Archaeology Magazine - June 1964 - 65

REVIEWS

OF

RECENT

ATGOZLU
TARSUS. destruction level is an important
EXCAVATIONS
KULE,
VolumeIII/ The Iron Age, edited by fixed point for the chronology of
Hetty Goldman. Contributors: the site, not least for the pottery.
Hetty Goldman, George M. A. An Assyrian tablet dated in 636 B.c.
Hanfmann, Edith Porada. 2 was found in the level following
vols.: Text, Plates. 426 pages, 181 the disaster.
The chapter on the Iron Age potplates, 7 plans. The Institute for
Advanced Studies, Princeton, New tery of Tarsus, masterfully written
by George M. A. Hanfmann, forms
Jersey 1963 $40.00
the major part of the book. The
With this volume Hetty Gold- technical
about the maman and her collaborators have terials andremarks
manufacture are of
completed the publication of the general interest. Analyses ofgreat
the
pre-Islamic finds from the excava- clays of potsherds from Cyprus and
tions at Tarsus carried out in 1934- Tarsus have been
made, and some
1939and 1947-1949.Volume I, The difference was
observed; it is also
Hellenisticand Roman Periods, appossible to differentiate them by
peared in 1950 and Volume II, handling the vases. Hanfmann
From the Neolithic Through the makes
many good observations
Bronze Age, came in 1956. This
imported pottery
book is of the same high quality about local and and
East Greek
and standard as the previous vol- (e.g. Cypriote
Unfired
vases
were found
fabrics).
umes and the field director and her in the
potters' ovens dating from
collaborators are to be congratubefore the destruction in 696
lated for bringing to a close so just
B.c.
are important in estabThey
successfullythe archaeological his- lishing the local
origin of some
tory of Tarsus.
classesof pottery, including Cilician
in
Goldman
describes
deHetty
wares of Cypriote type. It
tail the buildings and habitation painted
is
that Cypriote potters
possible
levels. As fairly little is known
actually worked with local clay at
about Early Iron Age architecture, Tarsus.
this new material is very welcome.
As intrusive pits and other disOf particular interest is the great turbances
affected the Iron Age
hairpin-shaped building U in the
Hanfmann recommendscauearliest Iron Age level; it forms a levels,
tion in drawing conclusions based
link between earlier and later ex- on
individual
of pottery. A
amples of the type elsewhere. Of Protocorinthianpieces
was found
aryballos
great importance is a series of pot- on the lowest floor of Unit Oa, supFour
ovens.
main
levels
are
tery
to antedate the destruction
distinguishedat the site: Early Iron posed
in
696
b.c., but this is not certain
Age (ca. 1100-850 B.c.), Middle (Unit O was not covered by the
Iron Age (ca. 850-700 B.c.), Late destruction
fill). It seems difficult
Iron Age (Assyrian period, ca. 700- to
the position of this floor,
judge
600 B.c.) and sixth century, or
especiallyas no section of this area
Archaicperiod (ca. 600-520B.c.).
is published (only one tiny section
The flourishingMiddle Iron Age is shown in the volume on Plan I,
settlement with the potters' kilns Inset II). Like most Swedish
was brought to an end by Sen- archaeologists,the reviewer used to
nacherib's destruction of Tarsus in believe that Protocorinthian pottery
696 B.c. The destructionby fire was appeared no earlier than about 660
followed by a deliberate leveling B.c. and he is not entirely convinced
and in the "destruction fill" great about the validity of this context.
masses of pottery were found. The
The small finds of terracotta,

BOOKS

metal, bone, stone and clay, etc. are
presented by Hetty Goldman. The
frit object (p. 396, no. 29, fig. 181)
is probably a spacer for a necklace;
similar objects were found at Brak
and Gezer and in Cyprus in the
Neolithic period and the Early,
Middle and Late Bronze Age. The
seals are discussed by the expert,
Edith Porada. One would have appreciated a report on the animal
bones which must have been found
in the settlement, and one is curious
to know what was found in the
conflagration layer of 696 B.c. besides pottery (carbonized remains
of wood, grain, plants?).
The reviewer traveled in Cilicia
ten years ago and was impressed
by the large number of settlement
mounds there. Surely much field
work remains to be done. Meanwhile, Gjerstad's, Seton-Williams'
and Mellaart's surveys, the excavation of Mersin and, above all, the
publicationof the finds from Tarsus
have laid a good foundation for future archaeological research in the
area.
Paul Astrom
Universityof Missouri
WHERE
THESUNSTOOD
STILL:
GIBEON,
The Discovery
of the AncientCity, by
James B. Pritchard. xv, 176 pages,
110 figures,9 text drawings. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1962
$5.75
Since 1956 the University of
Pennsylvania has been sponsoringa
series of summer campaigns at the
Jordanian village of el Jib, the site
of the ancient city of Gibeon. In
this semi-popular work Professor
Pritchard, director of the expedition since its inception, presents the
results of the first four seasons of
work.
Excavation has shown that the
hill of Gibeon, a limestoneoutcropping rising from a fertile valley
eight miles north-northwestof Jeru137
Archaeology Magazine - June 1964

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - June 1964
