Ninevite 5 Ware (NIN)

J1f352, J2 pebble pavements below monumental stairway, sherds found in later strata, sherds from the surface of the site.

Little or no temper, medium fired, gray-green or tan-buff color, small fine vessel shapes.

Hard, very fine particles.

Fine sand, fine calcite, even in thinner walled vessels the size of the inclusions can be fine to medium; lithic inclusions are mainly gray-green but more rarely black or orange; chaff temper is very fine but occasionally there are larger sub-round shapes.

Medium.

Gray-green, tan-buff and some light gray.

Less than 5mm.

Self slip with very well smoothed exterior surface.

Thin long and short incised lines. Comb impressed lines made with the points of the comb; can have one thin band of rope decoration below the rim.

Made from a clay similar to Simple ware but the medium firing and distinctive coloring immediately distinguishes this ware from Simple ware. Since few of these sherds have been found, through the 2010 season all Ninevite 5 sherds were analyzed as Nin (or NIN) and not distinguished between early and late.

Ob1 and Oa4 tombs in the Outer City.

Wide deep incisions and grooves, thicker walled bessels, yellow-buff color, medium fire, more inclusions than EN ware

Hard, very fine particles.

Fine chaff and small minerals.

Medium.

Yellow-buff.

5 to 1 cm.

Self slip but exterior not as smooth as EN.

Alternating incised and grooved patterns.

The undecorated portions can be differentiated from EN ware because they are thicker walled and have more inclusions. Since few of these sherds have been found, through the 2010 season all Ninevite 5 sherds were analyzed as Nin (or NIN) and not distinguished between early and late.