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The Chronology of the Royal Palace of Qatna Gj Originalveröffentlichung in: Ägypten und Levante 14, 2004, S. 299–317 THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE ROYAL PALACE OF QATNA By Mirko Novak INTRODUCTION north-south route from Anatolia to Egypt and the important east-west route from Mesopotamia The archaeological site of Tell Misrife (Fig. 1) through the Syrian Desert to the Mediterranean close to the modern town of Misrife is located shore it was one of the major Syrian kingdoms and 18km north-east of Homs in a large fertile plain a commercial centre of outstanding importance. situated between the dry steppe of the Palmyra Previous archaeological work at Tell Misrife region and the nearby Orontes valley. The site can was carried out by Robert Du Mesnil du Buisson be identified with the ancient city of Qatna, which from 1924 to 1929.2 The most extended excava­ flourished during the Old and Middle Syrian Peri­ tion was placed in the northern part of the upper od (= Middle and Late Bronze Age).1 Due to its city, called Butte de I'Eglise. Here, a large architec­ position at the crossroads between the main tural complex covering an area of almost 1 ha TELL MISHRIFE 2000 TOPOGRAPHIC MAP C2 A. Belnat A. Marchesini - University of Udiie 188 »*> 408 S03 •m Om 100 m 200 m 300 m 10100 m GJ 10000 m 9800 m ,00 ?20m 527 m •..•JIM 521 m 9500 m 517 m • n • . 8400m 511 m K'-m b'h' rn • ........... 501 m 497 m 3200m 6 n 3fe DTM derived from Krfglng ntetpe atlon 487 m of 2117 DGPS points. 465 m The reforsnca frame 463 m m 9600 10000 m 10100 m 10200 10300m 10400m 10500m n 10700 m Fig. 1 Topographic Map of Qatna (produced by A. Beinat, A. Marchesini) * I would like to thank Federico Buccellati (Tubingen) 2 The first campaign was conducted in 1924, the follow- for reading and correcting the English manuscript. ing three from 1927 to 1929. Cf. Du MESNIL DU BUISSON 1 For the identification, cf. Du MESNIL DU BUISSON 1927; 1926, 1927a, 1927b, 1928, 1930, and 1935. on the political role of Qatna, cf. KLENGEL 2000. 300 Mirko Novak 5*1* »fi u fam sT- O * Q u 1) K O u *4 o to = o c CNI o ™ in Z< CD C Sw.O2 X B = m-a o CO OJO '3. Q- 5 CD TJ Q: c 2 I tf) rnrrrmTmT^n'v •! E The Chronology of the Royal Palace of Qatna 301 had been exposed (Fig. 2). Du Mesnil du Buisson the ancient palace. The remaining walls were defined three different units within this com­ removed by the inhabitants and the hard gypsum- plex, which he labelled as "Palace" {Palais), mortar floors of the Bronze Age were partly "Temple of Belet-Ekallim" {Temple de Nin-Egal), reused as floors of the new houses. Nearly the and "High Place" {Haut-Lieu). The reasons for entire original inventory of the rooms has been the selection of these three units have not been taken away during the French excavations or the fully understood, and the architectural layout following decades. This made it quite unlikely for and the chronology of the building have also us to get good finds of objects in situ and thereby remained unclear. indications of the chronology of the palace.7 From 1994 to 1998 a Syrian Expedition, Fortunately the intact foundation walls reach directed by Michel Al-Maqdissi, resumed excava­ to a depth of nearly 4 m below the original floor tions at the site but did not conduct operations level, so that the layout of the building can be in the palace area.3 In 1999 ajoint Syrian-Italian- completely reconstructed (Figs. 2, 3). It was with German archaeological project was initiated,4 unexpected luck that two subterranean areas of 3 with operations in five different areas. Since the the palace have been discovered and partly exca­ palace of the rulers of ancient Qatna must have vated during the last three campaigns, in which been one of the most important Bronze Age the original inventory dating to the destruction buildings of Western Syria, one of the main phase had remained undiscovered: In the north­ efforts of the new project is its re-excavation western corner of the palace a cistern was placed and re-evaluation. This study has as its goal a within the basement, Room U. Here, part of the better understanding of the palace, which has inventory of the neighbouring Room N was found been almost neglected in the scientific litera­ in the debris of the collapsed wall that lay ture until now.6 between the two rooms. In the northern part of In addition to the architecture and function of the building an underground corridor was dis­ the palace, much of the effort of the recent exca­ covered, which sloped downwards towards the vations has aimed at an investigation of its north. It gave access to the royal tomb at the very chronology based on a precise stratigraphical northern edge of the palace area, which was dug analysis. After four campaigns the first results of into the natural rock cliff below the upper town. this study can be presented here. The objects found within these two spots help us to date precisely the destruction, while the 1. THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE PALACE foundation date is still based on architecture and The main difficulty of investigating the Bronze ceramics. Age palace of Qatna lies in the specific history of 1.1. The Architectural Evidence its architectural remains after the first explo­ ration in the 1920s. After finishing their opera­ Although just the eastern and the northern limits tions the French archaeologists left the ruins of the building have been precisely defined so far, uncovered. In the following decades, between the it turned out that the palace extended over an area early 1930s and the late 1970s, the modern village of at least 135 m x 100 m. It was therefore one of of Misrife grew rapidly and occupied the area of the largest known buildings in Bronze Age Syria. :1 AL-MAQDISSI 2001. joint mission. Two excavation areas were laid out with­ 4 The project is co-directed by Dr. Michel Al-Maqdissi, Dr. in the palace, Operation G in the western part of the Daniele Morandi Bonacossi and Prof. Dr. Peter Pfal- building where the German team is working, and Oper­ zner. Scientific responsibility is shared by the three ation H in the eastern part where an Italian team under directors and Dr. Marta Luciani (vice-director of the the local supervision of Andrea Barro MA is active. Italian component) and the author of the present 7 The chance to work in the palace was made possible in paper (field director of the German component). 1982 through the complete abandonment of the vil­ 5 Cf. AL-MAQDISSI et al. 2002; NOVAK and PFALZNER 2000, lage that had covered the whole western part of the 2001,2002 and 2003. ancient settlement site. This is due to the engagement 6 Work in the Bronze Age palace of Qatna is a co-opera­ of the Directorate General of Museums and Antiquities tion of the Italian and the German components of the in Damascus. 302 Mirko Novak TALL MISHRIFE - QATNA 2002 4 _I J_ Phase 7-9 / Gesamtplan Arealgrenze Schnlitgrenze I 1 Begehungsflache I Fullboden CZ3 Kalkmoftelboden l —..1 F u ridam en Ischa cht in i t Ste infullung \ 1^1 Lehmziegelmauer 4 I f i Lehmziegelverslurc EJ3 KlesuntorTOtteiung T7~i Slbrung E&J gewachsener Falser ES] Kamnwgrab 1 Zeichnung: A.Ahrens, R. Abdellatif, C Eydam, B. Farah-Fnug6res. M. L/nd BJerregaard. S. Mankel. M.Mohammad. H. Rasmussen, J. Schmld. K Slemlizke, L. Wastergaarc jr.;,:,:. iiniir ; . Elr.i.n I, ,-,ik L • v • a L J11 R.mm . I'.III -I- Raum 4 •' l!,:n 0 PJ r n Raum BG \ •• ; 111 4" >!.'! .••::> Raum Rau r —t r L 1 f- 4 4 Fig. 3 Plan of the palace in Operation G (drawing by G. Elsen-Novak) The Chronology of the Royal Palace of Qatna 303 m. L *;3 _, "* «• ^tji. I V M fjfc; m i iwwmjwTT."""^! - "-^'^^^ ^jfl^^, aaaiw f1 Fig. 4 Overview on the palace area with foundation walls seen from west (photo by G. Mirsch) The most unusual feature was the technique of a circular monolithic basalt basin of 1,60 m in the foundations (Fig. 4): They consisted of mud diameter. In the north-eastern corner of Hall C brick "core walls", which reached to a depth of two channels were found that separated the so- nearly 4 m. They were extremely thick, in one called sanctuaire of the Temple of Belet-Ekallim. It case reaching even 10 m in width. For the pur­ was the place where Du Mesnil du Buisson had pose of drainage they were flanked by so-called found cuneiform tablets and other objects such as couloirs, narrow corridors filled with stones, and an Egyptian sphinx of the 12th dynasty.8 retaining walls made of mud bricks. Both, couloirs To the east of Hall C two large rooms were and retaining walls, were originally covered by the found. The layout of both of them reflects the so- floors of the palace. called Breilraum type, with the entrances along the The largest room of the building was the mon­ long walls of these rectangular rooms. The first of umental Hall C, named as the "Temple of Belet- these rooms was Room B, which was connected to Ekallim (NIN E.GAL)" by Du Mesnil du Buisson, Hall C by a monumental porticus in the centre of which extended over an area of 37 m x 37 m.
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