a presumed cult area located nearby, and not yet identified. The building contained not
only jars and grinding stones, but also an important group of shell inlays (Figure 28. 9 )
- parts of skirts, one head, feet – quite different from those found in the Palace, as
concerns their material – shell is quite rare in Palace G – and also the shape and size
of the individual pieces, which are usually smaller than those employed for the inlaid
panels in the palatial context (Marchetti and Nigro 1995 – 96 ).
South of the Royal Palace G and of the southern residential quarter lay an enigmatic
structure, quite likely devoted to cult ceremonies, whose plan shows no similarity with
other contemporary cult buildings thus far brought to light at Ebla, or elsewhere
(Matthiae 2010 a: 90 – 91 ). In the small sanctuary, called Hall of the Painted Plaster, a
hoard of fragments of painted plaster was found: rosettes and geometric motifs were
reconstructed with some certainty, and it was also possible to have a general idea of
the original overall pattern of the decoration. There is a strong probability that the
building featured on its west wall a large recessed niche, with a decoration of small
knobs in relief at the top (Figure 28. 10 ), where rosettes alternated with lozenges and
chevrons in black and red on a white background: the presence of the rosettes led to
the Hall of the Painted Plaster being identified as a chapel, or a cult place, devoted to
ceremonies, probably for a female deity similar to Ishtar.
As already mentioned, not much is preserved of the urban pattern of Early Bronze
IVA and B: the Lower Town north of the so-called Archaic Palace was perhaps the seat
of central power in Early Bronze IVB, but it is known only in a peripheral sector, as at
the beginning of Middle Bronze I the so-called Intermediate Palace was built on its
southern part, and the Northern Palace of Middle Bronze I–II definitely sealed the
older levels. The Archaic Palace was also used at the very beginning of Middle Bronze
I, and therefore its attribution to Early Bronze IVB is mainly due to the presence of
pottery fragments located on the original floors in two rooms, and to technical
considerations (Matthiae 2006 : 92 ).
–– Frances Pinnock ––
Figure 28.10Fragment of
painted plaster decoration from
the Hall of Painted Plasters
(Chapel FF 2 ), Early Bronze IVA
(© Missione Archeologica
Italiana in Siria)
Figure 28.9Fragments of shell inlays from Building P 4 in
the Lower Town north, Early Bronze IVA (© Missione
Archeologica Italiana in Siria)
