Bamboula, Area E–F

Area E Daniel House II (E.VII)

The stratification of house II appears clear, in spite of its fragmentary nature. In most of the rooms where the deposit is well preserved, we found two successive floors, used in the L.C.II and L.C.III periods, respectively. In a few cases the bed-rock served as floor throughout the period of the house. Where there are two floor levels, the deposit separating them is thin, and appears to be such as would normally accumulate over a period of time if the floors were not kept clean. There is nothing to indicate a collapse and re-building of the house in connection with the upper floors.

In E.H.1,2, and 3 we found masses of pottery which was in use at the time of the destruction of the house. This was crushed and covered by a deep deposit of burnt building debris, proof that the house was destroyed by fire, a fire which struck so suddenly that the inhabitants did not have an opportunity to salvage any but perhaps their most cherished possessions. The house was never rebuilt. Evidence of fire was also found in house E.VII and in part of the adjacent E.VI, but is not general on Bamboula. This is thus not part of a uniform "destruction level", but simply the result of accidental and isolated conflagration.

House IV, which adjoined house II in the L.C.III period, shows no trace of the fire. This raises the possibility that this house had already been razed at the time of the destruction of house II, and which would thus have been needed even after house IV had ceased to exist. The fact that nothing remains of the walls of the northern part of the house, save for the one which it shares with house II, and which would thus have

The ceramic evidence for the date of the several strata of house II is as follows:

A. The L.C.II levels are the following: 1) Earth fill of L.C.II date was found below the lowest floor of E.II.4. from 6.87 to 7.07. The sherds were: