TELL EN-NASBEH EXCAVATIONS — BADE 489 



structiiro. lieads of Astarte fijrunnos were especially niimorous. and 

 a conical baetyl, or via-;<'<(hah, was also recovered in this vicinity. 



NATl'IJIO OF TIllO CI rV I,i:\ KLS 



So far as the levels within the city walls are concerned, this year's 

 excavations «^ave us certainty on many points that were previously 

 left in doubt. At the north end the uppermost level, not unifonnly 

 preserved, was Hellenistic, chiefly Maccabaean. Next came a stratum 

 which yielded chiefly II, but also I, Iron Age pottery, especially 

 in areas near the cit}' wall. Sometimes there were two house levels 

 in this stratum, the lower level having been partly reused in the 

 upper. Sometimes this took the form of new floors within the same 

 house walls. The lower, or Early Iron Age, level was always the 

 best marked and indicated a long and continuous occupation of the 

 city during that i)eriod. A considerable amount of so-called " Phil- 

 istine " ware was recovered from this level. The third stratum 

 must in the main be described as belonging to the Middle Bronze 

 Age. But it had a large admixture of Early Bronze Age potteiy, 

 which may be regarded as intrusive. Remains of larger structures, 

 kilns, and silos, had more successfully survived the digging activities 

 of the Iron Age inhabitants. The final and lowest stratum, that of 

 the Early Bronze Age, was in contact with bedrock. It had been much 

 disturbed, and was found unmixed only in silos and natural cavities 

 in bedrock. Large (juantities of ledge handles were found in all the 

 levels, but particularly in the lowest. So abundant in sheer bulk 

 in this Pearly Bronze Age ware on Tell en-Nasbeh that we must 

 assume for that period a long-continued and populous .settlement on 

 the hilltop. 



STUDY OF CERAMICS 



During the season just closed we had an especially competent 

 .'^taff of 14 members, and consequently were able to give close atten- 

 tion to a number of special problems. Four members, trained in the 

 study of Palestinian ceramics, gave particular attention to nearly 

 3,000 half -bushel baskets of potsherds that were brought down from 

 the Tell. One member gave his whole time to the accurate labelling 

 of the baskets, and the numbering of rooms, silos, cisterns, and other 

 structures. After being brought down to headquarters the pot- 

 sherds Avere washed, and examined in detail. Five by eight inch 

 cards were used to make notes on the contents of each basket, and 

 these were filed according to provenience for future reference or 

 further study. In addition, all unusual forms, objects, or decora- 

 tions were drawn to scale on 5 by 8 inch millimeter-ruled cards, 

 and these were filed with the basket cards. In this manner over 



