Bamboula, Area E–F

2

Excavation at Bamboula

This distribution corresponds most closely to LC IA (Sjöqvist Problems,p.108). The fill behind the wall consisted of the following sherds:

86 sherds pithoi 35 " h-m coarse 94% plain 5 " w-m " 1 " PWM I 2 " PWM II 4 " h-m wash 4 " painted SA756 [handwritten: SA756]

The scant proportion of decorated wares makes close dating difficult but the fill is obviously early. If not contemporary with the wall itself, it must have been added, or have accumulated, shortly after its collapse.

Sherd bag cards: wall:20:15b -.98 to -1.25 in and under fallen bricks; do., under fallen bricks in red earth to bed-rock; fill:20:15d(S) next lowest fill behind wall; do.,lowest fill behind wall.

The wall, fallen mud bricks, and fill behind the wall were sealed off by a layer of light red-brown earth containing scattered stones and the following sherds:

170 sherds pithoi 113 " coarse ware mostly h-m 3 " PWM I 73 " PWM II 1 " Plain white 5 " RP and burnished 3 " Bamboula ware 5 " WS II 12 " BR 8 " Monochrome (?) 3 " Wash 10 " LC IIIDec. (7 bowl ware) 2 " " plain bowl ware 1 " " painted figurine 1 " Red slip

86% plain

This stratum corresponds doubtless to the LC IIIA fill of 20:15a. In view of the almost negligible proportion of sherds later than LC III found above this stratum, it may be inferred that the destroyed tomb in which the wall was built was deliberately filled up in early LC IIItimes to level it off with the surrounding bed-rock.

Sherd bag cards: 20:15b(S) -1.08 to level of fallen bricks; do., Over fallen brick wall; 20:15d(s) In first red earth; do., In dark red earth to top of wall (stony fill)