The Acropolis Palace
The Governor's Palace on the Acropolis was laid out on bedrock sometimes levelled and sometimes built up to achieve a suitable floor level. There is no evidence of earlier habitation. Some 26 rooms have been identified, occupying about 2,800 square metres. The central courtyard, about 26 x 25 m, had a decastyle colonnade with 36 columns in Doric order and a cistern. Other rooms were suitable for audiences, councils, administration, religious ceremonies, entertainment, kitchen and storage, and accommodation.
Dominating the landscape, the Acropolis offered views of the river both north and south.
The Acropolis Palace was excavated over seven years between 1988 and 1996, under the direction of Graeme Clarke.
In 2006 Robert Thornley explored the cistern located in the Palace courtyard.
Major reports:
- G. Clarke, 'The Governor's Palace, Acropolis', in Jebel Khalid on the Euphrates, Volume One: Report on Excavations 1986–1996. Mediterranean Archaeology Supplement 5 (Sydney, 2002) 25-48.
- R. Thornley, 'Jebel Khalid: the 2006 season. South-East gate', Mediterranean Archaeology 21 (2008) 73-75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24651724
Other publications
Acropolis ground plan 1996 (Barry Rowney)
Plan of the Acropolis Palace
Field books
The Australian Mission to Jebel Khalid is a joint project of the Australian National University and the University of Melbourne.