Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (10.1998(1999))

TELL ARBID

SYRIA

of seal impressions could be observed. The
most clearly impressed seals bore geomet-
ric and floral decoration {Fig. 5, left), but
there was also a seal impression on a fired
jar, more precisely on its shoulders. It
depicted two horned quadrupeds with
geometrical motifs in the background.
As said already, the lower strata of this
ED sequence were unearthed this year
only in trench 36/66. In the middle of it
there was a narrow street (about 1 m wide)
made of ashes mixed with potsherds. It ran
approximately north-south, dividing into
two separate groups the architectural
remains found in this trench. On the west-
ern side of the street, layer IV of our
sequence was represented mostly by a
thick deposit of dark ashes. Fragments of
two rooms of irregular shape appeared
only in the lower part of this stratum.
They might have been open courtyards
reserved for some domestic activities. The
next, fifth stratum contained fragments of
structures which served the same purpos-
es. On the eastern side of the N-S street, in
four consecutive strata, a larger building,
which seems to have been repeatedly
repaired and rebuilt, was uncovered. The
part of the house uncovered within the
confines of trench 36/66 also served
domestic purposes. An open courtyard
contained a whole series of tannurs and
large rounded ovens which were rebuilt
several times. The floors associated with
these domestic installations yielded a rich
collection of Ninevite 5 pottery represent-
ing the earliest phase of 3rd mill. BC
occupation on Tell Arbid. Indeed, the
importance of the 36/65-66 area lies in the
quantities of well-stratified 3rd mill, pot-
tery found here. Also of significance is the
number of clay sealings originating from
this area.
Third millennium strata — at least
three occupational strata representing the

Ninevite 5 period — were explored this
year also at the eastern end of the original
"S" trench, in trial pit 36/58, where they
came to light under some poorly preserved
structures of the Khabour-ware period.
Part of the trench with these older remains
had substantial walls of ED period date
bordering it on east and west, all oriented
NNE-SSW and generally conforming to
the slope in this part of the "citadel". On
the western side two such walls came to
light (W1 and W9) set some 0.5 m apart;
both should be considered as revetment
walls. Such a function is not so evident in
the case of the eastern wall (W2) which
was erected some 7 m further to the east,
on the eastern edge of trench 36/58. In the
uppermost of the Ninevite 5 layers, the
space between the described walls was
occupied by a kind of courtyard, its floor
consisting of several layers of tamped clay
with potsherds, as well as of ashes mixed
with clay. There were also some small
waste pits.
The lower stratum in the same area
contains remains of structures built
against wall W2 at the eastern end of the
trench. There are fragments of three small
rooms, or rather cubicles, and a narrow
courtyard. The rooms are roughly square
in shape and have been rebuilt and
restored on a number of occasions. One of
the rooms, measuring barely ca.
1.6 x 1.4 m (locus 22) probably served as
a kitchen. On its floor made of tamped
clay with ashes there were patches of dark
ashes and along one of its walls a low clay
banquette. Near one of its ends, in the
corner of locus 22, the upper part of
a large Ninevite 5 chalice on a stem was
discovered. After the stem had been bro-
ken off, the remaining part of the vessel
was mounted on the floor with the aid of
a lump of clay, turning it thus into a fixed
receptacle. The vessel was of good quality

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