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General Description
Simple ware sherds are characterized by their lack of temper – there is little to no temper and they are high-fired. Typically the sherds have a buff or green-buff color. As a finer ware, Simple ware is usually used to construct small thin-walled vessels such as conical cups and small bowls.
Simple Ware is part of the Fine Buff Wares Group.
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Features
| Basis for Definition | Excavated in ED III contexts near city wall in K1 and S1, in temple BA, and are found in abundance on the surface of both the High Mound and the Outer City. Some still found in the Area AA during the Akkadian period. |
| Identifying Attributes | Little or no temper, high fired, uniform buff to green-buff color, conical cups and small bowls, spouted pots, string cut, flat, and slightly convex bases, some cups have low footed bases. |
| Clay Type | Hard, very fine particles. |
| Temper | Finer vessels have little temper while the coarser examples of the conical cups have some sand temper, some vessels can have small to medium white rehydrated calcite on the exterior. A few examples show very fine particles of chaff in section. |
| Firing | Highly fired, a firing cloud occurs on the exterior of some small shapes, escpeially conical cups. |
| Color | Color buff, yellow-buff, greenish buff. |
| Surface Treatment | Some examples very smooth on the exterior. |
| Wall Thickness | From ca 3 to 5 mm. |
| Shapes |
This is the most common type of pottery for small cups and bowls in the mid third millennium and for this reason is the most prominent aspect of the Fine Buff Wares Group (ED IIIa to middle Akkadian strata dating to Tupkish). Footed cups (size range: h ca 8, d ca 6-10cm, base 3-5 cm). Spouted vessels (size range: h ca 7-9cm; rim d ca 5-7 cm). Large bowls with flat or slightly concave bases; bases can have a groove around the exterior or a reamed edge as a transition from the body to the base (size range: h ca 9.5 cm; rim d ca 19 cm). |
| Manufacturing Techniques | Strong wheel marks on the exterior of some conical cups and bowls. |
| Surface Treatment | Self slip. |
| Distribution | Most common type of pottery for small and medium- small sized vessels in all ED IIIa to Naram-Sin excavation units. |
| Comments | This pottery was prevalent in ED IIIa strata and was dying out by the Akkadian stratum of Tupkish (mid Naram-Sin). In seasons 1-6 seasons some thin walled shapes were categorized as Wet Smoothed ware. After the 1991 study by Dr. Marilyn Beaudry-Corbett, these finer Wet Smoothed examples were added to the Simple ware (that is beginning with the 7th season, 1992). |
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Sub-Group 1
One group from the temple is so fine that they are characterized by their smooth surface which appears to have been slightly polished. The majority of the data for this untempered subtype came from the temple, most prominently a bowl (MZ3B1.184) found in the same deposit as the small stone lion statue, near the statue. The large sample of sherds of this sub-type indicate that only small and medium bowls were made in this ware. Its temple context and restricted shape range appear to indicate that its function was focused in the temple, most probably as part of a ritual activity.
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Exteriors
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Interiors
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Sections
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Back to top: Simple Ware (S)