SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY ON WOODY PLANT REMNANTS FROM A BRONZE AGE SETTLEMENT (EBLA, SYRIA)

The period of its greatest wealth and power of Ebla the ancient city excavated at the site of Tell Mardikh in Syria was in the middle of 3rd millennium. A large royal Palace of this period has yielded an archive of more than 15,000 clay tablets. The clayey tablets have revealed a wealth of information about the political organisation, economy, history and religion of the city which was an important commercial centre, exporting valuable furniture, woollen cloth to surrounding countries. In 2nd mill. B.C. after destruction the City was rebuilt with a great palace complex. Plant remains found during excavations at Tell Mardik reveal the wooden taxa used in the city palaces. Timber was represented by building structures, poles and planks, by decorations or by door‐cupboard or by various furnishings and yet by the inner structure of objects. Pillars too arranged all around the Ceremonial hall are no longer in sight but for the large round holes in the floor which show their original place and size. Timber used for small statues or for funitures  was also carved with stone inlay works or covered by    gold laminae. It has mostly been preserved as charcoal pieces due to the fires that spread all over the site several times. Up to now among these remnants a few taxa have been identified: cedar, pine, oak, olive, dogwood, maple, poplar.