The Northern Gate at Tell Mardikh-Ebla. An attempt at reconstruction

Excavated in the years 1999-2001 within the programme of archaeological exploration of the defensive system of the ancient city of Ebla, the Northern Gate (labelled as Aleppo Gate) in Area DD has been only partially investigated. In particular, excavations showed the organization of the defensive system on the external eastern side of the rampart with the presence of a tower (following the line of the earthen rampart) and rooms, probably workshops or places for commercial and industrial activities. Despite the lack of any evidence of the typical architectural structure of Middle Bronze gates, the present paper attempts a reconstruction of the organization and arrangement of spaces, based on the comparison with the two most complete and well-preserved gates of Ebla in Area A (South-West) and Area BB (North-East).