Zone 1: Area A Monumental Buildings A and B
Material remains in Area A reveal two main phases of settlement, both of which date to the neo-Assyrian period. The earlier structure at Phase 2 (coded in purple), designated Building B, is dated to the late-eighth, early-seventh century BCE. A Phase 4 structure, Building A (coded in brown), represents a later habitation dating to the sixth and early-fifth centuries BCE. One can see how the upper stones of Building A rest atop the earlier walls of Building B and follow the same general outline. The walls of the more recent structure are somewhat narrower and recede at least 20 cm from the earlier walls. Despite a paucity of indicative pottery, excavators originally assigned Building A to the late neo-Assyrian period based on the similarity of its courtyard layout and plastered floors to other Assyrian courtyard-type structures; however, Persian pottery found at a contemporary level of occupation in a similar building at Area C makes dating its useful life less certain.
Building A, which measures about 48 m x 36 m in size, underwent several renovations over a relatively brief span of time, especially apparent near its entrance at the southeast corner. There it opened to a series of plastered rooms, which in turn led to a large rectangular courtyard. Excavation reports note the conglomeration of several renovation sub-phases distinguished by varying sorts of plaster in what excavators describe as a “jungle of walls and floors.” Two drains are found in this corner of the building; plastered surfaces below the drains indicate the use of cisterns.
The entrance to Building B lies at its eastern end. Cracked steps, made brittle by the intense heat of the destroyer’s fire, led upward to an entrance roughly 5 meters wide, which opened to a large hall. Two rectangle-shaped column bases, approximately 1 m x 1.3 m in size, flanked the entrance. Discoloration marks the spots where the columns once rested. Located a little toward the west are the remains of two podia, each about 3 meters square. It is not known whether the columns were contemporary with the podia or were constructed later. In any case, the general layout of this part of the overall structure suggested to the excavators that this was a sacred precinct, with the two podia flanking the likely cella and a possible purification room toward the eastern end. The general plan of the building follows the typical Assyrian “open courtyard” layout.
There is no apparent natural water source on the acropolis; however, two springs, Ain al ‘Ubur and Ain al Jannin, flow nearby. The upper city was served by a bottle-shaped cistern found in the northeastern quarter of the large courtyard. The cistern measures 5 meters in diameter, but its depth beyond 5 meters of unexcavated rubble is not known. A few of the once-plastered private residences surrounding the upper city appear to have plaster cisterns beneath them. Those without private cisterns were likely permitted to draw water from the public cistern; otherwise, they would have to carry it up from the springs.
Finally, a serpentine wall is found at the northeast end of the complex. Represented in red on the plan, the wall has been identified by the excavators as “probably a very late boundary field wall, to which no levels can be related.”