Page 257 - Life & Land Use on the Bahrain Islands (Curtis E Larsen)

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Levels 17-21, Barbar n
Bibby (1971) has described the discovery of so-called Persian Gulf stamp seals from
the backfill for the foundation of the first city wall. These seals are a circular,
carved steatite form with a raised boss and incised design. Before the description
of the Barbar n ceramic sequence, it would be wise to explain the seals more fully.
Ttiis is especially important when considering Figure 40. The lowermost Barbar II
level (level 21) marks the first occurrence of Persian Gulf seals in this sounding.
Two different seals were found in this level (520.AMK and 520.AML) and in
association with a polished stone weight claimed to be of Indus Valley design
(520.AMT). An additional seal (520.ALN) was found in level 18.
Persian Gulf stamp seals were first publicized with representatives of
Indian style seals from Ur (Gadd 1932). Gadd devoted much of his discussion to
seals from Ur, many of which were later shown by Bibby (1958) to be native to the
Persian Gulf region. Following Gadd’s paper, a variety of scholars noted other
artifacts such as beads and pottery which linked Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley
(Frankfort 1933, Landgon 1932, MacKay 1934). Later writers such as Buchanan
(1965), Wheeler (1968), Bibby (1969, 1971), Lamberg-Karlovsky (1973), During Caspers
(1972a,b,c) and During Caspers and Govindankutty (1977) have brought our

Fig. 49. Barbar I Cooking Wares.

a. A520, Level 25; buff slip on orange ware.
b. A520, Level 24; cream slip on sand-tempered, light brown ware.
c. A520, Level 23; buff ware.
d. A520, Level 22; sand-tempered, light brown ware.
e. A520, Level 22; fine buff ware.
f. A520, Level 23; sand-tempered, light brown ware.
g. A520, Level 24; sand-tempered, red-brown ware.
h. A520, Level 22; sand-tempered, red-brown ware.
i. A520, Level 24; black surface on sand-tempered, red-brown ware.
j. A520, Level 24; black surface on sand-tempered, red-brown ware.
k. A520, Level 24; dark gray surface on red-brown ware.
l. A520, Level 25; sand-tempered reddish buff ware.
m. A520, Level 24; black surface on brown ware.
n. A520, Level 24; black surface on brown ware.