COMBINACIONES GESTUALES EN FORMATO COREOGRÁFICO Y SU RELACIÓN CON LA MELODÍA Y EL TEXTO

The western part of the Jezireh is more sparsely occupied and is defined by the proliferation of Kranzhügel sites and the lack of any major rivers. Perhaps the most curious aspect of the Kranzhügel sites is their distribution across areas marginal for reliable rainfall agriculture, usually below the 250mm isohyet. Kranzhügel sites are characterized by their distinctive ‘crown’-shaped morphology.²⁴ The sites are generally distributed between the Balikh and Khabur rivers and around the area of the Jebel Abd al-Aziz (Moorgat-Correns 1972).

Meyer (2007) has recently posited that the term “Kranzhügel” is not always

24 See Chapter 5, Section 5.2.3.1.

accurate for these distinctive cities. Since the double-wall structure is incidental rather than intentional, it appears that these cities were never designed to be Kranzhügeln. He argues that the unifying element is their round shape rather than their distinct double-wall morphology. Across the western Jezireh there are a number of round sites, some with the Kranzhügel morphology, and some without a lower town.

The Kranzhügel sites have often been treated separately, as a different group of sites with their specific distribution (Lyonnet 1998, 2009, Kouchoukas 1998). Past attempts to explain the unusual shape and distribution of Kranzhügel sites has focused on the possible use as urban shelters for pastoralist groups (Lyonnet 1998, 2009,

Kouchoukas 1998); however, new research at Tell Chuera argues against this interpretation (Meyer 2010d, Chapter 3). Despite the unique characteristics of the Kranzhügel there are numerous parallels with the supposedly ‘normal’ sites, particularly in the types of activities and the distribution of habitation, burial, production and other activities. Although the site morphology appears to be different, the social organization and activities conducted at these sites is, in actuality, very similar to its counterparts across the rest of the region. Tell Chuera typifies the Kranzhügel sites and is also one of the most extensively excavated (see Chapter 5). Many of the Kranzhügel sites have only been identified through aerial photography and satellite imagery and have not been excavated. The Corona images from the 1960s and 1970s show a clear distribution of round cities across the dry section of middle Syria. Identified Kranzhügel sites include Bogha (Bowgha), Muqair (Mughr), Abu Sheikha (Abu Shakat), Mabtuh, Tell Mu’azzar

and Malhat adh-Daharu.²⁵

In this section a brief overview of lower town and extramural excavations from Tell Beydar, the other excavated Kranzhügel, is discussed. Tell Beydar is a typical Kranzhügel site with the wreath shape. Kharab Sayyar shows many similarities to

Chuera, but lacks the secondary wall, making a ‘round city’ rather than a Kranzhügel.²⁶

3.2.4.1. Tell Beydar

Tell Beydar is located in the Northwest part of the Khabur triangle and is the easternmost Kranzhügel site. It has a clear inner and outer city wall with a raised central mound (Figure 3.14). The diameter of the outer city is about 600 meters and at only about 28 hectares, Tell Beydar is significantly smaller than its urban counterparts such as Brak, Leilan, and Mozan. The smaller size is correlated with its secondary status in the urban hierarchy of the region. The EJIII period texts found at the site clearly indicate that the city, known as ancient Nabada was subservient to the larger city of Nagar, now known to be Tell Brak (van Lerberge 1996, Archi 1998, Sallaberger and Ur 2004).

The upper mound at Beydar includes a mix of administrative, religious, residential and workshop buildings. Thus the upper city is not an acropolis, with only elite and administrative buildings, but instead represented a mix of use areas. The inner city was enclosed by a wall as early as the EJI, and had already partially gone out of use by the EJIIIa (Milano et al. n.d.). An EJII burial was set into this wall, a practice that may

25 No comprehensive list of Kranzhügel sites has been compiled, in part due to the fluid definition of the sites and in part due to lack of systematic investigation of the central part of Syria. See Moorgat-Correns 1972 and McClellan and Porter 1995.

26 The site of Mari (see below) has also been posited as a Kranzhügel site but since it is greatly eroded it is difficult to determine if it truly followed a round shape.

have been common (Bluard 1997). A depression, or moat, surrounds the inner city wall.

The excavators have suggested seven gates in both the inner and outer city walls, with the streets following a radial pattern out from the center (Bluard 1997, Fig 2). The early date of the external wall suggests that the full extent of the city was occupied from its initial urbanization.

The lower town and extramural excavations are not broad enough to provide a clear picture of the activities conducted there, however, the Area H and Area K

Figure 3.14 Tell Beydar showing Kranzhügel shape and radial street pattern. Excavated areas in Lower town are also marked. Corona image courtesy Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, University of Arkansas/U.S. Geological Survey.

excavations give a small glimpse of the variety of activities. The Area H excavations cut across the area of the expected outer city wall, a 4.5 meter thick brick structure was found, probably the base of the wall, yet the upper wall was not preserved (Milano et al.

n.d.). Burials dating to the EJII and EJIIIa were dug into the wall. Fifteen burials were found in Area H, including an extramural cemetery located just outside the walls (Bluard 1997, Bretschneider 1997, Debruyne 2003a). The burials included a mix of simple inhumations and three rectangular brick tombs. Dating to the EJI (EDII and early EDIII), Figure 3.15 Beydar schematic of Kranzhügel with mixed use lower town and extramural cemetery. The schematic is not to scale and is only intended to give a general overview of the types of activities and their arrangement, rather than indicate any specific find.

the tombs are part of the use of the area after the wall is well established, damaging it in part (Lebeau 1997). On the inside face of the outer city wall, EJIIIa period houses and workshops were found (Bluard 1997). In some cases the houses and workshops were found above additional burials (Bretschneider 1997).

Excavations in Area H and K have revealed a mix of activities that took place in the outer city and just beyond its walls. Just inside the walls a mix of residential and workshop areas is similar to the mixed activities found and numerous other sites discussed in this chapter (Figure 3.15). The houses seem to be relatively small with simple ceramics – in contrast to the administrative areas found near the city wall at other sites such as Leilan and Mozan. The overall picture that emerges of Beydar is a mixed use upper mound with religious, administrative, craft production and households (Lebeau 1997, 2010, Tonussi 2008, Lebeau and Sulieman 2009). This portion of the city is

surrounded by an inner city wall. The inner city wall appears to be associated with administrative and other functions (Lebeau 2010). The lower town is also encircled by a wall, approximately 4.5 meters thick. Houses and workshops line the wall and intramural burials are found beneath many houses. Outside the walls are more burials as part of an extramural cemetery. The distribution of activities has some similarities to Tell Chuera, with intramural burials, and houses and workshops directly against the outer city wall.

3.2.4.2. Kharab Sayyar

Located near Tell Chuera, Kharab Sayyar is closely linked to the development of its larger neighbor. Although it does not have the double-wall morphology, Meyer (2007) has suggested it belongs in the same group as the Kranzhügel or “round” city group. The

city wall has several phases of construction, and appears to be constructed in an ad hoc manner similar to the corporate construction of the outer city wall at Chuera (Meyer 2007, 2010a, 2010d). The site itself follows a similar urban layout as Chuera, with a round plan, fortified city, and radial streets (Figure 3.16).

3.2.4.3. Discussion

The understanding of Kranzhügel sites is extremely limited by the small number excavated. The distinctive round plan has some parallels more broadly, at Mari to the southeast and Rawda in the southwest. Within the Jezireh they could be perhaps

Figure 3.16 Round tell of Kharab Sayyar. The rectangular remains at the base of the high mound date to the Abbassid Islamic Period. Corona image courtesy Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, University of Arkansas/U.S. Geological Survey.

addressed as one end of a continuum of planning. With a highly organized plan of radial streets, drains, and a central plaza they represent a more controlled plan. Sites like Mozan, with the double-wall morphology and a central plaza are lacking the round city morphology but also show evidence of some centralized planning with streets cutting through the lower town. Sites like Tell Taya and Tell Leilan show a more disorganized approach to the lower town with a more organic shape.

The location in marginal environments remains an open question, but a strong centralized authority and maximization of agricultural and pastoral resources may have been enough to maintain these large centers. Meyer (2010d: 210) proposes a political organization at Chuera based on a “tribally organized society […] with a well-defined political leadership.”