Page 243 - Life & Land Use on the Bahrain Islands (Curtis E Larsen)

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these hole mouths is often darkened by reduced firing techniques. It is not a
particularly useful pottery form for temporal identification, but provides a more
accurate idea of the pre-Barbar assemblage. Other forms should be viewed against
this background.
Short-necked Vessels
By far the most useful forms in this category are shown in Figure 42. Vessel 42b,
for example, is a recognizable form present in levels IVB and IVC at Tepe Yahya
(ca. 3200-2400 B.C. in Lamberg-Karlovsky 1973, Lamberg-Karlovsky and Tosi 1973,
and Potts 1975). At QalaTat al-Bahrain it occurs with an everted and slightly
overturned rim. Plastic, meandering ridges are the common motif. The paste is
sand-tempered and light orange in color. This form is also common to the
overlying Barbar I levels. In neither assemblage, however, does it exceed 2 percent
of the total collection. In addition to parallels in Iran where these rims are
Akkadian, the most noted occurrence of vessel 42b is on the island of Urn m an-Nar
along the Trucial Coast (Bibby 1971:271).
Another distintive form is illustrated in Figure 42g. This jar also shows
an everted rim, but the ware is buff colored with a sand temper. TTiis rim is
associated with Akkadian levels at Nippur (McCown and Haines 1967) and Susa
(Steve and Gasche 1971, Plate 12, no. 3). Similar rims are also reported from Umm
an-Nar (Karen Frifelt, personal communication). Figure 42c has its greatest
similarity with the triple-grooved rims of the Akkadian and Ur in periods (Adams
1965, Gibson 1972). Although not identical, the Mesopotamian form appears to have

Fig. 43. Pre-Barbar Plain and Painted Wares.

a. A520, Level 25; buff slip on fine sand tempered light brown ware.
b. A520, Level 27; cream slip on light brown ware.
c. A520, Level 27; buff ware.
d. A520, Level 26; fine orange ware.
e. A520, Level 26; fine orange ware.
f. A520, Level 28; fine orange ware.
g- A520, Level 29; dark red or black paint on fine orange ware; core is gray.
n. A520, Level 27; black paint on fine orange ware.