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In 2001 and 2002, three pyrotechnical installations and a small stone
“box” were discovered on the high mound at Ziyaret Tepe, ancient Tushhan,
in southeastern Turkey. All four deposits contained a large quantity of
copper-alloy vessels and furniture fittings, and were sealed by a later
extensive baked brick pavement in the courtyard of a Late Assyrian public
building. Subsequently, we have dubbed this building the “Bronze Palace”,
although the functional attribution of this building as a palace is by no
means definitive. In addition to a significant thickness of greenish slag
representing the debris left over from the original use of the
installations as metal-working kilns and the finish copper-alloy items
noted above, these pyrotechnical features contain high status goods,
including carved ivory fragments, ground stone vessels and luxury ware
ceramics. The quantity and quality of the contents of the installations
and the stone box, as well as their provenience, strongly suggest that
these represent votive offerings, perhaps interred during a ceremony
marking a re-dedication of the building during a major renovation in the
Late Assyrian period. The artifacts comprising the votive deposits closely
parallel finds from the royal capitals of the Assyrian heartland. |
 Aerial photograph
of Operation A in 2002. The yellow rectangles are the pyrotechnical
installations. |
Photograph of
pavement sealing the kilns in Operation A. Photograph taken in 2001.
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The three metal-working installations (A-242, A-252 and A-806) were cut
into the mudbrick platform underlying the Late Assyrian building.
Contemporary with the kilns was a surface (A-0239, A-241), which could be
traced across the entire courtyard. The kilns comprised a rectangular
hollow dug into the platform and then finished with a clay lining
approximately 2cm thick. The lining of the kilns were burnt and could be
easily delineated because the firing had turned the clay a bright orange
color, contrasting the surrounding gray-brown bricks of the platform.
A-242 and A-252 contained significant quantities of slag and ash, while
A-805 showed few signs of heavy use with a lining that was not as severely
burnt and a smaller quantity of ash and slag. Both A-242 and A-252 had
semi-circular flues or depressions on each short side of their rectangular
shapes, while kiln A-0805 did not. A few centimeters of material
accumulated on top of the surfaces contemporary with the kiln. This fill
was excavated as locus A-238 and A-240. After the kilns had fallen out of
use, the upper portions of the kilns had been removed by the Assyrians
prior to the laying of the baked brick pavement (A-030, A-208, A-835)
which sealed both the kilns and the contemporary
surface. |
There is considerable evidence to suggest that the artifacts found
within the votive deposit had undergone firing after their deposition in
the disused kilns. Presumably this was part of the ceremony connected with
the votive offering. With the exception of a single small stone bowl (ZT
7273), all the artifacts are broken or incomplete. In some cases, there
appears to have been fire damage after the objects were broken. For
example, two alabaster jar fragments (ZT 9149) from A-806 join, but one is
fire-damaged while the other is not. Likewise, a fine basalt stone vessel
(ZT 9163 + ZT 9181) from A-806 and A-849 shows many joins where one
fragment is in pristine condition, while the adjoining pieces are badly
burnt. Likewise, the ivories are all burnt consistent with a
post-depositional event. Finally, the conservation staff at Ziyaret Tepe
noted that the copper-alloy artifacts have traces of tenorite oxide, again
suggestive of post-production exposure to high heat. |
 Copper-alloy
furniture fittings in process of excavation. |
Selected photographic catalogue of artifacts from Operation A votive
deposits.
A-242 ZT 7297.
A-242 ZT 7297.
A-252 ZT 14255 (renumbered with unique designation).
Reconstructed pottery vessels.
A-252 ZT 7291 Copper-alloy/iron lamp.
A-849 ZT 9181 Stone bowl showing post-breakage
burning.
Some ivory fragments before reconstruction.
Reconstructed ivory wand.
BELOW IS A LIST OF THE CONTENTS OF EACH KILN.
Note that the excavator referred to a 'bronze vessel' for all large pieces of
copper-alloy found, so this designation also refers to the furniture
fittings.
CONTENTS OF KILN A-0242
ZT 6806 ceramic
ZT 7221 small find
ZT
7284 stone vsl frgs
ZT 6807 bronze
ZT 7222 small find
ZT 7285 bronze
vessel
ZT 6808 stone cone
ZT 7240 bronze
ZT 7286 bronze vessel
ZT 6809 stone artifact
ZT 7251 ivory
ZT 7287 bronze vessel
ZT
7202 ceramic
ZT 7257 ceramic
ZT 7288 bronze vessel
ZT 7203 bone
ZT 7258 ivory
ZT 7289 bronze vessel
ZT 7204 chipped stone
ZT
7259 bronze
ZT 7290 ceramic
ZT 7205 bronze
ZT 7260 bone
ZT 7292
bronze vessel
ZT 7206 stone sample
ZT 7261 chipped stone
ZT 7293
bronze pin
ZT 7207 shell sample
ZT 7262 slag sample
ZT 7294 bronze
vessel
ZT 7208 slag sample
ZT 7266 bronze vessel
ZT 7296 bronze
vessel
ZT 7216 ceramic
ZT 7275 ivory
ZT 7297 bronze vessel
ZT
7217 slag sample
ZT 7280 bronze vessel
ZT 7298 bronze
ZT 7218 bronze
ZT 7281 bronze
ZT 7219 chipped stone
ZT 7282 bone
ZT 7220 bone
ZT 7283 bronze
CONTENTS OF KILN A-0252 ZT 6854 ceramic
ZT 6879 small find
ZT 7244
iron
ZT 6855 bone
ZT 6880 bronze
ZT 7255 bone
ZT 6856 stone
frags
ZT 6881 bronze
ZT 7256 stone vessel
ZT 6857 cup stand
ZT
6882 bronze
ZT 7263 bronze vessel
ZT 6858 fruit stand
ZT 6894
ceramic
ZT 7264 bronze vessel
ZT 6859 ceramic
ZT 6895 sample –
carbon
ZT 7265 bronze pin
ZT 6860 bone
ZT 6896 soil sample
ZT
7267 soil fr. 7264
ZT 6861 flint
ZT 6897 slag
ZT 7268 seeds
ZT
6865 ceramic
ZT 6898 bronze
ZT 7269 ceramic
ZT 6868 ceramic
ZT
6899 iron
ZT 7270 stone vsl frgs
ZT 6869 bone
ZT 7200 bone
ZT
7271 bronze
ZT 6870 slag sample
ZT 7201 small find
ZT 7272 iron vsl
frgs
ZT 6871 slag sample
ZT 7211 ceramic
ZT 7273 stone bowl
ZT
6872 bronze
ZT 7212 slag sample
ZT 7274 bronze
ZT 6873 bronze cup
ZT 7213 bronze
ZT 7276 stone vsl. frgs.
ZT 6874 stone bead
ZT
7214 bronze
ZT 7277 ceramic
ZT 6875 marble cup
ZT 7215 stone
ZT
7278 bronze pin
ZT 6876 flint
ZT 7233 ceramic
ZT 7279 bronze vessel
ZT 6877 seeds
ZT 7242 bronze vessel
ZT 7291 br + fe vessel
ZT
6878 carbon sample
ZT 7243 ceramic
ZT 7299 chipped stone
CONTENTS OF KILN A-0805/A-0806 ZT 9010 ceramic
ZT 9135 bronze
ZT 9161
ceramic vessel
ZT 9011 bone
ZT 9139 ceramic
ZT 9162 bronze vessel
ZT 9012 metal
ZT 9140 bronze
ZT 9163 stone vessel
ZT 9013
chipped stone
ZT 9141 chipped stone
ZT 9164 bone
ZT 9014 shell
sample
ZT 9142 bone
ZT 9165 bronze
ZT 9124 ceramic
ZT 9149
alabaster
ZT 9189 bone
ZT 9125 bone
ZT 9150 alabaster jar
ZT
9190 slag sample
ZT 9126 basalt
ZT 9151 ceramic
ZT 9191 ceramic
ZT 9132 ceramic
ZT 9152 bronze
ZT 9133 bone
ZT 9153 chipped
stone
ZT 9134 chipped stone
ZT 9154 bone |
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