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from Cyprus Aegean and Near Eastern Cylinder Seal Impressions at Bamboula
Part I: The Late Bronze Age by J.L.Benson
In excavating the Late Bronze Age site of Bamboula, [handwritten: in] near Episkopi Episkopi Cyprus, J.F.Daniel^1 brought to light six sherds, examples of the practice of impressing pottery with cylinder seals, and one actual stamp seal [handwritten: which is unusual in being made of terracotta,] (in terracotta) which may well have been used for the same purpose. Two of [handwritten: sherds] these/were unfortunately surface finds; however, the most interesting of these belong by general style of the representation and material of the pottery [handwritten: occurred in datable contexts] with the others, at least three of which were firmly stratified. Thus, there can be no reasonable doubt that all the examples, with one particular exception, pertain to the Late Bronze Age.
These finds are highly unusual: in their occurrence at this date and in Cyprus, in the variety and quality of their styles, in the variety of techniques they imply, and in the evidence they bring of the manifold and cosmopolitan cultural communications stimulation from both East and West to what must have been a small, relatively modest kingdom at some remove from the more brilliant centers of contemporary civilization.^2 [handwritten: I The Near Eastern background]
In order to give body to the above statements, it is desirable to review briefly the early history of pottery stamped or rolled with seals in the Near East. The related practices of impressing seals on clay stoppers in Babylonia, and on various artefacts in Tepe Gawra, necessarily fall outside the scope of this survey^3; as does also a consideration of the exact connection they may have had with the custom of impressing stamp seals and cylinder seals on storage pots. Existing evidence suggests that this latter custom enjoyed its greatest vogue during the Early Bronze Age, with a considerably abated continuation into the Middle Bronze Age.
Handwritten: NB arrow in red pencil pointing to 'I The Near Eastern background'
65 figures hard to readstruck struck outadded written in above” jug ditto, and what it repeatsword reading not certain