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Items with Seal Impressions
There were remarkably few seal impressions recovered from J5. One q174.2 had wood impressions, one q379.1 was an impression in the Jemdat Nasr style on a potsherd, and one q484.1 was found during final cleanup.
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Analysis
Only four sealings were excavated in unit J5. One of them was not sealed (q379.1) and another one possibly not sealed (q174.2). They are included here because they are the type of object that could have been sealed but the part we have preserved contained either unclear markings that could have been a sealing or no sealing. For J5q174.2 it is not clear if it was ever sealed at all but the object may be a bag which is a type of object that could have been sealed and there were unclear traces on the part we have; J5q379.1 is part of a clay stopper which could have been sealed.
Unusual in our glyptic evidence is J5q391.1 because it is rolled on a sherd. Unfortunately we cannot determine what shape of vessel it was but the sealing is well preserved and clearly representing an earlier style (Piedmont Jemdat Nasr style). It was excavated in feature 252; in this feature the ceramics are mixed. In this same q lot there were sherds dating to Late Chalcolithic (e.g., J5q391-p1) as well as Mittani types (e.g., J5q391-p6). In J5 another unusual clay object was the jar stopper mentioned above, J5q379.1.
The emplacement of seal impression J5q484.1 is unusual since it was found in clay that was used as mortar between stones in a wall (feature 3). The iconography and style are ED III and since this is the time period right below the Mittani stairs in J5 it is logical that this period could be represented in J5 sealings. In excavation unit J1 located next to J5 there are a number of Early Dynastic seal impressions.
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