noted below the roof stone. The pit dug for the
channel was 4.5 m wide at the top and was filled
with a layer of dark grey sand, followed by a layer of
black powdery ash, similar to layer 9 in the south
section of trench 5. At the bottom the pit was
approximately 1–1.5 m wide and filled with brown
sand. The brown sand is interpreted as back-filling
material from the construction of the channel and
the black layer as ashes from the Eastern Court of
Temple IIb. The partly filled-in ditch would then
originally have been visible south of the temple and
only over time have been filled with ashes from the
Eastern Court.
Dating
The channel east of the temple is everywhere
covered by a 40–60 cm-thick, dark layer of ashes
with an upper level of c. 2.20 in trenches 7 and 5.
The layer contains numerous potsherds datable to
Temple IIb, and the ashes undoubtedly originate
from the Eastern Court (16). The excavators in
1960 and 1961/62 noted that the channel was
overlain by the wall of the Eastern Court and
therefore earlier, but the channel could possibly also
have been built together with a reconstruction of the
Eastern Court.
Conclusion and discussion
The channel east of the Barbar temple was originally
uncovered in 1960 and in 1961/62. In 2004 its
southward continuation was located in trenches 5,
6 and 7 running in a straight line from north-
northwest to south-southeast. The level of the
roof stones falls evenly from 3.82 in the north to
4.55 in the south, i.e. 73 cm over 33 m, or c. 2%. The
levels of the floor are more uneven, but there is a
general slope towards the south, from 5.45 in the
north, over 5.78 and 5.59 to 5.64, i.e. 20 cm over
27 m, or c. 0.7%. There can therefore hardly be any
doubt that the channel was designed to bring water
from a place north of the temple towards the south.
At its most southerly position the channel was
constructed in a c. 4 m-deep pit, and it is doubtful
how much further it would have proceeded, because
of the practical difficulties of constructing at this
depth.
The origin of the water north of the temple and the
purpose of transporting it towards the south are
unknown. Is this channel perhaps connected to the
southeast pool channel described above or is it part
of an irrigation system – an early example of a falaj?
In order to answer these questions it would be
helpful if the subterranean structures could be
Fig. 11.
Stone slabs covering channel in trench 5, from the west (2004).
BARBAR TEMPLE, BAHRAIN
113
detected by geophysical methods, but experiments
in 2004 with ground-penetrating radar and conduc-
tivity meter proved unproductive (17).
Sounding south of the Eastern Court (693)
A c. 5 m-long sounding was dug in continuation of
the north-south running part of the old section 14
(18), reaching
)6.5 m S. At )6 m S and at level 3.66 a
stamp seal was found with Temple IIb pottery.
Stamp seal no. 693x1 (Fig. 17). Disc profile concave,
grey steatite, white-glazed. On the reverse three
lines and four circles. Diameter of the obverse
25 mm, diameter of the boss 20 mm, total height
14 mm, disc height 8 mm.
The motif belongs to the numerous group where
only animals are depicted, here a leaping lion, with
claws, wide-open toothed jaws and sigmoid tail,
followed by an antelope. Above the scene a snake
with wide-open toothless jaws. The scales of the snake
Fig. 12.
Pottery from layer 9 in the south section of trench 5.
Fig. 13.
Grinding-slab from layer 9 in the south section of trench 5.
Fig. 14.
Islamic pottery from the upper layers of trench 5. Neck part in
fine, yellow ware and jar with yellowish surface and reddish-
yellow ware.
F. HØJLUND ET AL.
114
are indicated with close incisions from both sides.
Between the lion and the gazelle a palm frond. Below
the lion an angular figure – probably a crescent.
The well-fed ruminants and the scaly snake are
typical of style 1A and similar to the animals on
seals from period IIb-c in Excavation 520 at Qala’at
al-Bahrain and from Saar Settlement (19).
The Temple III oval platform and well chamber
(692)
The third phase of the Barbar temple was the latest
and lying uppermost, and therefore also the first and
most severely plundered for its valuable stone
material. The earlier and deeper lying temples, I
and II, were much better preserved, and continuity
between the structure and functions of these two
main phases could therefore be extensively docu-
mented (20). Because so little of Temple III was
Fig. 15.
North section through channel in trench 5. 1: light grey-brown
sand with scattered small stones and plaster rubble. 2: grey-
brown sand with scattered small stones and plaster rubble. 3:
sterile light brown sand. 4: oolitic limestone chippings. 5: dark
grey powdery ash with oolitic limestone chippings and pottery.
6
: as 5, but lighter grey. 7: light grey-brown sand with lumps of
compact sand. 8: as 5. 9: light yellow sterile sand, subsoil. 10: fine,
light grey-brown sand. 11: light grey-brown sand. 12: fine, light
grey-brown sand. 13: dark grey clayey sand. 14: grey-brown sand
with small stones. 15: sterile light-brown sand with small stones.
16
: light-brown alternating with grey-brown layers of sand. 17:
light-brown alternating with grey layers of sand. 18: grey sand.
19
: dark grey-brown sand with small stones. 20: light grey to
brown sand. 21: light to dark grey-brown sand with small stones.
22
: scattered stones in grey-brown sand. 23: grey sandy clay with
thin layer of charcoal at the top. 24: light grey-brown sand. 25:
light grey-brown sand. 26: uncut stones, 15–30 cm across, laid in
clay.
Fig. 16.
North-south section through the layers filling the channel in
trench 5. 1: light grey-brown sand. 2: light greyish-yellow sand. 3:
grey-brown clayey sand mixed with greyish-yellow sand. 4: grey-
brown clayey sand. 5: dark grey-brown clayey sand. 6: dark grey-
brown sandy clay. 7: grey clay. 8: dark grey clay with small
charcoal pieces. 9: light greyish-yellow sand with small stones. 10:
homogeneous grey-brown clayey sand with thin layer of charcoal
at the top. 11: thin, 2–15 mm thick, layers of grey and grey-brown
sandy clay. 12: sterile light yellow sand, subsoil. 13: roof-stone.
Fig. 17.
Dilmun stamp seal of style 1A.
BARBAR TEMPLE, BAHRAIN
115