AA 1300. Deep storage pit of Stratum IV. The rim of another such pit is shown at the top of the photograph.

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

pit of Stratum IV in AA 1300 from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 9 Basalt tripod-stand

Figure 9

Basalt tripod-stand on floor of Stratum VII bathroom.

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

on floor of Stratum VII bathroom from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 11 View over Area

Figure 11

View over Area AA 900 from the southwest, showing the walls, passageways and revetment of the 'Aqueduct' of Stratum XII.

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

AA 900 Stratum XII from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 12 Stone revetment

Figure 12

Stone revetment against western wall of aqueduct in AA 900.

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

against western wall of aqueduct in AA 900 from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 13 Part of Area EE

Figure 13

Part of Area EE from the south, showing the Stratum XII pool with its inlet and riser on the north side.

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

Stratum XII from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 14 Broken Jars in

Figure 14

Egyptian style jars adjacent to the drainage channel of the Stratum XII pool in Area EE.

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

Area EE Stratum XII from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 15 Area BB 700

Figure 15

General view of excavations in Area BB 700, looking north-west. Room d is in the foreground

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 18 Broken and fallen

Figure 18

Early Bronze II pottery in situ in Room b (Area BB 700, Stratum L₂).

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

in situ Early Bronze II pottery in Room b of Area BB 700 Stratum L₂ from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 19 Cracked steps

Figure 19

Area BB 700. Steps leading down into Room d (Stratum L₂).

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

leading down into Room d of Area BB 700 Stratum L₂ from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 20 Tilted Wall in

Figure 20

Area BB 700. Angle between Walls H and P, showing L₁ addition to L₂ walls.

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

Area BB 700 from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 21 Area BB 700

Figure 21

Area BB 700. Dish in niche in Wall H (Stratum L2)

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

Stratum L2 from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 22 Platter broken

Figure 22

Area BB 700. Platter broken in situ on the floor of Room e (Stratum L₁).

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

in situ on the floor of Room e from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 23 Fire pit in Area BB 700

Figure 23

Area BB 700. Fire pit in Lr levels of Rooms e and h.

Tubb & Dorrell (1993)

from Tubb & Dorrell (1993)
Fig. 14 Collapse in BB700

Figure 14

BB 700: stratum L2 building from the west.

Tubb and Dorrell (1991)

and Stratum L2 from Tubb and Dorrell (1991)
Fig. 5 Disrupted wall

Figure 5

View of 31-H-7 showing disrupted north-south wall of Stratum IIIB-C.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

of Stratum IIIB-C at 31-H-7 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)
Fig. 11 Stone-lined pit

Figure 11

Stone-lined pit of Stratum LI in BB 900 (partially revealed in 1992).

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

of Stratum LI in BB 900 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)
Fig. 13 Sunken store-room

Figure 13

Sunken store-room in the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700, showing entrance and steps.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

in the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)
Fig. 14 Smashed storage

Figure 14

Large store-jars, smashed on the floor of the Early Bronze Age sunken room.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

jars on the floor of the Early Bronze Age sunken room from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)
Fig. 15 Mud-brick paved

Figure 15

Mud-brick paved staircase on the north side of the Early Bronze Age complex (Stratum L2).

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

staircase on the north side of the Early Bronze Age complex (Stratum L2) from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)
Fig. 16 Small room of

Figure 16

Small room of Stratum L3 in BB 1000, showing niche (on right hand side) and crushing basin with associated channel.

Tubb & Dorrell (1994)

Stratum L3 in BB 1000 from Tubb & Dorrell (1994)
Fig. 3 Early Bronze II

Figure 3

Area BB 700: Early Bronze II pottery assemblage in situ in BB 1100.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

pottery assemblage in situ in area BB 700 from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 4 Area DD

Figure 4

Area DD: General view looking east showing the extent of the season's excavations (DD 700-900).

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 5 Exposed Wall

Figure 5

Area DD: View of the exposed wall which provides the linkage between the architecture of Area DD and that of Area BB 700 (DD 900).

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

in Area DD from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 6 Drainage installation

Figure 6

Area DD: View from south of the Early Bronze Age drainage installation, consisting of a plaster lined 'bath' with its own drain leading into a larger drain (DD 700).

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

in Area DD from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 16 Area AA

Figure 16

Area AA: General view from east during excavation of Stratum XIII showing, on the left, the remains of the stone terracing of Stratum XII. The tannur installation belongs to Stratum XIB.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 17 Area AA

Figure 17

Area AA: Mud-brick and stone blocking of northern entrance to the Stratum XII Egyptian Governor's Residency. Part of the Stratum XIII occupation surface is visible in the foreground.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 18 Area AA

Figure 18

Area AA: General view from South looking into the 1995 season's excavation area.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 19 Area AA

Figure 19

Area AA: Limestone slab in situ blocking entrance to the underground favissa most likely to be associated with the small Stratum XIA temple excavated in the 1986 season.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 21 View of

Figure 21

Area KK: View of Tell es-Saeidiyeh and Area KK from the south.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)

Tell es-Saeidiyeh and Area KK from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)
Fig. 5 Faulted floor

Figure 5

Example of faulting on floor surface, a feature also visible in the section behind (BB 1000).

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 6 General view

Figure 6

General view of BB 1000 showing original features of Stratum L2.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

of BB 1000 showing original features of Stratum L2 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 7 in situ pottery

Figure 7

BB 1300, showing pottery in situ on the surface of the upper storey collapse.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

on the surface of the upper storey collapse in BB 1300 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 8 stone-lined pit

Figure 8

BB 1100: stone-lined pit set into first-floor surface.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

in BB 1100 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 9 east-west wall

Figure 9

BB 1100/I300: substantial east-west wall showing the effects of slippage and faulting.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

showing the effects of slippage and faulting in BB 1100/I300 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 10 Stratum L1

Figure 10

DD 900: Poorly preserved remains of Stratum L1 occupation resting on western wall of Stratum L2 'scullery'.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

occupation resting on western wall of Stratum L2 'scullery' in DD 900 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 11 Area DD 900

Figure 11

General view of rooms excavated on the south side of Area DD (DD 900) in 1996.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 12 Broken platters

Figure 12

View from the north of 'scullery' area in DD 900, showing platters and other vessels on surface.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

and vessels in 'scullery' area in DD 900 from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 14 Stack of bowls

Figure 14

Stack of bowls in situ in scullery area.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

in situ in scullery area from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 15 Room to south of

Figure 15

Room to south of 'scullery', showing well-preserved entrance on south side.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

'scullery' from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 16 Plaster-lined bin

Figure 16

Plaster-lined bin in a small room of 'western complex' (DD 700).

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

in a small room of 'western complex' (DD 700) from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 17 General view of

Figure 17

General view of Area NN, west of the Lower Tell.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

Area NN, west of the Lower Tell from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 18 Early Bronze I

Figure 18

Badly weathered Early Bronze I city wall in Area NN.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

city wall in Area NN from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 23 City wall (Stratum 13)

Figure 23

City wall (Stratum 13) in west section of Area KK.

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

in west section of Area KK from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Fig. 24 Part of Stratum

Figure 24

Part of Stratum 14 building in Area KK, showing cobble floor with inset pottery bowl (latethirteenth century B.C.).

Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)

14 building in Area KK from Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)
Seismic Faulting under

Fault produced by an earthquake that disturbed the striations of the virgin soil immediately under the debris of the Early Bronze Age

Pritchard (1965b)

Early Bronze Age debris from Pritchard (1965b)

Stratigraphy/Phasing

Lower Tell

from Tubb (1990)
This is an incomplete construction


Stratum	Age	Date	Description
L5
L4
L3
L2
L1

Upper Tell

from Pritchard (1965a) and Tubb (1990) and others
This is an incomplete construction


Stratum	Date	Description
XV		Stratum XV showed evidence for having been destroyed ... Strata XIV and XV, should be dated to the end of the thirteenth and the very beginning of the twelfth centuries B.C. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:24-30)
XIV		Strata XIV and XV, should be dated to the end of the thirteenth and the very beginning of the twelfth centuries B.C. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:24-30)
XIII		dating in the second quarter of the twelfth century would seem to be indicated - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:24-30)
XII		Area AA - Excavation of stratum XII in 1987 uncovered the remains of a large public building which, to judge from its Egyptian-style plan and construction method, must be seen as yet another example of a so-called 'Egyptian Governor's Residency'. The building had clearly been abandoned following its destruction, and, to. judge from the depth of silt overlying the collapsed debris, some considerable period of time must have elapsed before the construction of stratum XIA, perhaps as much as one hundred years. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:69)
XI		Area AA - A similar but less massive building clearly occupied the same position in stratum XIA, but here, to the south-east, and separated from it by a north-south street, was found a small bi-partite building which, on the basis of various internal installations and finds, could be interpreted as a temple (see Tubb 1988, 37-39). Stratum XIA was found to have been built on a dense layer of silting which in turn covered the deep deposit of intensely burnt destruction debris overlying the architecture of stratum XII. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:69) Area AA - Within two of the rooms of the residency, evidence was found for a phase of squatter or camp-site occupation immediately following the destruction. The collapsed debris appeared to have been levelled, and rough surfaces had been made within the confines of the still standing walls. Represented only by hearths and grinding stones, this phase is referred to as stratum XIB (see Tubb 1988, 39-40). - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:69)
X		Area AA - Stratum X was also characterized by a well-built stone courtyard, but in this case it was associated with unusual, partially sunken, stone-lined structures which were interpreted as pens for livestock. The courtyard was found to belong to a massive, stone-constructed building, only one small corner of which was revealed within the excavation area, the remainder lying to the north and west (Tubb 1988, 35-37). - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:69)
IX		Area AA - Below stratum VIII, and above the large public building of stratum XII excavated at the end of the 1987 season, three architectural phases were isolated, the uppermost, stratum IX, as mentioned above, having been abandoned. Although stratum IX had suffered considerable damage through weathering and erosion, two phase (IXA and IXB) of a quite large building were found, together with part of its associated, well constructed, stone-paved courtyard (Tubb 1988, 34- 35). - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:69)
VIII		Stratum VIII [in Area AA], a non-architectural phase of industrial usage, was characterized by fine ashy deposits, extremely dense in places, emanating from areas of intense heat generation which had been created by the rough modification of the abandoned architectural elements of stratum IX. In places, for example, stratum IX walls had been re-used to form the backs of scooped out, level platforms, which had then served as the sites for some industrial process, the nature of which is still unknown. Whatever the process might have been, it produced a large volume of ashy waste, and this was seen to have covered the abandoned remains of stratum IX, lying thickly where it had slumped into the various rooms and chambers, but appearing as little more than a thin greyish-black band where it had risen over more elevated ground. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:68-69)
VII	late 9th-early 8th century BCE	has two sub-phases - VIIB which is overlain by VIIA Stratum VIIA [in Area AA], characterized by the use of a distinctive orange coloured mud-brick, can now be seen to represent the result of a substantial building programme, creating extensive additions to the VIIB plan. The settlement in VIlA clearly extended to the edge of the mound, where in area EE it was seen to be confined by a perimeter; rather than defensive, wall associated with a stone-paved walkway or terrace. Most of the VIIB rooms show evidence of having been partitioned, and many of the individual VIIB walls were rebuilt or patched up in VIlA. The homogeneous nature of the VIIA additions suggests a quite rapid process of building, perhaps indicative of a sudden population ingress at the beginning of the eighth century B.C. The planning and construction of VIIA had apparently required a drastic levelling operation, especially on the western side of the area, and this had had a profound effect on the strata intermediate between VII and XII. - Tubb (1990:25)
VI
V
IV
III
II
I

Area AA

from Tubb and Dorrell (1991)

Preliminary Stratigraphy of Area AA

Tubb and Dorrell (1991)

Chronological Divisions

Stern et al (1993)

Age	Dates	Comments
Early Bronze IA-B	3300-3000 BCE	‎
Early Bronze II	3000-2700 BCE	‎
Early Bronze III	2700-2200 BCE	‎
Middle Bronze I	2200-2000 BCE	‎EB IV - Intermediate Bronze
Middle Bronze IIA	2000-1750 BCE	‎
Middle Bronze IIB	1750-1550 BCE	‎
Late Bronze I	1550-1400 BCE	‎
Late Bronze IIA	1400-1300 BCE	‎
Late Bronze IIB	1300-1200 BCE	‎
Iron IA	1200-1150 BCE	‎
Iron IB	1150-1100 BCE	‎
Iron IIA	1000-900 BCE	‎
Iron IIB	900-700 BCE	‎
Iron IIC	700-586 BCE	‎
Babylonian & Persian	586-332 BCE	‎
Early Hellenistic	332-167 BCE	‎
Late Hellenistic	167-37 BCE	‎
Early Roman	37 BCE - 132 CE	‎
Herodian	37 BCE - 70 CE	‎
Late Roman	132-324 CE	‎
Byzantine	324-638 CE	‎
Early Arab	638-1099 CE	Umayyad & Abbasid‎
Crusader & Ayyubid	1099-1291 CE	‎
Late Arab	1291-1516 CE	Fatimid & Mameluke‎
Ottoman	1516-1917 CE	‎

Meyers et al (1997)

Phase	Dates	Variants
Early Bronze IA-B	3400-3100 BCE	‎
Early Bronze II	3100-2650 BCE	‎
Early Bronze III	2650-2300 BCE	‎
Early Bronze IVA-C	2300-2000 BCE	Intermediate Early-Middle Bronze, Middle Bronze I‎
Middle Bronze I	2000-1800 BCE	‎Middle Bronze IIA
Middle Bronze II	1800-1650 BCE	‎Middle Bronze IIB‎
Middle Bronze III	1650-1500 BCE	‎‎Middle Bronze IIC
Late Bronze IA	1500-1450 BCE	‎
Late Bronze IIB	1450-1400 BCE	‎
Late Bronze IIA	1400-1300 BCE	‎
Late Bronze IIB	1300-1200 BCE	‎
Iron IA	1200-1125 BCE	‎
Iron IB	1125-1000 BCE	‎
Iron IC	1000-925 BCE	Iron IIA‎
Iron IIA	925-722 BCE	Iron IIB‎
Iron IIB	722-586 BCE	‎Iron IIC
Iron III	586-520 BCE	Neo-Babylonian‎
Early Persian	520-450 BCE	‎
Late Persian	450-332 BCE	‎
Early Hellenistic	332-200 BCE	‎
Late Hellenistic	200-63 BCE	‎
Early Roman	63 BCE - 135 CE	‎
Middle Roman	135-250 CE	‎
Late Roman	250-363 CE	‎
Early Byzantine	363-460 CE	‎
Late Byzantine	460-638 CE	‎
Early Arab	638-1099 CE	‎
Crusader & Ayyubid	1099-1291 CE	‎
Late Arab	1291-1516 CE	‎
Ottoman	1516-1917 CE	‎

The Iron Age in the Southern Levant

Stratum L2 Destruction - Early Bronze II (~2900-~2650 BCE)

Discussion

Excavation reports such as Tubb (1988), Tubb (1990), Tubb and Dorrell (1991), Tubb and Dorrell (1993), Tubb and Dorrell (1994), Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996), Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997), and, apparently Pritchard (1965a) report and document widespread collapse, fire, and possible localized faulting and displacement in Stratum L2 on the Lower Tell of Tell Saidiyeh. L2 was dated, based on pottery, to Early Bronze II (~2900-~2650 BCE according to Tubb, 1998:41). Although the destruction layers in Area BB and DD were significantly disturbed and displaced by site erosion and later activities such a grave cutting, significant evidence for widespread destruction and fire remained. Destruction debris included ashes, burnt mud-brick rubble, charred timber, and crushed and fallen pottery. Fault displacement was reported with displacements of 25 and up to 50 cm. along with folding of some mud-brick walls. Although excavators entertained the possibility that some of the faulting may be due to settlement, the lower tell is located less than 150 m from the active Jordan Valley Fault (Ferry et al., 2011:Fig. 8a & 8b). This, in turn, may suggest that the Lower Tell was in the epicentral region when the earthquake struck.

In some parts of the lower tell, two burnt destruction layers were identified which was interpreted as a manifestation of two storey collapse rather than two seperate events. In one room designated as the 'scullery' in Area DD, Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:62) found a 'table setting' containing 11 stacked bowls - some with food residue, 11 Abydos mugs, 11 flint blades, and 11 long, narrow bone points (possibly tooth picks?). This was interpreted as tableware from a meal which was waiting to be cleaned when the earthquake struck.

References

Ferry et al. (2011)

Ferry et al. (2011)


Excavator's Date	Proposed Cause of Destruction	Probability of an earthquake	Description
7th-6th century BCE	Fire	Low	A series of building phases (IIIB–IIIG) was defined below Pritchard’s Stratum III (now termed IIIA), the lowest of which shows architecture very similar to Stratum V, with similar evidence for burning. - Tubb (1988:130) These stalls were frequently found to contain equid bones, and it seems likely that these represent the remains of unfortunate animals which had been abandoned to the fire which brought an end to Stratum V around 720 BC. The destruction of Stratum V might have been accidental, but it might also be attributed to the Assyrians, who were campaigning in this region at the time - Tubb (1988:127)
mid 8th century BCE	Anthropic postearthquake ?	Average	Towards the middle of the eighth century the houses of Stratum VI were knocked down and leveled in preparation for another major building programme - Tubb (1988:127)
1150-1120 BCE	Fire	High	The city of Stratum XII was obviously destroyed in an Fire intense conflagration, the dense associated debris sealing a valuable corpus of finds, examination of which has established a date for this event at around 1150-1120 BC, coinciding with the withdrawal of the Egyptian empire... Some time in the last quarter of the [twelfth] century the city of Stratum XII was destroyed by fire, and at the same time the cemetery on the Lower Tell fell out of use. There is no indication as to the source of the destruction: certainly there were neither bodies nor signs of conflict amidst the ruined buildings of the Upper Tell, and it could well be that fire was the result of an accident. - Tubb (1988:86)
Late early Bronze I - ~2900 BCE	Unknown	High	Stratum L2 was found to be associated with dense destruction debris (ashes, burnt mud-brick rubble and charred timber), but both Strata L2 and L3 were apparently built on the same plan. In the centrally located area, excavations revealed extremely fragmentary and disturbed Early Bronze Age architecture, the remains having been all but obliterated by the digging of graves in the thirteenth to twelfth century BC - Tubb (1988:42)

Raphael and Agnon (2018)

from Raphael and Agnon (2018)


Period	Age	Site	Damage Description
EB II	3000-2700 BCE	Tell es-Sa'idiyeh	faults and slips, as great as 0.5 m. Floors turned into ledges and steps (Area B). Lines of slippage and faulting detected in Area DD in the mudbrick houses. Collapse of houses in the lower tell and signs of a strong fire (Tubb et al. 1997: 58, 62).
Iron I	1200-1000 BCE	Tell es-Sa'idiyeh	late 12th century BCE. Thick debris from city walls, public and private buildings and signs of fire (Stratum XII) were noted at the site. The excavators’ impression was that people had time to escape (Tubb 1988: 41). Building in Area AA suffered severe faulting; five intersecting cracks, the largest responsible for a stratigraphic downshift of nearly 50 cm (Tubb and Dorrell 1993: 58-59).
Iron IIB	900-700 BCE	Tell es-Sa'idiyeh	houses (Stratum VI) from the mid-8th century BCE may have been destroyed by an earthquake, and were leveled in order to prepare the ground for new buildings (Ferry et al. 2011: 56; Tubb 1988: 26).

Tubb (1990) - 4th season of excavations

Area EE

from Tubb (1990:28-29)

To the east of these two rooms, and separated from them by another north-south dividing wall, part of a surface was found, well paved with mudbrick slabs (Fig. 12). This surface appeared to connect, by means of a narrow and poorly defined doorway to the north, with a large room having a steeply sloping surface, contained on the south-east side by an unusual pise constructed wall orientated diagonally with respect to the main axis of the building. The surface which slopes down to the north and east, had originally been thickly plastered and showed evidence in the form of channelling and pooling of having been associated with water retention. Moreover the surface was covered with a dense deposit of broken Egyptian-style store jars, up to 50-60 in number, the type identical to those found previously in the store-rooms of the Residency in area AA (see Tubb 1988, Fig. 19:14). Taking these findings together, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that the room with the sloping floor served as some type of water cooling reservoir perhaps for wine storage.

Elsewhere in area EE, the heavily burned floor surfaces of the various rooms produced a repertoire of pottery types similar to, yet somewhat more extensive than the stratum XII material from area AA recovered in 1987 (Figs. 13- 14). Certainly, the previously suggested date of 1150 B.C. for the destruction of stratum XII can, on the basis of the material recovered from the Western Palace this season, be fully substantiated.

Tubb and Dorrell (1991) - 5th season of excavations

Excavations on the Upper Tell

from Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72)

Before proceeding to discuss the linking together of areas AA and EE on the Upper Tell, and in order that the significance of this operation may be appreciated, it will be necessary to review briefly the stratigraphic situation in both areas.

In 1985-87, Area AA had consisted of a relatively small area situated in the south-eastern corner of Pritchard's large exposure of the 1960s(see Tubb 1988, 28). Here, excavations revealed poorly preserved and fragmentary remains of stratum VI, a phase which in fact Pritchard had partially exposed before his work was terminated in 1967. Below were found the better preserved and architecturally coherent remains of stratum VII, a city level of the ninth-eighth century B.C. which had been extensively revealed by the Pennsylvania expedition in the area lying just to the north of Area AA (see Pritchard 1985,fig. 177and Tubb 1988,fig. 4).

Stratum VIII, a non-architectural phase of industrial usage, was characterized by fine ashy deposits, extremely dense in places, emanating from areas of intense heat generation which had been created by the rough modification of the abandoned architectural elements of stratum IX. In places, for example, stratum IX walls had been re-used to form the backs of scooped out, level platforms, which had then served as the sites for some industrial process, the nature of which is still unknown. Whatever the process might have been, it produced a large volume of ashy waste, and this was seen to have covered the abandoned remains of stratum IX, lying thickly where it had slumped into the various rooms and chambers, but appearing as little more than a thin greyish-black band where it had risen over more elevated ground.

Below stratum VIII, and above the large public building of stratum XII excavated at the end of the 1987 season, three architectural phases were isolated, the uppermost, stratum IX, as mentioned above, having been abandoned. Although stratum IX had suffered considerable damage through weathering and erosion, two phase (IXA and IXB) of a quite large building were found, together with part of its associated, wellconstructed, stone-paved courtyard (Tubb 1988, 34- 35).

Stratum X was also characterized by a well-built stone courtyard, but in this case it was associated with unusual, partially sunken, stone-lined structures which were interpreted as pens for livestock. The courtyard was found to belong to a massive, stone-constructed building, only one small corner of which was revealed within the excavation area, the remainder lying to the north and west (Tubb 1988, 35-37).

A similar but less massive building clearly occupied the same position in stratum XIA, but here, to the south-east, and separated from it by a north-south street, was found a small bi-partite building which, on the basis of various internal installations and finds, could be interpreted as a temple (see Tubb 1988, 37-39).

Stratum XIA was found to have been built on a dense layer of silting which in turn covered the deep deposit of intensely burnt destruction debris overlying the architecture of stratum XII. Excavation of stratum XII in 1987 uncovered the remains of a large public building which, to judge from its Egyptian-style plan and construction method, must be seen as yet another example of a so-called 'Egyptian Governor's Residency'. The building had clearly been abandoned following its destruction, and, to. judge from the depth of silt overlying the collapsed debris, some considerable period of time must have elapsed before the construction of stratum XIA, perhaps as much as one hundred years.

Within two of the rooms of the residency, evidence was found for a phase of squatter or camp-site occupation immediately following the destruction. The collapsed debris appeared to have been levelled, and rough surfaces had been made within the confines of the still standing walls. Represented only by hearths and grinding stones, this phase is referred to as stratum XIB (see Tubb 1988, 39-40).

In 1989, Area AA was greatly expanded to the west, and a large extent of the stratum VII city was cleared (see Fig. 3: Houses 73-79). The expansion also demonstrated that stratum VI, defined and excavated by Pritchard in the area to the north of AA 100-500, did not extend to the western side of the tell, but terminated along an approximately north-south line in AA 800/1100 (see Tubb 1990, 21-26 for details of the 1989 season).

Preliminary Stratigraphy of Area AA

Tubb and Dorrell (1991)

Excavations in Area EE in 1986-89 had produced a rather different, or more accurately, a greatly compressed sequence. For here, stratum VI was found to be absent, and no evidence at all was found for strata VIII, IX, X or XI. Indeed stratum VII was found to overlie stratum XII directly, and it was clear in places that a levelling operation had been conducted prior to the construction of stratum VII, a process which had truncated the wall tops of the western public building complex to almost uniform heights. This levelling process would, of course, have removed all traces of strata VIII, IX, X and XI, especially if, as seems likely, these phases had been built on the internal downslope created by the destruction of the massive stratum -XII city wall and 'palace' complex. In other words, it is. impossible from the evidence in Area EE to establish whether strata VIII, IX, X and XI had been cut out by the levelling operation for stratum VII, or whether these phases had simply never existed on this western side of the site.

To a large extent, excavations in 1990have answered this important question. In AA 900, and in its westward extension 950 (below the level of the stratum III cutting-see below), excavations first revealed remains of stratum V (Fig. 4). Two small, rectangular, partially sunken structures were found, built of poor quality mud-brick (see Fig. 5: 23-B/C-l). The eastern room, which had a finely paved stone floor, measured only 1·52 m. (north-south) by 1·20m. (east-west). A small stone door socket found close to the external south -east corner suggests a door opening outwards, and one which most probably occupied the whole width of the room. The western room was somewhat larger, with internal dimensions of 1·76 m. (north-south) by 1·30 m. (eastwest). The floor in this case was of beaten earth, and no evidence was found for the doorway. The eastern room contained the partially articulated skeleton of a young equid, and the western room contained the more fragmentary skeletal remains of a similar, but adult animal. It would seem reasonable to suggest an interpretation for these two small rooms as stalls, the unfortunate animals presumably having been abandoned and killed during the destruction of stratum V.

In theory, the eastern of the two 'stalls' ought to have been excavated and recorded by Pritchard, since it lies well within the area cleared by him down to stratum V (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 179-square 23-C-l). The reason for its omission from his plan lies in the fact that stratum V, at this particular point, appears to have been founded at a lower level than elsewhere. Pritchard had simply not excavated deeply enough. As will be seen below with regard to stratum VII, the depression /of stratum V at this point was due to the subsidence of the underlying stratigraphy, resulting ultimately from the unusual configuration of stratum XII. In any event, it is now possible to. add the two stalls to the south of Pritchard's House 25, where they would presumably have bordered the east~west street in 23-(B)C/G-l, 32- (B)C/G-I0 (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 179).

Below stratum V excavations revealed further remains of stratum VII (see also Fig. 4). ...

Excavations on the Lower Tell

Area BB 700

from Tubb and Dorrell (1991:79-84)

The excavation of Area BB 700 was started in 1989 primarily to determine how far the lower tell cemetery, which is still being excavated in BB 100-600, extended to the south and to examine the nature and density of burials in this area. It has become clear that the number of burials was lessthan in the more central area, 30 m. to the north: only five graves were found in 1989 and another two this year (graves 386 and 394, see Appendix for details).

The upper 50-100 cm. of the area was composed of mixed, silty material, probably wash from higher up the slope to the north, and possibly disturbed by ploughing. Within the lower part of this stratum were numbers of mud-bricks, fallen on their sides and still lying en echelon, as though from a collapsed wall. There were also patches of cobbles, but it was not possible to establish any connection between these and the collapsed walls, nor to date either. Presumably they post-date the main occupation phases of the tell.

Below this level were series of bricky and ashy strata following, approximately, the slope of the present tell surface. These ran over the eroded tops of several walls which proved, on further excavation, to be of Phase L2, identified elsewhere as the final construction phase of the Early Bronze Age on the site. These walls were standing to heights of up to 1·5 m., and the spaces between them were filled with destruction debris, undisturbed save for a few grave cuts. This stratum of undisturbed material is far deeper than the equivalent level on the summit of the lower tell, where close, and in many cases overlapping, grave cuts of the Late Bronze/Ear ly Iron Age have so churned up the earlier deposits that only a few pinnacles of L2 material in situ could be found above foundation level. It also seems likely that the erosional regimes of the two areas were rather different. There is strong evidence that the L2 settlement was extensively destroyed by an intense fire. Following this event the site was abandoned save for local squatter occupation. Erosion of loose material and ash apparently occurred over the whole lower tell down to the underlying strata of packed, hard-burnt debris and fire-baked standing walls. Thereafter erosion went on more slowly and selectively-the more so perhaps as the tell became covered in vegetation- and decayed mud-brick was eroded from the summit of the tell and deposited down-slope, giving protective cover to these lower areas.

Although there is, as yet, no direct stratigraphic connection between the destruction levels in BB 700 and those in Area DD (first excavated in 1985) and in parts of BB 100-600, their relative heights, types of brick, architecture, and the intensity of their destruction all suggest that they were contemporary. Both in BB 700 and in Area DD there is evidence of a short phase of later occupation, without significant building activity. In BB 700 this phase-L1-is represented by a fire-pit dug slightly into the destruction levels of L2 and backed against the upper part of a surviving wall of that phase. The fire-pit is in the centre of a rough semi-circular enclosure, some 2 m. in diameter, formed partly by a line of heavy stones and partly by a vertical surface cut into the rubble. Where the top of the wall was missing it was repaired with a couple of un-burnt bricks. The impression is of a roughly-built wind-break or the footings for a temporary shelter. Several pits were dug into the rubble beyond the semi-circle. It seems likely that this was a phase of squatter-occupation, possibly by survivors of the destruction. There was no pottery that could be unequivocably assigned to the phase.

Beneath this phase lay 1-1.5 m. of debris, with many heavily-burnt bricks, large fragments of reed-impressed roofing clay and mortar, and charcoal. There were also discontinuous patches of carbonized cereals, perhaps from grain that had been spread out to dry on a flat roof. The area of most intense heat seems to have been to the north-east of the square, and walls and debris were more heavily burnt-some appeared almost vitrified--on this side of the square than they were on the other.

A plan of the underlying structure is shown in Figs. 13-14. A well-built wall, (Wall D) runs almost east-west across the square, turning northward near the west baulk at a little less than a right-angle (Wall C). Within this latter section is a doorway with a door socket indicating that the door opened inward, and with a low step down to the west. The north jamb of this doorway continues westward as a low wall c.40 cm. high (Wall F). In the angle thus formed there may have been a bin, accessible through a hatch-way in the northern part of Wall C, but its form will be determinable only when the north baulk is removed. Wall D seems to continue into the east baulk, but the area has been disturbed by Ll pits. Another, narrow wall (Wall B) runs north-south dividing the space north of Wall D into two rooms, neither of which are wholly within the square. Wall B stops short of meeting Wall D, giving a doorway between the two rooms with two shallow steps down from east to west. A platform c. 10 cm. high occupies the south-west corner of the western room. All these walls, including the returns of doorways and the top of Wall F, were smoothly plastered and are now burnt to a rock like hardness. Brick sizes average 42 x 22 x 7 cm., Walls D and C being header-built and as thick as the length of a brick, and Wall B stretcher-built, as thick as one width. It seems likely that Wall B was a partition rather than a load-bearing wall. Both rooms were floored with fine plaster, curved up the walls and carried smoothly down the steps and over the platforms. Beyond the doorway in Wall C the surface is compacted plaster and pebbles and this area was probably exterior to the building.

In the southern part of the square a narrow, roughly built wall (Wall E) runs from the south-west to join Wall D at an acute angle. It appears to have been built later than Wall D, being cut into it and the angle buttressed with stones. Behind Wall E, in the south -east corner of the square, there may have been a large bin, but the area was so disturbed by Ll pits that certainty must await excavation to the east.

The south-west corner of the square contains a somewhat puzzling structure: two mud-brick platforms, one slightly curved, with a narrow channel, c. 10 cm. wide, between them. The platforms are of similar height, c. 20 cm., and both are unplastered. The surface bounded by the walls and the platforms is of patchy and decayed plaster and slopes down from east to west at a gradient of c. 1 in 8,5. Within the angle formed by Walls D and E is a stone basin, set in the floor, at the bottom of a shallow funnel of pebbles and mortar (Fig. 15). The basin is some 12 cm. in diameter, cut into a larger block, and c. 10 cm. deep, almost hemispherical, and highly polished. It is not easy to determine, nor even to imagine, the function of this area. The unprotected surfaces of the platforms suggest that it was covered by some sort of shelter, and the slope and channel suggest drainage. The only function that comes to mind is slaughtering or butchery, with the basin serving to catch the blood, but there is no real evidence.

An assemblage of pottery was found in situ on the floors of the two rooms (Figs. 16-17). Many of the larger vessels had been crushed by the destruction and the plot of their positions in Fig. 13 may not represent their true sizes and proportions. They include typical Early Bronze II red-slipped and burnished platters, 'ribbon-painted' store jars, simple bowls, large open-mouth vessels with both ledge and lug handles, and a series of jugs and juglets based on the Abydos type. Many of the jugs and juglets might have fallen from pegs or shelves, and the three large platters, in the middle of the floor, might well have slipped or fallen from some other position. The store-jars and the open-mouth vessels, however, were certainly still in situ, and several of them were still on pot-stands of stone or mud-brick. A selection of the pottery vessels is shown on Fig. 18.

Overall the impression is of two store-rooms with ready access to stores-a larder in fact. The number of vessels, and their arrangement, also suggests very strongly that they served a building or complex of more than domestic size, and somewhere near at hand there should be a cooking-area of equal scale. The layout indicates that access to both rooms was usually from the north, and the main part of the complex might well lie in that direction. Obviously.however, more of the buildings also lies to the east, and it is intended to extend the excavation in both directions. Further excavation northward will move towards the higher density area of the cemetery, and presumably towards· the thinner protective wash deposits of the lower tell summit. It can only be hoped that there will remain sufficient undisturbed strata of this exceptionally rich phase.

Tubb and Dorrell (1993) - 6th season of excavations

Excavations of the Upper Tell

Introduction

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:51-52)

Excavations on the Upper Tell in 1992 were continued in three main areas (see Figs. 1 and 2): in AA 1300, an area initiated in 1990, lying to the south of the main area of AA, the investigation of which had, in that season, revealed the substantial foundations of a building most probably dating to the Hellenistic period (see Tubb and Dorrell 1991, 75-76); in AA 900, the most westerly extension of Area AA in which remains of stratum VII overlying stratum XII had been excavated in the previous season; and in Area EE, where the removal of the overlying strata V and VII in 1990 had provided a greater area for the continued investigation of stratum XII.

Taking these areas in turn, the objectives in 1992 were: in AA 1300, to more fully examine the Hellenistic building, and to extend the excavations in depth in order to provide a further stratigraphic correlation with the sequence previously established by Pritchard; in AA 900, to reveal the remains of stratum XII; and in EE, to investigate further the stratum XII public building or palace complex, the excavation of which began in 1986.

AA /300 (Area32-E/G-6/7)¹

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:52-56)

Further investigation of the surface remains in this area has enabled a coherent plan to be developed (Fig. 3) which incorporates the stone foundations recovered in AA 700 in the 1989 season (see Tubb 1990, 20-22), together with the surface features previously recorded and published by Pritchard in Area 32 (see Pritchard 1985, Fig. 189). The resultant plan, although by no means complete, provides evidence not for a series of service rooms relating to the Hellenistic 'fortress' excavated by Pritchard, as previously suggested (Tubb and Chapman 1990, 116), but rather for an independent building which, in many respects, reflects the general character of that previously excavated building. It is possible indeed that the building in AA 1300 is a second, similar public building which is presumably later, since neither traces of mud-brick superstructure nor any intact floor surfaces were found. Furthermore, removal of the stone foundations at the western end of the area revealed the remains of an earlier phase of architecture on a slightly different line and orientation which can almost certainly be related to Pritchard's Hellenistic building of stratum II. Only a small exposure of this earlier phase has so far been made, but enough to demonstrate that its walls are preserved with their mud-brick superstructure, and more significantly, that associated floor surfaces also exist. As a clarification and correction to the 1990 season report, it is indeed now possible to relate the kitchen surface then excavated not to the upper phase of stone foundations, but rather to the earlier architectural phase. Further stretches of related surface were isolated this season, and in all cases they were associated with patches of black ashes and burnt mud-brick debris. It is for this reason that it is suggested that this earlier phase of architecture corresponds to Pritchard's fortress to the east, a building which also showed clear evidence of having been destroyed (see Pritchard 1985, 69-75). On the basis of these results, therefore, it is proposed to subdivide stratum II into two sub-phases; IIA for the building represented in Fig. 3 (foundations only), and lIB for the underlying building in AA 1300 and Pritchard's 'fortress' or public building. The material published in Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 10 should therefore be assigned to stratum lIB.

At a depth of only 25 cm. below the well-defined floors of stratum lIB was found a somewhat ephemeral surface, or more correctly package of surfaces, belonging to stratum IV (see Fig. 4 for West Section drawing). This appeared as a tightly layered series of trampled surfaces, the uppermost bearing a thick (2 cm.) deposit of dense black ashy material. As in previous exposures of stratum IV (see Pritchard 1985, 34-42; Tubb 1990, 22-23; Tubb and Dorrell 1991,74) this rather enigmatic phase was found to be devoid of architectural elements but contained instead a number of well-dug but unlined storage pits (Fig. 5). Analysis of deposits of an extremely fine white material found at the bases of two such pits indicate that they had been used to contain the chaffy residues of threshing, most probably intended for animal fodder.

The stratum IV pits had been cut into the destruction debris and architecture of the underlying stratum V. Destroyed by fire towards the end of the eighth century B.C., stratum V illustrates an intelligently planned and well-constructed Iron Age settlement, well documented by the large expanse now revealed by both the Pennsylvania and British Museum expeditions (see especially Pritchard 1985, Fig. 179 and Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 5). The limited sounding in AA 1300 produced but one wall, running east-west, together with an associated stone-paved courtyard to the north (the wall undoubtedly forms a part of the south-central housing block as represented by Pritchard's rooms 14 and 16). Not unusually for stratum V, the wall was built without stone foundations.

Below the stratum V wall, and running on almost the same line, was found an earlier wall constructed of rather poor quality yellowish mud-bricks. Associated with this wall was a thinly plastered floor surface to the north which bore a heavy deposit of largely unburnt mud-brick debris. These remains can be attributed to stratum VI, a phase which was well defined by Pritchard in the area to the north of AA 1300, but which has hardly been encountered by the current expedition in any of the more westerly exposures. Indeed evidence was found in 1989 to indicate that stratum VI was a somewhat restricted settlement confined to an inner zone of the tell's surface. The westward termination point of stratum VI can clearly be seen in the south section of Area AA 1000/ 1100, the drawing of which was completed this season (Fig. 6: see Fig. 2 for location, and also see Tubb 199°,24 for an extramural burial of stratum VI). Perhaps the most interesting finding in AA 1300 in 1992 was made below stratum VI. For in the underlying stratum VII, again a well documented city phase of the ninth-eighth century B.C. (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 177; Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 3), were found the remains of a housing block as represented by Pritchard's rooms 14 and 16). Not unusually for stratum V, the wall was built without stone foundations.

Below the stratum V wall, and running on almost the same line, was found an earlier wall constructed of rather poor quality yellowish mud-bricks. Associated with this wall was a thinly plastered floor surface to the north which bore a heavy deposit of largely unburnt mud-brick debris. These remains can be attributed to stratum VI, a phase which was well defined by Pritchard in the area to the north of AA 1300, but which has hardly been encountered by the current expedition in any of the more westerly exposures. Indeed evidence was found in 1989 to indicate that stratum VI was a somewhat restricted settlement confined to an inner zone of the tell's surface. The westward termination point of stratum VI can clearly be seen in the south section of Area AA 1000/ 1100, the drawing of which was completed this season (Fig. 6: see Fig. 2 for location, and also see Tubb 199°,24 for an extramural burial of stratum VI).

Perhaps the most interesting finding in AA 1300 in 1992 was made below stratum VI. For in the underlying stratum VII, again a well documented city phase of the ninth-eighth century B.C. (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 177; Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 3), were found the remains of a bathroom complete with toilet, basin and drainage system (see Figs. 7 and 8). The bathroom, which is situated in the south-west corner of House 72 (see stratum VII plan in Tubb and Dorrell 199 I, fig. 3), was approached by three stone-built steps, presumably constructed in order to gain sufficient height for the water outflow. Against the south wall was a plastered bench, and extending northwards from this, against the west wall, was a wide plaster-lined channel connected to the base of the basin. The toilet was set on a mud-brick pedestal and had a plastered seat. An outflow hole led from the base of the toilet to a narrow plastered channel which took the effiuent to a small conduit in the east wall and into a brick covered soak-away in the courtyard below. On the floor to the north of the toilet was found a finely worked basalt tripod-stand (Fig. 9). The east-west wall on the south side of the bathroom is the exterior wall of House 72, and to the south of this was found a small expanse of an east-west street with a further housing unit beginning to the south. As noted previously, the exterior walls bordering the street had been provided with raised stone footings to protect the foundation courses.

AA 900 (Area 32-B/ D-IO) Area 23-B/ D-I/2)

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56-59)

Excavations in AA 900 in 1990 had revealed a substantial depression of the stratigraphy in this area, resulting most probably from earthquake faulting with related subsidence. As a consequence of this general lowering it had been possible to identify and reveal architectural features relating to stratum V which had literally been overlooked by the Pennsylvania expedition (see Tubb and Dorrell 1991, 72 and fig. 5 for additions to the stratum V plan). Operations had concluded in 1990 with the excavation and removal of the underlying remains of stratum VII, which included a probable temple (Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 3). This building (House 80) was found to overlie directly dense and intensely burnt destruction debris which, from the previously undertaken excavations in area EE (see below), was known to be associated with stratum XII, the important twelfth century B.C. Egyptian phase of occupation represented by the Residency building in area AA, the Western Palace complex and city wall in area EE, the water system staircase on the north slope, and the Lower Tell cemetery. Operations in 1992, therefore, were aimed at revealing further architectural remains of this period.

The excavation of this area proved to be extremely complicated. Not only had it suffered considerably from the effects of faulting (there were no less than five intersecting cracks, the largest of which had been responsible for a stratigraphic downshift of nearly 50 em.), but the levelling operation in preparation for the construction of stratum VII had removed much of the architecture to foundation level. Had this occurred in any other stratum the problem would not have been so severe, since the foundation courses would have been preserved. However, a peculiarity of the architecture of stratum XII is that it does not use stone foundations, but relies instead on a dense matrix of pi see to support the embedded wall foundations. Nevertheless, it was eventually possible to isolate and establish the extraordinary plan shown in Figs. 10-11. It essentially consists of two passageways or channels, each stepping in a series of terraces or internal steps down towards the south-west, contained to the south-east by two walls of extremely poor quality mud-brick and to the north-west by a heavier construction composed entirely of pisee. It was presumably the use of this building material that necessitated the massive stone revetment against its western face (Fig. 12). The southernmost wall appears to terminate against a terrace edge or step, at which point the more southerly passage develops into an open space. The more northerly passage continues, however, beyond the point at which it was at some stage blocked by large boulders. At the western end of the area a small doorway gives entry to the northern passage from the west. Dense mud-brick destruction debris was encountered on the south-east side of the area, and the southern and central walls were extensively fire-damaged. The passageways themselves showed little evidence of burning. Both were thickly plastered (up to 8 cm. thick in places), and in both cases there were dense deposits of water-laid silt covering the surfaces. These points alone would indicate some water-related function for the unusual construction, but more suggestive and interesting still is the orientation of the excavated features. For, as can clearly be seen on Fig. 10, to the south-west the passageways, or perhaps more correctly channels, are in direct alignment with the pool and bath complex of the Western Palace in area EE. More remarkable yet is that if the line of the channels is projected to the north-east it coincides exactly with the top of the water system staircase on the north slope (see Pritchard 1985, 57-59 and Tubb 1988, 46, 84-87 for details of the staircase and the water system). It seems possible, therefore, that the unusual structures revealed in AA 900 represent a type of aqueduct conveying water from the spring-fed water system on the north side of the city to the bath and pool complex of the Western Palace. The gradient and stepping of the passages suggest that if water had been emptied at the top of the water system staircase it would have flowed to the Western Palace quite easily. However, since the passages contained large quantities of sherds of Egyptian-style jars (identical to those found in the pool of the Western Palace), the passages might equally have been used to transport the water manually.

Area EE (Area 32-A/B-7/IO, Area 33-H/K-7/10)

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:59-61)

There were three main objectives in Area EE in 1992, all directed towards the Western Palace Complex, a large building of stratum XII situated directly behind the city wall of this phase. The first objective was to try to establish the position and the character of the outside face of the stratum XII city wall. The interior face had been isolated as long ago as 1986, and indeed appears on the previously published plans (Tubb 1988, fig. 2 I; 1990, fig. 8). The outside face, however, had managed to resist all attempts at definition despite numerous scraping operations on the western slope. In 1992, therefore, a more drastic course of action was decided upon and a series of horizontal wedges was cut into the western side of the tell.

The second objective, related to the first, was to investigate by means of a series of trial trenches and probes a number of problems which had remained unresolved since 1989 (when the last plan of Area EE was drawn) in an attempt to clarify the somewhat confusing layout of the complex.

The final objective was to examine further the unusual pool which had been investigated in 1989 and which appeared at that time to lack any form of architectural containment.

The results of all three investigations can clearly be seen on the revised plan of EE, shown together with AA 900 in Fig. 10. The outside face of the stratum XII city wall was established, as was also the manner in which the wall had been founded. A near vertical-sided trench had been cut down into the slope of the mound, and in the bottom of this were placed large flat stones. Above these had been poured a thick layer (about 35 to 40 cm.) of pisee, and it was into this bedding matri-x that the lowest courses of brickwork had been set. As had been stated in 1987 (Tubb 1988,41 and 44-45) but subsequently denied (Tubb 1990,26-27) the city wall of stratum XII is indeed a casemate system with small compartments filled entirely with mud-brick rubble. These casemates had been missed in 1989, leading to the impression that the city wall was of solid construction. The external wall of the casemate system is I. 10m. wide, and the width of both the casemate compartments and the internal wall is 1.20 m., giving a total effective width of the stratum XII city wall of 3.50 m. A buttress was also found this season flanking the stone-paved passageway in ]/K-8 (note that the dotted buttress in H-7/8 is hypothetical) .

Other revisions to the previously published plan based on this season's work are mostly concerned with the internal subdivision of some of the rooms and the provision and position of doorways.

Much of the season's work in EE was devoted to the interesting pool or reservoir which had been first excavated in 1989 and which had been found to contain a considerable number of broken Egyptian-style jars. At the end of the 1989 season it was thought that a thick-plastered surface had been reached in the area of the pool and that no further structural definition could be given to the feature. Excavations in 1992 demonstrated that what had been taken as a plaster floor in 1989 was in fact the top ofa thick, dense and heavily varved deposit of water-laid silt, the removal of which revealed the complete structure of the pool seen in Figs. 10 and 13. The pool edge is constructed of thickly plastered mud-brick. The inlet would appear to be on the north side where a circular cutting provided a type of riser. As previously noted (Tubb 1990,28) the base or floor of the pool slopes down steeply to the south and the east, a feature which explains why no containment for the water was necessary on the north-west side. To the south, an exit channel connects with an east-west drain which, to judge from the large quantities of charred timber found in its vicinity, might well have been covered with wooden slabs or planks (Fig. 14). To the west the drain disappears under a mud-brick paving, and its subsequent course has not yet been traced, but since a relationship between the pool and two lower-lying bathrooms in ]/K-7/8 must surely be recognized, some form of conduit through the north-south wall which separates the paved area from the upper bathroom would be expected.

Excavations of the Lower Tell

Area BB 700 (Area35-F/H-I/3)²

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:61-67)

During the 1989 and 1990 seasons excavation was begun in square BB 700, south of the main BB area, Fig. I (Tubb 1990, 36-37; Tubb and Dorrell 199 I, 79-84). Excavation disclosed part of a building, dated by its pottery to Early Bronze II, with well-laid and plastered mud-brick walls. The building had been destroyed by an intense fire, which had so hardened the bricks and plaster that walls were found still standing to a height of 1.5 m. and more. Three phases within EB II had been identified elsewhere on the lower tell and designated strata L 1, L2, and L3. By reason of stratigraphy, vertical position and brick-types, this building could be placed in stratum L2. The later phase, L1, was represented by some pits, fireplaces, and poorly constructed additions to the wall-tops of L2, and appeared to be fairly minor squatter occupation following destruction of the earlier stratum, perhaps used by survivors camping in the ruins. L3, the phase underlying L2, was not reached in BB 700. A considerable deposit of fine pottery was found in situ on the floors of Rooms a and b, suggesting that these were store-rooms of a building of larger than domestic size.

In 1992 the intention was to expand the excavation to the north and east in order to disclose more of the building and, if possible, to obtain a ground-plan of the entire structure (see Fig. 15 for a general view of the excavation at the close of the season). Three more squares, BB 800,900, and 1000, were started, separated by reduction baulks. As can be seen from the plan (Fig. 16), the general layout of the building, or buildings, was established, although in BB 1000, the north-western square, only the tops of the walls were reached.

During the course of excavation it became apparent that LI, hitherto regarded as an ephemeral settlement of limited extent, was in fact of greater permanence and more solidly built than had been thought (Fig. 17). The LI structures appear to be largely opportunistic, in many cases using existing L2 walls. These were built up in some cases, using mud-bricks of similar size but of different colour and texture from those ofL2; in others walls were apparently levelled, or rooms sub-divided and doorways blocked. The LI floors were often no more than trampled surfaces within and upon the collapse debris of the previous phase. It was therefore often difficult to distinguish between details of the two phases, particularly since the upper levels of the site were so often disturbed by later graves. It may well be that the tentative ground-plans discussed below will have to be revised when further excavation has established the layout and extent of the L2 structures with certainty, and it will then be possible to plot the LI modification more certainly (see together Figs. 16 and 17 for the following discussion).

In the original square, BB 700, the north baulk was cut back by 1 m. in order to examine an east-west wall (Wall G) which, following two winters' erosion, could be seen running just within the baulk. At its western end the back wall of a plaster-lined bin or silo, traces of which had been found in 1990, was established. This back wall curved in at the top, at a height of c. 1 m., suggesting that it had originally had a vaulted roof. Quantities of carbonized grain were found in and around the bin. Immediately to the east of this a low platform stood against the east-west wall with a large inverted store-jar upon it. It seems unlikely that it could have fallen so neatly as to stand exactly upon its mouth; it might perhaps have been placed in this position to dry or to drain, or even to serve as a table. Eastward again was what appears to be a doorway with a sill in front of it, presumably giving access to rooms further to the north.

The room in the north-east corner of square BB 700, which had been partly excavated in 1990, produced more in situ pottery when the square was extended eastward. As well as a number of storage jars, two very small juglets of Abydos shape were found, together with a double jar similar to that found in Area DD in 1986 (Fig. 18: cf. Tubb 1988, fig. 35).

In the south-eastern square, BB 800, three major walls emerged: one running approximately east-west across the north of the square (Wall H), one north-south on the square's eastern side (WallJ), and the third also north-south on the west (Wall N). A shorter wall, east to west (Wall T) at first appeared to complete the boundaries of the room (Room d), but this proved to be only three to four bricks deep and founded within the burnt rubble of the destruction level. It must therefore have been part of the LIre-use of the area.

The east-west wall, H, was substantially built, although its upper courses were cut into and partly re-built in the LI period. The destruction debris continued down for nearly a metre, and the L2 surface connected with this, like the other main walls in the square, was not reached in 1992. In the middle of Wall H is a narrow doorway, blocked in L1, and to the south of it, within Room d, a flight of steps - five so far -leading down into the room (Fig. 19). Such lower parts of the walls of this room as have so far been excavated are lined with clay. This, and the steps, suggest that the area may have been a cistern.

The wall to the east, Wall], still standing to a height of two metres even before its floor is reached, is partly overhung at the top, suggesting that this room too, or part of it, was vaulted. The southern end of the room is still unclear, as it was cut through by a large, late pit. It is hoped that the lowest courses of Walls] and N can still be found by excavation in a future season.

To the north of Wall H the layout and detail of the L2 structures are still uncertain, since they are overlain by L1 walls and surfaces, some of which appear to rest on L2 foundations. Walls] and N seem to continue northward, although the continuation of Wall] (Wall P and T) is on a slightly different alignment, nor is it bonded into the cross-wall H, while the junction between Walls G, N and S was cut down during L1. A well-built east-west cross wall (Wall W) appears to form the northern boundary of the room demarcated by these walls, but certainty must await further excavation. Attached to the northern face of Wall H, and immediately east of the doorway, ran a bench or platform some 40 cm. thick and 70 cm. or more high (Wall H itself at this point is about 90 cm. thick) - Fig. 20. In the angle between this platform and Wall P a niche had been cut into the mud-brick, holding a shallow platter (Fig. 2 I). Since this niche is no more than 30 cm. above the lowest level of debris excavated during the season, it seems that there is still a considerable depth of fill to be excavated before the L2 floor surface is reached.

Superimposed upon these walls was a quite extensive series of L1 structures. In the southern part, BB 800, Wall H had two or three courses of bricks added to the height of its eastern end and the doorway through the wall was blocked. The western end was cut down, as was the north-south Wall N, and covered by a clay and pebble surface, sloping to the south at an angle of 10°. This surface was contained at its southern end by a short east-west wall (T) built against Wall N. There were a number of small installations upon this surface: a short wall and bench, two bricks high, at its eastern side, and an L-shaped double line of stones - very carefully aligned and bedded - at the west. This might perhaps have been intended as the foundation of another wall, forming a sort of baffied entrance with walls N and T, but there were no signs of bricks upon this foundation.

To the north, in BB 900, the room (apparently of L2 date) formed by the walls H, S, W and T, was subdivided by another north-south wall (V) and another east-west (U). The smaller of the two rooms thus formed (Room f) was apparently used as a cooking area. The floor has a considerable build-up of sherds and fragments of basalt querns in a dark ashy matrix. At the northern end of the room a doorway had been contrived by cutting down Wall Wand building a short, thin wall partly across the gap. Although there is no evidence of violent destruction of the building, as there had been in L2, there is some indication that the room had been destroyed rather than abandoned: against the wall at the south end a large platter had been shattered in situ (Fig. 22), and a little further to the north two large jugs had been similarly destroyed in situ. In the other division of the original room (Room e) was a mortar set in the floor near Wall V, and more pottery was broken in situ against the northern wall (Wall W). The centre of the room, however, had been effectively swept clear by the later construction of the built tomb (G404). In the southern part of the room a fire-pit, c. 1.5 m. in diameter spanned the gap between Wall S and the end of Wall U (Fig. 23). This pit was obviously an important and carefully devised installation. Its perimeter was formed of flat, upright stones backed by mud-bricks. Its siting however seems inconvenient: there would have been little or no access space around it and the room would have been divided by it. It is possible that one or other wall was never much more than its present height (c. 50 cm.) and was therefore a kerb rather than a wall. Alternatively, the cross-wall (U) was the end wall of the building and supported a roof which covered half the pit, so that both indoor and outdoor cooking were possible (if indeed its purpose was for cooking). The pit was filled, and over-filled, with fine grey/white ash to a total depth of c. 75 cm.; the fill, in the end, completely burying the perimeter stones. Immediately to the south of the pit a pavement of heavy stones was laid down some 50 cm. above the level of the original pit, apparently to give a secure footing in its later stages of use.

Little can yet be said about the structures in the north-west part of the area (BB 1000). The upper levels were very much disturbed by later graves, some of which (G41 7, 419, and 420) were backed by very heavy boulders. There were the remains of pebble and stone surfaces which, judging by their height, might have been connected with the LI structures in BB goo, but all have been so cut by graves that no direct stratigraphic connection remains. Below these surfaces and the graves, the tops of two walls had emerged by the end of the season. Both are on alignments similar to those of the L2 structures, but their connection must await further examination.

Overall, excavations in 1990 have confirmed that buildings of the L2 phase were well-planned and carefully constructed and that the complex, the whole extent of which may still be larger than the excavated area, is greater than would be expected in houses of the period. Excavation also indicates that the L1 occupation began when many of the L2 structures were still visible, although L1 building was by no means confined to the layout of the earlier period.

Footnotes

1 For the overall site grid, see Pritchard 1985, fig. 176.

2 In 1989, when this area was initiated, it was represented by a single 5 metre square, BB 700. In this most recent season, three further squares were added, BB 800, 900 and 1000. For the sake of convenience however, the term 'BB 700' has been retained as an overall area designation for the purposes of general discussion. Specific locations within the excavation area are therefore indicated in terms of square 700, 800, 900 or 1000.

Tubb and Dorrell (1994) - 7th season of excavations

Excavations on the Upper Tell

Introduction

from Tubb and Dorrell (1994:52-57)

Operations on the Upper Tell were directed towards the so-called 'acropolis' area (Area 31), where in 1964-66 the remains of an impressive public building of the Persian period had been exposed in 31-D/J-4/9 (see Pritchard 1985,60-68 and fig. 185). Although this building was attributed by Pritchard to Stratum III, there was in fact no direct stratigraphic continuity with Stratum IV excavated in the more westerly Area 32. In consequence, the sequence as published tends to suggest a gap in the occupational history of the site from the end of the seventh century B.C. (Stratum IV) to the Persian period (Stratum III) which may not in reality have existed, given the localization of the later phases on the acropolis area only.

The implications of the discontinuity were fully appreciated by the Pennsylvania expedition, and in 1965 an attempt was made to clarify the situation by linking together Areas 31 and 32. The excavation was unfortunately not completed and, although reference is made to the operation in the final report, the full results were not published (Pritchard 1985, 81). In addition, a sounding was made beneath the courtyard of the Stratum III building (squares 31-E/F-6/7) in order to establish the nature of the underlying sequence. Again, however, this sounding was left unfinished, and the only recorded discovery was of a room containing jars of grain, found at a depth of about I m. below the Persian surface (Pritchard 1985,81).

In 1993 excavations on the Upper Tell were designed to repeat the later operation in an attempt to understand the nature and function of the acropolis area prior to the construction of the Stratum III Persian Residency building. Two squares were selected for investigation, 3I-G-7 and, adjacent to the east, 3I-H-7, both well sealed by the intact and well-preserved stone pavings of the Persian building (Fig. 2).

The initial cleaning of the area revealed just how beautifully the pavings had survived, with virtually no stones having been displaced since their uncovering in the Ig60s (Fig. 3). Removal of the courtyard stones and the foundations of the north-south wall (in 3I-H-7) revealed, at a depth of only 15-20 cm. beneath, the remains of a poorly preserved surface, bearing traces of heavily weathered plaster and associated with numerous pits and ashy patches (Fig. 4). To the east the surface was found to run up to a substantial but severely disrupted wall, go cm. wide, orientated north-south, and consisting in its lower part of four courses of large stones (Fig. 5). The uppermost course must be considered as part of the superstructure, since it was against this that the floor surface extended, but it is clear that above this course, the wall had been constructed of mud-brick: the whole of the square to the east was filled with mud-bricks which had obviously been pushed over, off the footings, and levelled in preparation for the laying of the Stratum III courtyard. The impression gained is that this north-south wall defines the eastern limit of a courtyard (future excavation will have to determine whether it represents the western wall of the east wing of a large complex). Certainly the associated surface, which occupied the western half of 3I-H-7 and the whole of 3I-G-7, had all the appearances of a large and probably open courtyard. A number of hearths were found, and also a number of pits, the most interesting of which contained layered deposits composed of cattle bones at the top, fish bones in the middle and bird bones at the bottom (Fig. 6).

Below the courtyard of what is here defined as Stratum IIIBI a second, rather similar surface was found, also in direct association with the same north-south wall. The two surfaces were separated by what appeared to be a levelling fill, 20 cm. deep at the approach to the wall, but as much as 50 cm. deep at the west end of3I-G-7. This second surface (IIIC) was similar in nature to the first, with pits, hearths and ashy depressions, but was better preserved, and had embedded in it, against the north-south wall, a stretch offlat stone paving extending westwards for about a metre. A corresponding surface was found to the east of the wall, and this bore upon it an unusual oval-shaped oven, constructed of clay (Fig. 7). A preliminary examination of the pottery from IIIB and IIIC suggests a date for both phases within the latter part of the sixth century B.C.

At a depth of about one metre below the Persian period (IlIA) courtyard, a third courtyard level (IIID) was reached. The surface in this case was composed of small cobbles, pebbles and sherds, carefully laid, and set into a clay/plaster matrix. No associated architecture was found within the limits of the excavated area, and a one-metre trench extended southwards along the eastern side of square 3 I-G-6 failed to produce any evidence for a limiting wall on the south side either. Two large tannurs were found set into the surface, but in other respects little can be said of this phase, except that, in terms of absolute depth, it could correspond to the phase revealed by Pritchard to the west, in which he found the room containing grain jars (see above). Again, the pottery would indicate a dating within the sixth century for Stratum IIID.

A more restricted sounding was conducted below the pebble courtyard in the south-east corner of 3 I-G-7. Almost directly beneath the surface a massive wall was found running east-west. Composed ofa boulder core with a mud-brick facing, the wall, only part of which was exposed along the south side of 3 I-G-7, must have been in excess of 1.5 m. in width. Three main phases of usage, represented by discrete and separate surface packages, were identified as being in direct association with this wall. The uppermost (IIIE), which was only 15 cm. lower than the preserved top of the wall, was thickly covered with pale green marl plaster which had been carried up against the wall face. It showed signs of having been severely weathered, and contained virtually no material. Part of a well-constructed mud-brick installation belonging to this phase (IIIE) was found in the lowest excavation level in the adjacent 3I-H-7 (Fig. 8). A second, less coherent, surface was found (IIIF) at a depth of approximately 1.80 m. below the IlIA level, and yet a third (IIIG) at about 2.40 m. The lowest surface was found to be associated with a dense layer of burnt mud-brick debris and ashes, and would appear to represent a destruction level. The small quantity of pottery recovered from the IIIG surface would tend to place this phase in the late eighth century B.C., and it is tempting to relate it to Stratum V in area 32, which also shows similar evidence for destruction (see Pritchard 1985, 15-38). Such a correlation is. however, premature, and can only await further detailed investigation.

Area 24-F-2

from Tubb and Dorrell (1994:58-59)

A single 4-metre square was opened, 20 metres north of the Persian residency in 24-F-2. The objective here was to establish whether there were any domestic remains of the Hellenistic or Persian periods on the more elevated eastern side of the tell, but away from the acropolis (no such remains have been found on the western side, where the uppermost surviving phase is Stratum IV).

The results were inconclusive. Directly below topsoil was found a layer of heavily eroded and weathered mud-brick debris and stone tumble, but no coherent structures could be discerned, and no intact surfaces could be recorded. Some Hellenistic sherds were found within this layer, but these could quite easily have been washed down from the acropolis.

Below the layer of weathered mud-brick debris, a large pit was encountered, nearly 2 m. in diameter and approximately 1.40 m. in depth. The pit was identical in every respect to those excavated in Area 32 belonging to Stratum IV. It contained at its base the distinctive chaffy deposit which may represent the residue of threshing used as animal feed.

The implications of the results in 24-F-2 are significant, for it is clear that the succession of phases (IIIB-IIIG) isolated on the acropolis did not exist away from the acropolis. The Persian residency may represent the last of a series of similar buildings, covering the late seventh and sixth centuries whose function might have been strategic in either the military or the administrative sense. On neither the western side nor now the northern side of the Upper Tell has any evidence been found for domestic settlement following the destruction of Stratum V towards the end of the eighth century B.C. and it would appear, therefore, that this destruction brought about a major change in function of Tell es-SaCidiyeh; from a habitation centre linked to industry and commerce to what was little more than a strategic outpost serving the needs of the prevailing political powers.

Excavations on the Lower Tell

BB 700

from Tubb and Dorrell (1994:59-65)

In area BB 700 (squares 700-1000) work continued on the excavation of the extensive Early Bronze II complex (Fig. 9). During the 1993 season it was hoped to record fully and to remove the latest of the Early Bronze occupation levels, L1, and to reveal at least the greater part of the underlying level, L2.

It had become clear during the 1991 season that this latest level was more extensive and more solidly built than had been previously thought. Following the disastrous and apparently widespread fire which had destroyed L2, occupation was re-established at first only as a few fireplaces, pits, and patched walls. Later however, perhaps after only a few years, a more solid and considered re-building was undertaken (Fig. 10). The southern half of the area - BB 700 and 800 - was apparently levelled and in part pebble-paved, but probably remained as an open space. In the north-east corner however - BB 900 - the burnt debris o fL2 was levelled, built up where necessary, and compacted. As was described in the report on the 1992 season (Tubb and Dorrell 1993), new walls were built partly upon the stubs of the old, and between the end of one of these, Wall U, and tangentially to another, Wall S, a circular pit was sunk from the surface. This was carefully, even elaborately constructed, with a base of flat stones and a surround of steeply inclined flat stones about 0.40 m. deep, backed by mud-bricks (Fig. 11). In the later phase of the Ll occupation the pit was certainly used to hold fires, and over a long period. It was completely filled, and overflowing, with fine grey ash. When its excavation was complete, however, it became clear that fire was not its original purpose. The floor-stones and the surround were set in hard-packed clay, and at this level there was no sign of blackening or burning. Its original purpose seems more likely to have been for the containment of some liquid. At its junction with the east-west wall there was a carefully-built ledge or seat of stone slabs, so positioned that a person sitting in it would have had their feet in the basin. During the course of the occupation of this room its floor-level rose by about 0.5 m., and at this level another north-south wall (Wall V) or partition was built, dividing the room into two smaller compartments.

The eastern compartment thus formed had served for the cooking or preparation of food and contained many broken cooking pots, grinding stones and ash. During this final use of the building (provisionally designated L1b) ash from the pit - the surround-stones of which were by now well below floor level - reached a depth of about 0.7 m. and flowed over the low wall to the west and against the stub of a pre-existing L2 wall farther to the west. West of this wall the L I phase was probably present only as a pebble pavement, although the area was so cut about by later graves that no direct stratigraphical link could be established.

The general impression of L1 is that it was established within a few years of the L2 destruction, following the same general layout where it existed or was visible, and that, as with L2, the occupation was more than purely domestic. Certainly the stone-lined pit, in both its uses, was 'larger than would be expected in a single dwelling. The architecture of the period, however, remains as puzzling as ever. As was mentioned in the last report, the circle of the pit was tangential to one wall - even if that wall was not of full height - and its opposite side was hard against another, radially placed wall. The positioning, moreover, was by no means careless or random: where the circle brushed the wall on the one side a packing of bricks had been inserted to back the stones of the surround hard against the wall; while on the other, the space between the circle and the wall radial to it had been carefully and exactly filled by the stone platform or bench. There cannot therefore have been easy or immediate access from the southern part of the room to the northern. As an additional puzzle, two walls of the room - the eastern and the southern - show every sign of having stood to full height (at present they stand to about 1.5 m.), while the northern and western seem never to have been more than stubs (the western because ash ran over it, and the northern because two doorways appear to have run over rather than through it). The roof, if roof there was, could have been supported on posts, but there is no sign of post-holes or supporting columns.

The character of the underlying L2 occupation had been established when the south-west corner of the Area - BB 700 - was first excavated in 1989 (Fig. 12). The excavation was extended to the east in the following year, revealing a sunken room entered by steps down from the north. During the present season the excavation of the room was completed, the walls standing to a height of some 2.5 m. (Fig. 13). Five steps down gave access to a platform about 0.4 m. high which occupied the north-east corner of the room. The room was about 3 m. wide and more than 4 m. long: its southern limit lay beyond the south baulk and was not reached. On the floor of the room were the crushed remains of twelve or thirteen very large narrow-necked storage jars, suggesting that the room was used for the cool storage of liquid, perhaps oil or wine (Fig. 14). On the surface on which the jars rested were found several groups of bivalve shells. These have not yet been examined or classified, but they are of a type familiar from previous single finds and as components of necklaces in later graves. Each had been pierced at the umbo, by chipping rather than by abrasion, presumably to allow for stringing. Hitherto such shells had been thought of simply as ornaments, as not very valuable components of necklaces or bracelets, but the number found here (192 all told) and their position, with jars in a storeroom, suggest that they may have served as some sort of tallies or counters, or even, conceivably, as units of currency.

The base of the L2 level was not reached in the north-east square, BB goo, and a considerable fill of burnt debris remains to be excavated before its limits can be established.

As with the L1 levels, the L2 floors in the north-west area, BB 1000, were partly disrupted by later grave-cutting, but it was established that the L2 wall running parallel with the north baulk in BB 900 (Wall W) continued westward and that a short and rather poorly-built wall connected this with the second major east-west wall running along the north side of BB 700-800. No convincing western wall has yet been found to complete the room thus formed, but there are extensive patches of floor, and a door-socket at the appropriate height to show the elevation of the room. There did appear, however, to be some difference in height between the L2 levels west and east, and excavation of the area in BB 1000 to the north of the northernmost east-west wall- an area no more than 1 m. wide - revealed a shallow brick staircase running up from west to east, bounded on its northern side by a narrow stone-based mud-brick wall (Fig. 15). The stairs appear to turn northward at the top, although clarification of this must await further excavation.

Excavation of the L2 levels confirmed the impression of earlier seasons: walls and rooms were carefully designed and constructed, and of larger- than-domestic scale. Nowhere was there very much build-up of occupation debris, although there was a considerable depth of destruction debris in places, implying either that the period of occupation was short, or that rooms were kept clean down to their original surfaces. Where there were groups of broken pottery, resulting from the fire and collapse that marked the end of L2, nearly all were resting directly on the floors of the rooms, without any intervening build-up of occupation debris.

In the course of the excavation of L2, especially in the area of BB 1000, it became clear that most of the walls of the period were founded on the stumps of earlier walls, and that the walls of this earlier period - L3 - had followed the same general plan and orientation. In most places the stratigraphic relationships were clear and unambiguous; in the few places where they were not, interpretation was greatly helped by the quite different characteristics of the brick-work of the three periods.

Only in one area of BB 1000 was a room (or possibly a courtyard) of L3 completely exposed (Fig. 16). It was fairly small, about 2 m. in width, and its length was excavated from some 2.7 m. It had niches cut into the walls some 0.30 m. above floor level, a peculiarity of the period also encountered in a narrow sondage taken down to L3 level between BB 800 and 900. This sondage ran along the north side of Wall H, and thus revealed a section across the doorway into Room d, and showed evidence of the careful planning attendant on the rebuilding between L3 and L2. In L3 the room to the north of the wall had a fine pink-white plaster floor, curving up to the wall and to the sides of the doorway into Room d, the floor-levels north and south of the doorway being then about the same height. During the L2 rebuilding the levels to the north of the wall were raised by about 75 cm. and the doorway blocked up to ths level wth mudbricks and stones. But the floor-level of Room d was not similarly raised; rather it was deliberately left as a sunken - and therefore presumably cooler- storeroom, now entered down a short flight of steps.

All the signs suggest that the L2 rebuild of the L3 structure was planned and deliberate: surfaces were raised and levelled-up by about 0.5 m. before the walls were rebuilt and slight remaining differences in floor height between rooms were compensated for by steps at the sills. A small sounding below the L3 surface in BB 1000 revealed some 0.4 m. of silt and then a level of burnt destruction debris with a wall running on quite a different orientation to those above. Clearly there is at least one earlier phase still to be excavated.

Towards the end of the season a start was made on excavating another square, BB 1100, to the north of the existing four in this area. As was expected, its upper levels contained a number of burials, but the tops of walls of the EB werejust beginning to emerge when work ceased.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996) - 8th season of excavations

Excavations on the Lower Tell

Introduction

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:17-18)

With a greater number of exposures available for examination on the Lower Tell, more information has been forthcoming regarding the topography of the underlying bedrock, which in turn has led to a clearer understanding of the disposition of the Early Bronze Age architecture, and also of the contemporary horizons from which the graves of both the Late Bronze Age and the Persian period cemeteries had been cut. It is now apparent that the bedrock of the Lower Tell is not on a uniform, horizontal level, but rather is in the form of a northward facing horseshoe, rising on a gradient to the north. The arms of the horseshoe, therefore, represent elevations of the bedrock to the east and west, with a depression to the south and centre of the mound. The recognition of this situation has helped to rationalize, in particular, the changes in absolute level of the Early Bronze Age architecture in Area BB 700, and also the extensions of these changes to the west (Area DD) and north (Areas BB (100-600) and JJ). With regard to the cemetery, in locations where high ground existed (on the northern, western and eastern parts of the Lower Tell), Early Bronze Age architectural remains, through the processes of weathering and erosion, would still have been, for the most part, visible even until the Persian Period, and use could readily have been made of appropriate wall angles to provide partial enclosure for the graves. This indeed appears to have been the preference as substantiated by the results of Pritchard's excavations on the north side (1980) and subsequent researches in Areas DD and BB 1200.

Area BB 700

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:18-20)

In 1995 Area BB 700 (this taken as a general name to include Areas 700-1000) was extended to the north and east in order to establish the extent and layout of what in previous seasons had already appeared to be a large complex with separated areas perhaps devoted to industrial activities. In the eastern section, BB 1200, occupation surfaces were found related to all three of the main phases of Early Bronze II architecture: L1 L2, and L3. These lay against, or in the case of the uppermost phase L1, over the top of a main north-south wall still standing to a height of some 2.5 m., which had been twice rebuilt during its lifetime. The position of the latest Early Bronze surfaces show that in this. phase their walls stood some 2 m. above the present surface of the tell. A sounding in the southern part of this area revealed occupation levels below the earliest main phase yet excavated. The main east-west walls of the central area were found to continue eastward, indicating that the eastern limit of the complex is yet to be reached.

The northern extension, BB 1200, disclosed in the L2 phase a series of rooms opening from the top of a staircase leading up from the central area. The staircase was built partly over an earlier and shallower flight of steps, and the differences in elevation, both north to south and east to west, suggest strongly that in this period the site was terraced up a pre-existing slope. The stratigraphy is complex at this point, and further complicated by a vertical displacement of the strata by some 25 cm., caused either by settling or by earth movement, but there do appear to be two separate burnt levels within the same main building phase (Fig. 2). The room at the head of the stairs was heavily burnt and contained a number of smashed but reconstructable vessels, of a range of sizes and types (Fig. 3). In an area even farther to the north, BBI300, a similar burnt level, and a similar deposit of pottery was found at a higher elevation again.

The excavations confirmed the observation made in previous seasons, that Phase L2 was built over, and used many of the same wall-lines as, the previous phase L3. The earlier phase seems to have been rather more substantially built, and to a somewhat less complicated plan. As yet no evidence has emerged to explain the decision to rebuild most, if not all, of the complex, beyond the simple possibility that continuing occupation may have left the floor surfaces of L3 below the general exterior ground level. There is no evidence that L3 was destroyed by fire, and most of the re-used L3 walls appear to have been in good condition with no signs of earthquake movements. A sounding made below the L3 levels in the central area revealed two earlier phases of occupation. It is not yet known whether the architecture of these phases was of a layout similar to the later complex, or whether it lay on quite different lines.

Area DD

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:20-21)

As the operations in Area BB 700 have developed and expanded during the past three seasons, and it has become clearer that the architecture represents, not a series of individual domestic housing units, but rather a unified construction, most probably related to industrial or commercial usage, it seemed appropriate to re-evaluate the results of the excavations undertaken in 1985 to 1987 in Area DD on the south-west side of the Lower Tell. In this area two superimposed occupation phases (Strata L2 and L3) had been defined, but the architecture, severely damaged by erosion, was poorly characterized (see Tubb 1988, 48-58). In 1995, Area DD was re-opened with a series of trenches (DD 700-900). extending eastwards with the intention of establishing a connection, or a discontinuity, with the architecture of BB 700 (Fig. 4).

The most significant finding in this area was a single, unbroken wall-line providing an unequivocal link between the original DD and BB 700 (Fig. 5). The wall, which was seen to follow the topography of the Lower Tell, manifested itself as either foundations, foundations with mud-brick superstructure, or mud-brick superstructure alone, depending on the level of the bedrock and consequent erosion or silting. In DD 900, at least one major terracing operation had been required in order to accommodate the substantial drop in level to the low point of the mound in BB 700. Changes in level were facilitated through the use of built staircases, three examples of which were found. In DD 700 part of a pebble-paved surface, most probably representing a courtyard, was found in association with the southern face of the main east-west wall, and cut into this surface was a well constructed stone-lined and capped drain (Figs. 6-7). Against the wall, and partially sunk into the surface, was a small mud-brick and plaster-lined bath. This feature was provided with its own conduit, which was seen to feed into the main drain. Along the length of the main east-west linking wall, a number of returns were identified, and through a series of limited probes it has been possible to realize a more extensive plan which fully integrates the architecture excavated in Area DD in 1985-87 with that of the more recently excavated BB 700 (see Fig. 8). It is now clear that the published Stratum L2 plan for Area DD (Tubb 1988, fig. 27) does not represent a single building as previously stated (ibid., 49), but may well be seen instead as the western entrance to the commercial complex of which the architecture of Areas DD, BB 700, and also BB 100-600, all forms a part.

Area JJ

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:23-24)

The highest point of the Lower Tell is on the north side where the bedrock rises to a bluff overlooking the wadi bed of the Kufrinjeh. It was on this side in the 1960s that the University of Pennsylvania expedition excavated a series of graves dating to the thirteenth and twelfth centuries B.C. (see Pritchard Ig80 for details). These graves had, as recorded by Pritchard, made use of standing architectural remains, which were recognized at the time as belonging to the Early Bronze Age. The degree of weathering on this side of the tell has been considerable, and the remains planned by the American team (Pritchard 1g80, fig. 2) represent foundational courses only, all traces of the related floor surfaces having been lost through erosion.

At the beginning of the season there appeared to be, however, at least two rows of stones visible on the surface, below the summit on the north slope. It therefore seemed a worthwhile exercise to examine the situation on this part of the Lower Tell once again. Three small soundings were extended across the northern summit, beyond the northernmost limit of the Pennsylvania excavation area, in an attempt to establish the connections between the stones eroding from the slope and the architectural horizon recorded by the Americans (Fig. 14). The results of the soundings revealed the extremely weathered and disrupted remains of what appeared to be a city wall (Fig. 15). Founded on, and built into, the slope of the mound, the wall comprised three elements; an outer wall, a passageway, and an inner wall. The outer wall, in order to cope with the rising elevation of the slope, was built as two units with terraced foundations, and it was these two foundation courses which were visible on the surface prior to excavation. The outer wall was approximately 1.50 m. thick, and the inner wall about 75 cm. Between the two walls the passageway, which was roughly pebble-paved, was about a metre wide, therefore creating a defensive system of total width 3.25 m. The wall itself, and the area behind the wall, were severely disturbed by pits and fire places, and little remained of contemporary surfaces associable with the inner face of the inner wall. In one of the soundings, the remains of a well-laid mud-brick paving were revealed, extending from the back of the inner wall southwards for a distance of some 2.50 m., but in the other two soundings, erosion had been so severe that the natural qattarah was exposed only 2 cm. below the surface. It has not been possible, therefore, to define the internal stratigraphic relationships of the city wall, nor indeed to relate the wall to the established sequence of the areas on the central, south, and south-western side of the mound. It is clear, however, from the sounding which produced the paving that the city wall and its associated surfaces must pre-date the latest phase of occupation, since there was a system of walls, visible in the south section, which must in their northward extension have overlaid the paving. Furthermore, it is apparent that this later wall-system is of the same phase as those recorded by Pritchard in the area further to the south (see above). Given the known sequence (L1, L2, L3) in Area BB 700, and given that there was some evidence to indicate that the mud-brick paving had been burnt on its surface, it would be tempting to suggest that the city wall belongs to the destruction horizon, Stratum L2, but substantiation for this idea must await further investigation.

Excavations on the Upper Tell

Area AA

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:24-30)

This Area had been extensively excavated from 1985 to 1989, and was instrumental in defining the primary stratigraphic sequence for the Upper Tell. The lovvermost phase reached by the end of the 1989 season was Stratum XII, recognized as a phase of Egyptian occupation corresponding with the Late Bronze Age cemetery on the Lower Tell. Associated with an intense destruction horizon, datable to the mid-twelfth century B.C., Stratum XII has subsequently been investigated in numerous exposures where its architecture has consistently revealed purely Egyptian construction techniques. In 1987 the south-east corner of Area AA produced the impressive remains of an Egyptian Governor's Residency (Tubb Ig88, 40-4 I and fig. 15).

Initially this season's work was concerned with the clarification and resolution of residual problems relating to the construction of this important building. On the eastern side of the building an elaborately constructed series of stone terraces was found, descending northwards to a wide and previously unobserved entranceway (Fig. 16), and a similar northern entranceway was revealed at the base of the previously excavated stepped passageway which flanks the western side of the building. In the latter case, the entrance was found to have been blocked with a carefully laid mud-brick wall which had been set in position prior to the destruction (Fig. 17). The function of both of these large entranceways is unknown, but it may be significant that they are oriented towards the head of the water-system staircase on the north side of the tell.

Operations to establish and define the underlying stratigraphic sequence were confined to a restricted sounding within the residency building itself (Fig. 18). Examination of the Stratum XII walls revealed, as anticipated, the characteristically Egyptian method of construction, with deeply trenched mudbrick foundations extending to well over a metre and a half in depth, with no use of stone. The disruption to the phases preceding Stratum XII was therefore clearly considerable, but by executing the soundings within the confines of well defined architectural units it was possible to establish a coherent sub-XII stratigraphic sequence. Remains of Stratum XIII consisted of an east-west wall running along the north side of the sounding with an associated cobbled surface on the eastern side extending southwards. To the west, and separated from the cobbled surface by a poorly defined wall, was found a plastered floor bearing a large number of loom weights. During the excavation of Stratum XIII an interesting feature appeared on the north-east side of the sounding, which can be related to the small temple of Stratum XIA uncovered in the 1986 season (see Tubb 1988, 37-39 and fig. 13). Taking the form of a small constructed tunnel cutting into the northern and eastern walls of the Stratum XII Residency and partially into the east-west wall of Stratum XIII, this feature was most probably an undergroundfavissa serving the temple. Access to the favissa was by way of a northward descending passageway which followed the exterior of the temple's eastern wall. This approach was terminated at the entrance of the favissa by a large flat limestone slab (Fig. 19). Removal of the slab revealed the interior deposit consisting of a dense clay-like fill containing a large number of animal bones including those of deer, and pottery which was both weathered and heavily stained. The rnaterial from the favissa is fully consistent with the tenth-century date of Stratum XIA as previously adduced.

With regard to Stratum XIII itself, although relatively little material was recovered, a dating in the second quarter of the twelfth century would seem to be indicated. The sequence below Stratum XIII was only examined in a limited exposure. Two underlying phases were isolated, the upper of which (Stratum XIV) was relatively poor, both architecturally and in terms of the associated finds. Generally the walls were on the same alignment as those of Stratum XIII but were far less well constructed. Beneath, Stratum XV showed evidence for having been destroyed. Part of a wall was revealed with an associated cobble-paved surface upon which were found to be resting several complete pottery vessels, including a collared-rim store-jar (Fig. 20). These two phases, Strata XIV and XV, should be dated to the end of the thirteenth and the very beginning of the twelfth centuries B.C.

Area KK

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:30-31)

In 1995 a new area was initiated on the steep south slope of the Upper Tell (Fig. 2 I). The intention here was to create a step-trench to both correlate and check the stratigraphic sequence on the western side of the tell (Area EE) and also to provide an insight into the phases underlying Stratum XII. In the first respect the results fully substantiated the stratigraphic situation found in Area EE (see Tubb 1988, 4 I-46, for details of this area), namely that Stratum VII appears directly below Stratum V and directly overlies Stratum XII, confirming the view that many of the intervening phases (Strata VI, VIII, IX, X, and XI) were of limited extent and failed to reach the outer edges of the tell's surface. Little of architectural value could be determined for either Stratum V or Stratum VII within the somewhat limited excavation area. An interesting terracotta figurine representing a woman playing a tambourine was found belonging to Stratum V (Fig. 22). Otherwise the finds for these two phases were unremarkable.

For Stratum XII, with a larger area available for excavation, a more extensive architectural plan could be developed. The main feature was a north-south pebble-paved alleyway separating two mud-brick building units (Figs. 23-24). At the southern end of the alley two steps gave access to a street running from east to west. This street might well have been situated behind the city wall, all remains of which have eroded away down the south slope of the tell. Little can be said of the western building unit, as this lies almost entirely beyond the limit of excavation. The eastern unit, however, revealed part of a room with a well executed stone-paved surface (Fig. 25). The whole of the interior was filled to a depth of nearly a metre and a half with dense destruction debris consisting of burnt mud-brick, ashes and charred timber. The alley, being an exterior surface, was relatively free of this debris, but showed a characteristic feature of Stratum XII, a heavy stone blocking set across its point of entry, prior to the destruction, preventing access from the street.

With regard to the phases underlying Stratun1 XII, due to the depth of this phase and its internal complexities little was determined this season. The southern wall of the Stratum XII building described above was built against the northern wall of an earlier structure, the architectural extension of which appears to continue to the south. This building, about which very little is yet known, contained within a corner formed by its northern wall and a north-south return on the western side an inset storage jar. It clearly belongs to a phase preceding Stratum XII, but it cannot presently be related in any way to Stratum XIII as defined in Area AA: it can only be defined as 'pre-XII'.

Area MM

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:31-33)

One of the aspects of the topography of Tell es-Saeidiyeh that has often been noted is the apparent depression on the north-east slope of the Upper Tell. In order to investigate this feature a new area (111M) was opened in 1995. As anticipated the results of the excavations here demonstrated the existence of a main entrance to the city, and in fact two phases of usage were revealed (Fig. 26). The lower phase, belonging to Stratum XII, took the form of an indirect access approach. The pebble-paved road, patches of which could be observed at various points on the north-east slope of the tell surface, ascended the mound from the north-east, and entered a 4 m. wide vaulted mud-brick passageway through the casemate city wall. Beyond the rear face of the city wall, the road was seen to turn through go degrees southwards. This turn was effected by means of a gate chamber, the structure of which has not yet been fully defined. Both the gate chamber and the vaulted passageway were filled with the characteristic burnt destruction debris associated with Stratum XII, as seen consistently throughout the Upper Tell excavations.

Although undoubtedly an impressive structure, the Stratum XII gateway was found to be only partially preserved owing to the extensive modifications to the access approach undertaken in the eighth century B.C. During the period of Stratum V, a new gate complex was built which, whilst continuing to use the pre-existing Stratum XII approach road, required an alteration to the direction of access, converting it from indirect to direct. Over the site of the Stratum XII gate chamber a massive rectangular tower was constructed (Fig. 27), the foundations of which removed not only much of the earlier superstructure, but also the continuation of the Stratum XII road-way on the south side. Between this tower and its presumed counterpart on the south side the Stratum V road was laid, about 5 m. wide, pebble-paved and deeply bedded, indeed to such an extent that all traces of the Stratum XII casemate city wall had been removed at this point. In absolute terms then, the Stratum V access road lay approximately 5 m. to the south of the Stratum XII approach road and was more deeply founded. A massive terrace filling of large stones was therefore placed in front of the northern gate tower, which had the effect of bending the Stratum V road around a broad curve to meet the earlier Stratum XII approach road (Fig. 28). The floor of the excavated northern gate tower was only partially preserved since the northern half lay close to the tell's surface and had been lost through erosion. Where extant this floor was pebble-paved and was overlaid with a deposit of burnt mud-brick debris and ashes indicative of a destruction. It is the presence of this burnt material, together with the ceramic evidence, which has enabled an attribution of the upper gateway to Stratum V. As established on the western side of the tell, Stratum V is the only eighth-century horizon showing evidence of destruction.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997) - 9th season of excavations

Excavations on the Lower Tell

Introduction

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:55-58)

Excavations were conducted in three main areas on the Lower Tell in 1996: in Areas BB 700 and DD, both continued from previous seasons, and in Area NN, newly initiated this year. The archaeological record in these areas consists of three main components: the Early Bronze Age II commercial building (or buildings) in Areas BB 700 and DD (see Field I Plan - Fig. 3), the subsequent burials (Late Bronze-Iron I, Persian period and later) in the same two areas, and in Area NN a city wall belonging to the Early Bronze I period.

At the end of the 1995 season excavations had established that the architectural remains in Area BB 700 belonged to the same phase and were on the same line of orientation as those previously uncovered in Area DD, and indeed, since no external walls had at this point been defined for the architecture of either area, there appeared to be some possibility that the buildings, despite substantial changes in level, might be continuous and form part of the same integral complex. Consequently, the initial strategy for this season's excavations was to expand the plan of the building so that its dimensions, orientation, and overall purpose could better be understood. It was, however, fully recognized that before this could be achieved it would first be necessary to demonstrate with more solidity the stratigraphic and physical continuity of the two areas. Therefore the whole length of the linkage trench between BB 700 and DD, which in 1995 had only been explored in a series of limited soundings, was fully excavated, exposing all walls and associated surfaces down to the stratum L2 level (as established in BB 700). This was predicted to be a relatively straightforward operation, but in fact its execution was considerably hampered by the presence of large number of later period burials. These burials, often deliberately set along the edges of walls and in corners between walls, had caused gross disturbance to the Early Bronze Age architecture, removing in many cases much of the stratigraphic information crucial to any complete understanding of the situation, particularly in circumstances where changes in absolute level (by means of terraces or steps) were suspected. In this respect, whilst in previous seasons the effects of seismic activity had been observed in individual details within the EB II architecture, it was only this year that the wider implications of these geological disturbances in relation to their impact on the archaeological record were recognized more fully. For although at certain points terraces and staircases had undoubtedly been used to create changes in level within the same phase of architecture, it is now clear that their usage has often been exaggerated or misunderstood due to the effects of faults or slips, sometimes as great as 50 cm. The disruption caused by such faults to floor surfaces is clearly very great, producing completely artificial ledges or even steps which must now be taken into account in any interpretation of the architecture (Fig. 5).

Area BB 700

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60)

The main objectives for Area BB 700 in 1996 were two-fold; firstly to clarify the complicated stratigraphic situation in the north-western part of the area (BB 1000 - see Fig. 4 for locations of specific general loci within Area BB 700), where in 1993 an unusual mud-brick staircase had been found (see Tubb and Dorrell 1994, figs. 12 and 15), and secondly, to expand the area to the north, in an attempt to demonstrate architectural continuity (or discontinuity) of the Stratum L2 industrial complex with the poorly preserved and fragmentary remains of the same phase, previously excavated in BB 100-600 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, fig. 8).

With regard to the first of these objectives, continued excavation in BB 1000 revealed an even more complicated situation than had been anticipated. As defined in 1993, this part of the industrial complex comprised a small, roughly square, sunken room, with a crushing basin set into the floor, and to the east a second, slightly larger room disposed at a somewhat higher level. These two rooms were bounded to the north by an east-west running wall which formed the southern containment for a mud-brick staircase, ascending to the east before turning northwards, which appeared to continue the architecture of the complex further north at a higher level (see Tubb and Dorrell 1994, fig. 12). The small sunken room showed two discrete floor surfaces and on the basis of the results from elsewhere in BB 700 these were assumed to correspond to Strata L2 (upper) and L3 (lower) (ibid., 64). Further research in 1995 revealed two layers of destruction associated with the staircase, a finding which led to the suggestion that this part of the complex had been subjected to two, possibly quite localized, destructions, both within Stratum L2 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 19 and fig. 2).

Resolution of the problems relating to this area was found this season with the removal of the staircase and the associated rooms to the south. Beneath the staircase was found an earlier, similar structure, and below the surfaces of the sunken room and its more elevated eastern neighbor was found a single large room with a well-constructed entrance on the western side and a quarter-circular fire pit in the south-eastern corner (Fig. 6). A low stone bench (not a wall foundation as it may appear from the photograph) running north-south across the room provided some form of division, but its purpose is unknown beyond the observation that it bore at its northern end a large stone basin. The floor surface was of fine white plaster and, where excavations penetrated beneath it, grey ashy banded deposits were found, typical of Stratum L3. In other words the large single room with its fire pit and western entrance clearly belongs to Stratum L2 and represents the initial construction in this part of the complex. Associated with this phase is the first staircase. At a later stage, still within the duration of Stratum L2, the room was modified to create the previously excavated plan (Tubb and Dorrell 1994, fig. 12), with its sunken room to the west and more elevated room to the east. It was this phase that was destroyed by fire, bringing Stratum L2 to an end. It is interesting to note that the stone basin, situated on top of the bench of the earlier phase, was incorporated into the floor of the sunken room, where it was provided with a surrounding circle of small pebbles for use as a crushing installation (compare Fig. 6 with Tubb and Dorrell 1994, fig. 16).

Further examination of the stratigraphy relating to the second (destroyed) L2 phase made it quite clear also that there had not been, in fact, two separate destructions in this area. Instead the evidence should be interpreted as two horizons of the same destruction, the construction in BB 1000 having consisted of two storeys. In other words, the two layers of destruction apparent in the section of the second phase staircase (Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, fig. 2) and the two apparent surfaces found within the second phase sunken room do not imply two chronologically isolated destructions, but instead have resulted from the second storey roof, wall and floor collapse falling on top of the debris of the first.

The second main undertaking in Area BB 700 was an expansion to the north, continuing the examination of the suite of rooms leading off at right angles from the landing at the top of the BB 1000 staircase begun in 1995 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 19 and fig. 8). Stratigraphically these rooms, although at a higher absolute level, are continuous with Stratum L2 elsewhere in BB 700 and show similar evidence for destruction by fire. In 1995 the first room to be encountered (in BB 1100) contained, beneath the substantial depth of destruction debris, fine deposits of badly crushed but complete pottery vessels (ibid., 19). More vessels, for the most part store jars and cooking pots, were found this season as the excavation reached the apparent floor surface (Fig. 7). Again, however, it was seen that the destruction debris continued below the surface on which the pots rested, and persisted for another 50 cm. before reaching a second surface. It seems clear, therefore, that the same situation prevails here as in BB 1000 to the south of the staircase; namely that the part of the building found in BB 1100 was of two-storey construction. This being the case, the upper destruction debris can be interpreted as the roof and wall collapse of the upper storey and the surface with pottery as the fallen first floor - both deposits having slumped into the lower storey with its own layer of burnt debris resting on its floor. The lower floor contained a carefully-made stone-lined pit, some 50 cm. deep. Its original purpose was probably to hold liquids, although it was subsequently used as a fire-pit (Fig. 8).

With the completion of excavation of BB 1100 down to the L2 surface, the baulk between this square and BB 1400 to the north was removed. This operation revealed a heavily-burned wall, running east-west across the area (Fig. 9). North of this wall, which showed extensive evidence for severe disruption by faulting, a further room was excavated, its walls standing to a height of some 1.5 m. Once again it was clear that this room had existed on two levels, not only from the two horizons of deconstruction debris, but also from the interesting series of internal buttresses

Area DD

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:61-65)

During the 1996 season, one of the most significant operations in Area DD was conducted at its easternmost end, in the area directly adjacent to the south-western side of Area BB 700 (see Fig. 4 for location of specific loci within Area DD). Here in 1995 a small sounding had shown the presence of a well-preserved wall which appeared to continue the Stratum L2 architecture of BB 700 westwards (see Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - Wall F). Initially this sounding was expanded and, after establishing the validity of the connection, a larger area was opened to the south and west. By combining the results of these operations, below a number of somewhat ephemeral features belonging to the later Stratum L1 occupation (patches of pebble surface, irregularly constructed mud-brick kerb walls and hearths - Fig. 10), a suite of three well built rooms of Stratum L2 was defined and excavated (Fig. 1 1). The smallest of the rooms (about 1.5 m. wide by 5 m. long), the extreme eastern end of which had been previously excavated within Area BB 700 (Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - contained by walls M, C and F), contained a remarkable deposit of ceramic vessels which included store-jars, large red-slipped and burnished platters, small bowls, various Abydos-type vessels, and an unusual jug with an internal strainer (Figs. 12- 13). The position of the vessels within the room was also of interest. The small bowls, for example, were found stacked one on top of each other, and possibly inside a store-jar (Fig. 14). Other artefacts from this room included a collection of fine flint blades, over 2000 beads of faience, stone and carnelian, and a copper alloy axe-head. The environmental deposits from the room were also of an exceptional quality, with large quantities of charred grain and chaff as well as charred olives, grapes, figs, capers and a whole charred pomegranate. Many of the pottery vessels contained what are almost certainly food residues on their surfaces. From the nature of the deposits, artefactual and environmental, it would seem that this room served as a type of 'scullery', the pottery vessels with their adhering food remains having been returned from the dining room, ready to be washed up, when the fire broke out which was to consume the complex and bring Stratum L2 to a close. The position of the dining room is not known, but it could well have been one of the larger, adjacent (and adjoining) rooms described below. It is interesting to observe, however, that the table 'setting' was apparently for eleven - 11 bowls were found in the stack, there were 11 Abydos mugs, 11 flint blades, and 11 long, narrow bone points (possibly tooth picks?).

The other two rooms in this area, which were also completely excavated down to their floor surfaces, were not as rich in terms of artefacts as the smallest room, but contained very well preserved timber and charcoal remains. The larger of the two rooms, to the west, was roughly square, measuring 4 x 4 m., and had an entrance on the south side. Another blocked entrance was found at the north end of the room's western wall, and this was seen to be in line with yet another blocked entrance on the eastern wall where the mud-brick of the closure forms the western wall of the scullery (see plan - Fig. 3). Two large flat stones were found set into the floor, and these probably served as roof supports. The smaller room to the east (approximately 4 x 2.5 m.) was of very similar character, and also had a well-constructed entrance on the south side. The walls of all of the rooms generally showed evidence of burning and for the most part were still plaster-faced. The state of preservation of the walls varied considerably: some had clearly been subjected to faulting, the lines of slippage clearly visible in the brickwork. In some cases, however, especially in areas where the burning had been intense, the walls were still standing to heights in excess of 2 m. (Fig. 15).

Taken together, it is clear that the three rooms in this group, as excavated, represent a second phase of usage. From the evidence of the blocked doorways it may be assumed that the original plan consisted of two rooms only, both roughly square and of equal size. At a later stage, the scullery was created by partitioning off the northern end of the eastern room. The communicating doorway on the north between the two original rooms was by necessity blocked, as was also the north-western entrance of the western room, and a new doorway for this room was provided on the south side.

Elsewhere in Area DD excavations were concentrated on the north side of the so-called 'linkage trench' which had been extended between Areas BB 700 and DD in 1995 in order to examine the possibility of an architectural continuity between the two areas. With regard to the question as to whether or not the Stratum L2 commercial/industrial complex revealed in Area BB 700 extends to the western side of the Lower Tell, and indeed incorporates the architectural remains previously excavated in this region (DD 100-400), no clear answer can yet be given. A series of north-south running walls was excavated in the linkage trench which, through the direct associations of their floor surfaces, can undoubtedly be related to the BB 700 complex. This, now firmly established, relationship would give a minimum east-west dimension to the BB 700 complex of 30 m. (no external wall has yet been defined on the eastern side). It is possible, however, that the westernmost associated wall excavated in the linkage trench represents an external wall, being more substantial than the others. Unfortunately this remains undemonstrable since the entire area to the west of the wall, for a distance of some 5 m., has been extensively damaged by the subsequent cutting in of graves, a process which has effectively removed all stratigraphic and architectural extensions. Beyond this area of disruption architectural continuity can now be demonstrated, allowing the building remains of the western end of the linkage trench to be incorporated into the previously excavated architecture of Area DD. In other words, on the basis of this season's work, it is possible that there existed on the Lower Tell in Stratum L2, not one single integrated complex as previously claimed, but rather two of approximately equal size, with perhaps a street or an open space between them. It would seem justified, therefore, to refer to these buildings as the 'eastern complex' (BB 700), and the 'western complex' (DD).

Beyond the establishment of architectural continuity, little work was undertaken on the western complex. In absolute terms much of this complex is higher than the eastern one, with the effect that many of the walls have been eroded down to their foundations, with the consequent loss of associated floor surfaces. One small room was, however, examined by means of a northern extension to the western end of the linkage trench. Here was found a large plaster-lined bin, measuring approximately 2 m. in diameter at the top, and about 3 m. deep. Large quantities of burnt chaff and typical Stratum L2 destruction debris were contained within the pit (Fig. 16).

Area NN

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:65-66)

For quite some time it had seemed possible to the expedition that the true extent of the slope on the south and south-western sides of the Lower Tell had been artificially disguised by an accumulation of field alluvium presently under cultivation. To test this hypothesis an area, designated NN, was established 15 m. west of the western limit of Area DD immediately adjacent to the cultivated fields, and apparently off the Tell (Fig. 17).

Excavations indeed revealed the original slope of the mound, descending some 3.5 m. below the present ground surface. Cut into this slope was found a badly weathered, but substantial city wall, about 1.5 m wide (Fig. 18). Behind this wall and associated with it was a plastered surface which contained material of Early Bronze I date. This surface appeared to be in the nature of a passageway, separating the wall from a second, parallel wall, which lay some 2 m. behind. The nature of the second wall could not be established, as it lay within the section on the eastern side of the area. Altogether the arrangement is reminiscent of the city wall found in 1995 in Area JJ, and it is possible that the newly discovered wall forms a part of the same defensive circuit. However, with very much more dating material available from the plastered floor surface of the passageway, it would seem that this structure should be dated to EB I rather than EB II as previously suggested.

Excavations on the Upper Tell

Introduction

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:66)

Due to the increasing logistical problems associated with excavating in the central areas on the Upper Tell (Areas AA and EE) and the decision to concentrate the season's excavations on uncovering the Early Bronze Age architecture on the Lower Tell, this year's investigations on the Upper Tell were limited to two operations; the step trench (Area KK) on the south side of the Tell and the continued excavation and restoration of the Water System in Area GG.

Area KK

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:67-69)

This area, designed as a step-trench on the southern slope of the Upper Tell, was initiated in 1995 with the intention of providing a means of linking the Upper Tell stratigraphic sequence with that of the Lower Tell. By the end of the 1995 season part of a large building of the Egyptian phase, Stratum XII, had been excavated, together with an associated alleyway. This season's work began with the removal of all of the remaining Stratum XII structures and fill, including the wall foundations. These, when excavated, showed the characteristic construction method of Stratum XII, being some 1.2 m. deep, and laid without stone foundation.

Beneath the Stratum XII alleyway to the west of the building the remains of a stone-paved floor were found, which could be related to a substantial wall, only revealed in section in the west baulk (the wall had otherwise been removed by the Stratum XII foundation trench) (Fig. 23). This earlier, 'pre-Stratum XII', city wall was over 2 m. thick. For the present this wall and its associated surface will be described as Stratum 13. (The Arabic numeral is used to distinguish it from Stratum XIII as excavated in Area AA in 1995. It must be emphasized that there is no means at present of relating the pre-Stratum XII stratigraphic sequence of Area AA to that of KK. Certainly, on the basis of the post-Stratum XII situation both in KK and in Area EE, it can be anticipated that there might have been many occupation phases present towards the centre of the Tell which were simply not extensive enough to reach the edges.)

Under the foundation trenches of the Stratum XII building and on a similar alignment the top of a very weathered building was revealed and subsequently excavated to a depth of 1.2 m. This building, of which only a small part was contained within the excavation area, had a finely laid boulder floor. A large shallow bowl had been set into the floor in the south-west corner, and adjacent to it was a large flat stone (Fig. 24). Towards the end of the season, this building (referred to as Stratum 14) was removed and, unexpectedly, showed an almost identical construction method to that of Stratum XII (deep brick foundations with no use of stone). The associated pottery, which would place Stratum 14 within the thirteenth century B.C., contained examples of Egyptian 'ration' and 'cyma' bowls. These two facts, taken together, may imply that Stratum 14 represents a pre-Stratum XII phase of Egyptian occupation, which would extend Tell es-Sa~idiyeh's role as an Egyptian centre back perhaps to the Nineteenth Dynasty. It would seem, however, that the Egyptian control was not continuous, for no hint of Egyptian building methods was detected in the three pre-XII strata defined in Area AA in 1995 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 29-30). Since the more centrally located Area AA would almost certainly contain a fuller stratigraphic sequence than Area KK which is located on the very edge of the tell, it would be reasonable to conclude that Stratum 14 in KK must equate with a pre-XV stratum in AA. This would imply that, in relation to the overall occupation of the site, following an Egyptian phase of control, represented by Stratum 14 in KK, there was a reversion to local (Canaanite) control, documented by Strata XV, XIV and XIII (and KK Stratum 13), prior to the main Egyptian phase of Stratum XII.

Area KK was also extended southwards and lower on the slope and here, in a limited sounding, were found the remains of a substantial city wall, approximately 2 m. thick and faced on the outside with small pebbles. An interior white-plastered floor surface was defined, which could be seen to underlie the stone-paved surface of Stratum 14 and will provisionally be termed Stratum 15 (Fig. 25). Very little pottery was recovered from the floor surface, but it would appear to date to the early part of the thirteenth century.

Stratum XII Destruction - Iron I - ~1150 BCE

Discussion

The apparently Egyptian controlled city of Stratum XII on the Upper Tell ended in collapse, localized faulting, and a fire. An overlying silt layer suggests that the site was abandoned for perhaps as much as one hundred years afterwards (Tubb and Dorrell, 1991:69). Concomitantly, the town's cemetery on the Lower Tell appears to have been abandoned. Excavators used a rich corpus of pottery from the Western Palace in Area EE on the Upper Tell to date the Stratum XII destruction to ~1150 BCE - a date which approximately coincides with the Late Bronze Age Collapse and Egyptian withdrawal from the region. Although Ferry et al. (2011), citing Tubb (1988:86), noted that there were no indications as to the source of the destruction as there were neither bodies nor signs of conflict amidst the ruined buildings of the Upper Tell, these observations coupled with localized fractures and faulting with downward displacements as large as 50 cm. may suggest an earthquake as the cause of destruction. Tubb and Dorrell (1991:72) noted that overlying Stratum V in Area AA 900 was founded at a lower level and this depression [i.e. lower level] of [overlying] stratum V was due to the subsidence of the underlying stratigraphy, resulting ultimately from the unusual configuration of stratum XII. Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56) noted that excavations in AA 900 in 1990 had revealed a substantial depression of the stratigraphy in this area, resulting most probably from earthquake faulting with related subsidence. In Area MM, Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:31-33) noted the presence of an apparent depression on the north-east slope of the Upper Tell.

A construction related site may be present for the Stratum XII destruction as the structures were built of mudbrick and lacked stone foundations. Instead of stone foundations, a dense matrix of pisee (rammed earth) supported the embedded wall foundations. Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:27) noted that this construction technique, like the rest of the architecture uncovered, was characteristically Egyptian.

References

Ferry et al. (2011)

Ferry et al. (2011)


Excavator's Date	Proposed Cause of Destruction	Probability of an earthquake	Description
7th-6th century BCE	Fire	Low	A series of building phases (IIIB–IIIG) was defined below Pritchard’s Stratum III (now termed IIIA), the lowest of which shows architecture very similar to Stratum V, with similar evidence for burning. - Tubb (1988:130) These stalls were frequently found to contain equid bones, and it seems likely that these represent the remains of unfortunate animals which had been abandoned to the fire which brought an end to Stratum V around 720 BC. The destruction of Stratum V might have been accidental, but it might also be attributed to the Assyrians, who were campaigning in this region at the time - Tubb (1988:127)
mid 8th century BCE	Anthropic postearthquake ?	Average	Towards the middle of the eighth century the houses of Stratum VI were knocked down and leveled in preparation for another major building programme - Tubb (1988:127)
1150-1120 BCE	Fire	High	The city of Stratum XII was obviously destroyed in an Fire intense conflagration, the dense associated debris sealing a valuable corpus of finds, examination of which has established a date for this event at around 1150-1120 BC, coinciding with the withdrawal of the Egyptian empire... Some time in the last quarter of the [twelfth] century the city of Stratum XII was destroyed by fire, and at the same time the cemetery on the Lower Tell fell out of use. There is no indication as to the source of the destruction: certainly there were neither bodies nor signs of conflict amidst the ruined buildings of the Upper Tell, and it could well be that fire was the result of an accident. - Tubb (1988:86)
Late early Bronze I - ~2900 BCE	Unknown	High	Stratum L2 was found to be associated with dense destruction debris (ashes, burnt mud-brick rubble and charred timber), but both Strata L2 and L3 were apparently built on the same plan. In the centrally located area, excavations revealed extremely fragmentary and disturbed Early Bronze Age architecture, the remains having been all but obliterated by the digging of graves in the thirteenth to twelfth century BC - Tubb (1988:42)

Raphael and Agnon (2018)

from Raphael and Agnon (2018)


Period	Age	Site	Damage Description
EB II	3000-2700 BCE	Tell es-Sa'idiyeh	faults and slips, as great as 0.5 m. Floors turned into ledges and steps (Area B). Lines of slippage and faulting detected in Area DD in the mudbrick houses. Collapse of houses in the lower tell and signs of a strong fire (Tubb et al. 1997: 58, 62).
Iron I	1200-1000 BCE	Tell es-Sa'idiyeh	late 12th century BCE. Thick debris from city walls, public and private buildings and signs of fire (Stratum XII) were noted at the site. The excavators’ impression was that people had time to escape (Tubb 1988: 41). Building in Area AA suffered severe faulting; five intersecting cracks, the largest responsible for a stratigraphic downshift of nearly 50 cm (Tubb and Dorrell 1993: 58-59).
Iron IIB	900-700 BCE	Tell es-Sa'idiyeh	houses (Stratum VI) from the mid-8th century BCE may have been destroyed by an earthquake, and were leveled in order to prepare the ground for new buildings (Ferry et al. 2011: 56; Tubb 1988: 26).

Tubb (1990) - 4th season of excavations

Area EE

from Tubb (1990:28-29)

To the east of these two rooms, and separated from them by another north-south dividing wall, part of a surface was found, well paved with mudbrick slabs (Fig. 12). This surface appeared to connect, by means of a narrow and poorly defined doorway to the north, with a large room having a steeply sloping surface, contained on the south-east side by an unusual pise constructed wall orientated diagonally with respect to the main axis of the building. The surface which slopes down to the north and east, had originally been thickly plastered and showed evidence in the form of channelling and pooling of having been associated with water retention. Moreover the surface was covered with a dense deposit of broken Egyptian-style store jars, up to 50-60 in number, the type identical to those found previously in the store-rooms of the Residency in area AA (see Tubb 1988, Fig. 19:14). Taking these findings together, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that the room with the sloping floor served as some type of water cooling reservoir perhaps for wine storage.

Elsewhere in area EE, the heavily burned floor surfaces of the various rooms produced a repertoire of pottery types similar to, yet somewhat more extensive than the stratum XII material from area AA recovered in 1987 (Figs. 13- 14). Certainly, the previously suggested date of 1150 B.C. for the destruction of stratum XII can, on the basis of the material recovered from the Western Palace this season, be fully substantiated.

Tubb and Dorrell (1991) - 5th season of excavations

Excavations on the Upper Tell

from Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72)

Before proceeding to discuss the linking together of areas AA and EE on the Upper Tell, and in order that the significance of this operation may be appreciated, it will be necessary to review briefly the stratigraphic situation in both areas.

In 1985-87, Area AA had consisted of a relatively small area situated in the south-eastern corner of Pritchard's large exposure of the 1960s (see Tubb 1988, 28). Here, excavations revealed poorly preserved and fragmentary remains of stratum VI, a phase which in fact Pritchard had partially exposed before his work was terminated in 1967. Below were found the better preserved and architecturally coherent remains of stratum VII, a city level of the ninth-eighth century B.C. which had been extensively revealed by the Pennsylvania expedition in the area lying just to the north of Area AA (see Pritchard 1985,fig. 177and Tubb 1988,fig. 4).

Stratum VIII, a non-architectural phase of industrial usage, was characterized by fine ashy deposits, extremely dense in places, emanating from areas of intense heat generation which had been created by the rough modification of the abandoned architectural elements of stratum IX. In places, for example, stratum IX walls had been re-used to form the backs of scooped out, level platforms, which had then served as the sites for some industrial process, the nature of which is still unknown. Whatever the process might have been, it produced a large volume of ashy waste, and this was seen to have covered the abandoned remains of stratum IX, lying thickly where it had slumped into the various rooms and chambers, but appearing as little more than a thin greyish-black band where it had risen over more elevated ground.

Below stratum VIII, and above the large public building of stratum XII excavated at the end of the 1987 season, three architectural phases were isolated, the uppermost, stratum IX, as mentioned above, having been abandoned. Although stratum IX had suffered considerable damage through weathering and erosion, two phase (IXA and IXB) of a quite large building were found, together with part of its associated, wellconstructed, stone-paved courtyard (Tubb 1988, 34- 35).

Stratum X was also characterized by a well-built stone courtyard, but in this case it was associated with unusual, partially sunken, stone-lined structures which were interpreted as pens for livestock. The courtyard was found to belong to a massive, stone-constructed building, only one small corner of which was revealed within the excavation area, the remainder lying to the north and west (Tubb 1988, 35-37).

A similar but less massive building clearly occupied the same position in stratum XIA, but here, to the south-east, and separated from it by a north-south street, was found a small bi-partite building which, on the basis of various internal installations and finds, could be interpreted as a temple (see Tubb 1988, 37-39).

Stratum XIA was found to have been built on a dense layer of silting which in turn covered the deep deposit of intensely burnt destruction debris overlying the architecture of stratum XII. Excavation of stratum XII in 1987 uncovered the remains of a large public building which, to judge from its Egyptian-style plan and construction method, must be seen as yet another example of a so-called 'Egyptian Governor's Residency'. The building had clearly been abandoned following its destruction, and, to. judge from the depth of silt overlying the collapsed debris, some considerable period of time must have elapsed before the construction of stratum XIA, perhaps as much as one hundred years.

Within two of the rooms of the residency, evidence was found for a phase of squatter or camp-site occupation immediately following the destruction. The collapsed debris appeared to have been levelled, and rough surfaces had been made within the confines of the still standing walls. Represented only by hearths and grinding stones, this phase is referred to as stratum XIB (see Tubb 1988, 39-40).

In 1989, Area AA was greatly expanded to the west, and a large extent of the stratum VII city was cleared (see Fig. 3: Houses 73-79). The expansion also demonstrated that stratum VI, defined and excavated by Pritchard in the area to the north of AA 100-500, did not extend to the western side of the tell, but terminated along an approximately north-south line in AA 800/1100 (see Tubb 1990, 21-26 for details of the 1989 season).

Preliminary Stratigraphy of Area AA

Tubb and Dorrell (1991)

Excavations in Area EE in 1986-89 had produced a rather different, or more accurately, a greatly compressed sequence. For here, stratum VI was found to be absent, and no evidence at all was found for strata VIII, IX, X or XI. Indeed stratum VII was found to overlie stratum XII directly, and it was clear in places that a levelling operation had been conducted prior to the construction of stratum VII, a process which had truncated the wall tops of the western public building complex to almost uniform heights. This levelling process would, of course, have removed all traces of strata VIII, IX, X and XI, especially if, as seems likely, these phases had been built on the internal downslope created by the destruction of the massive stratum -XII city wall and 'palace' complex. In other words, it is. impossible from the evidence in Area EE to establish whether strata VIII, IX, X and XI had been cut out by the levelling operation for stratum VII, or whether these phases had simply never existed on this western side of the site.

To a large extent, excavations in 1990have answered this important question. In AA 900, and in its westward extension 950 (below the level of the stratum III cutting-see below), excavations first revealed remains of stratum V (Fig. 4). Two small, rectangular, partially sunken structures were found, built of poor quality mud-brick (see Fig. 5: 23-B/C-l). The eastern room, which had a finely paved stone floor, measured only 1·52 m. (north-south) by 1·20m. (east-west). A small stone door socket found close to the external south -east corner suggests a door opening outwards, and one which most probably occupied the whole width of the room. The western room was somewhat larger, with internal dimensions of 1·76 m. (north-south) by 1·30 m. (eastwest). The floor in this case was of beaten earth, and no evidence was found for the doorway. The eastern room contained the partially articulated skeleton of a young equid, and the western room contained the more fragmentary skeletal remains of a similar, but adult animal. It would seem reasonable to suggest an interpretation for these two small rooms as stalls, the unfortunate animals presumably having been abandoned and killed during the destruction of stratum V.

In theory, the eastern of the two 'stalls' ought to have been excavated and recorded by Pritchard, since it lies well within the area cleared by him down to stratum V (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 179-square 23-C-l). The reason for its omission from his plan lies in the fact that stratum V, at this particular point, appears to have been founded at a lower level than elsewhere. Pritchard had simply not excavated deeply enough. As will be seen below with regard to stratum VII, the depression /of stratum V at this point was due to the subsidence of the underlying stratigraphy, resulting ultimately from the unusual configuration of stratum XII. In any event, it is now possible to. add the two stalls to the south of Pritchard's House 25, where they would presumably have bordered the east~west street in 23-(B)C/G-l, 32- (B)C/G-I0 (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 179).

Below stratum V excavations revealed further remains of stratum VII (see also Fig. 4). ...

Excavations on the Lower Tell

Area BB 700

from Tubb and Dorrell (1991:79-84)

The excavation of Area BB 700 was started in 1989 primarily to determine how far the lower tell cemetery, which is still being excavated in BB 100-600, extended to the south and to examine the nature and density of burials in this area. It has become clear that the number of burials was lessthan in the more central area, 30 m. to the north: only five graves were found in 1989 and another two this year (graves 386 and 394, see Appendix for details).

The upper 50-100 cm. of the area was composed of mixed, silty material, probably wash from higher up the slope to the north, and possibly disturbed by ploughing. Within the lower part of this stratum were numbers of mud-bricks, fallen on their sides and still lying en echelon, as though from a collapsed wall. There were also patches of cobbles, but it was not possible to establish any connection between these and the collapsed walls, nor to date either. Presumably they post-date the main occupation phases of the tell.

Below this level were series of bricky and ashy strata following, approximately, the slope of the present tell surface. These ran over the eroded tops of several walls which proved, on further excavation, to be of Phase L2, identified elsewhere as the final construction phase of the Early Bronze Age on the site. These walls were standing to heights of up to 1·5 m., and the spaces between them were filled with destruction debris, undisturbed save for a few grave cuts. This stratum of undisturbed material is far deeper than the equivalent level on the summit of the lower tell, where close, and in many cases overlapping, grave cuts of the Late Bronze/Ear ly Iron Age have so churned up the earlier deposits that only a few pinnacles of L2 material in situ could be found above foundation level. It also seems likely that the erosional regimes of the two areas were rather different. There is strong evidence that the L2 settlement was extensively destroyed by an intense fire. Following this event the site was abandoned save for local squatter occupation. Erosion of loose material and ash apparently occurred over the whole lower tell down to the underlying strata of packed, hard-burnt debris and fire-baked standing walls. Thereafter erosion went on more slowly and selectively-the more so perhaps as the tell became covered in vegetation- and decayed mud-brick was eroded from the summit of the tell and deposited down-slope, giving protective cover to these lower areas.

Although there is, as yet, no direct stratigraphic connection between the destruction levels in BB 700 and those in Area DD (first excavated in 1985) and in parts of BB 100-600, their relative heights, types of brick, architecture, and the intensity of their destruction all suggest that they were contemporary. Both in BB 700 and in Area DD there is evidence of a short phase of later occupation, without significant building activity. In BB 700 this phase-L1-is represented by a fire-pit dug slightly into the destruction levels of L2 and backed against the upper part of a surviving wall of that phase. The fire-pit is in the centre of a rough semi-circular enclosure, some 2 m. in diameter, formed partly by a line of heavy stones and partly by a vertical surface cut into the rubble. Where the top of the wall was missing it was repaired with a couple of un-burnt bricks. The impression is of a roughly-built wind-break or the footings for a temporary shelter. Several pits were dug into the rubble beyond the semi-circle. It seems likely that this was a phase of squatter-occupation, possibly by survivors of the destruction. There was no pottery that could be unequivocably assigned to the phase.

Beneath this phase lay 1-1.5 m. of debris, with many heavily-burnt bricks, large fragments of reed-impressed roofing clay and mortar, and charcoal. There were also discontinuous patches of carbonized cereals, perhaps from grain that had been spread out to dry on a flat roof. The area of most intense heat seems to have been to the north-east of the square, and walls and debris were more heavily burnt-some appeared almost vitrified--on this side of the square than they were on the other.

A plan of the underlying structure is shown in Figs. 13-14. A well-built wall, (Wall D) runs almost east-west across the square, turning northward near the west baulk at a little less than a right-angle (Wall C). Within this latter section is a doorway with a door socket indicating that the door opened inward, and with a low step down to the west. The north jamb of this doorway continues westward as a low wall c.40 cm. high (Wall F). In the angle thus formed there may have been a bin, accessible through a hatch-way in the northern part of Wall C, but its form will be determinable only when the north baulk is removed. Wall D seems to continue into the east baulk, but the area has been disturbed by Ll pits. Another, narrow wall (Wall B) runs north-south dividing the space north of Wall D into two rooms, neither of which are wholly within the square. Wall B stops short of meeting Wall D, giving a doorway between the two rooms with two shallow steps down from east to west. A platform c. 10 cm. high occupies the south-west corner of the western room. All these walls, including the returns of doorways and the top of Wall F, were smoothly plastered and are now burnt to a rock like hardness. Brick sizes average 42 x 22 x 7 cm., Walls D and C being header-built and as thick as the length of a brick, and Wall B stretcher-built, as thick as one width. It seems likely that Wall B was a partition rather than a load-bearing wall. Both rooms were floored with fine plaster, curved up the walls and carried smoothly down the steps and over the platforms. Beyond the doorway in Wall C the surface is compacted plaster and pebbles and this area was probably exterior to the building.

In the southern part of the square a narrow, roughly built wall (Wall E) runs from the south-west to join Wall D at an acute angle. It appears to have been built later than Wall D, being cut into it and the angle buttressed with stones. Behind Wall E, in the south -east corner of the square, there may have been a large bin, but the area was so disturbed by Ll pits that certainty must await excavation to the east.

The south-west corner of the square contains a somewhat puzzling structure: two mud-brick platforms, one slightly curved, with a narrow channel, c. 10 cm. wide, between them. The platforms are of similar height, c. 20 cm., and both are unplastered. The surface bounded by the walls and the platforms is of patchy and decayed plaster and slopes down from east to west at a gradient of c. 1 in 8,5. Within the angle formed by Walls D and E is a stone basin, set in the floor, at the bottom of a shallow funnel of pebbles and mortar (Fig. 15). The basin is some 12 cm. in diameter, cut into a larger block, and c. 10 cm. deep, almost hemispherical, and highly polished. It is not easy to determine, nor even to imagine, the function of this area. The unprotected surfaces of the platforms suggest that it was covered by some sort of shelter, and the slope and channel suggest drainage. The only function that comes to mind is slaughtering or butchery, with the basin serving to catch the blood, but there is no real evidence.

An assemblage of pottery was found in situ on the floors of the two rooms (Figs. 16-17). Many of the larger vessels had been crushed by the destruction and the plot of their positions in Fig. 13 may not represent their true sizes and proportions. They include typical Early Bronze II red-slipped and burnished platters, 'ribbon-painted' store jars, simple bowls, large open-mouth vessels with both ledge and lug handles, and a series of jugs and juglets based on the Abydos type. Many of the jugs and juglets might have fallen from pegs or shelves, and the three large platters, in the middle of the floor, might well have slipped or fallen from some other position. The store-jars and the open-mouth vessels, however, were certainly still in situ, and several of them were still on pot-stands of stone or mud-brick. A selection of the pottery vessels is shown on Fig. 18.

Overall the impression is of two store-rooms with ready access to stores-a larder in fact. The number of vessels, and their arrangement, also suggests very strongly that they served a building or complex of more than domestic size, and somewhere near at hand there should be a cooking-area of equal scale. The layout indicates that access to both rooms was usually from the north, and the main part of the complex might well lie in that direction. Obviously.however, more of the buildings also lies to the east, and it is intended to extend the excavation in both directions. Further excavation northward will move towards the higher density area of the cemetery, and presumably towards· the thinner protective wash deposits of the lower tell summit. It can only be hoped that there will remain sufficient undisturbed strata of this exceptionally rich phase.

Tubb and Dorrell (1993) - 6th season of excavations

Excavations of the Upper Tell

Introduction

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:51-52)

Excavations on the Upper Tell in 1992 were continued in three main areas (see Figs. 1 and 2): in AA 1300, an area initiated in 1990, lying to the south of the main area of AA, the investigation of which had, in that season, revealed the substantial foundations of a building most probably dating to the Hellenistic period (see Tubb and Dorrell 1991, 75-76); in AA 900, the most westerly extension of Area AA in which remains of stratum VII overlying stratum XII had been excavated in the previous season; and in Area EE, where the removal of the overlying strata V and VII in 1990 had provided a greater area for the continued investigation of stratum XII.

Taking these areas in turn, the objectives in 1992 were: in AA 1300, to more fully examine the Hellenistic building, and to extend the excavations in depth in order to provide a further stratigraphic correlation with the sequence previously established by Pritchard; in AA 900, to reveal the remains of stratum XII; and in EE, to investigate further the stratum XII public building or palace complex, the excavation of which began in 1986.

AA /300 (Area32-E/G-6/7)¹

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:52-56)

Further investigation of the surface remains in this area has enabled a coherent plan to be developed (Fig. 3) which incorporates the stone foundations recovered in AA 700 in the 1989 season (see Tubb 1990, 20-22), together with the surface features previously recorded and published by Pritchard in Area 32 (see Pritchard 1985, Fig. 189). The resultant plan, although by no means complete, provides evidence not for a series of service rooms relating to the Hellenistic 'fortress' excavated by Pritchard, as previously suggested (Tubb and Chapman 1990, 116), but rather for an independent building which, in many respects, reflects the general character of that previously excavated building. It is possible indeed that the building in AA 1300 is a second, similar public building which is presumably later, since neither traces of mud-brick superstructure nor any intact floor surfaces were found. Furthermore, removal of the stone foundations at the western end of the area revealed the remains of an earlier phase of architecture on a slightly different line and orientation which can almost certainly be related to Pritchard's Hellenistic building of stratum II. Only a small exposure of this earlier phase has so far been made, but enough to demonstrate that its walls are preserved with their mud-brick superstructure, and more significantly, that associated floor surfaces also exist. As a clarification and correction to the 1990 season report, it is indeed now possible to relate the kitchen surface then excavated not to the upper phase of stone foundations, but rather to the earlier architectural phase. Further stretches of related surface were isolated this season, and in all cases they were associated with patches of black ashes and burnt mud-brick debris. It is for this reason that it is suggested that this earlier phase of architecture corresponds to Pritchard's fortress to the east, a building which also showed clear evidence of having been destroyed (see Pritchard 1985, 69-75). On the basis of these results, therefore, it is proposed to subdivide stratum II into two sub-phases; IIA for the building represented in Fig. 3 (foundations only), and lIB for the underlying building in AA 1300 and Pritchard's 'fortress' or public building. The material published in Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 10 should therefore be assigned to stratum lIB.

At a depth of only 25 cm. below the well-defined floors of stratum lIB was found a somewhat ephemeral surface, or more correctly package of surfaces, belonging to stratum IV (see Fig. 4 for West Section drawing). This appeared as a tightly layered series of trampled surfaces, the uppermost bearing a thick (2 cm.) deposit of dense black ashy material. As in previous exposures of stratum IV (see Pritchard 1985, 34-42; Tubb 1990, 22-23; Tubb and Dorrell 1991,74) this rather enigmatic phase was found to be devoid of architectural elements but contained instead a number of well-dug but unlined storage pits (Fig. 5). Analysis of deposits of an extremely fine white material found at the bases of two such pits indicate that they had been used to contain the chaffy residues of threshing, most probably intended for animal fodder.

The stratum IV pits had been cut into the destruction debris and architecture of the underlying stratum V. Destroyed by fire towards the end of the eighth century B.C., stratum V illustrates an intelligently planned and well-constructed Iron Age settlement, well documented by the large expanse now revealed by both the Pennsylvania and British Museum expeditions (see especially Pritchard 1985, Fig. 179 and Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 5). The limited sounding in AA 1300 produced but one wall, running east-west, together with an associated stone-paved courtyard to the north (the wall undoubtedly forms a part of the south-central housing block as represented by Pritchard's rooms 14 and 16). Not unusually for stratum V, the wall was built without stone foundations.

Below the stratum V wall, and running on almost the same line, was found an earlier wall constructed of rather poor quality yellowish mud-bricks. Associated with this wall was a thinly plastered floor surface to the north which bore a heavy deposit of largely unburnt mud-brick debris. These remains can be attributed to stratum VI, a phase which was well defined by Pritchard in the area to the north of AA 1300, but which has hardly been encountered by the current expedition in any of the more westerly exposures. Indeed evidence was found in 1989 to indicate that stratum VI was a somewhat restricted settlement confined to an inner zone of the tell's surface. The westward termination point of stratum VI can clearly be seen in the south section of Area AA 1000/ 1100, the drawing of which was completed this season (Fig. 6: see Fig. 2 for location, and also see Tubb 199°,24 for an extramural burial of stratum VI). Perhaps the most interesting finding in AA 1300 in 1992 was made below stratum VI. For in the underlying stratum VII, again a well documented city phase of the ninth-eighth century B.C. (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 177; Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 3), were found the remains of a housing block as represented by Pritchard's rooms 14 and 16). Not unusually for stratum V, the wall was built without stone foundations.

Below the stratum V wall, and running on almost the same line, was found an earlier wall constructed of rather poor quality yellowish mud-bricks. Associated with this wall was a thinly plastered floor surface to the north which bore a heavy deposit of largely unburnt mud-brick debris. These remains can be attributed to stratum VI, a phase which was well defined by Pritchard in the area to the north of AA 1300, but which has hardly been encountered by the current expedition in any of the more westerly exposures. Indeed evidence was found in 1989 to indicate that stratum VI was a somewhat restricted settlement confined to an inner zone of the tell's surface. The westward termination point of stratum VI can clearly be seen in the south section of Area AA 1000/ 1100, the drawing of which was completed this season (Fig. 6: see Fig. 2 for location, and also see Tubb 199°,24 for an extramural burial of stratum VI).

Perhaps the most interesting finding in AA 1300 in 1992 was made below stratum VI. For in the underlying stratum VII, again a well documented city phase of the ninth-eighth century B.C. (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 177; Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 3), were found the remains of a bathroom complete with toilet, basin and drainage system (see Figs. 7 and 8). The bathroom, which is situated in the south-west corner of House 72 (see stratum VII plan in Tubb and Dorrell 199 I, fig. 3), was approached by three stone-built steps, presumably constructed in order to gain sufficient height for the water outflow. Against the south wall was a plastered bench, and extending northwards from this, against the west wall, was a wide plaster-lined channel connected to the base of the basin. The toilet was set on a mud-brick pedestal and had a plastered seat. An outflow hole led from the base of the toilet to a narrow plastered channel which took the effiuent to a small conduit in the east wall and into a brick covered soak-away in the courtyard below. On the floor to the north of the toilet was found a finely worked basalt tripod-stand (Fig. 9). The east-west wall on the south side of the bathroom is the exterior wall of House 72, and to the south of this was found a small expanse of an east-west street with a further housing unit beginning to the south. As noted previously, the exterior walls bordering the street had been provided with raised stone footings to protect the foundation courses.

AA 900 (Area 32-B/ D-IO) Area 23-B/ D-I/2)

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56-59)

Excavations in AA 900 in 1990 had revealed a substantial depression of the stratigraphy in this area, resulting most probably from earthquake faulting with related subsidence. As a consequence of this general lowering it had been possible to identify and reveal architectural features relating to stratum V which had literally been overlooked by the Pennsylvania expedition (see Tubb and Dorrell 1991, 72 and fig. 5 for additions to the stratum V plan). Operations had concluded in 1990 with the excavation and removal of the underlying remains of stratum VII, which included a probable temple (Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 3). This building (House 80) was found to overlie directly dense and intensely burnt destruction debris which, from the previously undertaken excavations in area EE (see below), was known to be associated with stratum XII, the important twelfth century B.C. Egyptian phase of occupation represented by the Residency building in area AA, the Western Palace complex and city wall in area EE, the water system staircase on the north slope, and the Lower Tell cemetery. Operations in 1992, therefore, were aimed at revealing further architectural remains of this period.

The excavation of this area proved to be extremely complicated. Not only had it suffered considerably from the effects of faulting (there were no less than five intersecting cracks, the largest of which had been responsible for a stratigraphic downshift of nearly 50 em.), but the levelling operation in preparation for the construction of stratum VII had removed much of the architecture to foundation level. Had this occurred in any other stratum the problem would not have been so severe, since the foundation courses would have been preserved. However, a peculiarity of the architecture of stratum XII is that it does not use stone foundations, but relies instead on a dense matrix of pi see to support the embedded wall foundations. Nevertheless, it was eventually possible to isolate and establish the extraordinary plan shown in Figs. 10-11. It essentially consists of two passageways or channels, each stepping in a series of terraces or internal steps down towards the south-west, contained to the south-east by two walls of extremely poor quality mud-brick and to the north-west by a heavier construction composed entirely of pisee. It was presumably the use of this building material that necessitated the massive stone revetment against its western face (Fig. 12). The southernmost wall appears to terminate against a terrace edge or step, at which point the more southerly passage develops into an open space. The more northerly passage continues, however, beyond the point at which it was at some stage blocked by large boulders. At the western end of the area a small doorway gives entry to the northern passage from the west. Dense mud-brick destruction debris was encountered on the south-east side of the area, and the southern and central walls were extensively fire-damaged. The passageways themselves showed little evidence of burning. Both were thickly plastered (up to 8 cm. thick in places), and in both cases there were dense deposits of water-laid silt covering the surfaces. These points alone would indicate some water-related function for the unusual construction, but more suggestive and interesting still is the orientation of the excavated features. For, as can clearly be seen on Fig. 10, to the south-west the passageways, or perhaps more correctly channels, are in direct alignment with the pool and bath complex of the Western Palace in area EE. More remarkable yet is that if the line of the channels is projected to the north-east it coincides exactly with the top of the water system staircase on the north slope (see Pritchard 1985, 57-59 and Tubb 1988, 46, 84-87 for details of the staircase and the water system). It seems possible, therefore, that the unusual structures revealed in AA 900 represent a type of aqueduct conveying water from the spring-fed water system on the north side of the city to the bath and pool complex of the Western Palace. The gradient and stepping of the passages suggest that if water had been emptied at the top of the water system staircase it would have flowed to the Western Palace quite easily. However, since the passages contained large quantities of sherds of Egyptian-style jars (identical to those found in the pool of the Western Palace), the passages might equally have been used to transport the water manually.

Area EE (Area 32-A/B-7/IO, Area 33-H/K-7/10)

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:59-61)

There were three main objectives in Area EE in 1992, all directed towards the Western Palace Complex, a large building of stratum XII situated directly behind the city wall of this phase. The first objective was to try to establish the position and the character of the outside face of the stratum XII city wall. The interior face had been isolated as long ago as 1986, and indeed appears on the previously published plans (Tubb 1988, fig. 2 I; 1990, fig. 8). The outside face, however, had managed to resist all attempts at definition despite numerous scraping operations on the western slope. In 1992, therefore, a more drastic course of action was decided upon and a series of horizontal wedges was cut into the western side of the tell.

The second objective, related to the first, was to investigate by means of a series of trial trenches and probes a number of problems which had remained unresolved since 1989 (when the last plan of Area EE was drawn) in an attempt to clarify the somewhat confusing layout of the complex.

The final objective was to examine further the unusual pool which had been investigated in 1989 and which appeared at that time to lack any form of architectural containment.

The results of all three investigations can clearly be seen on the revised plan of EE, shown together with AA 900 in Fig. 10. The outside face of the stratum XII city wall was established, as was also the manner in which the wall had been founded. A near vertical-sided trench had been cut down into the slope of the mound, and in the bottom of this were placed large flat stones. Above these had been poured a thick layer (about 35 to 40 cm.) of pisee, and it was into this bedding matri-x that the lowest courses of brickwork had been set. As had been stated in 1987 (Tubb 1988,41 and 44-45) but subsequently denied (Tubb 1990,26-27) the city wall of stratum XII is indeed a casemate system with small compartments filled entirely with mud-brick rubble. These casemates had been missed in 1989, leading to the impression that the city wall was of solid construction. The external wall of the casemate system is I. 10m. wide, and the width of both the casemate compartments and the internal wall is 1.20 m., giving a total effective width of the stratum XII city wall of 3.50 m. A buttress was also found this season flanking the stone-paved passageway in ]/K-8 (note that the dotted buttress in H-7/8 is hypothetical) .

Other revisions to the previously published plan based on this season's work are mostly concerned with the internal subdivision of some of the rooms and the provision and position of doorways.

Much of the season's work in EE was devoted to the interesting pool or reservoir which had been first excavated in 1989 and which had been found to contain a considerable number of broken Egyptian-style jars. At the end of the 1989 season it was thought that a thick-plastered surface had been reached in the area of the pool and that no further structural definition could be given to the feature. Excavations in 1992 demonstrated that what had been taken as a plaster floor in 1989 was in fact the top ofa thick, dense and heavily varved deposit of water-laid silt, the removal of which revealed the complete structure of the pool seen in Figs. 10 and 13. The pool edge is constructed of thickly plastered mud-brick. The inlet would appear to be on the north side where a circular cutting provided a type of riser. As previously noted (Tubb 1990,28) the base or floor of the pool slopes down steeply to the south and the east, a feature which explains why no containment for the water was necessary on the north-west side. To the south, an exit channel connects with an east-west drain which, to judge from the large quantities of charred timber found in its vicinity, might well have been covered with wooden slabs or planks (Fig. 14). To the west the drain disappears under a mud-brick paving, and its subsequent course has not yet been traced, but since a relationship between the pool and two lower-lying bathrooms in ]/K-7/8 must surely be recognized, some form of conduit through the north-south wall which separates the paved area from the upper bathroom would be expected.

Excavations of the Lower Tell

Area BB 700 (Area35-F/H-I/3)²

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:61-67)

During the 1989 and 1990 seasons excavation was begun in square BB 700, south of the main BB area, Fig. I (Tubb 1990, 36-37; Tubb and Dorrell 199 I, 79-84). Excavation disclosed part of a building, dated by its pottery to Early Bronze II, with well-laid and plastered mud-brick walls. The building had been destroyed by an intense fire, which had so hardened the bricks and plaster that walls were found still standing to a height of 1.5 m. and more. Three phases within EB II had been identified elsewhere on the lower tell and designated strata L 1, L2, and L3. By reason of stratigraphy, vertical position and brick-types, this building could be placed in stratum L2. The later phase, L1, was represented by some pits, fireplaces, and poorly constructed additions to the wall-tops of L2, and appeared to be fairly minor squatter occupation following destruction of the earlier stratum, perhaps used by survivors camping in the ruins. L3, the phase underlying L2, was not reached in BB 700. A considerable deposit of fine pottery was found in situ on the floors of Rooms a and b, suggesting that these were store-rooms of a building of larger than domestic size.

In 1992 the intention was to expand the excavation to the north and east in order to disclose more of the building and, if possible, to obtain a ground-plan of the entire structure (see Fig. 15 for a general view of the excavation at the close of the season). Three more squares, BB 800,900, and 1000, were started, separated by reduction baulks. As can be seen from the plan (Fig. 16), the general layout of the building, or buildings, was established, although in BB 1000, the north-western square, only the tops of the walls were reached.

During the course of excavation it became apparent that LI, hitherto regarded as an ephemeral settlement of limited extent, was in fact of greater permanence and more solidly built than had been thought (Fig. 17). The LI structures appear to be largely opportunistic, in many cases using existing L2 walls. These were built up in some cases, using mud-bricks of similar size but of different colour and texture from those ofL2; in others walls were apparently levelled, or rooms sub-divided and doorways blocked. The LI floors were often no more than trampled surfaces within and upon the collapse debris of the previous phase. It was therefore often difficult to distinguish between details of the two phases, particularly since the upper levels of the site were so often disturbed by later graves. It may well be that the tentative ground-plans discussed below will have to be revised when further excavation has established the layout and extent of the L2 structures with certainty, and it will then be possible to plot the LI modification more certainly (see together Figs. 16 and 17 for the following discussion).

In the original square, BB 700, the north baulk was cut back by 1 m. in order to examine an east-west wall (Wall G) which, following two winters' erosion, could be seen running just within the baulk. At its western end the back wall of a plaster-lined bin or silo, traces of which had been found in 1990, was established. This back wall curved in at the top, at a height of c. 1 m., suggesting that it had originally had a vaulted roof. Quantities of carbonized grain were found in and around the bin. Immediately to the east of this a low platform stood against the east-west wall with a large inverted store-jar upon it. It seems unlikely that it could have fallen so neatly as to stand exactly upon its mouth; it might perhaps have been placed in this position to dry or to drain, or even to serve as a table. Eastward again was what appears to be a doorway with a sill in front of it, presumably giving access to rooms further to the north.

The room in the north-east corner of square BB 700, which had been partly excavated in 1990, produced more in situ pottery when the square was extended eastward. As well as a number of storage jars, two very small juglets of Abydos shape were found, together with a double jar similar to that found in Area DD in 1986 (Fig. 18: cf. Tubb 1988, fig. 35).

In the south-eastern square, BB 800, three major walls emerged: one running approximately east-west across the north of the square (Wall H), one north-south on the square's eastern side (WallJ), and the third also north-south on the west (Wall N). A shorter wall, east to west (Wall T) at first appeared to complete the boundaries of the room (Room d), but this proved to be only three to four bricks deep and founded within the burnt rubble of the destruction level. It must therefore have been part of the LIre-use of the area.

The east-west wall, H, was substantially built, although its upper courses were cut into and partly re-built in the LI period. The destruction debris continued down for nearly a metre, and the L2 surface connected with this, like the other main walls in the square, was not reached in 1992. In the middle of Wall H is a narrow doorway, blocked in L1, and to the south of it, within Room d, a flight of steps - five so far -leading down into the room (Fig. 19). Such lower parts of the walls of this room as have so far been excavated are lined with clay. This, and the steps, suggest that the area may have been a cistern.

The wall to the east, Wall], still standing to a height of two metres even before its floor is reached, is partly overhung at the top, suggesting that this room too, or part of it, was vaulted. The southern end of the room is still unclear, as it was cut through by a large, late pit. It is hoped that the lowest courses of Walls] and N can still be found by excavation in a future season.

To the north of Wall H the layout and detail of the L2 structures are still uncertain, since they are overlain by L1 walls and surfaces, some of which appear to rest on L2 foundations. Walls] and N seem to continue northward, although the continuation of Wall] (Wall P and T) is on a slightly different alignment, nor is it bonded into the cross-wall H, while the junction between Walls G, N and S was cut down during L1. A well-built east-west cross wall (Wall W) appears to form the northern boundary of the room demarcated by these walls, but certainty must await further excavation. Attached to the northern face of Wall H, and immediately east of the doorway, ran a bench or platform some 40 cm. thick and 70 cm. or more high (Wall H itself at this point is about 90 cm. thick) - Fig. 20. In the angle between this platform and Wall P a niche had been cut into the mud-brick, holding a shallow platter (Fig. 2 I). Since this niche is no more than 30 cm. above the lowest level of debris excavated during the season, it seems that there is still a considerable depth of fill to be excavated before the L2 floor surface is reached.

Superimposed upon these walls was a quite extensive series of L1 structures. In the southern part, BB 800, Wall H had two or three courses of bricks added to the height of its eastern end and the doorway through the wall was blocked. The western end was cut down, as was the north-south Wall N, and covered by a clay and pebble surface, sloping to the south at an angle of 10°. This surface was contained at its southern end by a short east-west wall (T) built against Wall N. There were a number of small installations upon this surface: a short wall and bench, two bricks high, at its eastern side, and an L-shaped double line of stones - very carefully aligned and bedded - at the west. This might perhaps have been intended as the foundation of another wall, forming a sort of baffied entrance with walls N and T, but there were no signs of bricks upon this foundation.

To the north, in BB 900, the room (apparently of L2 date) formed by the walls H, S, W and T, was subdivided by another north-south wall (V) and another east-west (U). The smaller of the two rooms thus formed (Room f) was apparently used as a cooking area. The floor has a considerable build-up of sherds and fragments of basalt querns in a dark ashy matrix. At the northern end of the room a doorway had been contrived by cutting down Wall Wand building a short, thin wall partly across the gap. Although there is no evidence of violent destruction of the building, as there had been in L2, there is some indication that the room had been destroyed rather than abandoned: against the wall at the south end a large platter had been shattered in situ (Fig. 22), and a little further to the north two large jugs had been similarly destroyed in situ. In the other division of the original room (Room e) was a mortar set in the floor near Wall V, and more pottery was broken in situ against the northern wall (Wall W). The centre of the room, however, had been effectively swept clear by the later construction of the built tomb (G404). In the southern part of the room a fire-pit, c. 1.5 m. in diameter spanned the gap between Wall S and the end of Wall U (Fig. 23). This pit was obviously an important and carefully devised installation. Its perimeter was formed of flat, upright stones backed by mud-bricks. Its siting however seems inconvenient: there would have been little or no access space around it and the room would have been divided by it. It is possible that one or other wall was never much more than its present height (c. 50 cm.) and was therefore a kerb rather than a wall. Alternatively, the cross-wall (U) was the end wall of the building and supported a roof which covered half the pit, so that both indoor and outdoor cooking were possible (if indeed its purpose was for cooking). The pit was filled, and over-filled, with fine grey/white ash to a total depth of c. 75 cm.; the fill, in the end, completely burying the perimeter stones. Immediately to the south of the pit a pavement of heavy stones was laid down some 50 cm. above the level of the original pit, apparently to give a secure footing in its later stages of use.

Little can yet be said about the structures in the north-west part of the area (BB 1000). The upper levels were very much disturbed by later graves, some of which (G41 7, 419, and 420) were backed by very heavy boulders. There were the remains of pebble and stone surfaces which, judging by their height, might have been connected with the LI structures in BB goo, but all have been so cut by graves that no direct stratigraphic connection remains. Below these surfaces and the graves, the tops of two walls had emerged by the end of the season. Both are on alignments similar to those of the L2 structures, but their connection must await further examination.

Overall, excavations in 1990 have confirmed that buildings of the L2 phase were well-planned and carefully constructed and that the complex, the whole extent of which may still be larger than the excavated area, is greater than would be expected in houses of the period. Excavation also indicates that the L1 occupation began when many of the L2 structures were still visible, although L1 building was by no means confined to the layout of the earlier period.

Footnotes

1 For the overall site grid, see Pritchard 1985, fig. 176.

2 In 1989, when this area was initiated, it was represented by a single 5 metre square, BB 700. In this most recent season, three further squares were added, BB 800, 900 and 1000. For the sake of convenience however, the term 'BB 700' has been retained as an overall area designation for the purposes of general discussion. Specific locations within the excavation area are therefore indicated in terms of square 700, 800, 900 or 1000.

Tubb and Dorrell (1994) - 7th season of excavations

Excavations on the Upper Tell

Introduction

from Tubb and Dorrell (1994:52-57)

Operations on the Upper Tell were directed towards the so-called 'acropolis' area (Area 31), where in 1964-66 the remains of an impressive public building of the Persian period had been exposed in 31-D/J-4/9 (see Pritchard 1985,60-68 and fig. 185). Although this building was attributed by Pritchard to Stratum III, there was in fact no direct stratigraphic continuity with Stratum IV excavated in the more westerly Area 32. In consequence, the sequence as published tends to suggest a gap in the occupational history of the site from the end of the seventh century B.C. (Stratum IV) to the Persian period (Stratum III) which may not in reality have existed, given the localization of the later phases on the acropolis area only.

The implications of the discontinuity were fully appreciated by the Pennsylvania expedition, and in 1965 an attempt was made to clarify the situation by linking together Areas 31 and 32. The excavation was unfortunately not completed and, although reference is made to the operation in the final report, the full results were not published (Pritchard 1985, 81). In addition, a sounding was made beneath the courtyard of the Stratum III building (squares 31-E/F-6/7) in order to establish the nature of the underlying sequence. Again, however, this sounding was left unfinished, and the only recorded discovery was of a room containing jars of grain, found at a depth of about I m. below the Persian surface (Pritchard 1985,81).

In 1993 excavations on the Upper Tell were designed to repeat the later operation in an attempt to understand the nature and function of the acropolis area prior to the construction of the Stratum III Persian Residency building. Two squares were selected for investigation, 3I-G-7 and, adjacent to the east, 3I-H-7, both well sealed by the intact and well-preserved stone pavings of the Persian building (Fig. 2).

The initial cleaning of the area revealed just how beautifully the pavings had survived, with virtually no stones having been displaced since their uncovering in the Ig60s (Fig. 3). Removal of the courtyard stones and the foundations of the north-south wall (in 3I-H-7) revealed, at a depth of only 15-20 cm. beneath, the remains of a poorly preserved surface, bearing traces of heavily weathered plaster and associated with numerous pits and ashy patches (Fig. 4). To the east the surface was found to run up to a substantial but severely disrupted wall, go cm. wide, orientated north-south, and consisting in its lower part of four courses of large stones (Fig. 5). The uppermost course must be considered as part of the superstructure, since it was against this that the floor surface extended, but it is clear that above this course, the wall had been constructed of mud-brick: the whole of the square to the east was filled with mud-bricks which had obviously been pushed over, off the footings, and levelled in preparation for the laying of the Stratum III courtyard. The impression gained is that this north-south wall defines the eastern limit of a courtyard (future excavation will have to determine whether it represents the western wall of the east wing of a large complex). Certainly the associated surface, which occupied the western half of 3I-H-7 and the whole of 3I-G-7, had all the appearances of a large and probably open courtyard. A number of hearths were found, and also a number of pits, the most interesting of which contained layered deposits composed of cattle bones at the top, fish bones in the middle and bird bones at the bottom (Fig. 6).

Below the courtyard of what is here defined as Stratum IIIBI a second, rather similar surface was found, also in direct association with the same north-south wall. The two surfaces were separated by what appeared to be a levelling fill, 20 cm. deep at the approach to the wall, but as much as 50 cm. deep at the west end of3I-G-7. This second surface (IIIC) was similar in nature to the first, with pits, hearths and ashy depressions, but was better preserved, and had embedded in it, against the north-south wall, a stretch offlat stone paving extending westwards for about a metre. A corresponding surface was found to the east of the wall, and this bore upon it an unusual oval-shaped oven, constructed of clay (Fig. 7). A preliminary examination of the pottery from IIIB and IIIC suggests a date for both phases within the latter part of the sixth century B.C.

At a depth of about one metre below the Persian period (IlIA) courtyard, a third courtyard level (IIID) was reached. The surface in this case was composed of small cobbles, pebbles and sherds, carefully laid, and set into a clay/plaster matrix. No associated architecture was found within the limits of the excavated area, and a one-metre trench extended southwards along the eastern side of square 3 I-G-6 failed to produce any evidence for a limiting wall on the south side either. Two large tannurs were found set into the surface, but in other respects little can be said of this phase, except that, in terms of absolute depth, it could correspond to the phase revealed by Pritchard to the west, in which he found the room containing grain jars (see above). Again, the pottery would indicate a dating within the sixth century for Stratum IIID.

A more restricted sounding was conducted below the pebble courtyard in the south-east corner of 3 I-G-7. Almost directly beneath the surface a massive wall was found running east-west. Composed ofa boulder core with a mud-brick facing, the wall, only part of which was exposed along the south side of 3 I-G-7, must have been in excess of 1.5 m. in width. Three main phases of usage, represented by discrete and separate surface packages, were identified as being in direct association with this wall. The uppermost (IIIE), which was only 15 cm. lower than the preserved top of the wall, was thickly covered with pale green marl plaster which had been carried up against the wall face. It showed signs of having been severely weathered, and contained virtually no material. Part of a well-constructed mud-brick installation belonging to this phase (IIIE) was found in the lowest excavation level in the adjacent 3I-H-7 (Fig. 8). A second, less coherent, surface was found (IIIF) at a depth of approximately 1.80 m. below the IlIA level, and yet a third (IIIG) at about 2.40 m. The lowest surface was found to be associated with a dense layer of burnt mud-brick debris and ashes, and would appear to represent a destruction level. The small quantity of pottery recovered from the IIIG surface would tend to place this phase in the late eighth century B.C., and it is tempting to relate it to Stratum V in area 32, which also shows similar evidence for destruction (see Pritchard 1985, 15-38). Such a correlation is. however, premature, and can only await further detailed investigation.

Area 24-F-2

from Tubb and Dorrell (1994:58-59)

A single 4-metre square was opened, 20 metres north of the Persian residency in 24-F-2. The objective here was to establish whether there were any domestic remains of the Hellenistic or Persian periods on the more elevated eastern side of the tell, but away from the acropolis (no such remains have been found on the western side, where the uppermost surviving phase is Stratum IV).

The results were inconclusive. Directly below topsoil was found a layer of heavily eroded and weathered mud-brick debris and stone tumble, but no coherent structures could be discerned, and no intact surfaces could be recorded. Some Hellenistic sherds were found within this layer, but these could quite easily have been washed down from the acropolis.

Below the layer of weathered mud-brick debris, a large pit was encountered, nearly 2 m. in diameter and approximately 1.40 m. in depth. The pit was identical in every respect to those excavated in Area 32 belonging to Stratum IV. It contained at its base the distinctive chaffy deposit which may represent the residue of threshing used as animal feed.

The implications of the results in 24-F-2 are significant, for it is clear that the succession of phases (IIIB-IIIG) isolated on the acropolis did not exist away from the acropolis. The Persian residency may represent the last of a series of similar buildings, covering the late seventh and sixth centuries whose function might have been strategic in either the military or the administrative sense. On neither the western side nor now the northern side of the Upper Tell has any evidence been found for domestic settlement following the destruction of Stratum V towards the end of the eighth century B.C. and it would appear, therefore, that this destruction brought about a major change in function of Tell es-SaCidiyeh; from a habitation centre linked to industry and commerce to what was little more than a strategic outpost serving the needs of the prevailing political powers.

Excavations on the Lower Tell

BB 700

from Tubb and Dorrell (1994:59-65)

In area BB 700 (squares 700-1000) work continued on the excavation of the extensive Early Bronze II complex (Fig. 9). During the 1993 season it was hoped to record fully and to remove the latest of the Early Bronze occupation levels, L1, and to reveal at least the greater part of the underlying level, L2.

It had become clear during the 1991 season that this latest level was more extensive and more solidly built than had been previously thought. Following the disastrous and apparently widespread fire which had destroyed L2, occupation was re-established at first only as a few fireplaces, pits, and patched walls. Later however, perhaps after only a few years, a more solid and considered re-building was undertaken (Fig. 10). The southern half of the area - BB 700 and 800 - was apparently levelled and in part pebble-paved, but probably remained as an open space. In the north-east corner however - BB 900 - the burnt debris o fL2 was levelled, built up where necessary, and compacted. As was described in the report on the 1992 season (Tubb and Dorrell 1993), new walls were built partly upon the stubs of the old, and between the end of one of these, Wall U, and tangentially to another, Wall S, a circular pit was sunk from the surface. This was carefully, even elaborately constructed, with a base of flat stones and a surround of steeply inclined flat stones about 0.40 m. deep, backed by mud-bricks (Fig. 11). In the later phase of the Ll occupation the pit was certainly used to hold fires, and over a long period. It was completely filled, and overflowing, with fine grey ash. When its excavation was complete, however, it became clear that fire was not its original purpose. The floor-stones and the surround were set in hard-packed clay, and at this level there was no sign of blackening or burning. Its original purpose seems more likely to have been for the containment of some liquid. At its junction with the east-west wall there was a carefully-built ledge or seat of stone slabs, so positioned that a person sitting in it would have had their feet in the basin. During the course of the occupation of this room its floor-level rose by about 0.5 m., and at this level another north-south wall (Wall V) or partition was built, dividing the room into two smaller compartments.

The eastern compartment thus formed had served for the cooking or preparation of food and contained many broken cooking pots, grinding stones and ash. During this final use of the building (provisionally designated L1b) ash from the pit - the surround-stones of which were by now well below floor level - reached a depth of about 0.7 m. and flowed over the low wall to the west and against the stub of a pre-existing L2 wall farther to the west. West of this wall the L I phase was probably present only as a pebble pavement, although the area was so cut about by later graves that no direct stratigraphical link could be established.

The general impression of L1 is that it was established within a few years of the L2 destruction, following the same general layout where it existed or was visible, and that, as with L2, the occupation was more than purely domestic. Certainly the stone-lined pit, in both its uses, was 'larger than would be expected in a single dwelling. The architecture of the period, however, remains as puzzling as ever. As was mentioned in the last report, the circle of the pit was tangential to one wall - even if that wall was not of full height - and its opposite side was hard against another, radially placed wall. The positioning, moreover, was by no means careless or random: where the circle brushed the wall on the one side a packing of bricks had been inserted to back the stones of the surround hard against the wall; while on the other, the space between the circle and the wall radial to it had been carefully and exactly filled by the stone platform or bench. There cannot therefore have been easy or immediate access from the southern part of the room to the northern. As an additional puzzle, two walls of the room - the eastern and the southern - show every sign of having stood to full height (at present they stand to about 1.5 m.), while the northern and western seem never to have been more than stubs (the western because ash ran over it, and the northern because two doorways appear to have run over rather than through it). The roof, if roof there was, could have been supported on posts, but there is no sign of post-holes or supporting columns.

The character of the underlying L2 occupation had been established when the south-west corner of the Area - BB 700 - was first excavated in 1989 (Fig. 12). The excavation was extended to the east in the following year, revealing a sunken room entered by steps down from the north. During the present season the excavation of the room was completed, the walls standing to a height of some 2.5 m. (Fig. 13). Five steps down gave access to a platform about 0.4 m. high which occupied the north-east corner of the room. The room was about 3 m. wide and more than 4 m. long: its southern limit lay beyond the south baulk and was not reached. On the floor of the room were the crushed remains of twelve or thirteen very large narrow-necked storage jars, suggesting that the room was used for the cool storage of liquid, perhaps oil or wine (Fig. 14). On the surface on which the jars rested were found several groups of bivalve shells. These have not yet been examined or classified, but they are of a type familiar from previous single finds and as components of necklaces in later graves. Each had been pierced at the umbo, by chipping rather than by abrasion, presumably to allow for stringing. Hitherto such shells had been thought of simply as ornaments, as not very valuable components of necklaces or bracelets, but the number found here (192 all told) and their position, with jars in a storeroom, suggest that they may have served as some sort of tallies or counters, or even, conceivably, as units of currency.

The base of the L2 level was not reached in the north-east square, BB goo, and a considerable fill of burnt debris remains to be excavated before its limits can be established.

As with the L1 levels, the L2 floors in the north-west area, BB 1000, were partly disrupted by later grave-cutting, but it was established that the L2 wall running parallel with the north baulk in BB 900 (Wall W) continued westward and that a short and rather poorly-built wall connected this with the second major east-west wall running along the north side of BB 700-800. No convincing western wall has yet been found to complete the room thus formed, but there are extensive patches of floor, and a door-socket at the appropriate height to show the elevation of the room. There did appear, however, to be some difference in height between the L2 levels west and east, and excavation of the area in BB 1000 to the north of the northernmost east-west wall- an area no more than 1 m. wide - revealed a shallow brick staircase running up from west to east, bounded on its northern side by a narrow stone-based mud-brick wall (Fig. 15). The stairs appear to turn northward at the top, although clarification of this must await further excavation.

Excavation of the L2 levels confirmed the impression of earlier seasons: walls and rooms were carefully designed and constructed, and of larger- than-domestic scale. Nowhere was there very much build-up of occupation debris, although there was a considerable depth of destruction debris in places, implying either that the period of occupation was short, or that rooms were kept clean down to their original surfaces. Where there were groups of broken pottery, resulting from the fire and collapse that marked the end of L2, nearly all were resting directly on the floors of the rooms, without any intervening build-up of occupation debris.

In the course of the excavation of L2, especially in the area of BB 1000, it became clear that most of the walls of the period were founded on the stumps of earlier walls, and that the walls of this earlier period - L3 - had followed the same general plan and orientation. In most places the stratigraphic relationships were clear and unambiguous; in the few places where they were not, interpretation was greatly helped by the quite different characteristics of the brick-work of the three periods.

Only in one area of BB 1000 was a room (or possibly a courtyard) of L3 completely exposed (Fig. 16). It was fairly small, about 2 m. in width, and its length was excavated from some 2.7 m. It had niches cut into the walls some 0.30 m. above floor level, a peculiarity of the period also encountered in a narrow sondage taken down to L3 level between BB 800 and 900. This sondage ran along the north side of Wall H, and thus revealed a section across the doorway into Room d, and showed evidence of the careful planning attendant on the rebuilding between L3 and L2. In L3 the room to the north of the wall had a fine pink-white plaster floor, curving up to the wall and to the sides of the doorway into Room d, the floor-levels north and south of the doorway being then about the same height. During the L2 rebuilding the levels to the north of the wall were raised by about 75 cm. and the doorway blocked up to ths level wth mudbricks and stones. But the floor-level of Room d was not similarly raised; rather it was deliberately left as a sunken - and therefore presumably cooler- storeroom, now entered down a short flight of steps.

All the signs suggest that the L2 rebuild of the L3 structure was planned and deliberate: surfaces were raised and levelled-up by about 0.5 m. before the walls were rebuilt and slight remaining differences in floor height between rooms were compensated for by steps at the sills. A small sounding below the L3 surface in BB 1000 revealed some 0.4 m. of silt and then a level of burnt destruction debris with a wall running on quite a different orientation to those above. Clearly there is at least one earlier phase still to be excavated.

Towards the end of the season a start was made on excavating another square, BB 1100, to the north of the existing four in this area. As was expected, its upper levels contained a number of burials, but the tops of walls of the EB werejust beginning to emerge when work ceased.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996) - 8th season of excavations

Excavations on the Lower Tell

Introduction

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:17-18)

With a greater number of exposures available for examination on the Lower Tell, more information has been forthcoming regarding the topography of the underlying bedrock, which in turn has led to a clearer understanding of the disposition of the Early Bronze Age architecture, and also of the contemporary horizons from which the graves of both the Late Bronze Age and the Persian period cemeteries had been cut. It is now apparent that the bedrock of the Lower Tell is not on a uniform, horizontal level, but rather is in the form of a northward facing horseshoe, rising on a gradient to the north. The arms of the horseshoe, therefore, represent elevations of the bedrock to the east and west, with a depression to the south and centre of the mound. The recognition of this situation has helped to rationalize, in particular, the changes in absolute level of the Early Bronze Age architecture in Area BB 700, and also the extensions of these changes to the west (Area DD) and north (Areas BB (100-600) and JJ). With regard to the cemetery, in locations where high ground existed (on the northern, western and eastern parts of the Lower Tell), Early Bronze Age architectural remains, through the processes of weathering and erosion, would still have been, for the most part, visible even until the Persian Period, and use could readily have been made of appropriate wall angles to provide partial enclosure for the graves. This indeed appears to have been the preference as substantiated by the results of Pritchard's excavations on the north side (1980) and subsequent researches in Areas DD and BB 1200.

Area BB 700

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:18-20)

In 1995 Area BB 700 (this taken as a general name to include Areas 700-1000) was extended to the north and east in order to establish the extent and layout of what in previous seasons had already appeared to be a large complex with separated areas perhaps devoted to industrial activities. In the eastern section, BB 1200, occupation surfaces were found related to all three of the main phases of Early Bronze II architecture: L1 L2, and L3. These lay against, or in the case of the uppermost phase L1, over the top of a main north-south wall still standing to a height of some 2.5 m., which had been twice rebuilt during its lifetime. The position of the latest Early Bronze surfaces show that in this. phase their walls stood some 2 m. above the present surface of the tell. A sounding in the southern part of this area revealed occupation levels below the earliest main phase yet excavated. The main east-west walls of the central area were found to continue eastward, indicating that the eastern limit of the complex is yet to be reached.

The northern extension, BB 1200, disclosed in the L2 phase a series of rooms opening from the top of a staircase leading up from the central area. The staircase was built partly over an earlier and shallower flight of steps, and the differences in elevation, both north to south and east to west, suggest strongly that in this period the site was terraced up a pre-existing slope. The stratigraphy is complex at this point, and further complicated by a vertical displacement of the strata by some 25 cm., caused either by settling or by earth movement, but there do appear to be two separate burnt levels within the same main building phase (Fig. 2). The room at the head of the stairs was heavily burnt and contained a number of smashed but reconstructable vessels, of a range of sizes and types (Fig. 3). In an area even farther to the north, BBI300, a similar burnt level, and a similar deposit of pottery was found at a higher elevation again.

The excavations confirmed the observation made in previous seasons, that Phase L2 was built over, and used many of the same wall-lines as, the previous phase L3. The earlier phase seems to have been rather more substantially built, and to a somewhat less complicated plan. As yet no evidence has emerged to explain the decision to rebuild most, if not all, of the complex, beyond the simple possibility that continuing occupation may have left the floor surfaces of L3 below the general exterior ground level. There is no evidence that L3 was destroyed by fire, and most of the re-used L3 walls appear to have been in good condition with no signs of earthquake movements. A sounding made below the L3 levels in the central area revealed two earlier phases of occupation. It is not yet known whether the architecture of these phases was of a layout similar to the later complex, or whether it lay on quite different lines.

Area DD

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:20-21)

As the operations in Area BB 700 have developed and expanded during the past three seasons, and it has become clearer that the architecture represents, not a series of individual domestic housing units, but rather a unified construction, most probably related to industrial or commercial usage, it seemed appropriate to re-evaluate the results of the excavations undertaken in 1985 to 1987 in Area DD on the south-west side of the Lower Tell. In this area two superimposed occupation phases (Strata L2 and L3) had been defined, but the architecture, severely damaged by erosion, was poorly characterized (see Tubb 1988, 48-58). In 1995, Area DD was re-opened with a series of trenches (DD 700-900). extending eastwards with the intention of establishing a connection, or a discontinuity, with the architecture of BB 700 (Fig. 4).

The most significant finding in this area was a single, unbroken wall-line providing an unequivocal link between the original DD and BB 700 (Fig. 5). The wall, which was seen to follow the topography of the Lower Tell, manifested itself as either foundations, foundations with mud-brick superstructure, or mud-brick superstructure alone, depending on the level of the bedrock and consequent erosion or silting. In DD 900, at least one major terracing operation had been required in order to accommodate the substantial drop in level to the low point of the mound in BB 700. Changes in level were facilitated through the use of built staircases, three examples of which were found. In DD 700 part of a pebble-paved surface, most probably representing a courtyard, was found in association with the southern face of the main east-west wall, and cut into this surface was a well constructed stone-lined and capped drain (Figs. 6-7). Against the wall, and partially sunk into the surface, was a small mud-brick and plaster-lined bath. This feature was provided with its own conduit, which was seen to feed into the main drain. Along the length of the main east-west linking wall, a number of returns were identified, and through a series of limited probes it has been possible to realize a more extensive plan which fully integrates the architecture excavated in Area DD in 1985-87 with that of the more recently excavated BB 700 (see Fig. 8). It is now clear that the published Stratum L2 plan for Area DD (Tubb 1988, fig. 27) does not represent a single building as previously stated (ibid., 49), but may well be seen instead as the western entrance to the commercial complex of which the architecture of Areas DD, BB 700, and also BB 100-600, all forms a part.

Area JJ

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:23-24)

The highest point of the Lower Tell is on the north side where the bedrock rises to a bluff overlooking the wadi bed of the Kufrinjeh. It was on this side in the 1960s that the University of Pennsylvania expedition excavated a series of graves dating to the thirteenth and twelfth centuries B.C. (see Pritchard Ig80 for details). These graves had, as recorded by Pritchard, made use of standing architectural remains, which were recognized at the time as belonging to the Early Bronze Age. The degree of weathering on this side of the tell has been considerable, and the remains planned by the American team (Pritchard 1g80, fig. 2) represent foundational courses only, all traces of the related floor surfaces having been lost through erosion.

At the beginning of the season there appeared to be, however, at least two rows of stones visible on the surface, below the summit on the north slope. It therefore seemed a worthwhile exercise to examine the situation on this part of the Lower Tell once again. Three small soundings were extended across the northern summit, beyond the northernmost limit of the Pennsylvania excavation area, in an attempt to establish the connections between the stones eroding from the slope and the architectural horizon recorded by the Americans (Fig. 14). The results of the soundings revealed the extremely weathered and disrupted remains of what appeared to be a city wall (Fig. 15). Founded on, and built into, the slope of the mound, the wall comprised three elements; an outer wall, a passageway, and an inner wall. The outer wall, in order to cope with the rising elevation of the slope, was built as two units with terraced foundations, and it was these two foundation courses which were visible on the surface prior to excavation. The outer wall was approximately 1.50 m. thick, and the inner wall about 75 cm. Between the two walls the passageway, which was roughly pebble-paved, was about a metre wide, therefore creating a defensive system of total width 3.25 m. The wall itself, and the area behind the wall, were severely disturbed by pits and fire places, and little remained of contemporary surfaces associable with the inner face of the inner wall. In one of the soundings, the remains of a well-laid mud-brick paving were revealed, extending from the back of the inner wall southwards for a distance of some 2.50 m., but in the other two soundings, erosion had been so severe that the natural qattarah was exposed only 2 cm. below the surface. It has not been possible, therefore, to define the internal stratigraphic relationships of the city wall, nor indeed to relate the wall to the established sequence of the areas on the central, south, and south-western side of the mound. It is clear, however, from the sounding which produced the paving that the city wall and its associated surfaces must pre-date the latest phase of occupation, since there was a system of walls, visible in the south section, which must in their northward extension have overlaid the paving. Furthermore, it is apparent that this later wall-system is of the same phase as those recorded by Pritchard in the area further to the south (see above). Given the known sequence (L1, L2, L3) in Area BB 700, and given that there was some evidence to indicate that the mud-brick paving had been burnt on its surface, it would be tempting to suggest that the city wall belongs to the destruction horizon, Stratum L2, but substantiation for this idea must await further investigation.

Excavations on the Upper Tell

Area AA

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:24-30)

This Area had been extensively excavated from 1985 to 1989, and was instrumental in defining the primary stratigraphic sequence for the Upper Tell. The lovvermost phase reached by the end of the 1989 season was Stratum XII, recognized as a phase of Egyptian occupation corresponding with the Late Bronze Age cemetery on the Lower Tell. Associated with an intense destruction horizon, datable to the mid-twelfth century B.C., Stratum XII has subsequently been investigated in numerous exposures where its architecture has consistently revealed purely Egyptian construction techniques. In 1987 the south-east corner of Area AA produced the impressive remains of an Egyptian Governor's Residency (Tubb Ig88, 40-4 I and fig. 15).

Initially this season's work was concerned with the clarification and resolution of residual problems relating to the construction of this important building. On the eastern side of the building an elaborately constructed series of stone terraces was found, descending northwards to a wide and previously unobserved entranceway (Fig. 16), and a similar northern entranceway was revealed at the base of the previously excavated stepped passageway which flanks the western side of the building. In the latter case, the entrance was found to have been blocked with a carefully laid mud-brick wall which had been set in position prior to the destruction (Fig. 17). The function of both of these large entranceways is unknown, but it may be significant that they are oriented towards the head of the water-system staircase on the north side of the tell.

Operations to establish and define the underlying stratigraphic sequence were confined to a restricted sounding within the residency building itself (Fig. 18). Examination of the Stratum XII walls revealed, as anticipated, the characteristically Egyptian method of construction, with deeply trenched mudbrick foundations extending to well over a metre and a half in depth, with no use of stone. The disruption to the phases preceding Stratum XII was therefore clearly considerable, but by executing the soundings within the confines of well defined architectural units it was possible to establish a coherent sub-XII stratigraphic sequence. Remains of Stratum XIII consisted of an east-west wall running along the north side of the sounding with an associated cobbled surface on the eastern side extending southwards. To the west, and separated from the cobbled surface by a poorly defined wall, was found a plastered floor bearing a large number of loom weights. During the excavation of Stratum XIII an interesting feature appeared on the north-east side of the sounding, which can be related to the small temple of Stratum XIA uncovered in the 1986 season (see Tubb 1988, 37-39 and fig. 13). Taking the form of a small constructed tunnel cutting into the northern and eastern walls of the Stratum XII Residency and partially into the east-west wall of Stratum XIII, this feature was most probably an undergroundfavissa serving the temple. Access to the favissa was by way of a northward descending passageway which followed the exterior of the temple's eastern wall. This approach was terminated at the entrance of the favissa by a large flat limestone slab (Fig. 19). Removal of the slab revealed the interior deposit consisting of a dense clay-like fill containing a large number of animal bones including those of deer, and pottery which was both weathered and heavily stained. The rnaterial from the favissa is fully consistent with the tenth-century date of Stratum XIA as previously adduced.

With regard to Stratum XIII itself, although relatively little material was recovered, a dating in the second quarter of the twelfth century would seem to be indicated. The sequence below Stratum XIII was only examined in a limited exposure. Two underlying phases were isolated, the upper of which (Stratum XIV) was relatively poor, both architecturally and in terms of the associated finds. Generally the walls were on the same alignment as those of Stratum XIII but were far less well constructed. Beneath, Stratum XV showed evidence for having been destroyed. Part of a wall was revealed with an associated cobble-paved surface upon which were found to be resting several complete pottery vessels, including a collared-rim store-jar (Fig. 20). These two phases, Strata XIV and XV, should be dated to the end of the thirteenth and the very beginning of the twelfth centuries B.C.

Area KK

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:30-31)

In 1995 a new area was initiated on the steep south slope of the Upper Tell (Fig. 2 I). The intention here was to create a step-trench to both correlate and check the stratigraphic sequence on the western side of the tell (Area EE) and also to provide an insight into the phases underlying Stratum XII. In the first respect the results fully substantiated the stratigraphic situation found in Area EE (see Tubb 1988, 4 I-46, for details of this area), namely that Stratum VII appears directly below Stratum V and directly overlies Stratum XII, confirming the view that many of the intervening phases (Strata VI, VIII, IX, X, and XI) were of limited extent and failed to reach the outer edges of the tell's surface. Little of architectural value could be determined for either Stratum V or Stratum VII within the somewhat limited excavation area. An interesting terracotta figurine representing a woman playing a tambourine was found belonging to Stratum V (Fig. 22). Otherwise the finds for these two phases were unremarkable.

For Stratum XII, with a larger area available for excavation, a more extensive architectural plan could be developed. The main feature was a north-south pebble-paved alleyway separating two mud-brick building units (Figs. 23-24). At the southern end of the alley two steps gave access to a street running from east to west. This street might well have been situated behind the city wall, all remains of which have eroded away down the south slope of the tell. Little can be said of the western building unit, as this lies almost entirely beyond the limit of excavation. The eastern unit, however, revealed part of a room with a well executed stone-paved surface (Fig. 25). The whole of the interior was filled to a depth of nearly a metre and a half with dense destruction debris consisting of burnt mud-brick, ashes and charred timber. The alley, being an exterior surface, was relatively free of this debris, but showed a characteristic feature of Stratum XII, a heavy stone blocking set across its point of entry, prior to the destruction, preventing access from the street.

With regard to the phases underlying Stratun1 XII, due to the depth of this phase and its internal complexities little was determined this season. The southern wall of the Stratum XII building described above was built against the northern wall of an earlier structure, the architectural extension of which appears to continue to the south. This building, about which very little is yet known, contained within a corner formed by its northern wall and a north-south return on the western side an inset storage jar. It clearly belongs to a phase preceding Stratum XII, but it cannot presently be related in any way to Stratum XIII as defined in Area AA: it can only be defined as 'pre-XII'.

Area MM

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:31-33)

One of the aspects of the topography of Tell es-Saeidiyeh that has often been noted is the apparent depression on the north-east slope of the Upper Tell. In order to investigate this feature a new area (111M) was opened in 1995. As anticipated the results of the excavations here demonstrated the existence of a main entrance to the city, and in fact two phases of usage were revealed (Fig. 26). The lower phase, belonging to Stratum XII, took the form of an indirect access approach. The pebble-paved road, patches of which could be observed at various points on the north-east slope of the tell surface, ascended the mound from the north-east, and entered a 4 m. wide vaulted mud-brick passageway through the casemate city wall. Beyond the rear face of the city wall, the road was seen to turn through go degrees southwards. This turn was effected by means of a gate chamber, the structure of which has not yet been fully defined. Both the gate chamber and the vaulted passageway were filled with the characteristic burnt destruction debris associated with Stratum XII, as seen consistently throughout the Upper Tell excavations.

Although undoubtedly an impressive structure, the Stratum XII gateway was found to be only partially preserved owing to the extensive modifications to the access approach undertaken in the eighth century B.C. During the period of Stratum V, a new gate complex was built which, whilst continuing to use the pre-existing Stratum XII approach road, required an alteration to the direction of access, converting it from indirect to direct. Over the site of the Stratum XII gate chamber a massive rectangular tower was constructed (Fig. 27), the foundations of which removed not only much of the earlier superstructure, but also the continuation of the Stratum XII road-way on the south side. Between this tower and its presumed counterpart on the south side the Stratum V road was laid, about 5 m. wide, pebble-paved and deeply bedded, indeed to such an extent that all traces of the Stratum XII casemate city wall had been removed at this point. In absolute terms then, the Stratum V access road lay approximately 5 m. to the south of the Stratum XII approach road and was more deeply founded. A massive terrace filling of large stones was therefore placed in front of the northern gate tower, which had the effect of bending the Stratum V road around a broad curve to meet the earlier Stratum XII approach road (Fig. 28). The floor of the excavated northern gate tower was only partially preserved since the northern half lay close to the tell's surface and had been lost through erosion. Where extant this floor was pebble-paved and was overlaid with a deposit of burnt mud-brick debris and ashes indicative of a destruction. It is the presence of this burnt material, together with the ceramic evidence, which has enabled an attribution of the upper gateway to Stratum V. As established on the western side of the tell, Stratum V is the only eighth-century horizon showing evidence of destruction.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997) - 9th season of excavations

Excavations on the Lower Tell

Introduction

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:55-58)

Excavations were conducted in three main areas on the Lower Tell in 1996: in Areas BB 700 and DD, both continued from previous seasons, and in Area NN, newly initiated this year. The archaeological record in these areas consists of three main components: the Early Bronze Age II commercial building (or buildings) in Areas BB 700 and DD (see Field I Plan - Fig. 3), the subsequent burials (Late Bronze-Iron I, Persian period and later) in the same two areas, and in Area NN a city wall belonging to the Early Bronze I period.

At the end of the 1995 season excavations had established that the architectural remains in Area BB 700 belonged to the same phase and were on the same line of orientation as those previously uncovered in Area DD, and indeed, since no external walls had at this point been defined for the architecture of either area, there appeared to be some possibility that the buildings, despite substantial changes in level, might be continuous and form part of the same integral complex. Consequently, the initial strategy for this season's excavations was to expand the plan of the building so that its dimensions, orientation, and overall purpose could better be understood. It was, however, fully recognized that before this could be achieved it would first be necessary to demonstrate with more solidity the stratigraphic and physical continuity of the two areas. Therefore the whole length of the linkage trench between BB 700 and DD, which in 1995 had only been explored in a series of limited soundings, was fully excavated, exposing all walls and associated surfaces down to the stratum L2 level (as established in BB 700). This was predicted to be a relatively straightforward operation, but in fact its execution was considerably hampered by the presence of large number of later period burials. These burials, often deliberately set along the edges of walls and in corners between walls, had caused gross disturbance to the Early Bronze Age architecture, removing in many cases much of the stratigraphic information crucial to any complete understanding of the situation, particularly in circumstances where changes in absolute level (by means of terraces or steps) were suspected. In this respect, whilst in previous seasons the effects of seismic activity had been observed in individual details within the EB II architecture, it was only this year that the wider implications of these geological disturbances in relation to their impact on the archaeological record were recognized more fully. For although at certain points terraces and staircases had undoubtedly been used to create changes in level within the same phase of architecture, it is now clear that their usage has often been exaggerated or misunderstood due to the effects of faults or slips, sometimes as great as 50 cm. The disruption caused by such faults to floor surfaces is clearly very great, producing completely artificial ledges or even steps which must now be taken into account in any interpretation of the architecture (Fig. 5).

Area BB 700

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60)

The main objectives for Area BB 700 in 1996 were two-fold; firstly to clarify the complicated stratigraphic situation in the north-western part of the area (BB 1000 - see Fig. 4 for locations of specific general loci within Area BB 700), where in 1993 an unusual mud-brick staircase had been found (see Tubb and Dorrell 1994, figs. 12 and 15), and secondly, to expand the area to the north, in an attempt to demonstrate architectural continuity (or discontinuity) of the Stratum L2 industrial complex with the poorly preserved and fragmentary remains of the same phase, previously excavated in BB 100-600 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, fig. 8).

With regard to the first of these objectives, continued excavation in BB 1000 revealed an even more complicated situation than had been anticipated. As defined in 1993, this part of the industrial complex comprised a small, roughly square, sunken room, with a crushing basin set into the floor, and to the east a second, slightly larger room disposed at a somewhat higher level. These two rooms were bounded to the north by an east-west running wall which formed the southern containment for a mud-brick staircase, ascending to the east before turning northwards, which appeared to continue the architecture of the complex further north at a higher level (see Tubb and Dorrell 1994, fig. 12). The small sunken room showed two discrete floor surfaces and on the basis of the results from elsewhere in BB 700 these were assumed to correspond to Strata L2 (upper) and L3 (lower) (ibid., 64). Further research in 1995 revealed two layers of destruction associated with the staircase, a finding which led to the suggestion that this part of the complex had been subjected to two, possibly quite localized, destructions, both within Stratum L2 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 19 and fig. 2).

Resolution of the problems relating to this area was found this season with the removal of the staircase and the associated rooms to the south. Beneath the staircase was found an earlier, similar structure, and below the surfaces of the sunken room and its more elevated eastern neighbor was found a single large room with a well-constructed entrance on the western side and a quarter-circular fire pit in the south-eastern corner (Fig. 6). A low stone bench (not a wall foundation as it may appear from the photograph) running north-south across the room provided some form of division, but its purpose is unknown beyond the observation that it bore at its northern end a large stone basin. The floor surface was of fine white plaster and, where excavations penetrated beneath it, grey ashy banded deposits were found, typical of Stratum L3. In other words the large single room with its fire pit and western entrance clearly belongs to Stratum L2 and represents the initial construction in this part of the complex. Associated with this phase is the first staircase. At a later stage, still within the duration of Stratum L2, the room was modified to create the previously excavated plan (Tubb and Dorrell 1994, fig. 12), with its sunken room to the west and more elevated room to the east. It was this phase that was destroyed by fire, bringing Stratum L2 to an end. It is interesting to note that the stone basin, situated on top of the bench of the earlier phase, was incorporated into the floor of the sunken room, where it was provided with a surrounding circle of small pebbles for use as a crushing installation (compare Fig. 6 with Tubb and Dorrell 1994, fig. 16).

Further examination of the stratigraphy relating to the second (destroyed) L2 phase made it quite clear also that there had not been, in fact, two separate destructions in this area. Instead the evidence should be interpreted as two horizons of the same destruction, the construction in BB 1000 having consisted of two storeys. In other words, the two layers of destruction apparent in the section of the second phase staircase (Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, fig. 2) and the two apparent surfaces found within the second phase sunken room do not imply two chronologically isolated destructions, but instead have resulted from the second storey roof, wall and floor collapse falling on top of the debris of the first.

The second main undertaking in Area BB 700 was an expansion to the north, continuing the examination of the suite of rooms leading off at right angles from the landing at the top of the BB 1000 staircase begun in 1995 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 19 and fig. 8). Stratigraphically these rooms, although at a higher absolute level, are continuous with Stratum L2 elsewhere in BB 700 and show similar evidence for destruction by fire. In 1995 the first room to be encountered (in BB 1100) contained, beneath the substantial depth of destruction debris, fine deposits of badly crushed but complete pottery vessels (ibid., 19). More vessels, for the most part store jars and cooking pots, were found this season as the excavation reached the apparent floor surface (Fig. 7). Again, however, it was seen that the destruction debris continued below the surface on which the pots rested, and persisted for another 50 cm. before reaching a second surface. It seems clear, therefore, that the same situation prevails here as in BB 1000 to the south of the staircase; namely that the part of the building found in BB 1100 was of two-storey construction. This being the case, the upper destruction debris can be interpreted as the roof and wall collapse of the upper storey and the surface with pottery as the fallen first floor - both deposits having slumped into the lower storey with its own layer of burnt debris resting on its floor. The lower floor contained a carefully-made stone-lined pit, some 50 cm. deep. Its original purpose was probably to hold liquids, although it was subsequently used as a fire-pit (Fig. 8).

With the completion of excavation of BB 1100 down to the L2 surface, the baulk between this square and BB 1400 to the north was removed. This operation revealed a heavily-burned wall, running east-west across the area (Fig. 9). North of this wall, which showed extensive evidence for severe disruption by faulting, a further room was excavated, its walls standing to a height of some 1.5 m. Once again it was clear that this room had existed on two levels, not only from the two horizons of deconstruction debris, but also from the interesting series of internal buttresses

Area DD

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:61-65)

During the 1996 season, one of the most significant operations in Area DD was conducted at its easternmost end, in the area directly adjacent to the south-western side of Area BB 700 (see Fig. 4 for location of specific loci within Area DD). Here in 1995 a small sounding had shown the presence of a well-preserved wall which appeared to continue the Stratum L2 architecture of BB 700 westwards (see Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - Wall F). Initially this sounding was expanded and, after establishing the validity of the connection, a larger area was opened to the south and west. By combining the results of these operations, below a number of somewhat ephemeral features belonging to the later Stratum L1 occupation (patches of pebble surface, irregularly constructed mud-brick kerb walls and hearths - Fig. 10), a suite of three well built rooms of Stratum L2 was defined and excavated (Fig. 1 1). The smallest of the rooms (about 1.5 m. wide by 5 m. long), the extreme eastern end of which had been previously excavated within Area BB 700 (Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - contained by walls M, C and F), contained a remarkable deposit of ceramic vessels which included store-jars, large red-slipped and burnished platters, small bowls, various Abydos-type vessels, and an unusual jug with an internal strainer (Figs. 12- 13). The position of the vessels within the room was also of interest. The small bowls, for example, were found stacked one on top of each other, and possibly inside a store-jar (Fig. 14). Other artefacts from this room included a collection of fine flint blades, over 2000 beads of faience, stone and carnelian, and a copper alloy axe-head. The environmental deposits from the room were also of an exceptional quality, with large quantities of charred grain and chaff as well as charred olives, grapes, figs, capers and a whole charred pomegranate. Many of the pottery vessels contained what are almost certainly food residues on their surfaces. From the nature of the deposits, artefactual and environmental, it would seem that this room served as a type of 'scullery', the pottery vessels with their adhering food remains having been returned from the dining room, ready to be washed up, when the fire broke out which was to consume the complex and bring Stratum L2 to a close. The position of the dining room is not known, but it could well have been one of the larger, adjacent (and adjoining) rooms described below. It is interesting to observe, however, that the table 'setting' was apparently for eleven - 11 bowls were found in the stack, there were 11 Abydos mugs, 11 flint blades, and 11 long, narrow bone points (possibly tooth picks?).

The other two rooms in this area, which were also completely excavated down to their floor surfaces, were not as rich in terms of artefacts as the smallest room, but contained very well preserved timber and charcoal remains. The larger of the two rooms, to the west, was roughly square, measuring 4 x 4 m., and had an entrance on the south side. Another blocked entrance was found at the north end of the room's western wall, and this was seen to be in line with yet another blocked entrance on the eastern wall where the mud-brick of the closure forms the western wall of the scullery (see plan - Fig. 3). Two large flat stones were found set into the floor, and these probably served as roof supports. The smaller room to the east (approximately 4 x 2.5 m.) was of very similar character, and also had a well-constructed entrance on the south side. The walls of all of the rooms generally showed evidence of burning and for the most part were still plaster-faced. The state of preservation of the walls varied considerably: some had clearly been subjected to faulting, the lines of slippage clearly visible in the brickwork. In some cases, however, especially in areas where the burning had been intense, the walls were still standing to heights in excess of 2 m. (Fig. 15).

Taken together, it is clear that the three rooms in this group, as excavated, represent a second phase of usage. From the evidence of the blocked doorways it may be assumed that the original plan consisted of two rooms only, both roughly square and of equal size. At a later stage, the scullery was created by partitioning off the northern end of the eastern room. The communicating doorway on the north between the two original rooms was by necessity blocked, as was also the north-western entrance of the western room, and a new doorway for this room was provided on the south side.

Elsewhere in Area DD excavations were concentrated on the north side of the so-called 'linkage trench' which had been extended between Areas BB 700 and DD in 1995 in order to examine the possibility of an architectural continuity between the two areas. With regard to the question as to whether or not the Stratum L2 commercial/industrial complex revealed in Area BB 700 extends to the western side of the Lower Tell, and indeed incorporates the architectural remains previously excavated in this region (DD 100-400), no clear answer can yet be given. A series of north-south running walls was excavated in the linkage trench which, through the direct associations of their floor surfaces, can undoubtedly be related to the BB 700 complex. This, now firmly established, relationship would give a minimum east-west dimension to the BB 700 complex of 30 m. (no external wall has yet been defined on the eastern side). It is possible, however, that the westernmost associated wall excavated in the linkage trench represents an external wall, being more substantial than the others. Unfortunately this remains undemonstrable since the entire area to the west of the wall, for a distance of some 5 m., has been extensively damaged by the subsequent cutting in of graves, a process which has effectively removed all stratigraphic and architectural extensions. Beyond this area of disruption architectural continuity can now be demonstrated, allowing the building remains of the western end of the linkage trench to be incorporated into the previously excavated architecture of Area DD. In other words, on the basis of this season's work, it is possible that there existed on the Lower Tell in Stratum L2, not one single integrated complex as previously claimed, but rather two of approximately equal size, with perhaps a street or an open space between them. It would seem justified, therefore, to refer to these buildings as the 'eastern complex' (BB 700), and the 'western complex' (DD).

Beyond the establishment of architectural continuity, little work was undertaken on the western complex. In absolute terms much of this complex is higher than the eastern one, with the effect that many of the walls have been eroded down to their foundations, with the consequent loss of associated floor surfaces. One small room was, however, examined by means of a northern extension to the western end of the linkage trench. Here was found a large plaster-lined bin, measuring approximately 2 m. in diameter at the top, and about 3 m. deep. Large quantities of burnt chaff and typical Stratum L2 destruction debris were contained within the pit (Fig. 16).

Area NN

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:65-66)

For quite some time it had seemed possible to the expedition that the true extent of the slope on the south and south-western sides of the Lower Tell had been artificially disguised by an accumulation of field alluvium presently under cultivation. To test this hypothesis an area, designated NN, was established 15 m. west of the western limit of Area DD immediately adjacent to the cultivated fields, and apparently off the Tell (Fig. 17).

Excavations indeed revealed the original slope of the mound, descending some 3.5 m. below the present ground surface. Cut into this slope was found a badly weathered, but substantial city wall, about 1.5 m wide (Fig. 18). Behind this wall and associated with it was a plastered surface which contained material of Early Bronze I date. This surface appeared to be in the nature of a passageway, separating the wall from a second, parallel wall, which lay some 2 m. behind. The nature of the second wall could not be established, as it lay within the section on the eastern side of the area. Altogether the arrangement is reminiscent of the city wall found in 1995 in Area JJ, and it is possible that the newly discovered wall forms a part of the same defensive circuit. However, with very much more dating material available from the plastered floor surface of the passageway, it would seem that this structure should be dated to EB I rather than EB II as previously suggested.

Excavations on the Upper Tell

Introduction

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:66)

Due to the increasing logistical problems associated with excavating in the central areas on the Upper Tell (Areas AA and EE) and the decision to concentrate the season's excavations on uncovering the Early Bronze Age architecture on the Lower Tell, this year's investigations on the Upper Tell were limited to two operations; the step trench (Area KK) on the south side of the Tell and the continued excavation and restoration of the Water System in Area GG.

Area KK

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:67-69)

This area, designed as a step-trench on the southern slope of the Upper Tell, was initiated in 1995 with the intention of providing a means of linking the Upper Tell stratigraphic sequence with that of the Lower Tell. By the end of the 1995 season part of a large building of the Egyptian phase, Stratum XII, had been excavated, together with an associated alleyway. This season's work began with the removal of all of the remaining Stratum XII structures and fill, including the wall foundations. These, when excavated, showed the characteristic construction method of Stratum XII, being some 1.2 m. deep, and laid without stone foundation.

Beneath the Stratum XII alleyway to the west of the building the remains of a stone-paved floor were found, which could be related to a substantial wall, only revealed in section in the west baulk (the wall had otherwise been removed by the Stratum XII foundation trench) (Fig. 23). This earlier, 'pre-Stratum XII', city wall was over 2 m. thick. For the present this wall and its associated surface will be described as Stratum 13. (The Arabic numeral is used to distinguish it from Stratum XIII as excavated in Area AA in 1995. It must be emphasized that there is no means at present of relating the pre-Stratum XII stratigraphic sequence of Area AA to that of KK. Certainly, on the basis of the post-Stratum XII situation both in KK and in Area EE, it can be anticipated that there might have been many occupation phases present towards the centre of the Tell which were simply not extensive enough to reach the edges.)

Under the foundation trenches of the Stratum XII building and on a similar alignment the top of a very weathered building was revealed and subsequently excavated to a depth of 1.2 m. This building, of which only a small part was contained within the excavation area, had a finely laid boulder floor. A large shallow bowl had been set into the floor in the south-west corner, and adjacent to it was a large flat stone (Fig. 24). Towards the end of the season, this building (referred to as Stratum 14) was removed and, unexpectedly, showed an almost identical construction method to that of Stratum XII (deep brick foundations with no use of stone). The associated pottery, which would place Stratum 14 within the thirteenth century B.C., contained examples of Egyptian 'ration' and 'cyma' bowls. These two facts, taken together, may imply that Stratum 14 represents a pre-Stratum XII phase of Egyptian occupation, which would extend Tell es-Sa~idiyeh's role as an Egyptian centre back perhaps to the Nineteenth Dynasty. It would seem, however, that the Egyptian control was not continuous, for no hint of Egyptian building methods was detected in the three pre-XII strata defined in Area AA in 1995 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 29-30). Since the more centrally located Area AA would almost certainly contain a fuller stratigraphic sequence than Area KK which is located on the very edge of the tell, it would be reasonable to conclude that Stratum 14 in KK must equate with a pre-XV stratum in AA. This would imply that, in relation to the overall occupation of the site, following an Egyptian phase of control, represented by Stratum 14 in KK, there was a reversion to local (Canaanite) control, documented by Strata XV, XIV and XIII (and KK Stratum 13), prior to the main Egyptian phase of Stratum XII.

Area KK was also extended southwards and lower on the slope and here, in a limited sounding, were found the remains of a substantial city wall, approximately 2 m. thick and faced on the outside with small pebbles. An interior white-plastered floor surface was defined, which could be seen to underlie the stone-paved surface of Stratum 14 and will provisionally be termed Stratum 15 (Fig. 25). Very little pottery was recovered from the floor surface, but it would appear to date to the early part of the thirteenth century.

Stratum VI Destruction ? - Iron IIB - mid 8th century BCE

Discussion

Tubb (1998:126) noted that towards the middle of the eighth century the houses of Stratum VI were knocked down and leveled in preparation for another major building programme in Stratum V - something that may have been a response to earthquake destruction.

References

Ferry et al. (2011)

Ferry et al. (2011)


Excavator's Date	Proposed Cause of Destruction	Probability of an earthquake	Description
7th-6th century BCE	Fire	Low	A series of building phases (IIIB–IIIG) was defined below Pritchard’s Stratum III (now termed IIIA), the lowest of which shows architecture very similar to Stratum V, with similar evidence for burning. - Tubb (1988:130) These stalls were frequently found to contain equid bones, and it seems likely that these represent the remains of unfortunate animals which had been abandoned to the fire which brought an end to Stratum V around 720 BC. The destruction of Stratum V might have been accidental, but it might also be attributed to the Assyrians, who were campaigning in this region at the time - Tubb (1988:127)
mid 8th century BCE	Anthropic postearthquake ?	Average	Towards the middle of the eighth century the houses of Stratum VI were knocked down and leveled in preparation for another major building programme - Tubb (1988:127)
1150-1120 BCE	Fire	High	The city of Stratum XII was obviously destroyed in an Fire intense conflagration, the dense associated debris sealing a valuable corpus of finds, examination of which has established a date for this event at around 1150-1120 BC, coinciding with the withdrawal of the Egyptian empire... Some time in the last quarter of the [twelfth] century the city of Stratum XII was destroyed by fire, and at the same time the cemetery on the Lower Tell fell out of use. There is no indication as to the source of the destruction: certainly there were neither bodies nor signs of conflict amidst the ruined buildings of the Upper Tell, and it could well be that fire was the result of an accident. - Tubb (1988:86)
Late early Bronze I - ~2900 BCE	Unknown	High	Stratum L2 was found to be associated with dense destruction debris (ashes, burnt mud-brick rubble and charred timber), but both Strata L2 and L3 were apparently built on the same plan. In the centrally located area, excavations revealed extremely fragmentary and disturbed Early Bronze Age architecture, the remains having been all but obliterated by the digging of graves in the thirteenth to twelfth century BC - Tubb (1988:42)

Raphael and Agnon (2018)

from Raphael and Agnon (2018)


Period	Age	Site	Damage Description
EB II	3000-2700 BCE	Tell es-Sa'idiyeh	faults and slips, as great as 0.5 m. Floors turned into ledges and steps (Area B). Lines of slippage and faulting detected in Area DD in the mudbrick houses. Collapse of houses in the lower tell and signs of a strong fire (Tubb et al. 1997: 58, 62).
Iron I	1200-1000 BCE	Tell es-Sa'idiyeh	late 12th century BCE. Thick debris from city walls, public and private buildings and signs of fire (Stratum XII) were noted at the site. The excavators’ impression was that people had time to escape (Tubb 1988: 41). Building in Area AA suffered severe faulting; five intersecting cracks, the largest responsible for a stratigraphic downshift of nearly 50 cm (Tubb and Dorrell 1993: 58-59).
Iron IIB	900-700 BCE	Tell es-Sa'idiyeh	houses (Stratum VI) from the mid-8th century BCE may have been destroyed by an earthquake, and were leveled in order to prepare the ground for new buildings (Ferry et al. 2011: 56; Tubb 1988: 26).

Stratum V Destruction - 7th-6th century BCE

Discussion

Evidence of destruction and fire was found in stratum V on the Upper Tell. Tubb and Dorrell (1991:72) uncovered the remains of two equid skeletons, presumably victims of the event, in Area AA 900 while Tubb and Dorrell (1993:54-56) uncovered evidence of destruction and fire in Area AA 1300. Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:33) also found destruction evidence in Area MM on the northeastern slope of the Upper Tell. According to Tubb and Dorrell (1991:69), Pritchard dated Stratum V to 750-730 BCE - indicating that Tell Saidiyeh may have fallen victim to the Assyrian conquests of the time.

A construction related site may be present for the Stratum XII destruction as the structures were built of mudbrick and lacked stone foundations (Tubb and Dorrell, 1993:56).

References

Ferry et al. (2011)

Ferry et al. (2011)


Excavator's Date	Proposed Cause of Destruction	Probability of an earthquake	Description
7th-6th century BCE	Fire	Low	A series of building phases (IIIB–IIIG) was defined below Pritchard’s Stratum III (now termed IIIA), the lowest of which shows architecture very similar to Stratum V, with similar evidence for burning. - Tubb (1988:130) These stalls were frequently found to contain equid bones, and it seems likely that these represent the remains of unfortunate animals which had been abandoned to the fire which brought an end to Stratum V around 720 BC. The destruction of Stratum V might have been accidental, but it might also be attributed to the Assyrians, who were campaigning in this region at the time - Tubb (1988:127)
mid 8th century BCE	Anthropic postearthquake ?	Average	Towards the middle of the eighth century the houses of Stratum VI were knocked down and leveled in preparation for another major building programme - Tubb (1988:127)
1150-1120 BCE	Fire	High	The city of Stratum XII was obviously destroyed in an Fire intense conflagration, the dense associated debris sealing a valuable corpus of finds, examination of which has established a date for this event at around 1150-1120 BC, coinciding with the withdrawal of the Egyptian empire... Some time in the last quarter of the [twelfth] century the city of Stratum XII was destroyed by fire, and at the same time the cemetery on the Lower Tell fell out of use. There is no indication as to the source of the destruction: certainly there were neither bodies nor signs of conflict amidst the ruined buildings of the Upper Tell, and it could well be that fire was the result of an accident. - Tubb (1988:86)
Late early Bronze I - ~2900 BCE	Unknown	High	Stratum L2 was found to be associated with dense destruction debris (ashes, burnt mud-brick rubble and charred timber), but both Strata L2 and L3 were apparently built on the same plan. In the centrally located area, excavations revealed extremely fragmentary and disturbed Early Bronze Age architecture, the remains having been all but obliterated by the digging of graves in the thirteenth to twelfth century BC - Tubb (1988:42)

Tubb (1990) - 4th season of excavations

Area EE

from Tubb (1990:28-29)

To the east of these two rooms, and separated from them by another north-south dividing wall, part of a surface was found, well paved with mudbrick slabs (Fig. 12). This surface appeared to connect, by means of a narrow and poorly defined doorway to the north, with a large room having a steeply sloping surface, contained on the south-east side by an unusual pise constructed wall orientated diagonally with respect to the main axis of the building. The surface which slopes down to the north and east, had originally been thickly plastered and showed evidence in the form of channelling and pooling of having been associated with water retention. Moreover the surface was covered with a dense deposit of broken Egyptian-style store jars, up to 50-60 in number, the type identical to those found previously in the store-rooms of the Residency in area AA (see Tubb 1988, Fig. 19:14). Taking these findings together, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that the room with the sloping floor served as some type of water cooling reservoir perhaps for wine storage.

Elsewhere in area EE, the heavily burned floor surfaces of the various rooms produced a repertoire of pottery types similar to, yet somewhat more extensive than the stratum XII material from area AA recovered in 1987 (Figs. 13- 14). Certainly, the previously suggested date of 1150 B.C. for the destruction of stratum XII can, on the basis of the material recovered from the Western Palace this season, be fully substantiated.

Tubb and Dorrell (1991) - 5th season of excavations

Excavations on the Upper Tell

from Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72)

Before proceeding to discuss the linking together of areas AA and EE on the Upper Tell, and in order that the significance of this operation may be appreciated, it will be necessary to review briefly the stratigraphic situation in both areas.

In 1985-87, Area AA had consisted of a relatively small area situated in the south-eastern corner of Pritchard's large exposure of the 1960s (see Tubb 1988, 28). Here, excavations revealed poorly preserved and fragmentary remains of stratum VI, a phase which in fact Pritchard had partially exposed before his work was terminated in 1967. Below were found the better preserved and architecturally coherent remains of stratum VII, a city level of the ninth-eighth century B.C. which had been extensively revealed by the Pennsylvania expedition in the area lying just to the north of Area AA (see Pritchard 1985,fig. 177and Tubb 1988,fig. 4).

Stratum VIII, a non-architectural phase of industrial usage, was characterized by fine ashy deposits, extremely dense in places, emanating from areas of intense heat generation which had been created by the rough modification of the abandoned architectural elements of stratum IX. In places, for example, stratum IX walls had been re-used to form the backs of scooped out, level platforms, which had then served as the sites for some industrial process, the nature of which is still unknown. Whatever the process might have been, it produced a large volume of ashy waste, and this was seen to have covered the abandoned remains of stratum IX, lying thickly where it had slumped into the various rooms and chambers, but appearing as little more than a thin greyish-black band where it had risen over more elevated ground.

Below stratum VIII, and above the large public building of stratum XII excavated at the end of the 1987 season, three architectural phases were isolated, the uppermost, stratum IX, as mentioned above, having been abandoned. Although stratum IX had suffered considerable damage through weathering and erosion, two phase (IXA and IXB) of a quite large building were found, together with part of its associated, wellconstructed, stone-paved courtyard (Tubb 1988, 34- 35).

Stratum X was also characterized by a well-built stone courtyard, but in this case it was associated with unusual, partially sunken, stone-lined structures which were interpreted as pens for livestock. The courtyard was found to belong to a massive, stone-constructed building, only one small corner of which was revealed within the excavation area, the remainder lying to the north and west (Tubb 1988, 35-37).

A similar but less massive building clearly occupied the same position in stratum XIA, but here, to the south-east, and separated from it by a north-south street, was found a small bi-partite building which, on the basis of various internal installations and finds, could be interpreted as a temple (see Tubb 1988, 37-39).

Stratum XIA was found to have been built on a dense layer of silting which in turn covered the deep deposit of intensely burnt destruction debris overlying the architecture of stratum XII. Excavation of stratum XII in 1987 uncovered the remains of a large public building which, to judge from its Egyptian-style plan and construction method, must be seen as yet another example of a so-called 'Egyptian Governor's Residency'. The building had clearly been abandoned following its destruction, and, to. judge from the depth of silt overlying the collapsed debris, some considerable period of time must have elapsed before the construction of stratum XIA, perhaps as much as one hundred years.

Within two of the rooms of the residency, evidence was found for a phase of squatter or camp-site occupation immediately following the destruction. The collapsed debris appeared to have been levelled, and rough surfaces had been made within the confines of the still standing walls. Represented only by hearths and grinding stones, this phase is referred to as stratum XIB (see Tubb 1988, 39-40).

In 1989, Area AA was greatly expanded to the west, and a large extent of the stratum VII city was cleared (see Fig. 3: Houses 73-79). The expansion also demonstrated that stratum VI, defined and excavated by Pritchard in the area to the north of AA 100-500, did not extend to the western side of the tell, but terminated along an approximately north-south line in AA 800/1100 (see Tubb 1990, 21-26 for details of the 1989 season).

Preliminary Stratigraphy of Area AA

Tubb and Dorrell (1991)

Excavations in Area EE in 1986-89 had produced a rather different, or more accurately, a greatly compressed sequence. For here, stratum VI was found to be absent, and no evidence at all was found for strata VIII, IX, X or XI. Indeed stratum VII was found to overlie stratum XII directly, and it was clear in places that a levelling operation had been conducted prior to the construction of stratum VII, a process which had truncated the wall tops of the western public building complex to almost uniform heights. This levelling process would, of course, have removed all traces of strata VIII, IX, X and XI, especially if, as seems likely, these phases had been built on the internal downslope created by the destruction of the massive stratum -XII city wall and 'palace' complex. In other words, it is. impossible from the evidence in Area EE to establish whether strata VIII, IX, X and XI had been cut out by the levelling operation for stratum VII, or whether these phases had simply never existed on this western side of the site.

To a large extent, excavations in 1990have answered this important question. In AA 900, and in its westward extension 950 (below the level of the stratum III cutting-see below), excavations first revealed remains of stratum V (Fig. 4). Two small, rectangular, partially sunken structures were found, built of poor quality mud-brick (see Fig. 5: 23-B/C-l). The eastern room, which had a finely paved stone floor, measured only 1·52 m. (north-south) by 1·20m. (east-west). A small stone door socket found close to the external south -east corner suggests a door opening outwards, and one which most probably occupied the whole width of the room. The western room was somewhat larger, with internal dimensions of 1·76 m. (north-south) by 1·30 m. (eastwest). The floor in this case was of beaten earth, and no evidence was found for the doorway. The eastern room contained the partially articulated skeleton of a young equid, and the western room contained the more fragmentary skeletal remains of a similar, but adult animal. It would seem reasonable to suggest an interpretation for these two small rooms as stalls, the unfortunate animals presumably having been abandoned and killed during the destruction of stratum V.

In theory, the eastern of the two 'stalls' ought to have been excavated and recorded by Pritchard, since it lies well within the area cleared by him down to stratum V (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 179-square 23-C-l). The reason for its omission from his plan lies in the fact that stratum V, at this particular point, appears to have been founded at a lower level than elsewhere. Pritchard had simply not excavated deeply enough. As will be seen below with regard to stratum VII, the depression /of stratum V at this point was due to the subsidence of the underlying stratigraphy, resulting ultimately from the unusual configuration of stratum XII. In any event, it is now possible to. add the two stalls to the south of Pritchard's House 25, where they would presumably have bordered the east~west street in 23-(B)C/G-l, 32- (B)C/G-I0 (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 179).

Below stratum V excavations revealed further remains of stratum VII (see also Fig. 4). ...

Excavations on the Lower Tell

Area BB 700

from Tubb and Dorrell (1991:79-84)

The excavation of Area BB 700 was started in 1989 primarily to determine how far the lower tell cemetery, which is still being excavated in BB 100-600, extended to the south and to examine the nature and density of burials in this area. It has become clear that the number of burials was lessthan in the more central area, 30 m. to the north: only five graves were found in 1989 and another two this year (graves 386 and 394, see Appendix for details).

The upper 50-100 cm. of the area was composed of mixed, silty material, probably wash from higher up the slope to the north, and possibly disturbed by ploughing. Within the lower part of this stratum were numbers of mud-bricks, fallen on their sides and still lying en echelon, as though from a collapsed wall. There were also patches of cobbles, but it was not possible to establish any connection between these and the collapsed walls, nor to date either. Presumably they post-date the main occupation phases of the tell.

Below this level were series of bricky and ashy strata following, approximately, the slope of the present tell surface. These ran over the eroded tops of several walls which proved, on further excavation, to be of Phase L2, identified elsewhere as the final construction phase of the Early Bronze Age on the site. These walls were standing to heights of up to 1·5 m., and the spaces between them were filled with destruction debris, undisturbed save for a few grave cuts. This stratum of undisturbed material is far deeper than the equivalent level on the summit of the lower tell, where close, and in many cases overlapping, grave cuts of the Late Bronze/Ear ly Iron Age have so churned up the earlier deposits that only a few pinnacles of L2 material in situ could be found above foundation level. It also seems likely that the erosional regimes of the two areas were rather different. There is strong evidence that the L2 settlement was extensively destroyed by an intense fire. Following this event the site was abandoned save for local squatter occupation. Erosion of loose material and ash apparently occurred over the whole lower tell down to the underlying strata of packed, hard-burnt debris and fire-baked standing walls. Thereafter erosion went on more slowly and selectively-the more so perhaps as the tell became covered in vegetation- and decayed mud-brick was eroded from the summit of the tell and deposited down-slope, giving protective cover to these lower areas.

Although there is, as yet, no direct stratigraphic connection between the destruction levels in BB 700 and those in Area DD (first excavated in 1985) and in parts of BB 100-600, their relative heights, types of brick, architecture, and the intensity of their destruction all suggest that they were contemporary. Both in BB 700 and in Area DD there is evidence of a short phase of later occupation, without significant building activity. In BB 700 this phase-L1-is represented by a fire-pit dug slightly into the destruction levels of L2 and backed against the upper part of a surviving wall of that phase. The fire-pit is in the centre of a rough semi-circular enclosure, some 2 m. in diameter, formed partly by a line of heavy stones and partly by a vertical surface cut into the rubble. Where the top of the wall was missing it was repaired with a couple of un-burnt bricks. The impression is of a roughly-built wind-break or the footings for a temporary shelter. Several pits were dug into the rubble beyond the semi-circle. It seems likely that this was a phase of squatter-occupation, possibly by survivors of the destruction. There was no pottery that could be unequivocably assigned to the phase.

Beneath this phase lay 1-1.5 m. of debris, with many heavily-burnt bricks, large fragments of reed-impressed roofing clay and mortar, and charcoal. There were also discontinuous patches of carbonized cereals, perhaps from grain that had been spread out to dry on a flat roof. The area of most intense heat seems to have been to the north-east of the square, and walls and debris were more heavily burnt-some appeared almost vitrified--on this side of the square than they were on the other.

A plan of the underlying structure is shown in Figs. 13-14. A well-built wall, (Wall D) runs almost east-west across the square, turning northward near the west baulk at a little less than a right-angle (Wall C). Within this latter section is a doorway with a door socket indicating that the door opened inward, and with a low step down to the west. The north jamb of this doorway continues westward as a low wall c.40 cm. high (Wall F). In the angle thus formed there may have been a bin, accessible through a hatch-way in the northern part of Wall C, but its form will be determinable only when the north baulk is removed. Wall D seems to continue into the east baulk, but the area has been disturbed by Ll pits. Another, narrow wall (Wall B) runs north-south dividing the space north of Wall D into two rooms, neither of which are wholly within the square. Wall B stops short of meeting Wall D, giving a doorway between the two rooms with two shallow steps down from east to west. A platform c. 10 cm. high occupies the south-west corner of the western room. All these walls, including the returns of doorways and the top of Wall F, were smoothly plastered and are now burnt to a rock like hardness. Brick sizes average 42 x 22 x 7 cm., Walls D and C being header-built and as thick as the length of a brick, and Wall B stretcher-built, as thick as one width. It seems likely that Wall B was a partition rather than a load-bearing wall. Both rooms were floored with fine plaster, curved up the walls and carried smoothly down the steps and over the platforms. Beyond the doorway in Wall C the surface is compacted plaster and pebbles and this area was probably exterior to the building.

In the southern part of the square a narrow, roughly built wall (Wall E) runs from the south-west to join Wall D at an acute angle. It appears to have been built later than Wall D, being cut into it and the angle buttressed with stones. Behind Wall E, in the south -east corner of the square, there may have been a large bin, but the area was so disturbed by Ll pits that certainty must await excavation to the east.

The south-west corner of the square contains a somewhat puzzling structure: two mud-brick platforms, one slightly curved, with a narrow channel, c. 10 cm. wide, between them. The platforms are of similar height, c. 20 cm., and both are unplastered. The surface bounded by the walls and the platforms is of patchy and decayed plaster and slopes down from east to west at a gradient of c. 1 in 8,5. Within the angle formed by Walls D and E is a stone basin, set in the floor, at the bottom of a shallow funnel of pebbles and mortar (Fig. 15). The basin is some 12 cm. in diameter, cut into a larger block, and c. 10 cm. deep, almost hemispherical, and highly polished. It is not easy to determine, nor even to imagine, the function of this area. The unprotected surfaces of the platforms suggest that it was covered by some sort of shelter, and the slope and channel suggest drainage. The only function that comes to mind is slaughtering or butchery, with the basin serving to catch the blood, but there is no real evidence.

An assemblage of pottery was found in situ on the floors of the two rooms (Figs. 16-17). Many of the larger vessels had been crushed by the destruction and the plot of their positions in Fig. 13 may not represent their true sizes and proportions. They include typical Early Bronze II red-slipped and burnished platters, 'ribbon-painted' store jars, simple bowls, large open-mouth vessels with both ledge and lug handles, and a series of jugs and juglets based on the Abydos type. Many of the jugs and juglets might have fallen from pegs or shelves, and the three large platters, in the middle of the floor, might well have slipped or fallen from some other position. The store-jars and the open-mouth vessels, however, were certainly still in situ, and several of them were still on pot-stands of stone or mud-brick. A selection of the pottery vessels is shown on Fig. 18.

Overall the impression is of two store-rooms with ready access to stores-a larder in fact. The number of vessels, and their arrangement, also suggests very strongly that they served a building or complex of more than domestic size, and somewhere near at hand there should be a cooking-area of equal scale. The layout indicates that access to both rooms was usually from the north, and the main part of the complex might well lie in that direction. Obviously.however, more of the buildings also lies to the east, and it is intended to extend the excavation in both directions. Further excavation northward will move towards the higher density area of the cemetery, and presumably towards· the thinner protective wash deposits of the lower tell summit. It can only be hoped that there will remain sufficient undisturbed strata of this exceptionally rich phase.

Tubb and Dorrell (1993) - 6th season of excavations

Excavations of the Upper Tell

Introduction

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:51-52)

Excavations on the Upper Tell in 1992 were continued in three main areas (see Figs. 1 and 2): in AA 1300, an area initiated in 1990, lying to the south of the main area of AA, the investigation of which had, in that season, revealed the substantial foundations of a building most probably dating to the Hellenistic period (see Tubb and Dorrell 1991, 75-76); in AA 900, the most westerly extension of Area AA in which remains of stratum VII overlying stratum XII had been excavated in the previous season; and in Area EE, where the removal of the overlying strata V and VII in 1990 had provided a greater area for the continued investigation of stratum XII.

Taking these areas in turn, the objectives in 1992 were: in AA 1300, to more fully examine the Hellenistic building, and to extend the excavations in depth in order to provide a further stratigraphic correlation with the sequence previously established by Pritchard; in AA 900, to reveal the remains of stratum XII; and in EE, to investigate further the stratum XII public building or palace complex, the excavation of which began in 1986.

AA /300 (Area32-E/G-6/7)¹

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:52-56)

Further investigation of the surface remains in this area has enabled a coherent plan to be developed (Fig. 3) which incorporates the stone foundations recovered in AA 700 in the 1989 season (see Tubb 1990, 20-22), together with the surface features previously recorded and published by Pritchard in Area 32 (see Pritchard 1985, Fig. 189). The resultant plan, although by no means complete, provides evidence not for a series of service rooms relating to the Hellenistic 'fortress' excavated by Pritchard, as previously suggested (Tubb and Chapman 1990, 116), but rather for an independent building which, in many respects, reflects the general character of that previously excavated building. It is possible indeed that the building in AA 1300 is a second, similar public building which is presumably later, since neither traces of mud-brick superstructure nor any intact floor surfaces were found. Furthermore, removal of the stone foundations at the western end of the area revealed the remains of an earlier phase of architecture on a slightly different line and orientation which can almost certainly be related to Pritchard's Hellenistic building of stratum II. Only a small exposure of this earlier phase has so far been made, but enough to demonstrate that its walls are preserved with their mud-brick superstructure, and more significantly, that associated floor surfaces also exist. As a clarification and correction to the 1990 season report, it is indeed now possible to relate the kitchen surface then excavated not to the upper phase of stone foundations, but rather to the earlier architectural phase. Further stretches of related surface were isolated this season, and in all cases they were associated with patches of black ashes and burnt mud-brick debris. It is for this reason that it is suggested that this earlier phase of architecture corresponds to Pritchard's fortress to the east, a building which also showed clear evidence of having been destroyed (see Pritchard 1985, 69-75). On the basis of these results, therefore, it is proposed to subdivide stratum II into two sub-phases; IIA for the building represented in Fig. 3 (foundations only), and lIB for the underlying building in AA 1300 and Pritchard's 'fortress' or public building. The material published in Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 10 should therefore be assigned to stratum lIB.

At a depth of only 25 cm. below the well-defined floors of stratum lIB was found a somewhat ephemeral surface, or more correctly package of surfaces, belonging to stratum IV (see Fig. 4 for West Section drawing). This appeared as a tightly layered series of trampled surfaces, the uppermost bearing a thick (2 cm.) deposit of dense black ashy material. As in previous exposures of stratum IV (see Pritchard 1985, 34-42; Tubb 1990, 22-23; Tubb and Dorrell 1991,74) this rather enigmatic phase was found to be devoid of architectural elements but contained instead a number of well-dug but unlined storage pits (Fig. 5). Analysis of deposits of an extremely fine white material found at the bases of two such pits indicate that they had been used to contain the chaffy residues of threshing, most probably intended for animal fodder.

The stratum IV pits had been cut into the destruction debris and architecture of the underlying stratum V. Destroyed by fire towards the end of the eighth century B.C., stratum V illustrates an intelligently planned and well-constructed Iron Age settlement, well documented by the large expanse now revealed by both the Pennsylvania and British Museum expeditions (see especially Pritchard 1985, Fig. 179 and Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 5). The limited sounding in AA 1300 produced but one wall, running east-west, together with an associated stone-paved courtyard to the north (the wall undoubtedly forms a part of the south-central housing block as represented by Pritchard's rooms 14 and 16). Not unusually for stratum V, the wall was built without stone foundations.

Below the stratum V wall, and running on almost the same line, was found an earlier wall constructed of rather poor quality yellowish mud-bricks. Associated with this wall was a thinly plastered floor surface to the north which bore a heavy deposit of largely unburnt mud-brick debris. These remains can be attributed to stratum VI, a phase which was well defined by Pritchard in the area to the north of AA 1300, but which has hardly been encountered by the current expedition in any of the more westerly exposures. Indeed evidence was found in 1989 to indicate that stratum VI was a somewhat restricted settlement confined to an inner zone of the tell's surface. The westward termination point of stratum VI can clearly be seen in the south section of Area AA 1000/ 1100, the drawing of which was completed this season (Fig. 6: see Fig. 2 for location, and also see Tubb 199°,24 for an extramural burial of stratum VI). Perhaps the most interesting finding in AA 1300 in 1992 was made below stratum VI. For in the underlying stratum VII, again a well documented city phase of the ninth-eighth century B.C. (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 177; Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 3), were found the remains of a housing block as represented by Pritchard's rooms 14 and 16). Not unusually for stratum V, the wall was built without stone foundations.

Below the stratum V wall, and running on almost the same line, was found an earlier wall constructed of rather poor quality yellowish mud-bricks. Associated with this wall was a thinly plastered floor surface to the north which bore a heavy deposit of largely unburnt mud-brick debris. These remains can be attributed to stratum VI, a phase which was well defined by Pritchard in the area to the north of AA 1300, but which has hardly been encountered by the current expedition in any of the more westerly exposures. Indeed evidence was found in 1989 to indicate that stratum VI was a somewhat restricted settlement confined to an inner zone of the tell's surface. The westward termination point of stratum VI can clearly be seen in the south section of Area AA 1000/ 1100, the drawing of which was completed this season (Fig. 6: see Fig. 2 for location, and also see Tubb 199°,24 for an extramural burial of stratum VI).

Perhaps the most interesting finding in AA 1300 in 1992 was made below stratum VI. For in the underlying stratum VII, again a well documented city phase of the ninth-eighth century B.C. (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 177; Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 3), were found the remains of a bathroom complete with toilet, basin and drainage system (see Figs. 7 and 8). The bathroom, which is situated in the south-west corner of House 72 (see stratum VII plan in Tubb and Dorrell 199 I, fig. 3), was approached by three stone-built steps, presumably constructed in order to gain sufficient height for the water outflow. Against the south wall was a plastered bench, and extending northwards from this, against the west wall, was a wide plaster-lined channel connected to the base of the basin. The toilet was set on a mud-brick pedestal and had a plastered seat. An outflow hole led from the base of the toilet to a narrow plastered channel which took the effiuent to a small conduit in the east wall and into a brick covered soak-away in the courtyard below. On the floor to the north of the toilet was found a finely worked basalt tripod-stand (Fig. 9). The east-west wall on the south side of the bathroom is the exterior wall of House 72, and to the south of this was found a small expanse of an east-west street with a further housing unit beginning to the south. As noted previously, the exterior walls bordering the street had been provided with raised stone footings to protect the foundation courses.

AA 900 (Area 32-B/ D-IO) Area 23-B/ D-I/2)

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56-59)

Excavations in AA 900 in 1990 had revealed a substantial depression of the stratigraphy in this area, resulting most probably from earthquake faulting with related subsidence. As a consequence of this general lowering it had been possible to identify and reveal architectural features relating to stratum V which had literally been overlooked by the Pennsylvania expedition (see Tubb and Dorrell 1991, 72 and fig. 5 for additions to the stratum V plan). Operations had concluded in 1990 with the excavation and removal of the underlying remains of stratum VII, which included a probable temple (Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 3). This building (House 80) was found to overlie directly dense and intensely burnt destruction debris which, from the previously undertaken excavations in area EE (see below), was known to be associated with stratum XII, the important twelfth century B.C. Egyptian phase of occupation represented by the Residency building in area AA, the Western Palace complex and city wall in area EE, the water system staircase on the north slope, and the Lower Tell cemetery. Operations in 1992, therefore, were aimed at revealing further architectural remains of this period.

The excavation of this area proved to be extremely complicated. Not only had it suffered considerably from the effects of faulting (there were no less than five intersecting cracks, the largest of which had been responsible for a stratigraphic downshift of nearly 50 em.), but the levelling operation in preparation for the construction of stratum VII had removed much of the architecture to foundation level. Had this occurred in any other stratum the problem would not have been so severe, since the foundation courses would have been preserved. However, a peculiarity of the architecture of stratum XII is that it does not use stone foundations, but relies instead on a dense matrix of pi see to support the embedded wall foundations. Nevertheless, it was eventually possible to isolate and establish the extraordinary plan shown in Figs. 10-11. It essentially consists of two passageways or channels, each stepping in a series of terraces or internal steps down towards the south-west, contained to the south-east by two walls of extremely poor quality mud-brick and to the north-west by a heavier construction composed entirely of pisee. It was presumably the use of this building material that necessitated the massive stone revetment against its western face (Fig. 12). The southernmost wall appears to terminate against a terrace edge or step, at which point the more southerly passage develops into an open space. The more northerly passage continues, however, beyond the point at which it was at some stage blocked by large boulders. At the western end of the area a small doorway gives entry to the northern passage from the west. Dense mud-brick destruction debris was encountered on the south-east side of the area, and the southern and central walls were extensively fire-damaged. The passageways themselves showed little evidence of burning. Both were thickly plastered (up to 8 cm. thick in places), and in both cases there were dense deposits of water-laid silt covering the surfaces. These points alone would indicate some water-related function for the unusual construction, but more suggestive and interesting still is the orientation of the excavated features. For, as can clearly be seen on Fig. 10, to the south-west the passageways, or perhaps more correctly channels, are in direct alignment with the pool and bath complex of the Western Palace in area EE. More remarkable yet is that if the line of the channels is projected to the north-east it coincides exactly with the top of the water system staircase on the north slope (see Pritchard 1985, 57-59 and Tubb 1988, 46, 84-87 for details of the staircase and the water system). It seems possible, therefore, that the unusual structures revealed in AA 900 represent a type of aqueduct conveying water from the spring-fed water system on the north side of the city to the bath and pool complex of the Western Palace. The gradient and stepping of the passages suggest that if water had been emptied at the top of the water system staircase it would have flowed to the Western Palace quite easily. However, since the passages contained large quantities of sherds of Egyptian-style jars (identical to those found in the pool of the Western Palace), the passages might equally have been used to transport the water manually.

Area EE (Area 32-A/B-7/IO, Area 33-H/K-7/10)

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:59-61)

There were three main objectives in Area EE in 1992, all directed towards the Western Palace Complex, a large building of stratum XII situated directly behind the city wall of this phase. The first objective was to try to establish the position and the character of the outside face of the stratum XII city wall. The interior face had been isolated as long ago as 1986, and indeed appears on the previously published plans (Tubb 1988, fig. 2 I; 1990, fig. 8). The outside face, however, had managed to resist all attempts at definition despite numerous scraping operations on the western slope. In 1992, therefore, a more drastic course of action was decided upon and a series of horizontal wedges was cut into the western side of the tell.

The second objective, related to the first, was to investigate by means of a series of trial trenches and probes a number of problems which had remained unresolved since 1989 (when the last plan of Area EE was drawn) in an attempt to clarify the somewhat confusing layout of the complex.

The final objective was to examine further the unusual pool which had been investigated in 1989 and which appeared at that time to lack any form of architectural containment.

The results of all three investigations can clearly be seen on the revised plan of EE, shown together with AA 900 in Fig. 10. The outside face of the stratum XII city wall was established, as was also the manner in which the wall had been founded. A near vertical-sided trench had been cut down into the slope of the mound, and in the bottom of this were placed large flat stones. Above these had been poured a thick layer (about 35 to 40 cm.) of pisee, and it was into this bedding matri-x that the lowest courses of brickwork had been set. As had been stated in 1987 (Tubb 1988,41 and 44-45) but subsequently denied (Tubb 1990,26-27) the city wall of stratum XII is indeed a casemate system with small compartments filled entirely with mud-brick rubble. These casemates had been missed in 1989, leading to the impression that the city wall was of solid construction. The external wall of the casemate system is I. 10m. wide, and the width of both the casemate compartments and the internal wall is 1.20 m., giving a total effective width of the stratum XII city wall of 3.50 m. A buttress was also found this season flanking the stone-paved passageway in ]/K-8 (note that the dotted buttress in H-7/8 is hypothetical) .

Other revisions to the previously published plan based on this season's work are mostly concerned with the internal subdivision of some of the rooms and the provision and position of doorways.

Much of the season's work in EE was devoted to the interesting pool or reservoir which had been first excavated in 1989 and which had been found to contain a considerable number of broken Egyptian-style jars. At the end of the 1989 season it was thought that a thick-plastered surface had been reached in the area of the pool and that no further structural definition could be given to the feature. Excavations in 1992 demonstrated that what had been taken as a plaster floor in 1989 was in fact the top ofa thick, dense and heavily varved deposit of water-laid silt, the removal of which revealed the complete structure of the pool seen in Figs. 10 and 13. The pool edge is constructed of thickly plastered mud-brick. The inlet would appear to be on the north side where a circular cutting provided a type of riser. As previously noted (Tubb 1990,28) the base or floor of the pool slopes down steeply to the south and the east, a feature which explains why no containment for the water was necessary on the north-west side. To the south, an exit channel connects with an east-west drain which, to judge from the large quantities of charred timber found in its vicinity, might well have been covered with wooden slabs or planks (Fig. 14). To the west the drain disappears under a mud-brick paving, and its subsequent course has not yet been traced, but since a relationship between the pool and two lower-lying bathrooms in ]/K-7/8 must surely be recognized, some form of conduit through the north-south wall which separates the paved area from the upper bathroom would be expected.

Excavations of the Lower Tell

Area BB 700 (Area35-F/H-I/3)²

Tubb and Dorrell (1993:61-67)

During the 1989 and 1990 seasons excavation was begun in square BB 700, south of the main BB area, Fig. I (Tubb 1990, 36-37; Tubb and Dorrell 199 I, 79-84). Excavation disclosed part of a building, dated by its pottery to Early Bronze II, with well-laid and plastered mud-brick walls. The building had been destroyed by an intense fire, which had so hardened the bricks and plaster that walls were found still standing to a height of 1.5 m. and more. Three phases within EB II had been identified elsewhere on the lower tell and designated strata L 1, L2, and L3. By reason of stratigraphy, vertical position and brick-types, this building could be placed in stratum L2. The later phase, L1, was represented by some pits, fireplaces, and poorly constructed additions to the wall-tops of L2, and appeared to be fairly minor squatter occupation following destruction of the earlier stratum, perhaps used by survivors camping in the ruins. L3, the phase underlying L2, was not reached in BB 700. A considerable deposit of fine pottery was found in situ on the floors of Rooms a and b, suggesting that these were store-rooms of a building of larger than domestic size.

In 1992 the intention was to expand the excavation to the north and east in order to disclose more of the building and, if possible, to obtain a ground-plan of the entire structure (see Fig. 15 for a general view of the excavation at the close of the season). Three more squares, BB 800,900, and 1000, were started, separated by reduction baulks. As can be seen from the plan (Fig. 16), the general layout of the building, or buildings, was established, although in BB 1000, the north-western square, only the tops of the walls were reached.

During the course of excavation it became apparent that LI, hitherto regarded as an ephemeral settlement of limited extent, was in fact of greater permanence and more solidly built than had been thought (Fig. 17). The LI structures appear to be largely opportunistic, in many cases using existing L2 walls. These were built up in some cases, using mud-bricks of similar size but of different colour and texture from those ofL2; in others walls were apparently levelled, or rooms sub-divided and doorways blocked. The LI floors were often no more than trampled surfaces within and upon the collapse debris of the previous phase. It was therefore often difficult to distinguish between details of the two phases, particularly since the upper levels of the site were so often disturbed by later graves. It may well be that the tentative ground-plans discussed below will have to be revised when further excavation has established the layout and extent of the L2 structures with certainty, and it will then be possible to plot the LI modification more certainly (see together Figs. 16 and 17 for the following discussion).

In the original square, BB 700, the north baulk was cut back by 1 m. in order to examine an east-west wall (Wall G) which, following two winters' erosion, could be seen running just within the baulk. At its western end the back wall of a plaster-lined bin or silo, traces of which had been found in 1990, was established. This back wall curved in at the top, at a height of c. 1 m., suggesting that it had originally had a vaulted roof. Quantities of carbonized grain were found in and around the bin. Immediately to the east of this a low platform stood against the east-west wall with a large inverted store-jar upon it. It seems unlikely that it could have fallen so neatly as to stand exactly upon its mouth; it might perhaps have been placed in this position to dry or to drain, or even to serve as a table. Eastward again was what appears to be a doorway with a sill in front of it, presumably giving access to rooms further to the north.

The room in the north-east corner of square BB 700, which had been partly excavated in 1990, produced more in situ pottery when the square was extended eastward. As well as a number of storage jars, two very small juglets of Abydos shape were found, together with a double jar similar to that found in Area DD in 1986 (Fig. 18: cf. Tubb 1988, fig. 35).

In the south-eastern square, BB 800, three major walls emerged: one running approximately east-west across the north of the square (Wall H), one north-south on the square's eastern side (WallJ), and the third also north-south on the west (Wall N). A shorter wall, east to west (Wall T) at first appeared to complete the boundaries of the room (Room d), but this proved to be only three to four bricks deep and founded within the burnt rubble of the destruction level. It must therefore have been part of the LIre-use of the area.

The east-west wall, H, was substantially built, although its upper courses were cut into and partly re-built in the LI period. The destruction debris continued down for nearly a metre, and the L2 surface connected with this, like the other main walls in the square, was not reached in 1992. In the middle of Wall H is a narrow doorway, blocked in L1, and to the south of it, within Room d, a flight of steps - five so far -leading down into the room (Fig. 19). Such lower parts of the walls of this room as have so far been excavated are lined with clay. This, and the steps, suggest that the area may have been a cistern.

The wall to the east, Wall], still standing to a height of two metres even before its floor is reached, is partly overhung at the top, suggesting that this room too, or part of it, was vaulted. The southern end of the room is still unclear, as it was cut through by a large, late pit. It is hoped that the lowest courses of Walls] and N can still be found by excavation in a future season.

To the north of Wall H the layout and detail of the L2 structures are still uncertain, since they are overlain by L1 walls and surfaces, some of which appear to rest on L2 foundations. Walls] and N seem to continue northward, although the continuation of Wall] (Wall P and T) is on a slightly different alignment, nor is it bonded into the cross-wall H, while the junction between Walls G, N and S was cut down during L1. A well-built east-west cross wall (Wall W) appears to form the northern boundary of the room demarcated by these walls, but certainty must await further excavation. Attached to the northern face of Wall H, and immediately east of the doorway, ran a bench or platform some 40 cm. thick and 70 cm. or more high (Wall H itself at this point is about 90 cm. thick) - Fig. 20. In the angle between this platform and Wall P a niche had been cut into the mud-brick, holding a shallow platter (Fig. 2 I). Since this niche is no more than 30 cm. above the lowest level of debris excavated during the season, it seems that there is still a considerable depth of fill to be excavated before the L2 floor surface is reached.

Superimposed upon these walls was a quite extensive series of L1 structures. In the southern part, BB 800, Wall H had two or three courses of bricks added to the height of its eastern end and the doorway through the wall was blocked. The western end was cut down, as was the north-south Wall N, and covered by a clay and pebble surface, sloping to the south at an angle of 10°. This surface was contained at its southern end by a short east-west wall (T) built against Wall N. There were a number of small installations upon this surface: a short wall and bench, two bricks high, at its eastern side, and an L-shaped double line of stones - very carefully aligned and bedded - at the west. This might perhaps have been intended as the foundation of another wall, forming a sort of baffied entrance with walls N and T, but there were no signs of bricks upon this foundation.

To the north, in BB 900, the room (apparently of L2 date) formed by the walls H, S, W and T, was subdivided by another north-south wall (V) and another east-west (U). The smaller of the two rooms thus formed (Room f) was apparently used as a cooking area. The floor has a considerable build-up of sherds and fragments of basalt querns in a dark ashy matrix. At the northern end of the room a doorway had been contrived by cutting down Wall Wand building a short, thin wall partly across the gap. Although there is no evidence of violent destruction of the building, as there had been in L2, there is some indication that the room had been destroyed rather than abandoned: against the wall at the south end a large platter had been shattered in situ (Fig. 22), and a little further to the north two large jugs had been similarly destroyed in situ. In the other division of the original room (Room e) was a mortar set in the floor near Wall V, and more pottery was broken in situ against the northern wall (Wall W). The centre of the room, however, had been effectively swept clear by the later construction of the built tomb (G404). In the southern part of the room a fire-pit, c. 1.5 m. in diameter spanned the gap between Wall S and the end of Wall U (Fig. 23). This pit was obviously an important and carefully devised installation. Its perimeter was formed of flat, upright stones backed by mud-bricks. Its siting however seems inconvenient: there would have been little or no access space around it and the room would have been divided by it. It is possible that one or other wall was never much more than its present height (c. 50 cm.) and was therefore a kerb rather than a wall. Alternatively, the cross-wall (U) was the end wall of the building and supported a roof which covered half the pit, so that both indoor and outdoor cooking were possible (if indeed its purpose was for cooking). The pit was filled, and over-filled, with fine grey/white ash to a total depth of c. 75 cm.; the fill, in the end, completely burying the perimeter stones. Immediately to the south of the pit a pavement of heavy stones was laid down some 50 cm. above the level of the original pit, apparently to give a secure footing in its later stages of use.

Little can yet be said about the structures in the north-west part of the area (BB 1000). The upper levels were very much disturbed by later graves, some of which (G41 7, 419, and 420) were backed by very heavy boulders. There were the remains of pebble and stone surfaces which, judging by their height, might have been connected with the LI structures in BB goo, but all have been so cut by graves that no direct stratigraphic connection remains. Below these surfaces and the graves, the tops of two walls had emerged by the end of the season. Both are on alignments similar to those of the L2 structures, but their connection must await further examination.

Overall, excavations in 1990 have confirmed that buildings of the L2 phase were well-planned and carefully constructed and that the complex, the whole extent of which may still be larger than the excavated area, is greater than would be expected in houses of the period. Excavation also indicates that the L1 occupation began when many of the L2 structures were still visible, although L1 building was by no means confined to the layout of the earlier period.

Footnotes

1 For the overall site grid, see Pritchard 1985, fig. 176.

2 In 1989, when this area was initiated, it was represented by a single 5 metre square, BB 700. In this most recent season, three further squares were added, BB 800, 900 and 1000. For the sake of convenience however, the term 'BB 700' has been retained as an overall area designation for the purposes of general discussion. Specific locations within the excavation area are therefore indicated in terms of square 700, 800, 900 or 1000.

Tubb and Dorrell (1994) - 7th season of excavations

Excavations on the Upper Tell

Introduction

from Tubb and Dorrell (1994:52-57)

Operations on the Upper Tell were directed towards the so-called 'acropolis' area (Area 31), where in 1964-66 the remains of an impressive public building of the Persian period had been exposed in 31-D/J-4/9 (see Pritchard 1985,60-68 and fig. 185). Although this building was attributed by Pritchard to Stratum III, there was in fact no direct stratigraphic continuity with Stratum IV excavated in the more westerly Area 32. In consequence, the sequence as published tends to suggest a gap in the occupational history of the site from the end of the seventh century B.C. (Stratum IV) to the Persian period (Stratum III) which may not in reality have existed, given the localization of the later phases on the acropolis area only.

The implications of the discontinuity were fully appreciated by the Pennsylvania expedition, and in 1965 an attempt was made to clarify the situation by linking together Areas 31 and 32. The excavation was unfortunately not completed and, although reference is made to the operation in the final report, the full results were not published (Pritchard 1985, 81). In addition, a sounding was made beneath the courtyard of the Stratum III building (squares 31-E/F-6/7) in order to establish the nature of the underlying sequence. Again, however, this sounding was left unfinished, and the only recorded discovery was of a room containing jars of grain, found at a depth of about I m. below the Persian surface (Pritchard 1985,81).

In 1993 excavations on the Upper Tell were designed to repeat the later operation in an attempt to understand the nature and function of the acropolis area prior to the construction of the Stratum III Persian Residency building. Two squares were selected for investigation, 3I-G-7 and, adjacent to the east, 3I-H-7, both well sealed by the intact and well-preserved stone pavings of the Persian building (Fig. 2).

The initial cleaning of the area revealed just how beautifully the pavings had survived, with virtually no stones having been displaced since their uncovering in the Ig60s (Fig. 3). Removal of the courtyard stones and the foundations of the north-south wall (in 3I-H-7) revealed, at a depth of only 15-20 cm. beneath, the remains of a poorly preserved surface, bearing traces of heavily weathered plaster and associated with numerous pits and ashy patches (Fig. 4). To the east the surface was found to run up to a substantial but severely disrupted wall, go cm. wide, orientated north-south, and consisting in its lower part of four courses of large stones (Fig. 5). The uppermost course must be considered as part of the superstructure, since it was against this that the floor surface extended, but it is clear that above this course, the wall had been constructed of mud-brick: the whole of the square to the east was filled with mud-bricks which had obviously been pushed over, off the footings, and levelled in preparation for the laying of the Stratum III courtyard. The impression gained is that this north-south wall defines the eastern limit of a courtyard (future excavation will have to determine whether it represents the western wall of the east wing of a large complex). Certainly the associated surface, which occupied the western half of 3I-H-7 and the whole of 3I-G-7, had all the appearances of a large and probably open courtyard. A number of hearths were found, and also a number of pits, the most interesting of which contained layered deposits composed of cattle bones at the top, fish bones in the middle and bird bones at the bottom (Fig. 6).

Below the courtyard of what is here defined as Stratum IIIBI a second, rather similar surface was found, also in direct association with the same north-south wall. The two surfaces were separated by what appeared to be a levelling fill, 20 cm. deep at the approach to the wall, but as much as 50 cm. deep at the west end of3I-G-7. This second surface (IIIC) was similar in nature to the first, with pits, hearths and ashy depressions, but was better preserved, and had embedded in it, against the north-south wall, a stretch offlat stone paving extending westwards for about a metre. A corresponding surface was found to the east of the wall, and this bore upon it an unusual oval-shaped oven, constructed of clay (Fig. 7). A preliminary examination of the pottery from IIIB and IIIC suggests a date for both phases within the latter part of the sixth century B.C.

At a depth of about one metre below the Persian period (IlIA) courtyard, a third courtyard level (IIID) was reached. The surface in this case was composed of small cobbles, pebbles and sherds, carefully laid, and set into a clay/plaster matrix. No associated architecture was found within the limits of the excavated area, and a one-metre trench extended southwards along the eastern side of square 3 I-G-6 failed to produce any evidence for a limiting wall on the south side either. Two large tannurs were found set into the surface, but in other respects little can be said of this phase, except that, in terms of absolute depth, it could correspond to the phase revealed by Pritchard to the west, in which he found the room containing grain jars (see above). Again, the pottery would indicate a dating within the sixth century for Stratum IIID.

A more restricted sounding was conducted below the pebble courtyard in the south-east corner of 3 I-G-7. Almost directly beneath the surface a massive wall was found running east-west. Composed ofa boulder core with a mud-brick facing, the wall, only part of which was exposed along the south side of 3 I-G-7, must have been in excess of 1.5 m. in width. Three main phases of usage, represented by discrete and separate surface packages, were identified as being in direct association with this wall. The uppermost (IIIE), which was only 15 cm. lower than the preserved top of the wall, was thickly covered with pale green marl plaster which had been carried up against the wall face. It showed signs of having been severely weathered, and contained virtually no material. Part of a well-constructed mud-brick installation belonging to this phase (IIIE) was found in the lowest excavation level in the adjacent 3I-H-7 (Fig. 8). A second, less coherent, surface was found (IIIF) at a depth of approximately 1.80 m. below the IlIA level, and yet a third (IIIG) at about 2.40 m. The lowest surface was found to be associated with a dense layer of burnt mud-brick debris and ashes, and would appear to represent a destruction level. The small quantity of pottery recovered from the IIIG surface would tend to place this phase in the late eighth century B.C., and it is tempting to relate it to Stratum V in area 32, which also shows similar evidence for destruction (see Pritchard 1985, 15-38). Such a correlation is. however, premature, and can only await further detailed investigation.

Area 24-F-2

from Tubb and Dorrell (1994:58-59)

A single 4-metre square was opened, 20 metres north of the Persian residency in 24-F-2. The objective here was to establish whether there were any domestic remains of the Hellenistic or Persian periods on the more elevated eastern side of the tell, but away from the acropolis (no such remains have been found on the western side, where the uppermost surviving phase is Stratum IV).

The results were inconclusive. Directly below topsoil was found a layer of heavily eroded and weathered mud-brick debris and stone tumble, but no coherent structures could be discerned, and no intact surfaces could be recorded. Some Hellenistic sherds were found within this layer, but these could quite easily have been washed down from the acropolis.

Below the layer of weathered mud-brick debris, a large pit was encountered, nearly 2 m. in diameter and approximately 1.40 m. in depth. The pit was identical in every respect to those excavated in Area 32 belonging to Stratum IV. It contained at its base the distinctive chaffy deposit which may represent the residue of threshing used as animal feed.

The implications of the results in 24-F-2 are significant, for it is clear that the succession of phases (IIIB-IIIG) isolated on the acropolis did not exist away from the acropolis. The Persian residency may represent the last of a series of similar buildings, covering the late seventh and sixth centuries whose function might have been strategic in either the military or the administrative sense. On neither the western side nor now the northern side of the Upper Tell has any evidence been found for domestic settlement following the destruction of Stratum V towards the end of the eighth century B.C. and it would appear, therefore, that this destruction brought about a major change in function of Tell es-SaCidiyeh; from a habitation centre linked to industry and commerce to what was little more than a strategic outpost serving the needs of the prevailing political powers.

Excavations on the Lower Tell

BB 700

from Tubb and Dorrell (1994:59-65)

In area BB 700 (squares 700-1000) work continued on the excavation of the extensive Early Bronze II complex (Fig. 9). During the 1993 season it was hoped to record fully and to remove the latest of the Early Bronze occupation levels, L1, and to reveal at least the greater part of the underlying level, L2.

It had become clear during the 1991 season that this latest level was more extensive and more solidly built than had been previously thought. Following the disastrous and apparently widespread fire which had destroyed L2, occupation was re-established at first only as a few fireplaces, pits, and patched walls. Later however, perhaps after only a few years, a more solid and considered re-building was undertaken (Fig. 10). The southern half of the area - BB 700 and 800 - was apparently levelled and in part pebble-paved, but probably remained as an open space. In the north-east corner however - BB 900 - the burnt debris o fL2 was levelled, built up where necessary, and compacted. As was described in the report on the 1992 season (Tubb and Dorrell 1993), new walls were built partly upon the stubs of the old, and between the end of one of these, Wall U, and tangentially to another, Wall S, a circular pit was sunk from the surface. This was carefully, even elaborately constructed, with a base of flat stones and a surround of steeply inclined flat stones about 0.40 m. deep, backed by mud-bricks (Fig. 11). In the later phase of the Ll occupation the pit was certainly used to hold fires, and over a long period. It was completely filled, and overflowing, with fine grey ash. When its excavation was complete, however, it became clear that fire was not its original purpose. The floor-stones and the surround were set in hard-packed clay, and at this level there was no sign of blackening or burning. Its original purpose seems more likely to have been for the containment of some liquid. At its junction with the east-west wall there was a carefully-built ledge or seat of stone slabs, so positioned that a person sitting in it would have had their feet in the basin. During the course of the occupation of this room its floor-level rose by about 0.5 m., and at this level another north-south wall (Wall V) or partition was built, dividing the room into two smaller compartments.

The eastern compartment thus formed had served for the cooking or preparation of food and contained many broken cooking pots, grinding stones and ash. During this final use of the building (provisionally designated L1b) ash from the pit - the surround-stones of which were by now well below floor level - reached a depth of about 0.7 m. and flowed over the low wall to the west and against the stub of a pre-existing L2 wall farther to the west. West of this wall the L I phase was probably present only as a pebble pavement, although the area was so cut about by later graves that no direct stratigraphical link could be established.

The general impression of L1 is that it was established within a few years of the L2 destruction, following the same general layout where it existed or was visible, and that, as with L2, the occupation was more than purely domestic. Certainly the stone-lined pit, in both its uses, was 'larger than would be expected in a single dwelling. The architecture of the period, however, remains as puzzling as ever. As was mentioned in the last report, the circle of the pit was tangential to one wall - even if that wall was not of full height - and its opposite side was hard against another, radially placed wall. The positioning, moreover, was by no means careless or random: where the circle brushed the wall on the one side a packing of bricks had been inserted to back the stones of the surround hard against the wall; while on the other, the space between the circle and the wall radial to it had been carefully and exactly filled by the stone platform or bench. There cannot therefore have been easy or immediate access from the southern part of the room to the northern. As an additional puzzle, two walls of the room - the eastern and the southern - show every sign of having stood to full height (at present they stand to about 1.5 m.), while the northern and western seem never to have been more than stubs (the western because ash ran over it, and the northern because two doorways appear to have run over rather than through it). The roof, if roof there was, could have been supported on posts, but there is no sign of post-holes or supporting columns.

The character of the underlying L2 occupation had been established when the south-west corner of the Area - BB 700 - was first excavated in 1989 (Fig. 12). The excavation was extended to the east in the following year, revealing a sunken room entered by steps down from the north. During the present season the excavation of the room was completed, the walls standing to a height of some 2.5 m. (Fig. 13). Five steps down gave access to a platform about 0.4 m. high which occupied the north-east corner of the room. The room was about 3 m. wide and more than 4 m. long: its southern limit lay beyond the south baulk and was not reached. On the floor of the room were the crushed remains of twelve or thirteen very large narrow-necked storage jars, suggesting that the room was used for the cool storage of liquid, perhaps oil or wine (Fig. 14). On the surface on which the jars rested were found several groups of bivalve shells. These have not yet been examined or classified, but they are of a type familiar from previous single finds and as components of necklaces in later graves. Each had been pierced at the umbo, by chipping rather than by abrasion, presumably to allow for stringing. Hitherto such shells had been thought of simply as ornaments, as not very valuable components of necklaces or bracelets, but the number found here (192 all told) and their position, with jars in a storeroom, suggest that they may have served as some sort of tallies or counters, or even, conceivably, as units of currency.

The base of the L2 level was not reached in the north-east square, BB goo, and a considerable fill of burnt debris remains to be excavated before its limits can be established.

As with the L1 levels, the L2 floors in the north-west area, BB 1000, were partly disrupted by later grave-cutting, but it was established that the L2 wall running parallel with the north baulk in BB 900 (Wall W) continued westward and that a short and rather poorly-built wall connected this with the second major east-west wall running along the north side of BB 700-800. No convincing western wall has yet been found to complete the room thus formed, but there are extensive patches of floor, and a door-socket at the appropriate height to show the elevation of the room. There did appear, however, to be some difference in height between the L2 levels west and east, and excavation of the area in BB 1000 to the north of the northernmost east-west wall- an area no more than 1 m. wide - revealed a shallow brick staircase running up from west to east, bounded on its northern side by a narrow stone-based mud-brick wall (Fig. 15). The stairs appear to turn northward at the top, although clarification of this must await further excavation.

Excavation of the L2 levels confirmed the impression of earlier seasons: walls and rooms were carefully designed and constructed, and of larger- than-domestic scale. Nowhere was there very much build-up of occupation debris, although there was a considerable depth of destruction debris in places, implying either that the period of occupation was short, or that rooms were kept clean down to their original surfaces. Where there were groups of broken pottery, resulting from the fire and collapse that marked the end of L2, nearly all were resting directly on the floors of the rooms, without any intervening build-up of occupation debris.

In the course of the excavation of L2, especially in the area of BB 1000, it became clear that most of the walls of the period were founded on the stumps of earlier walls, and that the walls of this earlier period - L3 - had followed the same general plan and orientation. In most places the stratigraphic relationships were clear and unambiguous; in the few places where they were not, interpretation was greatly helped by the quite different characteristics of the brick-work of the three periods.

Only in one area of BB 1000 was a room (or possibly a courtyard) of L3 completely exposed (Fig. 16). It was fairly small, about 2 m. in width, and its length was excavated from some 2.7 m. It had niches cut into the walls some 0.30 m. above floor level, a peculiarity of the period also encountered in a narrow sondage taken down to L3 level between BB 800 and 900. This sondage ran along the north side of Wall H, and thus revealed a section across the doorway into Room d, and showed evidence of the careful planning attendant on the rebuilding between L3 and L2. In L3 the room to the north of the wall had a fine pink-white plaster floor, curving up to the wall and to the sides of the doorway into Room d, the floor-levels north and south of the doorway being then about the same height. During the L2 rebuilding the levels to the north of the wall were raised by about 75 cm. and the doorway blocked up to ths level wth mudbricks and stones. But the floor-level of Room d was not similarly raised; rather it was deliberately left as a sunken - and therefore presumably cooler- storeroom, now entered down a short flight of steps.

All the signs suggest that the L2 rebuild of the L3 structure was planned and deliberate: surfaces were raised and levelled-up by about 0.5 m. before the walls were rebuilt and slight remaining differences in floor height between rooms were compensated for by steps at the sills. A small sounding below the L3 surface in BB 1000 revealed some 0.4 m. of silt and then a level of burnt destruction debris with a wall running on quite a different orientation to those above. Clearly there is at least one earlier phase still to be excavated.

Towards the end of the season a start was made on excavating another square, BB 1100, to the north of the existing four in this area. As was expected, its upper levels contained a number of burials, but the tops of walls of the EB werejust beginning to emerge when work ceased.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996) - 8th season of excavations

Excavations on the Lower Tell

Introduction

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:17-18)

With a greater number of exposures available for examination on the Lower Tell, more information has been forthcoming regarding the topography of the underlying bedrock, which in turn has led to a clearer understanding of the disposition of the Early Bronze Age architecture, and also of the contemporary horizons from which the graves of both the Late Bronze Age and the Persian period cemeteries had been cut. It is now apparent that the bedrock of the Lower Tell is not on a uniform, horizontal level, but rather is in the form of a northward facing horseshoe, rising on a gradient to the north. The arms of the horseshoe, therefore, represent elevations of the bedrock to the east and west, with a depression to the south and centre of the mound. The recognition of this situation has helped to rationalize, in particular, the changes in absolute level of the Early Bronze Age architecture in Area BB 700, and also the extensions of these changes to the west (Area DD) and north (Areas BB (100-600) and JJ). With regard to the cemetery, in locations where high ground existed (on the northern, western and eastern parts of the Lower Tell), Early Bronze Age architectural remains, through the processes of weathering and erosion, would still have been, for the most part, visible even until the Persian Period, and use could readily have been made of appropriate wall angles to provide partial enclosure for the graves. This indeed appears to have been the preference as substantiated by the results of Pritchard's excavations on the north side (1980) and subsequent researches in Areas DD and BB 1200.

Area BB 700

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:18-20)

In 1995 Area BB 700 (this taken as a general name to include Areas 700-1000) was extended to the north and east in order to establish the extent and layout of what in previous seasons had already appeared to be a large complex with separated areas perhaps devoted to industrial activities. In the eastern section, BB 1200, occupation surfaces were found related to all three of the main phases of Early Bronze II architecture: L1 L2, and L3. These lay against, or in the case of the uppermost phase L1, over the top of a main north-south wall still standing to a height of some 2.5 m., which had been twice rebuilt during its lifetime. The position of the latest Early Bronze surfaces show that in this. phase their walls stood some 2 m. above the present surface of the tell. A sounding in the southern part of this area revealed occupation levels below the earliest main phase yet excavated. The main east-west walls of the central area were found to continue eastward, indicating that the eastern limit of the complex is yet to be reached.

The northern extension, BB 1200, disclosed in the L2 phase a series of rooms opening from the top of a staircase leading up from the central area. The staircase was built partly over an earlier and shallower flight of steps, and the differences in elevation, both north to south and east to west, suggest strongly that in this period the site was terraced up a pre-existing slope. The stratigraphy is complex at this point, and further complicated by a vertical displacement of the strata by some 25 cm., caused either by settling or by earth movement, but there do appear to be two separate burnt levels within the same main building phase (Fig. 2). The room at the head of the stairs was heavily burnt and contained a number of smashed but reconstructable vessels, of a range of sizes and types (Fig. 3). In an area even farther to the north, BBI300, a similar burnt level, and a similar deposit of pottery was found at a higher elevation again.

The excavations confirmed the observation made in previous seasons, that Phase L2 was built over, and used many of the same wall-lines as, the previous phase L3. The earlier phase seems to have been rather more substantially built, and to a somewhat less complicated plan. As yet no evidence has emerged to explain the decision to rebuild most, if not all, of the complex, beyond the simple possibility that continuing occupation may have left the floor surfaces of L3 below the general exterior ground level. There is no evidence that L3 was destroyed by fire, and most of the re-used L3 walls appear to have been in good condition with no signs of earthquake movements. A sounding made below the L3 levels in the central area revealed two earlier phases of occupation. It is not yet known whether the architecture of these phases was of a layout similar to the later complex, or whether it lay on quite different lines.

Area DD

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:20-21)

As the operations in Area BB 700 have developed and expanded during the past three seasons, and it has become clearer that the architecture represents, not a series of individual domestic housing units, but rather a unified construction, most probably related to industrial or commercial usage, it seemed appropriate to re-evaluate the results of the excavations undertaken in 1985 to 1987 in Area DD on the south-west side of the Lower Tell. In this area two superimposed occupation phases (Strata L2 and L3) had been defined, but the architecture, severely damaged by erosion, was poorly characterized (see Tubb 1988, 48-58). In 1995, Area DD was re-opened with a series of trenches (DD 700-900). extending eastwards with the intention of establishing a connection, or a discontinuity, with the architecture of BB 700 (Fig. 4).

The most significant finding in this area was a single, unbroken wall-line providing an unequivocal link between the original DD and BB 700 (Fig. 5). The wall, which was seen to follow the topography of the Lower Tell, manifested itself as either foundations, foundations with mud-brick superstructure, or mud-brick superstructure alone, depending on the level of the bedrock and consequent erosion or silting. In DD 900, at least one major terracing operation had been required in order to accommodate the substantial drop in level to the low point of the mound in BB 700. Changes in level were facilitated through the use of built staircases, three examples of which were found. In DD 700 part of a pebble-paved surface, most probably representing a courtyard, was found in association with the southern face of the main east-west wall, and cut into this surface was a well constructed stone-lined and capped drain (Figs. 6-7). Against the wall, and partially sunk into the surface, was a small mud-brick and plaster-lined bath. This feature was provided with its own conduit, which was seen to feed into the main drain. Along the length of the main east-west linking wall, a number of returns were identified, and through a series of limited probes it has been possible to realize a more extensive plan which fully integrates the architecture excavated in Area DD in 1985-87 with that of the more recently excavated BB 700 (see Fig. 8). It is now clear that the published Stratum L2 plan for Area DD (Tubb 1988, fig. 27) does not represent a single building as previously stated (ibid., 49), but may well be seen instead as the western entrance to the commercial complex of which the architecture of Areas DD, BB 700, and also BB 100-600, all forms a part.

Area JJ

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:23-24)

The highest point of the Lower Tell is on the north side where the bedrock rises to a bluff overlooking the wadi bed of the Kufrinjeh. It was on this side in the 1960s that the University of Pennsylvania expedition excavated a series of graves dating to the thirteenth and twelfth centuries B.C. (see Pritchard Ig80 for details). These graves had, as recorded by Pritchard, made use of standing architectural remains, which were recognized at the time as belonging to the Early Bronze Age. The degree of weathering on this side of the tell has been considerable, and the remains planned by the American team (Pritchard 1g80, fig. 2) represent foundational courses only, all traces of the related floor surfaces having been lost through erosion.

At the beginning of the season there appeared to be, however, at least two rows of stones visible on the surface, below the summit on the north slope. It therefore seemed a worthwhile exercise to examine the situation on this part of the Lower Tell once again. Three small soundings were extended across the northern summit, beyond the northernmost limit of the Pennsylvania excavation area, in an attempt to establish the connections between the stones eroding from the slope and the architectural horizon recorded by the Americans (Fig. 14). The results of the soundings revealed the extremely weathered and disrupted remains of what appeared to be a city wall (Fig. 15). Founded on, and built into, the slope of the mound, the wall comprised three elements; an outer wall, a passageway, and an inner wall. The outer wall, in order to cope with the rising elevation of the slope, was built as two units with terraced foundations, and it was these two foundation courses which were visible on the surface prior to excavation. The outer wall was approximately 1.50 m. thick, and the inner wall about 75 cm. Between the two walls the passageway, which was roughly pebble-paved, was about a metre wide, therefore creating a defensive system of total width 3.25 m. The wall itself, and the area behind the wall, were severely disturbed by pits and fire places, and little remained of contemporary surfaces associable with the inner face of the inner wall. In one of the soundings, the remains of a well-laid mud-brick paving were revealed, extending from the back of the inner wall southwards for a distance of some 2.50 m., but in the other two soundings, erosion had been so severe that the natural qattarah was exposed only 2 cm. below the surface. It has not been possible, therefore, to define the internal stratigraphic relationships of the city wall, nor indeed to relate the wall to the established sequence of the areas on the central, south, and south-western side of the mound. It is clear, however, from the sounding which produced the paving that the city wall and its associated surfaces must pre-date the latest phase of occupation, since there was a system of walls, visible in the south section, which must in their northward extension have overlaid the paving. Furthermore, it is apparent that this later wall-system is of the same phase as those recorded by Pritchard in the area further to the south (see above). Given the known sequence (L1, L2, L3) in Area BB 700, and given that there was some evidence to indicate that the mud-brick paving had been burnt on its surface, it would be tempting to suggest that the city wall belongs to the destruction horizon, Stratum L2, but substantiation for this idea must await further investigation.

Excavations on the Upper Tell

Area AA

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:24-30)

This Area had been extensively excavated from 1985 to 1989, and was instrumental in defining the primary stratigraphic sequence for the Upper Tell. The lovvermost phase reached by the end of the 1989 season was Stratum XII, recognized as a phase of Egyptian occupation corresponding with the Late Bronze Age cemetery on the Lower Tell. Associated with an intense destruction horizon, datable to the mid-twelfth century B.C., Stratum XII has subsequently been investigated in numerous exposures where its architecture has consistently revealed purely Egyptian construction techniques. In 1987 the south-east corner of Area AA produced the impressive remains of an Egyptian Governor's Residency (Tubb Ig88, 40-4 I and fig. 15).

Initially this season's work was concerned with the clarification and resolution of residual problems relating to the construction of this important building. On the eastern side of the building an elaborately constructed series of stone terraces was found, descending northwards to a wide and previously unobserved entranceway (Fig. 16), and a similar northern entranceway was revealed at the base of the previously excavated stepped passageway which flanks the western side of the building. In the latter case, the entrance was found to have been blocked with a carefully laid mud-brick wall which had been set in position prior to the destruction (Fig. 17). The function of both of these large entranceways is unknown, but it may be significant that they are oriented towards the head of the water-system staircase on the north side of the tell.

Operations to establish and define the underlying stratigraphic sequence were confined to a restricted sounding within the residency building itself (Fig. 18). Examination of the Stratum XII walls revealed, as anticipated, the characteristically Egyptian method of construction, with deeply trenched mudbrick foundations extending to well over a metre and a half in depth, with no use of stone. The disruption to the phases preceding Stratum XII was therefore clearly considerable, but by executing the soundings within the confines of well defined architectural units it was possible to establish a coherent sub-XII stratigraphic sequence. Remains of Stratum XIII consisted of an east-west wall running along the north side of the sounding with an associated cobbled surface on the eastern side extending southwards. To the west, and separated from the cobbled surface by a poorly defined wall, was found a plastered floor bearing a large number of loom weights. During the excavation of Stratum XIII an interesting feature appeared on the north-east side of the sounding, which can be related to the small temple of Stratum XIA uncovered in the 1986 season (see Tubb 1988, 37-39 and fig. 13). Taking the form of a small constructed tunnel cutting into the northern and eastern walls of the Stratum XII Residency and partially into the east-west wall of Stratum XIII, this feature was most probably an undergroundfavissa serving the temple. Access to the favissa was by way of a northward descending passageway which followed the exterior of the temple's eastern wall. This approach was terminated at the entrance of the favissa by a large flat limestone slab (Fig. 19). Removal of the slab revealed the interior deposit consisting of a dense clay-like fill containing a large number of animal bones including those of deer, and pottery which was both weathered and heavily stained. The rnaterial from the favissa is fully consistent with the tenth-century date of Stratum XIA as previously adduced.

With regard to Stratum XIII itself, although relatively little material was recovered, a dating in the second quarter of the twelfth century would seem to be indicated. The sequence below Stratum XIII was only examined in a limited exposure. Two underlying phases were isolated, the upper of which (Stratum XIV) was relatively poor, both architecturally and in terms of the associated finds. Generally the walls were on the same alignment as those of Stratum XIII but were far less well constructed. Beneath, Stratum XV showed evidence for having been destroyed. Part of a wall was revealed with an associated cobble-paved surface upon which were found to be resting several complete pottery vessels, including a collared-rim store-jar (Fig. 20). These two phases, Strata XIV and XV, should be dated to the end of the thirteenth and the very beginning of the twelfth centuries B.C.

Area KK

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:30-31)

In 1995 a new area was initiated on the steep south slope of the Upper Tell (Fig. 2 I). The intention here was to create a step-trench to both correlate and check the stratigraphic sequence on the western side of the tell (Area EE) and also to provide an insight into the phases underlying Stratum XII. In the first respect the results fully substantiated the stratigraphic situation found in Area EE (see Tubb 1988, 4 I-46, for details of this area), namely that Stratum VII appears directly below Stratum V and directly overlies Stratum XII, confirming the view that many of the intervening phases (Strata VI, VIII, IX, X, and XI) were of limited extent and failed to reach the outer edges of the tell's surface. Little of architectural value could be determined for either Stratum V or Stratum VII within the somewhat limited excavation area. An interesting terracotta figurine representing a woman playing a tambourine was found belonging to Stratum V (Fig. 22). Otherwise the finds for these two phases were unremarkable.

For Stratum XII, with a larger area available for excavation, a more extensive architectural plan could be developed. The main feature was a north-south pebble-paved alleyway separating two mud-brick building units (Figs. 23-24). At the southern end of the alley two steps gave access to a street running from east to west. This street might well have been situated behind the city wall, all remains of which have eroded away down the south slope of the tell. Little can be said of the western building unit, as this lies almost entirely beyond the limit of excavation. The eastern unit, however, revealed part of a room with a well executed stone-paved surface (Fig. 25). The whole of the interior was filled to a depth of nearly a metre and a half with dense destruction debris consisting of burnt mud-brick, ashes and charred timber. The alley, being an exterior surface, was relatively free of this debris, but showed a characteristic feature of Stratum XII, a heavy stone blocking set across its point of entry, prior to the destruction, preventing access from the street.

With regard to the phases underlying Stratun1 XII, due to the depth of this phase and its internal complexities little was determined this season. The southern wall of the Stratum XII building described above was built against the northern wall of an earlier structure, the architectural extension of which appears to continue to the south. This building, about which very little is yet known, contained within a corner formed by its northern wall and a north-south return on the western side an inset storage jar. It clearly belongs to a phase preceding Stratum XII, but it cannot presently be related in any way to Stratum XIII as defined in Area AA: it can only be defined as 'pre-XII'.

Area MM

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:31-33)

One of the aspects of the topography of Tell es-Saeidiyeh that has often been noted is the apparent depression on the north-east slope of the Upper Tell. In order to investigate this feature a new area (111M) was opened in 1995. As anticipated the results of the excavations here demonstrated the existence of a main entrance to the city, and in fact two phases of usage were revealed (Fig. 26). The lower phase, belonging to Stratum XII, took the form of an indirect access approach. The pebble-paved road, patches of which could be observed at various points on the north-east slope of the tell surface, ascended the mound from the north-east, and entered a 4 m. wide vaulted mud-brick passageway through the casemate city wall. Beyond the rear face of the city wall, the road was seen to turn through go degrees southwards. This turn was effected by means of a gate chamber, the structure of which has not yet been fully defined. Both the gate chamber and the vaulted passageway were filled with the characteristic burnt destruction debris associated with Stratum XII, as seen consistently throughout the Upper Tell excavations.

Although undoubtedly an impressive structure, the Stratum XII gateway was found to be only partially preserved owing to the extensive modifications to the access approach undertaken in the eighth century B.C. During the period of Stratum V, a new gate complex was built which, whilst continuing to use the pre-existing Stratum XII approach road, required an alteration to the direction of access, converting it from indirect to direct. Over the site of the Stratum XII gate chamber a massive rectangular tower was constructed (Fig. 27), the foundations of which removed not only much of the earlier superstructure, but also the continuation of the Stratum XII road-way on the south side. Between this tower and its presumed counterpart on the south side the Stratum V road was laid, about 5 m. wide, pebble-paved and deeply bedded, indeed to such an extent that all traces of the Stratum XII casemate city wall had been removed at this point. In absolute terms then, the Stratum V access road lay approximately 5 m. to the south of the Stratum XII approach road and was more deeply founded. A massive terrace filling of large stones was therefore placed in front of the northern gate tower, which had the effect of bending the Stratum V road around a broad curve to meet the earlier Stratum XII approach road (Fig. 28). The floor of the excavated northern gate tower was only partially preserved since the northern half lay close to the tell's surface and had been lost through erosion. Where extant this floor was pebble-paved and was overlaid with a deposit of burnt mud-brick debris and ashes indicative of a destruction. It is the presence of this burnt material, together with the ceramic evidence, which has enabled an attribution of the upper gateway to Stratum V. As established on the western side of the tell, Stratum V is the only eighth-century horizon showing evidence of destruction.

Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997) - 9th season of excavations

Excavations on the Lower Tell

Introduction

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:55-58)

Excavations were conducted in three main areas on the Lower Tell in 1996: in Areas BB 700 and DD, both continued from previous seasons, and in Area NN, newly initiated this year. The archaeological record in these areas consists of three main components: the Early Bronze Age II commercial building (or buildings) in Areas BB 700 and DD (see Field I Plan - Fig. 3), the subsequent burials (Late Bronze-Iron I, Persian period and later) in the same two areas, and in Area NN a city wall belonging to the Early Bronze I period.

At the end of the 1995 season excavations had established that the architectural remains in Area BB 700 belonged to the same phase and were on the same line of orientation as those previously uncovered in Area DD, and indeed, since no external walls had at this point been defined for the architecture of either area, there appeared to be some possibility that the buildings, despite substantial changes in level, might be continuous and form part of the same integral complex. Consequently, the initial strategy for this season's excavations was to expand the plan of the building so that its dimensions, orientation, and overall purpose could better be understood. It was, however, fully recognized that before this could be achieved it would first be necessary to demonstrate with more solidity the stratigraphic and physical continuity of the two areas. Therefore the whole length of the linkage trench between BB 700 and DD, which in 1995 had only been explored in a series of limited soundings, was fully excavated, exposing all walls and associated surfaces down to the stratum L2 level (as established in BB 700). This was predicted to be a relatively straightforward operation, but in fact its execution was considerably hampered by the presence of large number of later period burials. These burials, often deliberately set along the edges of walls and in corners between walls, had caused gross disturbance to the Early Bronze Age architecture, removing in many cases much of the stratigraphic information crucial to any complete understanding of the situation, particularly in circumstances where changes in absolute level (by means of terraces or steps) were suspected. In this respect, whilst in previous seasons the effects of seismic activity had been observed in individual details within the EB II architecture, it was only this year that the wider implications of these geological disturbances in relation to their impact on the archaeological record were recognized more fully. For although at certain points terraces and staircases had undoubtedly been used to create changes in level within the same phase of architecture, it is now clear that their usage has often been exaggerated or misunderstood due to the effects of faults or slips, sometimes as great as 50 cm. The disruption caused by such faults to floor surfaces is clearly very great, producing completely artificial ledges or even steps which must now be taken into account in any interpretation of the architecture (Fig. 5).

Area BB 700

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60)

The main objectives for Area BB 700 in 1996 were two-fold; firstly to clarify the complicated stratigraphic situation in the north-western part of the area (BB 1000 - see Fig. 4 for locations of specific general loci within Area BB 700), where in 1993 an unusual mud-brick staircase had been found (see Tubb and Dorrell 1994, figs. 12 and 15), and secondly, to expand the area to the north, in an attempt to demonstrate architectural continuity (or discontinuity) of the Stratum L2 industrial complex with the poorly preserved and fragmentary remains of the same phase, previously excavated in BB 100-600 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, fig. 8).

With regard to the first of these objectives, continued excavation in BB 1000 revealed an even more complicated situation than had been anticipated. As defined in 1993, this part of the industrial complex comprised a small, roughly square, sunken room, with a crushing basin set into the floor, and to the east a second, slightly larger room disposed at a somewhat higher level. These two rooms were bounded to the north by an east-west running wall which formed the southern containment for a mud-brick staircase, ascending to the east before turning northwards, which appeared to continue the architecture of the complex further north at a higher level (see Tubb and Dorrell 1994, fig. 12). The small sunken room showed two discrete floor surfaces and on the basis of the results from elsewhere in BB 700 these were assumed to correspond to Strata L2 (upper) and L3 (lower) (ibid., 64). Further research in 1995 revealed two layers of destruction associated with the staircase, a finding which led to the suggestion that this part of the complex had been subjected to two, possibly quite localized, destructions, both within Stratum L2 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 19 and fig. 2).

Resolution of the problems relating to this area was found this season with the removal of the staircase and the associated rooms to the south. Beneath the staircase was found an earlier, similar structure, and below the surfaces of the sunken room and its more elevated eastern neighbor was found a single large room with a well-constructed entrance on the western side and a quarter-circular fire pit in the south-eastern corner (Fig. 6). A low stone bench (not a wall foundation as it may appear from the photograph) running north-south across the room provided some form of division, but its purpose is unknown beyond the observation that it bore at its northern end a large stone basin. The floor surface was of fine white plaster and, where excavations penetrated beneath it, grey ashy banded deposits were found, typical of Stratum L3. In other words the large single room with its fire pit and western entrance clearly belongs to Stratum L2 and represents the initial construction in this part of the complex. Associated with this phase is the first staircase. At a later stage, still within the duration of Stratum L2, the room was modified to create the previously excavated plan (Tubb and Dorrell 1994, fig. 12), with its sunken room to the west and more elevated room to the east. It was this phase that was destroyed by fire, bringing Stratum L2 to an end. It is interesting to note that the stone basin, situated on top of the bench of the earlier phase, was incorporated into the floor of the sunken room, where it was provided with a surrounding circle of small pebbles for use as a crushing installation (compare Fig. 6 with Tubb and Dorrell 1994, fig. 16).

Further examination of the stratigraphy relating to the second (destroyed) L2 phase made it quite clear also that there had not been, in fact, two separate destructions in this area. Instead the evidence should be interpreted as two horizons of the same destruction, the construction in BB 1000 having consisted of two storeys. In other words, the two layers of destruction apparent in the section of the second phase staircase (Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, fig. 2) and the two apparent surfaces found within the second phase sunken room do not imply two chronologically isolated destructions, but instead have resulted from the second storey roof, wall and floor collapse falling on top of the debris of the first.

The second main undertaking in Area BB 700 was an expansion to the north, continuing the examination of the suite of rooms leading off at right angles from the landing at the top of the BB 1000 staircase begun in 1995 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 19 and fig. 8). Stratigraphically these rooms, although at a higher absolute level, are continuous with Stratum L2 elsewhere in BB 700 and show similar evidence for destruction by fire. In 1995 the first room to be encountered (in BB 1100) contained, beneath the substantial depth of destruction debris, fine deposits of badly crushed but complete pottery vessels (ibid., 19). More vessels, for the most part store jars and cooking pots, were found this season as the excavation reached the apparent floor surface (Fig. 7). Again, however, it was seen that the destruction debris continued below the surface on which the pots rested, and persisted for another 50 cm. before reaching a second surface. It seems clear, therefore, that the same situation prevails here as in BB 1000 to the south of the staircase; namely that the part of the building found in BB 1100 was of two-storey construction. This being the case, the upper destruction debris can be interpreted as the roof and wall collapse of the upper storey and the surface with pottery as the fallen first floor - both deposits having slumped into the lower storey with its own layer of burnt debris resting on its floor. The lower floor contained a carefully-made stone-lined pit, some 50 cm. deep. Its original purpose was probably to hold liquids, although it was subsequently used as a fire-pit (Fig. 8).

With the completion of excavation of BB 1100 down to the L2 surface, the baulk between this square and BB 1400 to the north was removed. This operation revealed a heavily-burned wall, running east-west across the area (Fig. 9). North of this wall, which showed extensive evidence for severe disruption by faulting, a further room was excavated, its walls standing to a height of some 1.5 m. Once again it was clear that this room had existed on two levels, not only from the two horizons of deconstruction debris, but also from the interesting series of internal buttresses

Area DD

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:61-65)

During the 1996 season, one of the most significant operations in Area DD was conducted at its easternmost end, in the area directly adjacent to the south-western side of Area BB 700 (see Fig. 4 for location of specific loci within Area DD). Here in 1995 a small sounding had shown the presence of a well-preserved wall which appeared to continue the Stratum L2 architecture of BB 700 westwards (see Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - Wall F). Initially this sounding was expanded and, after establishing the validity of the connection, a larger area was opened to the south and west. By combining the results of these operations, below a number of somewhat ephemeral features belonging to the later Stratum L1 occupation (patches of pebble surface, irregularly constructed mud-brick kerb walls and hearths - Fig. 10), a suite of three well built rooms of Stratum L2 was defined and excavated (Fig. 1 1). The smallest of the rooms (about 1.5 m. wide by 5 m. long), the extreme eastern end of which had been previously excavated within Area BB 700 (Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - contained by walls M, C and F), contained a remarkable deposit of ceramic vessels which included store-jars, large red-slipped and burnished platters, small bowls, various Abydos-type vessels, and an unusual jug with an internal strainer (Figs. 12- 13). The position of the vessels within the room was also of interest. The small bowls, for example, were found stacked one on top of each other, and possibly inside a store-jar (Fig. 14). Other artefacts from this room included a collection of fine flint blades, over 2000 beads of faience, stone and carnelian, and a copper alloy axe-head. The environmental deposits from the room were also of an exceptional quality, with large quantities of charred grain and chaff as well as charred olives, grapes, figs, capers and a whole charred pomegranate. Many of the pottery vessels contained what are almost certainly food residues on their surfaces. From the nature of the deposits, artefactual and environmental, it would seem that this room served as a type of 'scullery', the pottery vessels with their adhering food remains having been returned from the dining room, ready to be washed up, when the fire broke out which was to consume the complex and bring Stratum L2 to a close. The position of the dining room is not known, but it could well have been one of the larger, adjacent (and adjoining) rooms described below. It is interesting to observe, however, that the table 'setting' was apparently for eleven - 11 bowls were found in the stack, there were 11 Abydos mugs, 11 flint blades, and 11 long, narrow bone points (possibly tooth picks?).

The other two rooms in this area, which were also completely excavated down to their floor surfaces, were not as rich in terms of artefacts as the smallest room, but contained very well preserved timber and charcoal remains. The larger of the two rooms, to the west, was roughly square, measuring 4 x 4 m., and had an entrance on the south side. Another blocked entrance was found at the north end of the room's western wall, and this was seen to be in line with yet another blocked entrance on the eastern wall where the mud-brick of the closure forms the western wall of the scullery (see plan - Fig. 3). Two large flat stones were found set into the floor, and these probably served as roof supports. The smaller room to the east (approximately 4 x 2.5 m.) was of very similar character, and also had a well-constructed entrance on the south side. The walls of all of the rooms generally showed evidence of burning and for the most part were still plaster-faced. The state of preservation of the walls varied considerably: some had clearly been subjected to faulting, the lines of slippage clearly visible in the brickwork. In some cases, however, especially in areas where the burning had been intense, the walls were still standing to heights in excess of 2 m. (Fig. 15).

Taken together, it is clear that the three rooms in this group, as excavated, represent a second phase of usage. From the evidence of the blocked doorways it may be assumed that the original plan consisted of two rooms only, both roughly square and of equal size. At a later stage, the scullery was created by partitioning off the northern end of the eastern room. The communicating doorway on the north between the two original rooms was by necessity blocked, as was also the north-western entrance of the western room, and a new doorway for this room was provided on the south side.

Elsewhere in Area DD excavations were concentrated on the north side of the so-called 'linkage trench' which had been extended between Areas BB 700 and DD in 1995 in order to examine the possibility of an architectural continuity between the two areas. With regard to the question as to whether or not the Stratum L2 commercial/industrial complex revealed in Area BB 700 extends to the western side of the Lower Tell, and indeed incorporates the architectural remains previously excavated in this region (DD 100-400), no clear answer can yet be given. A series of north-south running walls was excavated in the linkage trench which, through the direct associations of their floor surfaces, can undoubtedly be related to the BB 700 complex. This, now firmly established, relationship would give a minimum east-west dimension to the BB 700 complex of 30 m. (no external wall has yet been defined on the eastern side). It is possible, however, that the westernmost associated wall excavated in the linkage trench represents an external wall, being more substantial than the others. Unfortunately this remains undemonstrable since the entire area to the west of the wall, for a distance of some 5 m., has been extensively damaged by the subsequent cutting in of graves, a process which has effectively removed all stratigraphic and architectural extensions. Beyond this area of disruption architectural continuity can now be demonstrated, allowing the building remains of the western end of the linkage trench to be incorporated into the previously excavated architecture of Area DD. In other words, on the basis of this season's work, it is possible that there existed on the Lower Tell in Stratum L2, not one single integrated complex as previously claimed, but rather two of approximately equal size, with perhaps a street or an open space between them. It would seem justified, therefore, to refer to these buildings as the 'eastern complex' (BB 700), and the 'western complex' (DD).

Beyond the establishment of architectural continuity, little work was undertaken on the western complex. In absolute terms much of this complex is higher than the eastern one, with the effect that many of the walls have been eroded down to their foundations, with the consequent loss of associated floor surfaces. One small room was, however, examined by means of a northern extension to the western end of the linkage trench. Here was found a large plaster-lined bin, measuring approximately 2 m. in diameter at the top, and about 3 m. deep. Large quantities of burnt chaff and typical Stratum L2 destruction debris were contained within the pit (Fig. 16).

Area NN

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:65-66)

For quite some time it had seemed possible to the expedition that the true extent of the slope on the south and south-western sides of the Lower Tell had been artificially disguised by an accumulation of field alluvium presently under cultivation. To test this hypothesis an area, designated NN, was established 15 m. west of the western limit of Area DD immediately adjacent to the cultivated fields, and apparently off the Tell (Fig. 17).

Excavations indeed revealed the original slope of the mound, descending some 3.5 m. below the present ground surface. Cut into this slope was found a badly weathered, but substantial city wall, about 1.5 m wide (Fig. 18). Behind this wall and associated with it was a plastered surface which contained material of Early Bronze I date. This surface appeared to be in the nature of a passageway, separating the wall from a second, parallel wall, which lay some 2 m. behind. The nature of the second wall could not be established, as it lay within the section on the eastern side of the area. Altogether the arrangement is reminiscent of the city wall found in 1995 in Area JJ, and it is possible that the newly discovered wall forms a part of the same defensive circuit. However, with very much more dating material available from the plastered floor surface of the passageway, it would seem that this structure should be dated to EB I rather than EB II as previously suggested.

Excavations on the Upper Tell

Introduction

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:66)

Due to the increasing logistical problems associated with excavating in the central areas on the Upper Tell (Areas AA and EE) and the decision to concentrate the season's excavations on uncovering the Early Bronze Age architecture on the Lower Tell, this year's investigations on the Upper Tell were limited to two operations; the step trench (Area KK) on the south side of the Tell and the continued excavation and restoration of the Water System in Area GG.

Area KK

from Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:67-69)

This area, designed as a step-trench on the southern slope of the Upper Tell, was initiated in 1995 with the intention of providing a means of linking the Upper Tell stratigraphic sequence with that of the Lower Tell. By the end of the 1995 season part of a large building of the Egyptian phase, Stratum XII, had been excavated, together with an associated alleyway. This season's work began with the removal of all of the remaining Stratum XII structures and fill, including the wall foundations. These, when excavated, showed the characteristic construction method of Stratum XII, being some 1.2 m. deep, and laid without stone foundation.

Beneath the Stratum XII alleyway to the west of the building the remains of a stone-paved floor were found, which could be related to a substantial wall, only revealed in section in the west baulk (the wall had otherwise been removed by the Stratum XII foundation trench) (Fig. 23). This earlier, 'pre-Stratum XII', city wall was over 2 m. thick. For the present this wall and its associated surface will be described as Stratum 13. (The Arabic numeral is used to distinguish it from Stratum XIII as excavated in Area AA in 1995. It must be emphasized that there is no means at present of relating the pre-Stratum XII stratigraphic sequence of Area AA to that of KK. Certainly, on the basis of the post-Stratum XII situation both in KK and in Area EE, it can be anticipated that there might have been many occupation phases present towards the centre of the Tell which were simply not extensive enough to reach the edges.)

Under the foundation trenches of the Stratum XII building and on a similar alignment the top of a very weathered building was revealed and subsequently excavated to a depth of 1.2 m. This building, of which only a small part was contained within the excavation area, had a finely laid boulder floor. A large shallow bowl had been set into the floor in the south-west corner, and adjacent to it was a large flat stone (Fig. 24). Towards the end of the season, this building (referred to as Stratum 14) was removed and, unexpectedly, showed an almost identical construction method to that of Stratum XII (deep brick foundations with no use of stone). The associated pottery, which would place Stratum 14 within the thirteenth century B.C., contained examples of Egyptian 'ration' and 'cyma' bowls. These two facts, taken together, may imply that Stratum 14 represents a pre-Stratum XII phase of Egyptian occupation, which would extend Tell es-Sa~idiyeh's role as an Egyptian centre back perhaps to the Nineteenth Dynasty. It would seem, however, that the Egyptian control was not continuous, for no hint of Egyptian building methods was detected in the three pre-XII strata defined in Area AA in 1995 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 29-30). Since the more centrally located Area AA would almost certainly contain a fuller stratigraphic sequence than Area KK which is located on the very edge of the tell, it would be reasonable to conclude that Stratum 14 in KK must equate with a pre-XV stratum in AA. This would imply that, in relation to the overall occupation of the site, following an Egyptian phase of control, represented by Stratum 14 in KK, there was a reversion to local (Canaanite) control, documented by Strata XV, XIV and XIII (and KK Stratum 13), prior to the main Egyptian phase of Stratum XII.

Area KK was also extended southwards and lower on the slope and here, in a limited sounding, were found the remains of a substantial city wall, approximately 2 m. thick and faced on the outside with small pebbles. An interior white-plastered floor surface was defined, which could be seen to underlie the stone-paved surface of Stratum 14 and will provisionally be termed Stratum 15 (Fig. 25). Very little pottery was recovered from the floor surface, but it would appear to date to the early part of the thirteenth century.

Stratum L2 Destruction - Early Bronze II (~2900-~2650 BCE)

Effect	Location	Image (s)	Comments
Faulting and slippage	Lower tell areas BB and DD Figure 3 Overall plan of Field I (Lower Tell) showing architecture relating to the Early Bronze Age complex(es) in Areas BB and DD (revised since 1995). Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Figure 12 Plan of Stratum L2 (revised 1993) in BB 700. Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 9 Sketch reconstruction of the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 looking north-east (not to scale). Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 15 General view of excavations in Area BB 700, looking north-west. Room d is in the foreground Tubb & Dorrell (1993)	Fig. 5 Figure 5 Example of faulting on floor surface, a feature also visible in the section behind (BB 1000). Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Fig. 15 Figure 15 Room to south of 'scullery', showing well-preserved entrance on south side. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Fig. 2 Figure 2 Area BB 700: North Section BB 900- 1000 showing two phases of destruction of Stratum L2 staircase and evidence of faulting through seismic activity Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996) Fig. 9 Figure 9 BB 1100/I300: substantial east-west wall showing the effects of slippage and faulting. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Fault produced by an earthquake that disturbed the striations of the virgin soil immediately under the debris of the Early Bronze Age Pritchard (1965b)	Comments faults and slips, as great as 0.5 m. Floors turned into ledges and steps (Area B). Lines of slippage and faulting detected in Area DD in the mudbrick houses. (Tubb et al. 1997: 58, 62). - Raphael and Agnon (2018) whilst in previous seasons the effects of seismic activity had been observed in individual details within the EB II architecture, it was only this year that the wider implications of these geological disturbances in relation to their impact on the archaeological record were recognized more fully. For although at certain points terraces and staircases had undoubtedly been used to create changes in level within the same phase of architecture, it is now clear that their usage has often been exaggerated or misunderstood due to the effects of faults or slips, sometimes as great as 50 em. The disruption caused by such faults to floor surfaces is clearly very great, producing completely artificial ledges or even steps which must now be taken into account in any interpretation of the architecture (Fig. 5). - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58) Area BB 700 ... The stratigraphy is complex at this point, and further complicated by a vertical displacement of the strata by some 25 cm., caused either by settling or by earth movement - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:55-58) whilst in previous seasons the effects of seismic activity had been observed in individual details within the EB II architecture, it was only this year that the wider implications of these geological disturbances in relation to their impact on the archaeological record were recognized more fully. For although at certain points terraces and staircases had undoubtedly been used to create changes in level within the same phase of architecture, it is now clear that their usage has often been exaggerated or misunderstood due to the effects of faults or slips, sometimes as great as 50 em. The disruption caused by such faults to floor surfaces is clearly very great, producing completely artificial ledges or even steps which must now be taken into account in any interpretation of the architecture (Fig. 5). - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58) With the completion of excavation of BB 1100 down to the L2 surface, the baulk between this square and BB 1400 to the north was removed. This operation revealed a heavily-burned wall, running east-west across the area (Fig. 9). North of this wall, which showed extensive evidence for severe disruption by faulting, a further room was excavated ... - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60) The state of preservation of the walls varied considerably: some had clearly been subjected to faulting, the lines of slippage clearly visible in the brickwork. In some cases, however, especially in areas where the burning had been intense, the walls were still standing to heights in excess of 2 m. (Fig. 15). - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:62)
Collapsed Walls (including 2 storey collapse) Collapsed Roof	Lower tell Area BB Figure 3 Overall plan of Field I (Lower Tell) showing architecture relating to the Early Bronze Age complex(es) in Areas BB and DD (revised since 1995). Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Figure 12 Plan of Stratum L2 (revised 1993) in BB 700. Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 9 Sketch reconstruction of the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 looking north-east (not to scale). Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 15 General view of excavations in Area BB 700, looking north-west. Room d is in the foreground Tubb & Dorrell (1993)	Fig. 2 Figure 2 Area BB 700: North Section BB 900- 1000 showing two phases of destruction of Stratum L2 staircase and evidence of faulting through seismic activity Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996) Fig. 14 Figure 14 BB 700: stratum L2 building from the west. Tubb and Dorrell (1991) Fig. 16 Figure 16 Deposit of Early Bronze II pottery, in situ, showing nature of overlying brick collapse and destruction debris (BB 700). Tubb and Dorrell (1991)	Comments Area BB - Collapse of houses in the lower tell and signs of a strong fire (Tubb et al. 1997: 58, 62) - Raphael and Agnon (2018) Area BB - Beneath this phase [stratum L1] lay 1-1.5 m. of debris [of stratum L2], with many heavily-burnt bricks, large fragments of reed-impressed roofing clay and mortar, and charcoal. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72) Area BB 700 - Excavation of the L2 levels confirmed the impression of earlier seasons: walls and rooms were carefully designed and constructed, and of larger-than-domestic scale. Nowhere was there very much build-up of occupation debris, although there was a considerable depth of destruction debris in places, implying either that the period of occupation was short, or that rooms were kept clean down to their original surfaces. Where there were groups of broken pottery, resulting from the fire and collapse that marked the end of L2, nearly all were resting directly on the floors of the rooms, without any intervening build-up of occupation debris. - Tubb and Dorrell (1994:59-65) Further examination of the stratigraphy relating to the second (destroyed) L2 phase made it quite clear also that there had not been, in fact, two separate destructions in this area. Instead the evidence should be interpreted as two horizons of the same destruction, the construction in BB 1000 having consisted of two storeys. In other words, the two layers of destruction apparent in the section of the second phase staircase (Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, fig. 2) and the two apparent surfaces found within the second phase sunken room do not imply two chronologically isolated destructions, but instead have resulted from the second storey roof, wall and floor collapse falling on top of the debris of the first. ... Again, however, it was seen that the destruction debris continued below the surface on which the pots rested, and persisted for another 50 cm. before reaching a second surface. It seems clear, therefore, that the same situation prevails here as in BB 1000 to the south of the staircase; namely that the part of the building found in BB 1100 was of two-storey construction. This being the case, the upper destruction debris can be interpreted as the roof and wall collapse of the upper storey and the surface with pottery as the fallen first floor - both deposits having slumped into the lower storey with its own layer of burnt debris resting on its floor. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60)
Debris Fire	Lower tell areas BB and DD Figure 3 Overall plan of Field I (Lower Tell) showing architecture relating to the Early Bronze Age complex(es) in Areas BB and DD (revised since 1995). Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Figure 12 Plan of Stratum L2 (revised 1993) in BB 700. Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 9 Sketch reconstruction of the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 looking north-east (not to scale). Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 15 General view of excavations in Area BB 700, looking north-west. Room d is in the foreground Tubb & Dorrell (1993)	Fig. 2 Figure 2 Area BB 700: North Section BB 900- 1000 showing two phases of destruction of Stratum L2 staircase and evidence of faulting through seismic activity Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996) Fig. 14 Figure 14 BB 700: stratum L2 building from the west. Tubb and Dorrell (1991) Fig. 16 Figure 16 Deposit of Early Bronze II pottery, in situ, showing nature of overlying brick collapse and destruction debris (BB 700). Tubb and Dorrell (1991) Fig. 9 Figure 9 BB 1100/I300: substantial east-west wall showing the effects of slippage and faulting. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)	Comments Stratum L2 was found to be associated with dense destruction debris (ashes, burnt mud-brick rubble and charred timber) ... Tubb (1988:42) - Ferry et al. (2011) Area BB - Below this level were series of bricky and ashy strata following, approximately, the slope of the present tell surface. These ran over the eroded tops of several walls which proved, on further excavation, to be of Phase L2, identified elsewhere as the final construction phase of the Early Bronze Age on the site. These walls were standing to heights of up to 1.5 m., and the spaces between them were filled with destruction debris, undisturbed save for a few grave cuts. ... Erosion of loose material and ash apparently occurred over the whole lower tell down to the underlying strata of packed, hard-burnt debris and fire-baked standing walls. Beneath this phase [stratum L1] lay 1-1.5 m. of debris [of stratum L2], with many heavily-burnt bricks, large fragments of reed-impressed roofing clay and mortar, and charcoal. There were also discontinuous patches of carbonized cereals, perhaps from grain that had been spread out to dry on a flat roof. The area of most intense heat seems to have been to the north-east of the square [BB 700 ?], and walls and debris were more heavily burnt-some appeared almost vitrified -- on this side of the square than they were on the other. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72) Area BB 700 - Excavation disclosed part of a building, dated by its pottery to Early Bronze II, with well-laid and plastered mud-brick walls. The building had been destroyed by an intense fire, which had so hardened the bricks and plaster that walls were found still standing to a height of 1.5 m. and more. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:61-67) Area BB 700 - In 1995 Area BB 700 (this taken as a general name to include Areas 700-1000) was extended ... The stratigraphy is complex at this point, and further complicated by a vertical displacement of the strata by some 25 cm., caused either by settling or by earth movement, but there do appear to be two separate burnt levels within the same main building phase (Fig. 2). The room at the head of the stairs was heavily burnt and contained a number of smashed but reconstructable vessels, of a range of sizes and types (Fig. 3). In an area even farther to the north, BB 1300, a similar burnt level, and a similar deposit of pottery was found at a higher elevation again. ... At the end of the 1995 season excavations had established that the architectural remains in Area BB 700 belonged to the same phase and were on the same line of orientation as those previously uncovered in Area DD, and indeed, since no external walls had at this point been defined for the architecture of either area, there appeared to be some possibility that the buildings, despite substantial changes in level, might be continuous and form part of the same integral complex. - Tubb and Dorrell (1994:59-65) Area BB 700 - Following the disastrous and apparently widespread fire which had destroyed L2, occupation was re-established at first only as a few fireplaces, pits, and patched walls. ... In the north-east corner however - BB 900 - the burnt debris ofL2 was levelled, built up where necessary, and compacted. ... The base of the L2 level was not reached in the north-east square, BB 900, and a considerable fill of burnt debris remains to be excavated before its limits can be established. ... Excavation of the L2 levels confirmed the impression of earlier seasons: walls and rooms were carefully designed and constructed, and of larger-than-domestic scale. Nowhere was there very much build-up of occupation debris, although there was a considerable depth of destruction debris in places, implying either that the period of occupation was short, or that rooms were kept clean down to their original surfaces. Where there were groups of broken pottery, resulting from the fire and collapse that marked the end of L2, nearly all were resting directly on the floors of the rooms, without any intervening build-up of occupation debris. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:55-58) Area BB 700 - Further examination of the stratigraphy relating to the second (destroyed) L2 phase made it quite clear also that there had not been, in fact, two separate destructions in this area. Instead the evidence should be interpreted as two horizons of the same destruction, the construction in BB 1000 having consisted of two storeys. In other words, the two layers of destruction apparent in the section of the second phase staircase (Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, fig. 2) and the two apparent surfaces found within the second phase sunken room do not imply two chronologically isolated destructions, but instead have resulted from the second storey roof, wall and floor collapse falling on top of the debris of the first. The second main undertaking in Area BB 700 was an expansion to the north, continuing the examination of the suite of rooms leading off at right angles from the landing at the top of the BB 1000 staircase begun in 1995 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 19 and fig. 8). Stratigraphically these rooms, although at a higher absolute level, are continuous with Stratum L2 elsewhere in BB 700 and show similar evidence for destruction by fire. In 1995 the first room to be encountered (in BB 1100) contained, beneath the substantial depth of destruction debris, fine deposits of badly crushed but complete pottery vessels (ibid., 19). More vessels, for the most part store jars and cooking pots, were found this season as the excavation reached the apparent floor surface (Fig. 7). Again, however, it was seen that the destruction debris continued below the surface on which the pots rested, and persisted for another 50 cm. before reaching a second surface. It seems clear, therefore, that the same situation prevails here as in BB 1000 to the south of the staircase; namely that the part of the building found in BB 1100 was of two-storey construction. This being the case, the upper destruction debris can be interpreted as the roof and wall collapse of the upper storey and the surface with pottery as the fallen first floor - both deposits having slumped into the lower storey with its own layer of burnt debris resting on its floor. ... With the completion of excavation of BB 1100 down to the L2 surface, the baulk between this square and BB 1400 to the north was removed. This operation revealed a heavily-burned wall, running east-west across the area (Fig. 9). North of this wall, which showed extensive evidence for severe disruption by faulting, a further room was excavated, its walls standing to a height of some 1.5 m. Once again it was clear that this room had existed on two levels, not only from the two horizons of deconstruction debris, but also from the interesting series of internal buttresses ... Other artefacts from this room [the 'scullery' at the extreme eastern end of Area BB 700] included a collection of fine flint blades, over 2000 beads of faience, stone and carnelian, and a copper alloy axe-head. The environmental deposits from the room were also of an exceptional quality, with large quantities of charred grain and chaff as well as charred olives, grapes, figs, capers and a whole charred pomegranate. Many of the pottery vessels contained what are almost certainly food residues on their surfaces. From the nature of the deposits, artefactual and environmental, it would seem that this room served as a type of 'scullery', the pottery vessels with their adhering food remains having been returned from the dining room, ready to be washed up, when the fire broke out which was to consume the complex and bring Stratum L2 to a close. The position of the dining room is not known, but it could well have been one of the larger, adjacent (and adjoining) rooms described below. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60)
Broken , Crushed , and/or Fallen Pottery	Lower Tell - Area BB 700 Figure 12 Plan of Stratum L2 (revised 1993) in BB 700. Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 9 Sketch reconstruction of the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 looking north-east (not to scale). Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 15 General view of excavations in Area BB 700, looking north-west. Room d is in the foreground Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 13 Plan of Square BB 700 (Grid F/G-1/2) at Phase L2. The numbered artifacts are: store-Jar store-Jar open-mouth vessel Juglet Jug store-Jar store-Jar beaker jug door-socket bowl jug platter flint scraper Juglet platter platter Jug Juglet juglet bowl juglet group of 3 juglets open-mouth vessel store-jar store-Jar Jug sunken stone bowl Tubb & Dorrell (1993)	Fig. 16 Figure 16 Deposit of Early Bronze II pottery, in situ, showing nature of overlying brick collapse and destruction debris (BB 700). Tubb and Dorrell (1991) Fig. 17 Figure 17 Deposit of Early Bronze II pottery, in situ, on the floor of the stratum L2 building in BB 700. Tubb and Dorrell (1991) Fig. 14 Figure 14 Large store-jars, smashed on the floor of the Early Bronze Age sunken room. Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Fig. 18 Figure 18 Early Bronze II pottery in situ in Room b (Area BB 700, Stratum L₂). Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Fig. 7 Figure 7 BB 1300, showing pottery in situ on the surface of the upper storey collapse. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)	Comments An assemblage of pottery was found in situ on the floors of the two rooms (Figs. 16-17). Many of the larger vessels had been crushed by the destruction and the plot of their positions in Fig. 13 may not represent their true sizes and proportions. They include typical Early Bronze II red-slipped and burnished platters, 'ribbon-painted' store jars, simple bowls, large open-mouth vessels with both ledge and lug handles, and a series of jugs and juglets based on the Abydos type. Many of the jugs and juglets might have fallen from pegs or shelves, and the three large platters, in the middle of the floor, might well have slipped or fallen from some other position. The store-jars and the open-mouth vessels, however, were certainly still in situ, and several of them were still on pot-stands of stone or mud-brick. A selection of the pottery vessels is shown on Fig. 18. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72) During the 1989 and 1990 seasons excavation was begun in square BB 700, south of the main BB area, Fig. 1 (Tubb 1990, 36-37; Tubb and Dorrell 1991, 79-84). Excavation disclosed part of a building, dated by its pottery to Early Bronze II, with well-laid and plastered mud-brick walls. The building had been destroyed by an intense fire, which had so hardened the bricks and plaster that walls were found still standing to a height of 1.5 m. and more. Three phases within EB II had been identified elsewhere on the lower tell and designated strata L1, L2, and L3. By reason of stratigraphy, vertical position and brick-types, this building could be placed in stratum L2. The later phase, L1, was represented by some pits, fireplaces, and poorly constructed additions to the wall-tops of L2, and appeared to be fairly minor squatter occupation following destruction of the earlier stratum, perhaps used by survivors camping in the ruins. L3, the phase underlying L2, was not reached in BB 700. A considerable deposit of fine pottery was found in situ on the floors of Rooms a and b, suggesting that these were store-rooms of a building of larger than domestic size. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:61-67) The character of the underlying L2 occupation had been established when the south-west corner of the Area - BB 700 - was first excavated in 1989 (Fig. 12). The excavation was extended to the east in the following year, revealing a sunken room entered by steps down from the north. During the present season the excavation of the room was completed, the walls standing to a height of some 2.5 m. (Fig. 13). Five steps down gave access to a platform about 0.4 m. high which occupied the north-east corner of the room. The room was about 3 m. wide and more than 4 m. long: its southern limit lay beyond the south baulk and was not reached. On the floor of the room were the crushed remains of twelve or thirteen very large narrow-necked storage jars, suggesting that the room was used for the cool storage of liquid, perhaps oil or wine (Fig. 14). ... Excavation of the L2 levels confirmed the impression of earlier seasons: walls and rooms were carefully designed and constructed, and of larger- than-domestic scale. Nowhere was there very much build-up of occupation debris, although there was a considerable depth of destruction debris in places, implying either that the period of occupation was short, or that rooms were kept clean down to their original surfaces. Where there were groups of broken pottery, resulting from the fire and collapse that marked the end of L2, nearly all were resting directly on the floors of the rooms, without any intervening build-up of occupation debris. - Tubb and Dorrell (1994:59-65) The second main undertaking in Area BB 700 was an expansion to the north, continuing the examination of the suite of rooms leading off at right angles from the landing at the top of the BB 1000 staircase begun in 1995 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 19 and fig. 8). Stratigraphically these rooms, although at a higher absolute level, are continuous with Stratum L2 elsewhere in BB 700 and show similar evidence for destruction by fire. In 1995 the first room to be encountered (in BB 1100) contained, beneath the substantial depth of destruction debris, fine deposits of badly crushed but complete pottery vessels (ibid., 19). More vessels, for the most part store jars and cooking pots, were found this season as the excavation reached the apparent floor surface (Fig. 7). Again, however, it was seen that the destruction debris continued below the surface on which the pots rested, and persisted for another 50 cm. before reaching a second surface. It seems clear, therefore, that the same situation prevails here as in BB 1000 to the south of the staircase; namely that the part of the building found in BB 1100 was of two-storey construction. This being the case, the upper destruction debris can be interpreted as the roof and wall collapse of the upper storey and the surface with pottery as the fallen first floor - both deposits having slumped into the lower storey with its own layer of burnt debris resting on its floor. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60)
Broken , Crushed , and/or Fallen Pottery?	Lower Tell - 'scullery' in area DD 900 Figure 13 Plan of 'scullery' area in DD900. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)	Fig. 12 Figure 12 View from the north of 'scullery' area in DD 900, showing platters and other vessels on surface. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Fig. 14 Figure 14 Stack of bowls in situ in scullery area. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)	Comments During the 1996 season, one of the most significant operations in Area DD was conducted at its easternmost end, in the area directly adjacent to the south-western side of Area BB 700 (see Fig. 4 for location of specific loci within Area DD). Here in 1995 a small sounding had shown the presence of a well-preserved wall which appeared to continue the Stratum L2 architecture of BB 700 westwards (see Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - Wall F). Initially this sounding was expanded and, after establishing the validity of the connection, a larger area was opened to the south and west. By combining the results of these operations, below a number of somewhat ephemeral features belonging to the later Stratum L1 occupation (patches of pebble surface, irregularly constructed mud-brick kerb walls and hearths - Fig. 10), a suite of three well built rooms of Stratum L2 was defined and excavated (Fig. 1 1). The smallest of the rooms (about 1.5 m. wide by 5 m. long), the extreme eastern end of which had been previously excavated within Area BB 700 (Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - contained by walls M, C and F), contained a remarkable deposit of ceramic vessels which included store-jars, large red-slipped and burnished platters, small bowls, various Abydos-type vessels, and an unusual jug with an internal strainer (Figs. 12- 13). The position of the vessels within the room was also of interest. The small bowls, for example, were found stacked one on top of each other, and possibly inside a store-jar (Fig. 14). Other artefacts from this room included a collection of fine flint blades, over 2000 beads of faience, stone and carnelian, and a copper alloy axe-head. The environmental deposits from the room were also of an exceptional quality, with large quantities of charred grain and chaff as well as charred olives, grapes, figs, capers and a whole charred pomegranate. Many of the pottery vessels contained what are almost certainly food residues on their surfaces. From the nature of the deposits, artefactual and environmental, it would seem that this room served as a type of 'scullery', the pottery vessels with their adhering food remains having been returned from the dining room, ready to be washed up, when the fire broke out which was to consume the complex and bring Stratum L2 to a close. The position of the dining room is not known, but it could well have been one of the larger, adjacent (and adjoining) rooms described below. It is interesting to observe, however, that the table 'setting' was apparently for eleven - 11 bowls were found in the stack, there were 11 Abydos mugs, 11 flint blades, and 11 long, narrow bone points (possibly tooth picks?). - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60) JW: plan and photos show shattered and crushed pottery

Stratum XII Destruction - Iron I - ~1150 BCE

Effect	Location	Image (s)	Comments
Faulting and fractures	Upper tell Area AA Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 2 Plan of the AA-EE linkage area showing configuration of trenches and their relationship to the main grid. Tubb & Dorrell (1991)		Comments The excavation of this area [AA] proved to be extremely complicated. Not only had it suffered considerably from the effects of faulting (there were no less than five intersecting cracks, the largest of which had been responsible for a stratigraphic downshift of nearly 50 cm.), but the levelling operation in preparation for the construction of stratum VII had removed much of the architecture to foundation level. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:58) Excavations in AA 900 in 1990 had revealed a substantial depression of the stratigraphy in this area, resulting most probably from earthquake faulting with related subsidence. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56-59)
Collapsed Walls Fire Debris	Upper tell - Areas AA, EE, and KK Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 2 Plan of the AA-EE linkage area showing configuration of trenches and their relationship to the main grid. Tubb & Dorrell (1991) Figure 8 Area EE, stratum XII: plan of "Palace" complex. Tubb (1990) Figure 10 Plan of the Western Palace complex in Area EE (Area 32-A/B-7/10, Area 33-H/K-7/10) and the 'Aqueduct' in AA goo (Area 32-B/D-IO, Area 23-B(D-l/2). Tubb and Dorrell (1993) Figure 24 Area KK: Remains of Stratum XII alleyway and associated building and part of the underlying phase (Stratum XIII). Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996) Figure 21 Area KK: View of Tell es-Saeidiyeh and Area KK from the south. Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)	Fig. 8d Figure 8d The twelfth century B.C. olive processing area (Palace) that displays signs of destruction (from Tubb, 1998) Ferry et al. (2011)	Comments Area AA - Stratum XIA was found to have been built on a dense layer of silting which in turn covered the deep deposit of intensely burnt destruction debris overlying the architecture of stratum XII. Excavation of stratum XII in 1987 uncovered the remains of a large public building which, to judge from its Egyptian-style plan and construction method, must be seen as yet another example of a so-called 'Egyptian Governor's Residency'. The building had clearly been abandoned following its destruction, and, to. judge from the depth of silt overlying the collapsed debris, some considerable period of time must have elapsed before the construction of stratum XIA, perhaps as much as one hundred years. ... destruction of the massive stratum XII city wall and 'palace' complex. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72) late 12th century BCE. Thick debris from city walls, public and private buildings and signs of fire (Stratum XII) were noted at the site. The excavators’ impression was that people had time to escape (Tubb 1988: 41). - Raphael and Agnon (2018) The city of Stratum XII was obviously destroyed in an intense conflagration, the dense associated debris sealing a valuable corpus of finds, examination of which has established a date for this event at around 1150-1120 BC, coinciding with the withdrawal of the Egyptian empire... Some time in the last quarter of the [twelfth] century the city of Stratum XII was destroyed by fire, and at the same time the cemetery on the Lower Tell fell out of use. There is no indication as to the source of the destruction: certainly there were neither bodies nor signs of conflict amidst the ruined buildings of the Upper Tell, and it could well be that fire was the result of an accident. Tubb (1988:86) - Ferry et al. (2011) Elsewhere in area EE, the heavily burned floor surfaces of the various rooms produced a repertoire of pottery types similar to, yet somewhat more extensive than the stratum XII material from area AA recovered in 1987 (Figs. 13-14). - Tubb (1990:28-29) Area AA - Stratum XIA was found to have been built on a dense layer of silting which in turn covered the deep deposit of intensely burnt destruction debris overlying the architecture of stratum XII. Excavation of stratum XII in 1987 uncovered the remains of a large public building which, to judge from its Egyptian-style plan and construction method, must be seen as yet another example of a so-called 'Egyptian Governor's Residency'. The building had clearly been abandoned following its destruction, and, to. judge from the depth of silt overlying the collapsed debris, some considerable period of time must have elapsed before the construction of stratum XIA, perhaps as much as one hundred years. ... destruction of the massive stratum -XII city wall and 'palace' complex. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72) Area AA 900 - This building (House 80) was found to overlie directly dense and intensely burnt destruction debris which, from the previously undertaken excavations in area EE (see below), was known to be associated with stratum XII, the important twelfth century B.C. Egyptian phase of occupation represented by the Residency building in area AA, the Western Palace complex and city wall in area EE, the water system staircase on the north slope, and the Lower Tell cemetery. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56-59) Area EE - the city wall of stratum XII is indeed a casemate system with small compartments filled entirely with mud-brick rubble. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56-59) Area AA - The lowermost phase reached by the end of the 1989 season was Stratum XII, recognized as a phase of Egyptian occupation corresponding with the Late Bronze Age cemetery on the Lower Tell. Associated with an intense destruction horizon, datable to the mid-twelfth century B.C., Stratum XII has subsequently been investigated in numerous exposures where its architecture has consistently revealed purely Egyptian construction techniques. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:24-30) Area KK - For Stratum XII, with a larger area available for excavation, a more extensive architectural plan could be developed. The main feature was a north-south pebble-paved alleyway separating two mud-brick building units (Figs. 23-24). At the southern end of the alley two steps gave access to a street running from east to west. This street might well have been situated behind the city wall, all remains of which have eroded away down the south slope of the tell. Little can be said of the western building unit, as this lies almost entirely beyond the limit of excavation. The eastern unit, however, revealed part of a room with a well executed stone-paved surface (Fig. 25). The whole of the interior was filled to a depth of nearly a metre and a half with dense destruction debris consisting of burnt mud-brick, ashes and charred timber. The alley, being an exterior surface, was relatively free of this debris, but showed a characteristic feature of Stratum XII, a heavy stone blocking set across its point of entry, prior to the destruction, preventing access from the street. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:30-31)
Broken Pottery	Upper tell Area EE Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 2 Plan of the AA-EE linkage area showing configuration of trenches and their relationship to the main grid. Tubb & Dorrell (1991)	Fig. 14 Figure 14 Egyptian style jars adjacent to the drainage channel of the Stratum XII pool in Area EE. Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Fig. 10 Figure 10 Area EE, stratum XII: water channel in westernmost plastered room. The crushed pottery vessel near to the scale is that shown on Fig. 14:1. Tubb (1990) Fig. 13 Figure 13 Area EE, stratum XII: pottery vessels on burnt floor of "Palace", close to tabun constructed of krater sherds Tubb (1990)	Comments Area EE - surface was covered with a dense deposit of broken Egyptian-style store jars, up to 50-60 in number, the type identical to those found previously in the store-rooms of the Residency in area AA (see Tubb 1988, Fig. 19:14) - Tubb (1990:28-29)

Stratum V Destruction - 7th-6th century BCE

Effect	Location	Image (s)	Comments
Animal Skeletons	Upper Tell - Area AA 900 Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 5 stratum V. Composite plan of Areas AA and EE (Grid squares 22, 23, 32, and 33) incorporating the southern part of Pritchard's exposure(taken from Pritchard 1986, fig. 79). Again, note that this plan has been simplified for the purposes of this report. Tubb & Dorrell (1991) Figure 2 Location plan for areas on Upper Tell Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 4 AA 900 from the west. The stratum V stalls are on the left of the photograph, and on the right is the depressed stone-paved surface of stratum VII. Tubb and Dorrell (1991)		The eastern room contained the partially articulated skeleton of a young equid, and the western room contained the more fragmentary skeletal remains of a similar, but adult animal. It would seem reasonable to suggest an interpretation for these two small rooms as stalls, the unfortunate animals presumably having been abandoned and killed during the destruction of stratum V. ... it is now possible to add the two stalls to the south of Pritchard's House 25, where they would presumably have bordered the east-west street in 23-(B)C/G-l, 32- (B)C/G-10 (see Pritchard 1985, fig. 179). - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:72)
Fire Destruction Debris	Upper Tell - Area AA 1300 Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 5 stratum V. Composite plan of Areas AA and EE (Grid squares 22, 23, 32, and 33) incorporating the southern part of Pritchard's exposure(taken from Pritchard 1986, fig. 79). Again, note that this plan has been simplified for the purposes of this report. Tubb & Dorrell (1991) Figure 2 Location plan for areas on Upper Tell Tubb & Dorrell (1993)	Fig. 4 Figure 4 AA 1300 (Area 32-E/G-6/7) West Section Tubb and Dorrell (1993)	AA 1300 (Area32-E/G-6/7) - The stratum IV pits had been cut into the destruction debris and architecture of the underlying stratum V. Destroyed by fire towards the end of the eighth century B.C., stratum V illustrates an intelligently planned and well-constructed Iron Age settlement, well documented by the large expanse now revealed by both the Pennsylvania and British Museum expeditions (see especially Pritchard 1985, Fig. 179 and Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 5). The limited sounding in AA 1300 produced but one wall, running east-west, together with an associated stone-paved courtyard to the north (the wall undoubtedly forms a part of the south-central housing block as represented by Pritchard's rooms 14 and 16). Not unusually for stratum V, the wall was built without stone foundations. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:54-56)
Destruction	Upper Tell - Area MM Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993)		Area MM - As established on the western side of the tell, Stratum V is the only eighth-century horizon showing evidence of destruction. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:31-33)

Stratum L2 Destruction - Early Bronze II (~2900-~2650 BCE)

Earthquake Archeological Effects chart

Earthquake Archeological Effects (EAE)

Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

Effect	Location	Image (s)	Comments	Intensity
Faulting and slippage (fault scarps)	Lower tell areas BB and DD Figure 3 Overall plan of Field I (Lower Tell) showing architecture relating to the Early Bronze Age complex(es) in Areas BB and DD (revised since 1995). Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Figure 12 Plan of Stratum L2 (revised 1993) in BB 700. Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 9 Sketch reconstruction of the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 looking north-east (not to scale). Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 15 General view of excavations in Area BB 700, looking north-west. Room d is in the foreground Tubb & Dorrell (1993)	Fig. 5 Figure 5 Example of faulting on floor surface, a feature also visible in the section behind (BB 1000). Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Fig. 15 Figure 15 Room to south of 'scullery', showing well-preserved entrance on south side. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Fig. 2 Figure 2 Area BB 700: North Section BB 900- 1000 showing two phases of destruction of Stratum L2 staircase and evidence of faulting through seismic activity Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996) Fig. 9 Figure 9 BB 1100/I300: substantial east-west wall showing the effects of slippage and faulting. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Fault produced by an earthquake that disturbed the striations of the virgin soil immediately under the debris of the Early Bronze Age Pritchard (1965b)	Comments faults and slips, as great as 0.5 m. Floors turned into ledges and steps (Area B). Lines of slippage and faulting detected in Area DD in the mudbrick houses. (Tubb et al. 1997: 58, 62). - Raphael and Agnon (2018) whilst in previous seasons the effects of seismic activity had been observed in individual details within the EB II architecture, it was only this year that the wider implications of these geological disturbances in relation to their impact on the archaeological record were recognized more fully. For although at certain points terraces and staircases had undoubtedly been used to create changes in level within the same phase of architecture, it is now clear that their usage has often been exaggerated or misunderstood due to the effects of faults or slips, sometimes as great as 50 em. The disruption caused by such faults to floor surfaces is clearly very great, producing completely artificial ledges or even steps which must now be taken into account in any interpretation of the architecture (Fig. 5). - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58) Area BB 700 ... The stratigraphy is complex at this point, and further complicated by a vertical displacement of the strata by some 25 cm., caused either by settling or by earth movement - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:55-58) whilst in previous seasons the effects of seismic activity had been observed in individual details within the EB II architecture, it was only this year that the wider implications of these geological disturbances in relation to their impact on the archaeological record were recognized more fully. For although at certain points terraces and staircases had undoubtedly been used to create changes in level within the same phase of architecture, it is now clear that their usage has often been exaggerated or misunderstood due to the effects of faults or slips, sometimes as great as 50 em. The disruption caused by such faults to floor surfaces is clearly very great, producing completely artificial ledges or even steps which must now be taken into account in any interpretation of the architecture (Fig. 5). - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58) With the completion of excavation of BB 1100 down to the L2 surface, the baulk between this square and BB 1400 to the north was removed. This operation revealed a heavily-burned wall, running east-west across the area (Fig. 9). North of this wall, which showed extensive evidence for severe disruption by faulting, a further room was excavated ... - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60) The state of preservation of the walls varied considerably: some had clearly been subjected to faulting, the lines of slippage clearly visible in the brickwork. In some cases, however, especially in areas where the burning had been intense, the walls were still standing to heights in excess of 2 m. (Fig. 15). - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:62)	VII+
Collapsed Walls (including 2 storey collapse) Collapsed Roof (due to collapsed walls)	Lower tell Area BB Figure 3 Overall plan of Field I (Lower Tell) showing architecture relating to the Early Bronze Age complex(es) in Areas BB and DD (revised since 1995). Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Figure 12 Plan of Stratum L2 (revised 1993) in BB 700. Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 9 Sketch reconstruction of the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 looking north-east (not to scale). Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 15 General view of excavations in Area BB 700, looking north-west. Room d is in the foreground Tubb & Dorrell (1993)	Fig. 2 Figure 2 Area BB 700: North Section BB 900- 1000 showing two phases of destruction of Stratum L2 staircase and evidence of faulting through seismic activity Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996) Fig. 14 Figure 14 BB 700: stratum L2 building from the west. Tubb and Dorrell (1991) Fig. 16 Figure 16 Deposit of Early Bronze II pottery, in situ, showing nature of overlying brick collapse and destruction debris (BB 700). Tubb and Dorrell (1991)	Comments Area BB - Collapse of houses in the lower tell and signs of a strong fire (Tubb et al. 1997: 58, 62) - Raphael and Agnon (2018) Area BB - Beneath this phase [stratum L1] lay 1-1.5 m. of debris [of stratum L2], with many heavily-burnt bricks, large fragments of reed-impressed roofing clay and mortar, and charcoal. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72) Area BB 700 - Excavation of the L2 levels confirmed the impression of earlier seasons: walls and rooms were carefully designed and constructed, and of larger-than-domestic scale. Nowhere was there very much build-up of occupation debris, although there was a considerable depth of destruction debris in places, implying either that the period of occupation was short, or that rooms were kept clean down to their original surfaces. Where there were groups of broken pottery, resulting from the fire and collapse that marked the end of L2, nearly all were resting directly on the floors of the rooms, without any intervening build-up of occupation debris. - Tubb and Dorrell (1994:59-65) Further examination of the stratigraphy relating to the second (destroyed) L2 phase made it quite clear also that there had not been, in fact, two separate destructions in this area. Instead the evidence should be interpreted as two horizons of the same destruction, the construction in BB 1000 having consisted of two storeys. In other words, the two layers of destruction apparent in the section of the second phase staircase (Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, fig. 2) and the two apparent surfaces found within the second phase sunken room do not imply two chronologically isolated destructions, but instead have resulted from the second storey roof, wall and floor collapse falling on top of the debris of the first. ... Again, however, it was seen that the destruction debris continued below the surface on which the pots rested, and persisted for another 50 cm. before reaching a second surface. It seems clear, therefore, that the same situation prevails here as in BB 1000 to the south of the staircase; namely that the part of the building found in BB 1100 was of two-storey construction. This being the case, the upper destruction debris can be interpreted as the roof and wall collapse of the upper storey and the surface with pottery as the fallen first floor - both deposits having slumped into the lower storey with its own layer of burnt debris resting on its floor. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60)	VIII+ VIII+
Broken , Crushed , and/or Fallen Pottery	Lower Tell - Area BB 700 Figure 12 Plan of Stratum L2 (revised 1993) in BB 700. Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 9 Sketch reconstruction of the Early Bronze Age complex in BB 700 looking north-east (not to scale). Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Figure 15 General view of excavations in Area BB 700, looking north-west. Room d is in the foreground Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 13 Plan of Square BB 700 (Grid F/G-1/2) at Phase L2. The numbered artifacts are: store-Jar store-Jar open-mouth vessel Juglet Jug store-Jar store-Jar beaker jug door-socket bowl jug platter flint scraper Juglet platter platter Jug Juglet juglet bowl juglet group of 3 juglets open-mouth vessel store-jar store-Jar Jug sunken stone bowl Tubb & Dorrell (1993)	Fig. 16 Figure 16 Deposit of Early Bronze II pottery, in situ, showing nature of overlying brick collapse and destruction debris (BB 700). Tubb and Dorrell (1991) Fig. 17 Figure 17 Deposit of Early Bronze II pottery, in situ, on the floor of the stratum L2 building in BB 700. Tubb and Dorrell (1991) Fig. 14 Figure 14 Large store-jars, smashed on the floor of the Early Bronze Age sunken room. Tubb & Dorrell (1994) Fig. 18 Figure 18 Early Bronze II pottery in situ in Room b (Area BB 700, Stratum L₂). Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Fig. 7 Figure 7 BB 1300, showing pottery in situ on the surface of the upper storey collapse. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)	Comments An assemblage of pottery was found in situ on the floors of the two rooms (Figs. 16-17). Many of the larger vessels had been crushed by the destruction and the plot of their positions in Fig. 13 may not represent their true sizes and proportions. They include typical Early Bronze II red-slipped and burnished platters, 'ribbon-painted' store jars, simple bowls, large open-mouth vessels with both ledge and lug handles, and a series of jugs and juglets based on the Abydos type. Many of the jugs and juglets might have fallen from pegs or shelves, and the three large platters, in the middle of the floor, might well have slipped or fallen from some other position. The store-jars and the open-mouth vessels, however, were certainly still in situ, and several of them were still on pot-stands of stone or mud-brick. A selection of the pottery vessels is shown on Fig. 18. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72) During the 1989 and 1990 seasons excavation was begun in square BB 700, south of the main BB area, Fig. 1 (Tubb 1990, 36-37; Tubb and Dorrell 1991, 79-84). Excavation disclosed part of a building, dated by its pottery to Early Bronze II, with well-laid and plastered mud-brick walls. The building had been destroyed by an intense fire, which had so hardened the bricks and plaster that walls were found still standing to a height of 1.5 m. and more. Three phases within EB II had been identified elsewhere on the lower tell and designated strata L1, L2, and L3. By reason of stratigraphy, vertical position and brick-types, this building could be placed in stratum L2. The later phase, L1, was represented by some pits, fireplaces, and poorly constructed additions to the wall-tops of L2, and appeared to be fairly minor squatter occupation following destruction of the earlier stratum, perhaps used by survivors camping in the ruins. L3, the phase underlying L2, was not reached in BB 700. A considerable deposit of fine pottery was found in situ on the floors of Rooms a and b, suggesting that these were store-rooms of a building of larger than domestic size. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:61-67) The character of the underlying L2 occupation had been established when the south-west corner of the Area - BB 700 - was first excavated in 1989 (Fig. 12). The excavation was extended to the east in the following year, revealing a sunken room entered by steps down from the north. During the present season the excavation of the room was completed, the walls standing to a height of some 2.5 m. (Fig. 13). Five steps down gave access to a platform about 0.4 m. high which occupied the north-east corner of the room. The room was about 3 m. wide and more than 4 m. long: its southern limit lay beyond the south baulk and was not reached. On the floor of the room were the crushed remains of twelve or thirteen very large narrow-necked storage jars, suggesting that the room was used for the cool storage of liquid, perhaps oil or wine (Fig. 14). ... Excavation of the L2 levels confirmed the impression of earlier seasons: walls and rooms were carefully designed and constructed, and of larger- than-domestic scale. Nowhere was there very much build-up of occupation debris, although there was a considerable depth of destruction debris in places, implying either that the period of occupation was short, or that rooms were kept clean down to their original surfaces. Where there were groups of broken pottery, resulting from the fire and collapse that marked the end of L2, nearly all were resting directly on the floors of the rooms, without any intervening build-up of occupation debris. - Tubb and Dorrell (1994:59-65) The second main undertaking in Area BB 700 was an expansion to the north, continuing the examination of the suite of rooms leading off at right angles from the landing at the top of the BB 1000 staircase begun in 1995 (see Tubb, Dorrell and Cobbing 1996, 19 and fig. 8). Stratigraphically these rooms, although at a higher absolute level, are continuous with Stratum L2 elsewhere in BB 700 and show similar evidence for destruction by fire. In 1995 the first room to be encountered (in BB 1100) contained, beneath the substantial depth of destruction debris, fine deposits of badly crushed but complete pottery vessels (ibid., 19). More vessels, for the most part store jars and cooking pots, were found this season as the excavation reached the apparent floor surface (Fig. 7). Again, however, it was seen that the destruction debris continued below the surface on which the pots rested, and persisted for another 50 cm. before reaching a second surface. It seems clear, therefore, that the same situation prevails here as in BB 1000 to the south of the staircase; namely that the part of the building found in BB 1100 was of two-storey construction. This being the case, the upper destruction debris can be interpreted as the roof and wall collapse of the upper storey and the surface with pottery as the fallen first floor - both deposits having slumped into the lower storey with its own layer of burnt debris resting on its floor. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60)	VII+
Broken , Crushed , and/or Fallen Pottery?	Lower Tell - 'scullery' in area DD 900 Figure 13 Plan of 'scullery' area in DD900. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)	Fig. 12 Figure 12 View from the north of 'scullery' area in DD 900, showing platters and other vessels on surface. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997) Fig. 14 Figure 14 Stack of bowls in situ in scullery area. Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1997)	Comments During the 1996 season, one of the most significant operations in Area DD was conducted at its easternmost end, in the area directly adjacent to the south-western side of Area BB 700 (see Fig. 4 for location of specific loci within Area DD). Here in 1995 a small sounding had shown the presence of a well-preserved wall which appeared to continue the Stratum L2 architecture of BB 700 westwards (see Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - Wall F). Initially this sounding was expanded and, after establishing the validity of the connection, a larger area was opened to the south and west. By combining the results of these operations, below a number of somewhat ephemeral features belonging to the later Stratum L1 occupation (patches of pebble surface, irregularly constructed mud-brick kerb walls and hearths - Fig. 10), a suite of three well built rooms of Stratum L2 was defined and excavated (Fig. 1 1). The smallest of the rooms (about 1.5 m. wide by 5 m. long), the extreme eastern end of which had been previously excavated within Area BB 700 (Tubb and Dorrell 1993, fig. 16 - contained by walls M, C and F), contained a remarkable deposit of ceramic vessels which included store-jars, large red-slipped and burnished platters, small bowls, various Abydos-type vessels, and an unusual jug with an internal strainer (Figs. 12- 13). The position of the vessels within the room was also of interest. The small bowls, for example, were found stacked one on top of each other, and possibly inside a store-jar (Fig. 14). Other artefacts from this room included a collection of fine flint blades, over 2000 beads of faience, stone and carnelian, and a copper alloy axe-head. The environmental deposits from the room were also of an exceptional quality, with large quantities of charred grain and chaff as well as charred olives, grapes, figs, capers and a whole charred pomegranate. Many of the pottery vessels contained what are almost certainly food residues on their surfaces. From the nature of the deposits, artefactual and environmental, it would seem that this room served as a type of 'scullery', the pottery vessels with their adhering food remains having been returned from the dining room, ready to be washed up, when the fire broke out which was to consume the complex and bring Stratum L2 to a close. The position of the dining room is not known, but it could well have been one of the larger, adjacent (and adjoining) rooms described below. It is interesting to observe, however, that the table 'setting' was apparently for eleven - 11 bowls were found in the stack, there were 11 Abydos mugs, 11 flint blades, and 11 long, narrow bone points (possibly tooth picks?). - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1997:58-60) JW: plan and photos show shattered and crushed pottery	VII+

The archeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224). This site may be subject to a construction related site effect in this stratum due to mudbrick construction.

Stratum XII Destruction - Iron I - ~1150 BCE

Earthquake Archeological Effects chart

Earthquake Archeological Effects (EAE)

Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

Effect	Location	Image (s)	Comments	Intensity
Faulting and fractures (fault scarps)	Upper tell Area AA Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 2 Plan of the AA-EE linkage area showing configuration of trenches and their relationship to the main grid. Tubb & Dorrell (1991)		Comments The excavation of this area [AA] proved to be extremely complicated. Not only had it suffered considerably from the effects of faulting (there were no less than five intersecting cracks, the largest of which had been responsible for a stratigraphic downshift of nearly 50 cm.), but the levelling operation in preparation for the construction of stratum VII had removed much of the architecture to foundation level. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:58) Excavations in AA 900 in 1990 had revealed a substantial depression of the stratigraphy in this area, resulting most probably from earthquake faulting with related subsidence. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56-59)	VII+
Collapsed Walls Fire Debris	Upper tell - Areas AA, EE, and KK Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 2 Plan of the AA-EE linkage area showing configuration of trenches and their relationship to the main grid. Tubb & Dorrell (1991) Figure 8 Area EE, stratum XII: plan of "Palace" complex. Tubb (1990) Figure 10 Plan of the Western Palace complex in Area EE (Area 32-A/B-7/10, Area 33-H/K-7/10) and the 'Aqueduct' in AA goo (Area 32-B/D-IO, Area 23-B(D-l/2). Tubb and Dorrell (1993) Figure 24 Area KK: Remains of Stratum XII alleyway and associated building and part of the underlying phase (Stratum XIII). Tubb, Dorrell, & Cobbing (1996) Figure 21 Area KK: View of Tell es-Saeidiyeh and Area KK from the south. Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996)	Fig. 8d Figure 8d The twelfth century B.C. olive processing area (Palace) that displays signs of destruction (from Tubb, 1998) Ferry et al. (2011)	Comments Area AA - Stratum XIA was found to have been built on a dense layer of silting which in turn covered the deep deposit of intensely burnt destruction debris overlying the architecture of stratum XII. Excavation of stratum XII in 1987 uncovered the remains of a large public building which, to judge from its Egyptian-style plan and construction method, must be seen as yet another example of a so-called 'Egyptian Governor's Residency'. The building had clearly been abandoned following its destruction, and, to. judge from the depth of silt overlying the collapsed debris, some considerable period of time must have elapsed before the construction of stratum XIA, perhaps as much as one hundred years. ... destruction of the massive stratum XII city wall and 'palace' complex. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72) late 12th century BCE. Thick debris from city walls, public and private buildings and signs of fire (Stratum XII) were noted at the site. The excavators’ impression was that people had time to escape (Tubb 1988: 41). - Raphael and Agnon (2018) The city of Stratum XII was obviously destroyed in an intense conflagration, the dense associated debris sealing a valuable corpus of finds, examination of which has established a date for this event at around 1150-1120 BC, coinciding with the withdrawal of the Egyptian empire... Some time in the last quarter of the [twelfth] century the city of Stratum XII was destroyed by fire, and at the same time the cemetery on the Lower Tell fell out of use. There is no indication as to the source of the destruction: certainly there were neither bodies nor signs of conflict amidst the ruined buildings of the Upper Tell, and it could well be that fire was the result of an accident. Tubb (1988:86) - Ferry et al. (2011) Elsewhere in area EE, the heavily burned floor surfaces of the various rooms produced a repertoire of pottery types similar to, yet somewhat more extensive than the stratum XII material from area AA recovered in 1987 (Figs. 13-14). - Tubb (1990:28-29) Area AA - Stratum XIA was found to have been built on a dense layer of silting which in turn covered the deep deposit of intensely burnt destruction debris overlying the architecture of stratum XII. Excavation of stratum XII in 1987 uncovered the remains of a large public building which, to judge from its Egyptian-style plan and construction method, must be seen as yet another example of a so-called 'Egyptian Governor's Residency'. The building had clearly been abandoned following its destruction, and, to. judge from the depth of silt overlying the collapsed debris, some considerable period of time must have elapsed before the construction of stratum XIA, perhaps as much as one hundred years. ... destruction of the massive stratum -XII city wall and 'palace' complex. - Tubb and Dorrell (1991:67-72) Area AA 900 - This building (House 80) was found to overlie directly dense and intensely burnt destruction debris which, from the previously undertaken excavations in area EE (see below), was known to be associated with stratum XII, the important twelfth century B.C. Egyptian phase of occupation represented by the Residency building in area AA, the Western Palace complex and city wall in area EE, the water system staircase on the north slope, and the Lower Tell cemetery. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56-59) Area EE - the city wall of stratum XII is indeed a casemate system with small compartments filled entirely with mud-brick rubble. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:56-59) Area AA - The lowermost phase reached by the end of the 1989 season was Stratum XII, recognized as a phase of Egyptian occupation corresponding with the Late Bronze Age cemetery on the Lower Tell. Associated with an intense destruction horizon, datable to the mid-twelfth century B.C., Stratum XII has subsequently been investigated in numerous exposures where its architecture has consistently revealed purely Egyptian construction techniques. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:24-30) Area KK - For Stratum XII, with a larger area available for excavation, a more extensive architectural plan could be developed. The main feature was a north-south pebble-paved alleyway separating two mud-brick building units (Figs. 23-24). At the southern end of the alley two steps gave access to a street running from east to west. This street might well have been situated behind the city wall, all remains of which have eroded away down the south slope of the tell. Little can be said of the western building unit, as this lies almost entirely beyond the limit of excavation. The eastern unit, however, revealed part of a room with a well executed stone-paved surface (Fig. 25). The whole of the interior was filled to a depth of nearly a metre and a half with dense destruction debris consisting of burnt mud-brick, ashes and charred timber. The alley, being an exterior surface, was relatively free of this debris, but showed a characteristic feature of Stratum XII, a heavy stone blocking set across its point of entry, prior to the destruction, preventing access from the street. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:30-31)	VIII+ ? ?
Broken Pottery	Upper tell Area EE Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 2 Plan of the AA-EE linkage area showing configuration of trenches and their relationship to the main grid. Tubb & Dorrell (1991)	Fig. 14 Figure 14 Egyptian style jars adjacent to the drainage channel of the Stratum XII pool in Area EE. Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Fig. 10 Figure 10 Area EE, stratum XII: water channel in westernmost plastered room. The crushed pottery vessel near to the scale is that shown on Fig. 14:1. Tubb (1990) Fig. 13 Figure 13 Area EE, stratum XII: pottery vessels on burnt floor of "Palace", close to tabun constructed of krater sherds Tubb (1990)	Comments Area EE - surface was covered with a dense deposit of broken Egyptian-style store jars, up to 50-60 in number, the type identical to those found previously in the store-rooms of the Residency in area AA (see Tubb 1988, Fig. 19:14) - Tubb (1990:28-29)	VII+

The archeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224). This site may be subject to a construction related site effect in this stratum due to mudbrick construction and an absence of stone foundations.

Stratum V Destruction - 7th-6th century BCE

Earthquake Archeological Effects chart

Earthquake Archeological Effects (EAE)

Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224)

Effect	Location	Image (s)	Comments	Intensity
Fire Destruction Debris (collapsed walls?)	Upper Tell - Area AA 1300 Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993) Figure 5 stratum V. Composite plan of Areas AA and EE (Grid squares 22, 23, 32, and 33) incorporating the southern part of Pritchard's exposure(taken from Pritchard 1986, fig. 79). Again, note that this plan has been simplified for the purposes of this report. Tubb & Dorrell (1991) Figure 2 Location plan for areas on Upper Tell Tubb & Dorrell (1993)	Fig. 4 Figure 4 AA 1300 (Area 32-E/G-6/7) West Section Tubb and Dorrell (1993)	AA 1300 (Area32-E/G-6/7) - The stratum IV pits had been cut into the destruction debris and architecture of the underlying stratum V. Destroyed by fire towards the end of the eighth century B.C., stratum V illustrates an intelligently planned and well-constructed Iron Age settlement, well documented by the large expanse now revealed by both the Pennsylvania and British Museum expeditions (see especially Pritchard 1985, Fig. 179 and Tubb and Dorrell 1991, fig. 5). The limited sounding in AA 1300 produced but one wall, running east-west, together with an associated stone-paved courtyard to the north (the wall undoubtedly forms a part of the south-central housing block as represented by Pritchard's rooms 14 and 16). Not unusually for stratum V, the wall was built without stone foundations. - Tubb and Dorrell (1993:54-56)	? VIII+?
Destruction (collapsed walls ?)	Upper Tell - Area MM Figure 1 Contour Plan of the site showing excavation areas Tubb & Dorrell (1993)		Area MM - As established on the western side of the tell, Stratum V is the only eighth-century horizon showing evidence of destruction. - Tubb, Dorrell, and Cobbing (1996:31-33)	VIII+?

The archeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224). This site may be subject to a construction related site effect in this stratum due to mudbrick construction and an absence of stone foundations.

References

Articles and Books

Ferry, M., et al. (2011). "Episodic Behavior of the Jordan Valley Section of the Dead Sea Fault Inferred from a 14-ka-Long Integrated Catalog of Large Earthquakes." Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 101(1): 39-67.

Petit, L. P., (2009) Settlement Dynamics in the Middle Jordan Valley during the Iron Age II. British Archaeological Reports: International Series 2033. - accessible at the Getty

Pritchard, James B. (1965b) A Cosmopolitan Culture of the Late Bronze Age Penn Museum Expedition Magazine Summer 1965 - has a photo of earthquake induced faulting on the Tell

Pritchard, J. B. (1965c). The First Excavations at Tell es-Sa‘idiyeh. The Biblical Archaeologist, 28(1), 10–17. - at JSTOR

Raphael, Kate and Agnon, Amotz (2018). EARTHQUAKES EAST AND WEST OF THE DEAD SEA TRANSFORM IN THE BRONZE AND IRON AGES. Tell it in Gath Studies in the History and Archaeology of Israel Essays in Honor of Aren M. Maeir on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday.

Tubb, J. N. (1998). Canaanites, The British Museum Press, London, 160. - can be borrowed with a free account from archive.org - bookmarked to a section titled The Excavations at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh

Tubb J. N. Chapman R. L. Dorrell P. G. & British Museum Trustees. (1990). Archaeology and the Bible. Published for the Trustees of the British Museum by British Museum Press. - can be borrowed with a free account from archive.org - Chapter 4, which is bookmarked in this link, is a chapter on the Tell Saidiyeh excavations

Tubb, J. N. (1988). Tell es-Sa’idiyeh: Preliminary report on the first three seasons of renewed excavations , Levant 20, 23–89.

Tubb, J. N. (1990). Preliminary Report on the Fourth Season of Excavations at Tell Es-Sa'idiyeh in the Jordan Valley , Levant, 22:1, 21-42

Tubb, J. N. and Dorrell, P.G. (1991). Tell es-Sacidiyeh: Interim Report on the Fifth (1990) Season of Excavations , Levant, 23:1, 67-86

Tubb, Jonathan N. & Dorrell, Peter G. (1993) Tell Es-Saidiyeh: Interim Report on the Sixth Season of Excavations , Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 125:1, 50-74

Tubb, Jonathan N. & Dorrell, Peter G. (1994) Tell Es-Saidiyeh 1993: Interim Report on the Seventh Season of Excavations , Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 126:1, 52-67

Tubb, Jonathan N., Dorrell, Peter G. and Cobbing, Felicity J. (1996) Interim Report on the Eighth (1995) Season of Excavations at Tell es-Saidiyeh , Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 128:1, 16-40

Tubb, Jonathan N., Dorrell, Peter G. and Cobbing, Felicity J. (1997) Interim Report on the Ninth Season (1996) of Excavations at Tell es-Saidiyeh, Jordan , Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 129:1, 54-77

Excavation Reports

Pritchard, J. B. (1965a). Tell Es-Sa'idiyeh: Excavations on the Tell, 1964-1966. United States: University of Pennsylvania Press, Incorporated.

Tell es-Sa'idiyeh Volume III: Excavations in the Lower Tell Cemetery

Tell es-Sa'idiyeh Volume IV: Excavations on the Upper Tell 1986-1996

Websites

Tell Saidiyeh at Pleiades

APAAME photos of Tell Saidiyeh on flickr

Obituary for Jonathan N. Tubb at ACOR - indicates that his final article on Tell Saidiyeh excavations was in 1997 covering the 9th season of excavations

References from Ferry et a. (2011)

Green, J. D. M., 2006. Ritual and Social Structure in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Southern Levant. The Cemetery at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, Jordan. Ph.D. dissertation: University College London.

Green, J. D. M., 2007. Anklets and the Social Construction of Gender and Age in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Southern Levant. In: Hamilton, S., R. D. Whitehouse, and K. I. Wright (eds.), Archaeology and Women: Ancient and Modern Issues, 283-311. Walnut Creek (CA): Left Coast Press, Inc.

Green, J. D. M., 2009. Forces of Transformations in Death: The Cemetery at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, Jordan. In Bachhuber, C., and R. Gareth Roberts, Forces of Transformation: The End of the Bronze Age in the Mediterranean. Proceedings of an international symposium held at St. John's College, University of Oxford 25-6th March 2W6, 80-91. Themes from the Ancient Near East BAN EA Publication Series, Vol. 1. Oxford: Oxbow Books.

Green, J. D. M., 2010. Creating Prestige in the Jordan Valley: a Reconstruction of Ritual and Social Dynamics from the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age Cemetery at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh. In: Matthiae, P., F. Pinnock, L. Nigro, and N. Marchetti (eds.), Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. May, 5th-10th 2008, "Sapienza" - Universita di Roma. Volume I, 765-779. Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz Verlag.

Green, J. D. M., 2013. Social Identity in the Jordan Valley during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages: Evidence from the Tall as-Sa'idiyyah Cemetery. Studies in the History and Archaeology oflordan XI, 419-429.

Green, J. D. M., 2014. Objects, People, and Ritual Sequences: the Cemetery at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, Jordan. In: Pfalzner, P., H. Niehr, E. Pernicka, S. Lange, and T. Koster (eds.), Contextualising Grave Inventories in the Ancient Near East: Proceedings of a Workshop at the London 7th ICAANE in April 2010 and an International Symposium in Tubingen in November 2010, both Organised by the Tubingen Post-Graduate School„Symbols of the Dead", 157-170. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag.

Tubb, J. N., 1988a. The Role of the Sea Peoples in the Bronze Industry of Palestine/Transjordan in the Late Bronze-Early Iron Transition. In Curtis, J. E. (ed.), Bronze-working Centres of Western Asia c. 1000-539 B.C, 251-270. London & New York: Kegan Paul International.

Tubb, J. N., 1988b. Tell es-Sa'idiyeh: Preliminary Report on the First Three Seasons of Renewed Excavations. Levant 20, 23-88.

Tubb, J. N., 1990. Preliminary Report on the Fourth Season of Excavations at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh in the Jordan Valley. Levant 22, 21-42.

Tubb, J. N., and P. G. Dorrell, 1993. Tell es-Sa'idiyeh: Interim Report on the Sixth Season of Excavations. Palestine Exploration Quarterly 125, 50-74.

Tubb, J. N., 1995. An Aegean Presence in Egypto-Canaan. In Curtis, J. (ed.), Bronze-working Centres of Western Asia c. 1000-539 B.C., 136-145. London & New York: Kegan Paul International.

Tubb, J. N., 2000. Sea Peoples in the Jordan Valley. In Oren, E. D. (ed.), TheSea Peoples and their World: A Reassessment, 181-198. Philadelphia: The University Museum, University of Pennsylvania.

Nearby Archaeoseismic Sites

Deir 'Alla

Damiya

Tables from Ferry et al. (2011)

Master Seismic Events Table for the Tell Saidiyeh and Ghor Kabed Trenches

Table 2 - Archaeological Evidence

from Ferry et al. (2011)

Table 2

Compilation of Archaeological Evidence for Strong Perturbations at Archaeological Sites in the Vicinity of the Jordan Valley Fault

Ferry et al. (2011)

Table 3 - Historical, Archaeological, and Paleoseismic Data

from Ferry et al. (2011)

Table 3

Summary of Events Identified from Historical, Archaeological, and Paleoseismic Data along the Jordan Valley Fault for the Last 18.5 ka

Ferry et al. (2011)

Wikipedia pages

Tell es-Sa'idiyeh (in German)

from Wikipedia - click link to open new tab and translate to English in your browser

Zaretan

from Wikipedia - click link to open new tab

Tall Damiyah

from Wikipedia - click link to open new tab

Deir Alla

from wikipedia

Tell Saidiyeh Archaeoseismic Site