Bamboula, Area A Circuit Wall (extracted from McFadden's notebooks)

1948 Stratification Notes on Circuit Wall

In addition to a re-investigation of previously excavated areas (see C2 below) Daniel explored a new section by the circuit wall, somewhat to the east of the foundations of the NE and SW towers, and built up to a small cliff at the southeast. A stairway leading up from a firm burnt floor presumably onto the wall and built against the side of the cliff mentioned above, is described as follows:

"The stairway is preserved to a height of 1.35(m.) from the floor at the side. Four steps are preserved and a fifth was destroyed in excavating. The steps are 0.90(m.) wide, 0.22 to 0.35(m.) deep (wider toward bottom) and 0.25(m.) or slightly more high. A flattish grey stone is fixed to the bottom step with a clayey plaster, its face flush with the edge of the step. Similar plaster covered large parts of each step. This suggests that the stairway was surfaced with stone. Unusually large numbers of natural flat stones were found in the tumble, and may well have come from the steps...the L.C. circuit wall by the stair consists of an outer shell about 0.50(m) wide, an inner face a single course wide, and a fill of the same loose gravelly chavara we found in the stairway." (JFD, ix, 87 ff.).

A 1. The date of construction of the stairway is indicated by the sherds found in the fill under it:

3 sherds LC II/III pithos ware Sh 619 1 " RP 1 " WS II

It would thus appear that the stairway was a feature of the original wall which was built about the beginning of stratum C 1 (in area A).

A 2. Associated with the stairway was a firm burnt floor covered with ash. Found in situ on this floor was P 2709, of identical style and fabric with pots found in early Kalorziki tombs. This proves (if the high incidence of PrWhP sherds found in the settlement itself did not) that Bamboula was used at least as a fortress by the Greeks who buried their king in the scepter tomb of Kalorziki. Finds associated with P 2709 were 2 sherds of PWM II. The latest use of the floor can be dated by the pot to LC IIIB. At this time the