Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (18.2006(2008))

TELL ARBID

SYRIA

SECTOR SD - EASTERN SLOPE

Last year's exploration of Ninevite 5 struc-
tures in this part of sector SD (squares:
35/64, 35/65, 35/66, 36/64, 36/65, 36/66,
37/65 and 37/66) was continued, includ-
ing removal of baulks and extension of
trenches in order to expose a larger part of
the 3rd millennium city (total of nearly
750 m2) [Fig. 1]. Some new Akkadian and
post-Akkadian remains were also revealed.
A Late Akkadian child's grave (G3),
explored already in 2003, proved to be dug
into one of the pise walls. This discovery
suggests that all of the pise walls found in
the western part of “SD” can be much
earlier than previously supposed.
SOUTHERN PART
Testing below the floors of the so-called
“Southern House” exposed last year (Bie-

lihski 2007:467-469) revealed numerous
remains older than the Ninevite 5 period
to which the house has been dated. For
example, another rather substantial pave-
ment of regularly set mud bricks and some
walls which may have reinforced the
foundations were found below the floor of
room locus 41-36/65 [Fig. 2}. Similar
proof of reinforced foundations and slight
changes in interior arrangement and
position of partition walls were noted in
nearly all of the investigated rooms of this
house. The space used as a courtyard in the
final stage appears not to have changed its
function from the beginning. In the
southern part of the building, the changes
between the earliest and latest phase of use
turned out to be few and minor in
character.


Fig. 2. Ninevite brick pavement in locus 41-36/65
(Photo A. Reiche)

551