Before the royal palace G. The stratigraphic and pottery sequence of the West unit of the central complex: the building G5

The acknowledgement of the outstanding role of the city of Ebla during the EB IVA period (ca. 2450- 2300 BC) is grounded on the exceptional retrieval of the Royal Palace G complex and its State Archive. The period directly preceding the brilliant urban development of Ebla has been investigated two decades ago, through the excavation of two large-scale structures immediately preceding the construction of Royal Palace G: Building G2, dating from EB 111, and Building G5, assigned to EB IVA1, both lying on the acropolis, directly underneath the Royal Palace G (EB IVA2). A careful analysis of the stratigraphic sequence and the seriation of stratified ceramic materials retrieved in Building G5 at Ebla allow to propose a relative sequence for EB IVA1, addressing the not well-known formative phases of Tell Mardikh/Ebla in the framework of the Early Bronze Age.