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Document Details : Title: Qala'at Halwanji (Northwestern Syria), 2008-2009 Author(s): EIDEM, Jesper Journal: Anatolica Volume: 39 Date: 2013 Pages: 1-24 DOI: 10.2143/ANA.39.0.2990781 Abstract : This and two following articles outline results of the joint Syrian-Danish studies carried out at the site of Qala’at Halwanji (mohafazat of Aleppo) in 2008 and 2009. Qala’at Halwanji is located on the south bank of the Sajour River ca. 15 km west of the Euphrates junction at Aushariye. The site lies on a limestone cliff, and appears as a roughly square, fortified enclosure with wide ramparts, on two sides broken by gullies which could represent ancient gates. The surface survey and sondages carried out show that the site was first occupied in the Early Bronze Age IV, but its main level, immediately under the modern surface, represents a brief Middle Bronze Age II occupation destroyed by fire. Excavated rooms in the well-preserved southern and south-western parts of the site contain numerous in situ ceramic vessels and specimens of remarkable sealings. During this period Qala’at Halwanji seems likely to represent imposition on the local region by a regional or international power. An identification with ancient Dūr-Šamšī-Adad, a fortress established in this region by Šamšī-Adad I ca. 1786 BC, and lost to Jamhad ca. 1779 BC, although far from assured, is a possibility. |
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