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such study is as follows: lcvels were countcd, 1 in Opcration [, 2 in
Operation III, 3 in Operation II ١d I in
ﺇ. Climatic variations can cither cxpnd or Operation IV nd the rcst in the dccp trench.
contract a given climatic 2one. No plan has bcen publisled in Opcration II
remains, the largcst complcx sccms to have bcen
2. Sea level determines the total land area in Opcration I!
available.
Diraz has yicldcd traces of architccture,
3. Fiuctuatiosn in ground water can change in spite of the richncss of its dcbris, :and the
the area of arable land, in addiiton, dating total number of houscs probably did not cxceed
of occupation sitse by ccrmamic scqucnce 5, providing for a p٠pulation of fe٧ pesron.s
and of radiometirc methods potentially There were no traces of any strecst, ut there
fxes p٠ttemrs of settlements change in the were open areas and houscs adjoined
tempoarl sesne. cach othcr on at least two sides. I٤
probably closely resembles the irreuglar
THhis evening we shall consider those sites lay-out of villages in the area today.
in Baharin and neighbouirng countries, which The walls were made of unshaped stones, on
provide cvidence regarding the earliest culture, rough illed foundations and plastering was
in patricular, the Barbar phase of historical used on both eternal and internal faces of the
periods. The Barbar mound (containing three walls. The houses were roughly
stagse of temples) hsa been sclccted as a key rcctilinear in plan with traces of
site, beacuse in ist stratigrmphy an unbroken roonms flanking a courtyard. One large house
sequence of occup٠tion can be traced back to had three internal partitiosn, but these may not
an oirginal occupaiton in the early mid and late have reached to the roof, The floosr were
bronze age itmse, reprcsented by fairly full generally composed of packed silt on a bed of
assemblage of potteyr and objects, Compaartive sand, it has been suggested that the roofs were
istse will therefore be discussed in their rela possibly Iow gables of brushwood and nmud as
tionship to hte sequence which it has produced. in the villages today.
Amonsgt thsee is our site Diraz. This name The houses contained storage bisn and ovens of
hsa been given to it after hte modemr village which one example retained the plaster dome.
of Diar, which occupies a patr of the wsetenr ln one house there were two doorways with
firnge of the oirginal area. The site lise about a recessed jamb, presumably to take a door,
half a mile wtse of the Barbar mound notrh of and a flat stone set behind the western w٥ll
the Budaia Road. It٤ was excavated by a with a slit above, which might have served as
Bahiarin epediiton on behalf of the Mitsinyr a corridor. Although the doorway concerned
of Eduaction duirng lats year. had no apputrenances, stone door sockets were
found in other parts of the site.
A complete exacvaiton rep٠rt wsa not
published and the following usmmary hsa been Unfortunately these structures were, to
taken from hte account igven in the survey some cxtent, destroyed by later periods, but
of hte iste, The oiignal area of the ancient these traces of houses may possibly have com
site si htought to have been about 10 acrse and posed a village which suggest, according to the
sa muhc aﺇ50 ﻩof hte whole aera has been lots artefacst recovered that it was contemporary
through new villagse and gardesn which are with Barbar asscnmblage. This would place it
located nearby • The total aera exposed by the between 2500-2000 B.C. Among finds were
eracvaitosn wsa 7.50 qsuarem. about (40 qsuare potsherds, stamp seals (known as Dilnmun
metres) were erﺝcavatetdo virgin soil at a depth seals) copper-brone arrow and spear heads and
of (34) m. a few picces of stone vessels.
Dunirg hte ltsa ssaeon there were fou Diraz site is very important. It is the fisrt
arsae of exacvaitosn. Opearitosn I, II, III, IV time htat a village hsa been located both relat
and a deep ternch, the geratset thickness of the ing to the Barbar temples and to the tremendous
dep٠٠٠twsa about 5 metrse and included three
sub - phsesa building levesl. A toatl of 3 floor
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