Bamboula, Area E–F

5

Area E Trench 20:15 b-e

A short campaign in 1954 had as its object an investigation of the area of hearths and area south and southeast of House V to see whether the settlement continued in that direction. [handwritten: [region nw]] Except for the cutting in the bedrock in which the hearths were laid, the bedrock was close to the surface in the entire area, in which no traces of dwellings but instead remains of several tombs were discovered. This appears to have been part of an early necropolis of which the later tombs in a corresponding position above Houses IV and VIII may be a continuation. Of great interest are two chamber tombs in 20:15b which collapsed or were destroyed in very early times. The larger was apparently hollowed out and re-used - not as a tomb - for a stone wall, approximately 80 cm. in height, continued above in mud bricks (found neatly collapsed) was built across an arc of the tomb just below the dromos. Sherds dating the latest use and collapse of the wall are the following:

62% plain (5 PWM II intrusive) mostly h-m 35 sherds RP (at least 8 are RP I-II) 2 " " WS I 3 " " BR I 1 " " coarse monochrome

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

94% plain (mostly pithoi and h-m) 2 sherds PWM II (intrusive?) 4 " " h-m wash 4 " " painted Sh 756

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

Owing to the ruinous condition of the tomb its original shape could not be perfectly determined.