Page 270 - Life & Land Use on the Bahrain Islands (Curtis E Larsen)

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In an earlier paper, Glob (1954a) gives an account of other key objects in
his scheme of dating. These are alabaster jars which he places in the mid third
millennium, again based on similarities with Ur materials (Wooley 1934, Plate 178
No. U7645 and Plate 241, nos. 5-6). In addition, beads of lapis lazuli and
"linga-shaped" gaming pieces of probable Indus origin were found (Marshall 1931,
Plate CLV, nos. 16-17). The foundation deposit from Temple I yielded a quantity of
Barbar ware conical beakers. Mortensen (1970a) has drawn attention to the
similarity between these and Early Dynastic beakers from Iraq (Adams and Nissen
1972:99-100). Another indicator of a possible early date comes from the occupation
layer of Temple I. This is a plum-red, polychrome, painted sherd related to the
Jemdet Nasr horizon, ca. 3000 B.C. (Mortensen 1970a). Karen Frifelt (personal
communication) comments that this sherd is from a large storage jar rather than
the grave ware that she attributes to the Jemdet Nasr horizon in Oman. Persian
Gulf seals are also found in the temple levels as well (Mortensen 1970a).
When these data are assembled, there seems to have been a long duration
for the three temples (ca. 3000-2000 B.C.), but there has never been a direct
comparison between the pottery from the Barbar Temple and from the Qala’at al-
Bahrain. Without this key, the single Jemdet Nasr sherd may well be out of
sequence and may be a misleading indicator. As regards parallels with the Ur
collections, there are serious questions regarding the standards of excavation in the
1930s, and therefore the dating of certain materials.
To alleviate this problem, an analysis was made of a small portion of the
Barbar collection. The samples chosen for study were selected randomly by Peder
Mortensen and me from groups of sherds known to have come from the three
temple levels. TTie Temple HI sample came from the occupation layers west of the
temple. A total of 126 sherds were studied from box numbers 519.ALT, 519.AKL,
and 519.AKT. A larger sample was available for Temple n. This was from a black
soil on the floor of the eastern temple oval (Mortensen 1956) and consisted of 415
sherds. Box numbers 519.TA, 519.TK, and 519.TJ were chosen. Temple I pottery
came from the temple platform and was sealed by the Temple I floor. This was a
56 sherd sample from boxes 519.AJI, 519.AQI, and 519.AJA. In addition, specific