Tell Afis - Area N

Area N The aim of the excavation in Area N was to investigate the walls of the East side of the Acropolis, rising about 10 m. high over the lower city, in order to check their building periods and techniques. In 2004 the area of excavation was enlarged, giving the evidence that the Acropolis eastern side was fortified in Middle Bronze, Late Bronze and Iron I ages by various forms of architectural elements, well identified in distinct types for each period, even though some intra-site variability in the construction of the defences of Tell Afis citadel appears to have been the norm. On the acropolis lower slope, the remains of MB defensive system has been exposed for a length of 13 m. A mud-brick wall about 1.50 m. wide and 1 m high rises with ten rows of bricks, running in an unbonded stretch NW-SE. To its west, the top of the mudbrick wall borders on a narrow pebbled space, two levels of which were exposed. Partial remains of two more ancient walls emerge from the south part of the excavated area running straight along the west side of the pebbled space. It is possible now to reconstruct the succession of the MB building phases of the fortification. After the most ancient structures had fallen into disrepair, they were replaced at the end of MB age by a new fortification, a supplemental rampart made of fill layers intersepsed and varied, but the so-called sandwich technique was mostly employed, superposing yellowish earth layers alternated with red clay layers. The material collected in the earth layers of the rampart is fairly abundant; being not from primary context it offers a general chronological indication on the rampart ; it can be assigned to MB II horizon. The earth enbankment remains appear to be crowned by the remains not yet investigated of a later acropolis defence, to be preliminary attributed to the LB age. This superpositioned surface defence consists of two faces of masonry foundations laid at a different heights and with clay infill. LB IA sherds and a Mitannian cylinder seal came from the layers between the rampart top and the stone foundations. In Area N1, the digging inside the highest defensive wall of the Acropolis exposed seven building phases. Phase VII, not yet excavated, probably dates to Late Bronze Age. Phases VI-II are dating to Iron Age I and characterized by the presence of a North-South rectangular locus whose walls have been built and restored several times. Upon the Late Bronze walls, in phase VI a fortification wall was set, built with mixed technique. In the Phase V the fortification wall was restored and the area was then employed as a place for cooking food in pyrotechnic. In Phase IV poor remains of restored structures have been unearthed. Phase III shows an umpteenth rebuilding of the locus walls. A lot of foundings gives the evidence that the area was used as a cereals processing place. In the latter phase II the structures are poorly preserved. Only in the section in possible to individuate the first mudbrick of a wall of Phase I which is probably to relate to Iron II. Pottery suggest that the oldest structures date before the 11th century B.C. Among the objects found in the N1 area are a stone bead, a bronze spear blade, a stone pendent. Out of context two Late Bronxe Age objects: a cylinder seal in linear style and a fragment of feminine stamp figurine.