Ninevite 5 Ware (NIN)

Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati – Semptember 2011
Laerke Recht – May 2016

General Description

Ninevite 5 ware is notable for its incised decorations. Usually the vessels are fine and the temper is fine. The color ranges from gray-green to buff. Ninevite 5 Ware can sometimes be divided among early and late examples, however, in the current system all Ninevite 5 sherds are coded using NIN. The differences between the early and late are given below.
Ninevite 5 is part of the Fine Buff Wares Group.

Early Ninevite 5 Plain and Incised Ware (EN)

Characteristics

Basis for Definition	J1f352, J2 pebble pavements below monumental stairway, sherds found in later strata, sherds from the surface of the site.
Identifying Attributes	Little or no temper, medium fired, gray-green or tan-buff color, small fine vessel shapes.
Clay Type	Hard, very fine particles.
Temper	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.
Firing	Medium.
Color	Gray-green, tan-buff and some light gray.
Wall thickness	Less than 5mm.
Shapes	Small thin walled forms bowls; Beakers; Few small jars.
Surface treatment	Self slip with very well smoothed exterior surface.
Decoration	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.
Comments	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.

Sherd Illustrations

S1.57

Late Ninevite 5 Incised and Grooved Ware (LN)

Characteristics

Basis for Definition	Ob1 and Oa4 tombs in the Outer City.
Identifyin Attributes	Wide deep incisions and grooves, thicker walled bessels, yellow-buff color, medium fire, more inclusions than EN ware
Clay Type	Hard, very fine particles.
Temper	Fine chaff and small minerals.
Firing	Medium.
Color	Yellow-buff.
Wall Thickness	5 to 1 cm.
Shapes	Small carinated bowls both decorated and undecorated. Large pots with pointed base.
Surface Treatment	Self slip but exterior not as smooth as EN.
Decoration	Alternating incised and grooved patterns.
Comments	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.

Sherd Illustrations

Ob1.47

Ob1.54

Ob1.39