SHANIDAR CAVE — SOLECKI 409 



western and southern part (pi. 3, a). This slant in these deposits 

 was due principally to a large boulder and fallen stones in the north- 

 east quarter. The boulder was capped with a comparatively thin 

 veneer of Layers A and B, and in part Layer C. The boulder was 

 actually within Layer C. The top limit of Layer C, conforming to the 

 dip of Layer B, also sloped sharply to the west. The demarcation line 

 between Layers C and D was only slightly slanted to the west. This 

 latter slant was very likely due to the dip of the bedrock to the west 

 and north, to which the base of Layer D conformed. 



Layer A. — This horizon was uncovered below a 2-inch (5.0S-cm.) 

 crustal capping of dry compacted topsoil and dung. The layer con- 

 tained a thick series of large, widespread, colored ash beds and hearths 

 lying in a matrix of dark, organic-stained soil. The deposit was 

 thicker in the western part of the sounding (8 ft., 2,44 m.) and thinner 

 in the eastern part (2 ft., 60.96 cm.) . Rock-lined fireplaces and hearth 

 stones were encountered throughout this layer. A pit occurred in the 

 eastern part, in which were found the scattered fragmentary remains 

 of a human burial. Unfortunately, the bones — those of an adult — were 

 few in number. A copper bracelet of Islamic type and two spiral 

 copper beads were found closely associated with one of the human 

 bones, discoloring the latter with verdigris. 



It was early evident tliat Layer A had intruded into Layer B, mix- 

 ing some of the artifactual materials at the junction of the deposits. 

 In the top part of Layer A were found, in addition to a quantity of 

 recent potsherds, some clay pipe fragments, which are evidence of 

 the introduction of the smoking habit to this area. According to 

 Yacqub Sarkis (1941) the smoking habit was introduced into the Near 

 East about 300 years ago. The potsherds, numbering upward of 

 3,000 fragments, occurred in greatest profusion toward the middle 

 of Layer A, where fragmentary mammal bones were also found in 

 greatest abundance. With the exception of some reddish burnished 

 Uruk sherds, no pottery types were immediately recognizable in the 

 collection. The sherds consisted almost exclusively of culinary wares. 

 It would seem that a statistical study of the potsherds will have to be 

 made in order to evaluate the collection properly, if at all. The major 

 difficulty is that no excavations of tells (tails) have been made in this 

 district from which comparative studies of sherds may be made. It 

 may be possible to compare statistically the culinary sherds, which 

 were associated with the various identified wares (Hassuna, Ubaid, 

 Uruk) from the Diyan and Bastoon caves on top of Baradost Moun- 

 tain (Safar, 1950) , and to evaluate the results in terms of the Shanidar- 

 cave pottery. 



The artifact inventory from Layer A appears to represent a cul- 

 tural backwater of the higher civilizations to the south. As an anal- 



