548 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 35 



its corners oriented toward the i^oints of the compass. The exact 

 limits of the town are, of course, unknown, for erosion has completely 

 obliterated the city wall except at one point on the southwestern 

 side. This wall belonged to the late Ga-sur period, but the gate- 

 way connected with it seems to have continued in use in the Nuzian 

 period. Within the walls, on the upper levels of Yorghan Tepe, were 

 the temples already described, the government palace, offices, and tene- 

 ment houses. Outside the walls, arranged in two groups north and 

 northeast of the town, were the suburban homes of the more affluent 

 Nuzians. Two of these suburban houses have been excavated, the 

 double house of Tehiptilla and Shurkitilla, and the double house of 

 Zigi and Shilwateshub. 



The town of Nuzi was presumably enclosed within four walls meas- 

 uring about 200 meters on a side. The main street, connecting the 

 two city gates at the center of northeastern and southwestern walls, 

 divided the city into two quarters, the temple area in the northwestern 

 section and the palace compound in the southeastern. This street, 

 which was the only paved street of the town as well as the widest and 

 best drained, was the principal traffic artery of the congested town. 



The temple area. — The temples were built along the principal street 

 and were surrounded on the three other sides by closely constructed 

 apartment houses, which were generally more spacious than the simi- 

 lar dwellings adjoining the palace. The building at the northern 

 corner of the city seems not to have been used for residential purposes 

 during the last years of Nuzi, and it is the only one that was rebuilt 

 on the same plan when the city was destroyed. Its proximity to the 

 temples, the presence of pavements of unburnt brick laid over a 

 porous substratum, and its generally careful construction indicate 

 that it was a public building, possibly the business office of the temples 

 or the treasury of the town. 



The palace area (fig 1). — Like the temples, the great palace of 

 Nuzi adjoined the main thoroughfare and was flanked on the north- 

 east and on the southwest by residential areas. On the southeastern 

 side erosion has totally obliterated the buildings that presumably 

 stood there. Two narrow lanes, beginning probably at the main street, 

 separated the palace from the residential compounds and gave access, 

 through doors and alleys, to the several apartments of the two resi- 

 dential districts. 



The southwestern district was better planned than the northeastern. 

 Only 3 of the 13 separate apartments in this area, however, had a 

 drainage system, and none had a well. 



The northeastern district was less extensive and less intact than 

 the other. Of the 8 separate dwellings of the district, 3 had paved 

 courtyards. Within some apartments certain groups of rooms were 



