Tell Brak

36.66666666666741.058333333333Koordinaten: 36 ° 40 '0 "N, 41 ° 3' 30" E

Tell Brak is an ancient settlement mound in northeastern Syria. He was a significant urban cultures of the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC, especially the Akkadian and later the Hurrian period, and the Mitanni kingdom in northern Mesopotamia. The ancient name was identified on the basis of cuneiform tablets in the Sumerian language as Nagar.

Location

Tell Brak is in the Jazirah level on Dschaghdschagh ( ancient Mygdonios ), an eastern tributary of the Khabur, near the mouth of the Wadi ar - Radd. From the present location Tell Brak Road 45 kilometers northeast of al -Hasakah in Qamishli direction of the hills can be seen two kilometers in the east.

Name

In the 1975 found in Ebla, over a thousand clay tablets that illuminate particularly the Syriac history in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC, is mentioned, which is now identified with Tell Brak from the town Nagar. The term Nagar found further in texts from Mari, Tell Beydar and in inscriptions of Tell Brak itself The Hurrian city Taidu is associated not with Tell Brak, but with tell Hamidiya.

History

The settlement period extends from the 6th millennium to the Early Iron Age at the end of the 2nd millennium. Until Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic period to the edges notes were discovered on a settlement. The earliest, previously excavated finds in the South ( region CH) are from the late Obed- time middle of the 5th millennium. The suspected major buildings of this period were completely destroyed by later overbuilding. Get something better remains were found in a more northerly slope ( area TW ) with a continuity of settlement from the late 5th to the early 3rd millennium and signs that point to a settlement of Uruk.

In the 3rd millennium Tell Brak was one of the most important cities in northern Mesopotamia and controlled the trade route from the Tigris to Anatolia. At this time presumably there was a dynasty that was associated with the 400 kilometers west located Ebla in dynastic marriage. Texts of Ebla provide information about Tagri - Damu, a princess from Ebla, whose marriage was arranged with the Crown Prince of Nagar, Ultum - huhu, of Iyar - Damu, the last king of Ebla. The mentioned 42 vessels with wine, presumably for the wedding of Ebla by Nagar should have been sent so far have not yet been excavated at Tell Brak.

In Tell Brak was found not have cuneiform tablets, but about 40 km to the west at Tell Beydar 1993 cuneiform tablets and seals were found. Tell Beydar, the ancient Nabada seems to have been around 2300 BC under the domination of Tell Brak. There, an Early Bronze Age palace was exposed with several sanctuaries on the Acropolis. The 1400 seal impressions and clay nodules indicate brisk trade with the regional center of Tell Brak. But while Beydar / Nabada sank in the Akkadian period into insignificance, Tell Brak / Nagar retained its regional importance under Sargon of Akkad and his successors. So built Naram -Sin of Akkad, like names stamp show in walled mud brick, a fortified palace, which also contained major magazines. In some rooms, were grain residues found in other gold, silver and precious stones.

By comparisons with the other East Syrian sites such as Tell Beydar, Tell Chuera and Tell Bi'a a single, typical for the region of the Khabur and Upper Euphrates City plant could be stated. After a uniform scheme was on the Acropolis in the midst of the city, a palace and a number of integrated or connected temple. In Tell Beydar were below the palace catacombs with several graves in which the ruling dynasty of Nadar is suspected. The otherwise in the Early Bronze Age Syria widespread scheme of Ante temple was against unknown here.

To 2200 or 2000 BC, there was a settlement disruption, whose cause is still debatable. The Akkadian period ended, possibly caused by the arrival of the first nomadic Amorites. In addition, a climate change is assumed, which led to a drought. To date, the place is only just within the limit of 250 mm annual precipitation, in rain-fed agriculture is still possible. Almost all of the previously excavated in the Khabur region Tells been abandoned. There is no pottery finds from this period.

Only from 1900 to 1400 appears the so-called Khabur pottery. The subsequent re- colonization until the 13th century was only partially on the northern part of the hill, which thus became the highest elevation today. In this area, where in the 1980s the Mitanni palace was excavated from the middle of the 2nd millennium, already Mallowan houses dug the same time from ( area HH). In contrast, the south remained unsettled, which meant direct access to layers of the 3rd millennium for the active from the 1970s archaeologists.

Cityscape

Tell Brak is with 40 meters height of the largest hill settlement in Northern Mesopotamia and Syria, its extension is in east-west direction, 800 meters in a north-south direction is 600 meters. Only Uruk in southern Mesopotamia was bigger. Middle of the 4th millennium covered the settlement of an area of ​​110 hectares, including some smaller Tells Area. The now visible Tell comprises 60 acres. In studies of urban development, which were published in 2007, is spoken by a gradual merging of the early village settlements in the area. The city is likely to have shaped itself from the edge to still uninhabited interior. From this it was concluded that the potential political organization of the city. Instead of a central planning authority as in Uruk is here assumed, at least in the initial phase of a self-organization of the settlers.

The walls of the building consisted mainly of mud brick, which, after they are dug up, gradually disintegrate beyond recognition. From the Mitanni palace in the area HH up to 3.5 meters standing walls and partly well-preserved stone slab floors were found. About 200 meters south are located in a region deeper the remains of excavated by Mallowan Naram -Sin Palace 2200, actually a fortified warehouses of the Akkadian king. At this point previously was the "Temple of a Thousand Eyes ". The structure of Naram -Sin was approximately square with about 100 meters on a side, the outer walls had a thickness of 9 meters. To build such a huge investment on a temple, is seen as a sign of the absolute power of the king. In some of the mudbrick Naram -Sin had it stamped its name. So the only safe until today dating a dig horizon from the 3rd millennium in northern Mesopotamia is given.

In the area of ​​SS in the southwest, a 60 x 100 foot tall Akkadian building complex was built in the 23 century, which contained a temple, several courtyards, garages with large kilns and in particular a southern courtyard with a limestone throne and five meters wide, pillared portals.

For layer 2 in the FS area in the northeast were houses from the end of the 3rd millennium, there in layer 5, a similar Temple, several large farms and "official" buildings appeared.

About 100 meters west of it layers were studied from 5th to early third millennium ( TW area ) since 1997 in a deep incision. As a most important find is true here in layer 20 ( late 5th millennium ), a monumental construction of unknown function with a threshold of a basalt stone with the exceptional dimensions of 1.85 x 1.52 meters and 29 cm thickness

History of Research

Discoverer of the tell is the archaeologist Max Mallowan. He took the hill in November 1934 on a Survey in Northern Syria. 1937 and 1938 he conducted during the summer months, the first excavations. His wife Agatha Christie was responsible for photo documentation, cleaning and recording of finds. A time sensational find were hundreds of small eyes idols in the foundations of "Eye Temple " from the Jemdet Nasr period around 2800 BC, which are now exhibited in the National Museum in Aleppo. 1976, the excavations of the University of London under the direction of David was Oates (1924-2003) resumed. This put 1985 to 1987 on the highest point of the hill the Mitanni palace and a temple next to free. 1998-2002 were the excavations under the direction of Geoff Emberling from the University of Michigan. His focus the 4th and 3rd millennium in the area TC. since about 2000, occasional excavations focus on the time of Uruk ( 4100-3100 ) and the little explored archaeologically time the middle of the 3rd millennium. Henry Wright took over as director from 2002 to 2006 a Survey of the surrounding area in a radius of up to 20 kilometers. since 2006 directs Augusta McMahon of the University of Cambridge the project. your program continues the excavation activities in the settlement layers of the 5th millennium in the area TW. In 2008, in a small hill about 500 meters northwest at 5 m depth mass graves and several hundred clay seal that show animal figures, found from the end of the 5th millennium.

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