EXCAVATIONS at TELL ES-SWEYHAT in SYRIA 1989 and 1991 by Thomas A

oi.uchicago.edu NEWS & NOTES NO. 134 SUMMER 1992 EXCAVATIONS AT TELL ES-SWEYHAT IN SYRIA 1989 AND 1991 by Thomas A. Holland, Publications Coordinator and Research Associate, The Oriental Institute Tell es-Sweyhat is located on the east 11 12 13 bank of the Euphrates river in northern Syria, about 90 miles east of Aleppo and 75 miles northwest of Raqqa, the modern administrative center for this area of the Syrian Jazira. The site (figure 1) is situated approximately one mile east of Lake Assad, which was formed by the completion of the Tabqa (eth-Thawra) dam during the 1970s. Sweyhat was founded in the center of the broad river terrace, which is encircled by an escarpment over 500 meters high encroaching on the Eu phrates to the north (site of the new Tishreen Dam project) and which gently curves eastward around the Sweyhat plain for some 15 miles. ~-Ir-N@~~~~~~~~4E~N Although the 1989 season (sponsored o 0 by The University Museum, The University of Pennsylvania) was brief, pt1j[~~~II~~~p lasting only one month, four soundings Q~~$=~~~~~~~~~~+Q 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 were made. Operations I and 2 were excavated on the main mound just east Figure 1. Contour Plan of Sweyhat Showing Excavations of 1973·75, 1989, and 1991 of the Area IV complex of rooms, which were built up against the inner rooms were constructed to the west of Operations 3 and 4 (figure 1) in the face of the town wall (grid square F6, the street. It is likely that the street lower town were situated in two of the figure 1). Operations 3 and 4 were ex curves gently in a north-east direction areas where the density of surface cavated in two areas of the outer town, further to the north in the same direc material collected at the beginning of southeast and west of the main mound tion as that portion of the town wall the 1989 season was very high. Upon in grid squares Kll and F3 (figure 1). shown in Area XA, against which excavation, very little architecture was room 15 is constructed. That the street evident apart from some fragmentary Operations 1 and 2, (see aerial photo was parallel to the town wall in this mudbrick walls with stone founda graph and sketch plan, figures 2 and area of the excavation may indicate that tions, but this was due mostly to the 3), revealed a 3 meter wide pebble it paralleled the rest of the town wall smallness of the operations. The ex paved street constructed in a north and thus served as an inner ring-road, pansion of the Operation 4 square in south direction and situated parallel to but proof of this will have to await fur 1991 (see below) showed extensive ar the east face of the large Area IV build ther excavation. The third millennium chitectural remains contemporary with ings. The street in these two operations B.C. deposits collected from the street the occupation on the main mound. also parallels, at a 14 meter distance, included sherds, flint tools, and animal Also, the remains of another pebble the large 2.50 meter wide mudbrick bones. paved street in Operation 3 confirms town wall , against which the Area IV continued on page 2 oi.uchicago.edu Figure 2. Aerial Photograph of Sweyhat Area IV Operations town planning in the outer town as well an additional decorative feature, which received from private donors associat as in the main walled inner town. consists of an incised complete tree ed with both institutions. motif on the right side of the columns One of the more interesting finds from and the remains of another one on the The 1991 season, conducted during the pebble-paved street in Operation 1 left side. The Hama model, unstrati October and November, was staffed by was a wall fragment of a terra cotta fied, and other examples from the Ear ten full-time and four part-time mem house model (figure 4). The architec ly Dynastic Ishtar Temple at Ashur in bers from the USA and Britain. tural motifs depicted on our fragment, Mesopotamia and also from 14th-13th Richard Zettler and I again served as particularly the engaged spiral centuries B.c. contexts in Syria, have co-directors and represented the expe columns, are a feature incorporated on made the dating of this type of model dition's co-sponsor institutions. The facades of major buildings in greater difficult. Present evidence from Swey site supervisors were Jennifer Arzt, an north Syria/Mesopotamia during the hat indicates that our house model be Oriental Institute graduate, Timothy 3rd-2nd millennium B.C., particularly longs to the Akkadian period or Adams, Adam Ford, Emma Murray, those at Tell Leilan (compare the slightly later during the end of the 3rd and Sally Randell, all graduates of the columns along the north facade of the millennium B.C. Other evidence, both Institute of Archaeology, London Leilan Building Level II temple and textual and glyptic, suggests that these University. John Ellsworth, a part-time the complete house model in Ebla to types of house models were used as artist at The Oriental Institute, worked Damascus: Art and Archaeology of votive offerings in temples. as the draughts man for all object and Ancient Syria, edited by H. Weiss, pottery drawings. Matthew Waters and 1985, figures 45 and 101). The frag During 1990, due to the ever rising Michael Danti, both graduate students ment of a dove perched on the protrud costs of fieldwork in the Near East, at the University Museum, were ing ends of two joining roof beams Richard Zettler and I requested joint responsible for the processing of ar extending outside the house wall is sponsorship for the 1991 excavations. chaeobotanical samples and the sur identical in decoration to a completely The directors of The Oriental Institute veying of the trenches. Tony preserved model supposedly from and The University Museum kindly Wilkinson, Oriental Institute Research Salamiyya, near Hama in Syria. The agreed to our request for joint sponsor Associate, joined the team as a part presence of two sets of roof beams both ship and provided generous financial time member and continued his survey at the top and the bottom of the two en support and back-up resources, for of the Sweyhat plain for one month gaged spiral columns suggests that our which we are very grateful, and which (October). Donna Strahan, Walters fragment is the second storey of a made possible the two-month 1991 sea Art Gallery, Baltimore, and Mark model house similar in design to the son. We also are extremely apprecia Fenn, Conservation Analytical Hama model. The Sweyhat model has tive for the financial support we Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, 2 oi.uchicago.edu were also part-time members and worked as conservators during the fi nal month of the season (November). TELL ES·SWEYHAT John Robertson, Department of Histo AREA IV ry, Central Michigan University, (OPS. 1, 2, 6, 7. and 8) joined us for two weeks in November and assisted with both excavations on the tell and with the study of the finds. IVA OP 2 S T ~EET OP 1 (1 989 \ STREET STREET We are very grateful for all the as STRE ET sistance we received from the staff. STREE T NOT EXCAVATED N~ STREET ~-~----- IV' 11_ _!I UD BRICk r - - ---'---'---L-'?~~1]7;~n777?tL--~"--IIr,7117,77T!~"{;~ ~ -- OWN WJl(L B ___ ___ MUD BRICK TOWN WALL I I v W -r-I_R..,-,-+_--, ---------------- ~ -~ ""., L_',""""''''''' The objectives of the 1991 season were r SCAlE INME TEAS TAH3·92 threefold: first, to obtain greater infor Figure 3. Sketch Plan of Sweyhat Area IV Operations mation concerning the architectural planning and dating of the different tensive fieldwork by covering an area room 9 and the rooms (numbers 16 and phases of occupation at the site, partic approximately 5 km in an arc around 17) known to exist to the south of room ularly in Area IV of the main mound Sweyhat on foot. 9 (figure 3). Room 9 was found to abut (figures 2 and 3); second, to assess the onto the west side of the street in Oper relationship between the outer and in Operation I (figure 3), situated up ation 2 and, although not fully defined ner towns; and third, to relate changes slope to the east of the Area IV rooms in 1991, the east wall of room 17 proba in the pattern of archaeological settle excavated in the 1970s, provided us bly also adjoins the street. The eight ment to the physical landscape, man with at least four later building phases complete rooms now excavated, except induced landscape features, land use on top of the original third millennium for room 1, between the town wall and systems, and the regional environment. town. In a room belonging to the first the street (rooms 2 to 6,9, 16, and 17) The first of these objectives was initiat of these phases that abutted the street form the central unit of a large well ed by extending the 1989 Operation 1 were found two large circular oven-like designed house, rectangular in shape, up the slope of the mound by 10 meters structures (figures 2 and 3) which which measures 10 meters in width and to the east of the street, by beginning were possibly used for some kind of 13.50 meters in length. That these three more Operations, 6, 7, and 8, grain storage, although no remains of rooms originally formed only a central along the east and south sides of the such were found within them.

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