staircase leading to the pool in the Barbar Temple,
this leaves a stair width of 60–70 cm.
The southwest and northwest corners of the
chamber were preserved in the original fill layer,
sharply defined and right-angled, and interpreted
as impressions of ashlars (Fig. 29). The chamber
extends c. 50 cm further to the south than the present
edge of the plaster layer, and indeed the whole
chamber, apart from an entrance into the staircase,
must have been roofed over. The well-hole in the
bottom of the chamber is roughly circular, with a
diameter of 80 cm in the upper part.
In the north and south walls of the hole, 1.2 m
above
the
bottom,
almost
identical
channels
emerged (Fig. 29). The channels are dug into the
subsoil sand. The walls of the channels are built of
uncut stone set in clay, sometimes reinforced with
bitumen, and the roofs consist of uncut stones set in
plaster (Fig. 31). The channels were almost com-
pletely filled up with horizontal layers of sand and
clay, some of them containing many small bits of
bitumen. Similar bits of bitumen were found in two
places on the chamber floor (Fig. 29), perhaps
indicating where the channels had their outlet. The
south channel was emptied to a depth of 1.4 m and
found to slope towards the chamber by c. 10 cm over
this short distance. The north channel was also
found to slope towards the chamber.
In the trenches dug south of the plaster founda-
tion (see below) no continuation of the south channel
was found.
The interpretation of the plundered structure as a
well accessed by a staircase seems straightforward.
We must imagine that subsoil water appeared in the
well-hole, and at least occasionally the water level
stood high in the chamber. This is indicated by the
fact that the sides of the hole in the subsoil sand, up
to level c. 4.10, were covered by a thin layer of
brown, plastic clay, such as would be deposited in a
pool of still-standing water, which would penetrate
all cracks and hollows behind any stone construc-
tion. The two channels leading into the well chamber
have presumably created the extra possibility of
leading water into the well chamber from else-
where, a feature that is also found at the pool of the
Barbar Temple (50) and which may perhaps be
explained by seasonal and yearly variations in the
water table.
During the cleaning of the plaster foundation in
the area of the southeastern corner of the inner
terrace wall (51), the upper layer of the plaster layer
was brushed away and revealed the impression of a
4 m-long cord, parallel to the southern side of the
monument, crossed by two other cord impressions
over a distance of 30 cm, running parallel with the
eastern side of the monument. The cords may
perhaps have formed guidelines for the construction
of the monument (52).
During the cleaning of the east side of the plaster
foundation, where the edge is made of cut limestone
blocks (53), one of these blocks proved to be a phallic
cult-stone of oolitic limestone (Fig. 32) (54). Its upper
side measures 26.3 cm across and is slightly concave
with a depression of 0.6 cm. The upper part, 39 cm,
is in some places smooth, without cut-marks, other-
wise it is eroded. The lower part, 22 cm, is roughly
cut, as if intended to be inserted into a base (Fig. 33).
Below this stone a carnelian bead was found
Fig. 29.
Plan of plundered well-chamber in the Northeast Temple.
Fig. 30.
Section through plundered well-chamber in the Northeast
Temple. 1: foundation of stone and plaster. 2: yellow-brown
gravelly sand with many small stones and a little pottery and
bones. 3: yellow sterile sand, subsoil. 4: brown clayey sand. 5:
hard, plasterlike sand with small stones. 6: brown clay.
F. HØJLUND ET AL.
122
Fig. 31.
South channel emerging in well-chamber of Northeast Temple, from the north (2004).
Fig. 32.
Phallic cult-stone in situ, secondarily used, from the south (2004).
BARBAR TEMPLE, BAHRAIN
123
(Fig. 34). A similar bead was found, also during
cleaning of the plaster foundation, 0.5 m east of
the southeast corner of wall C1 (55) (Fig. 35). Both
beads are irregularly biconical, with coarse grinding-
facets.
A temenos wall?
Soundings in 1961 brought some, in the words of the
excavators, ‘restricted’ and ‘insecure’ indications for
a lower temple platform below and around the upper
platform built on the 24 · 24 m plaster layer des-
cribed above (56). According to this view, the terrace
wall of a lower platform should lie 11–12 m south of
the upper platform, but during the excavations in
2004 no evidence for a terrace wall was found in
this area.
In several trenches south of the upper platform
there was evidence of a compact, 10–30 cm-thick
layer of oolitic limestone chippings, i.e. residue from
the final shaping of limestone ashlars, but generally
much degraded, sometimes into something which
looked like crushed plaster, which was, indeed, the
description this layer received in 1956 (57). These
chippings were probably produced during the sha-
ping of limestone ashlars for the terrace wall of the
upper temple platform, for the building that stood
upon it and for the well-chamber and staircase it
enclosed. Oolitic limestone chippings are commonly
found in excavations at Barbar and are normally
sharp-edged and well preserved. The degradation so
characteristic of this layer of chippings must be due
to the layer having been exposed over a prolonged
period of time, and we are probably dealing with the
ground level of the area surrounding the Northeast
Temple.
The layer is at level c. 2.40 close to the central
temple platform and falls gently towards the south,
probably because of the general development of the
terrain, to level c. 2.50 in
)15 m S, and c. 2.95 in
)22 m S, from where it can be followed towards the
west to
)8.75 W, where it rises to c. 2.70.
North of the upper platform the layer of chippings
can be followed for almost 9 m and is here described
as a ‘powdery plaster-like mass’ (58). Near the
platform it is at level c. 2.40 and furthest to the north
it has descended to level 3.00.
The gently sloping surface of the layer of chip-
pings south of the upper temple platform does not
indicate the presence of a lower platform, but at
0/-15 m S a 1.70 m-wide and 35–40 cm-high con-
struction of ashlars and hand-sized fragments of
oolitic limestone (Fig. 36.3–4) is built directly on top
of the layer of chippings (Fig. 36.5). In 1956 this
construction was cut half a metre further east by
a north-south section and described as masonry
consisting of stone and plaster (59). This could
possibly be the lower part of a wall enclosing the
temple precinct, and it is notable that a similar
phenomenon was observed east of the temple with
approximately the same distance, c. 6 m, to the
upper platform (60).
No finds were associated with the layer of lime-
stone chippings or with the possible enclosure wall.
Several north-south going sections crossing the
c.
)15 m S line show that before the layer of
chippings was formed a large pit was dug into the
yellow subsoil sand to level c. 3.60 and filled with
brownish gravel (Fig. 36.6 and 9). The southern
Fig. 33.
Phallic cult-stone.
Fig. 34.
Carnelian bead.
Fig. 35.
Carnelian bead.
F. HØJLUND ET AL.
124
termination of this pit seems to coincide with the
possible wall enclosing the lower temple precinct
described above. In the central well-chamber hole
the same stratigraphy can be seen in layer 2 with
base level in 3.60 (Fig. 30) (61), indicating that this
pit may have covered all of the temple area. The few
sherds found in the pit compare well with pottery
found in the platform fill (62).
The house
Nine metres south of the upper platform and c. 3 m
south of the possible enclosure wall, described
above, the remains of a house were uncovered in
two trenches in the shape of large portions of a fine
plaster floor which seems to have been constructed
directly on the layer of limestone chippings, des-
cribed above (Fig. 37). The floor has a northeast-
southwest orientation and evenly finished edges
towards the northwest, northeast and southeast
(Fig. 38.4). It is 3.75 m wide and at least 10.25 m
long, but the southwestern edge has not been located.
The evenly finished edges of the floor look as if the
plaster was applied up to a vertical border such as a
wall that has now disappeared. In the section
through the house, the floor plaster towards the
southeast continues into a thin, 30 cm-high, vertical
layer of plaster, followed c. 60 cm further southeast
by a similar vertical plaster layer (Fig. 39.9) –
apparently the inside and outside coating of an
ashlar wall later plundered. North and east of the
plaster floor, a c. 70 cm-wide band seems to bear
witness to the existence of this wall (Fig. 38.3).
Fig. 37.
Plaster floor south of the Northeast Temple, from the northeast (2004).
Fig. 36.
Section through foundation of possible temenos wall around
Northeast Temple. 1: brown sand with many small stones and
some sherds. 2: brownish gravel with some small stones and
plaster rubble. 3: limestone ashlars. 4: hand-sized oolitic lime-
stone chippings in fine yellow-brown sand. 5: small oolitic
limestone chippings, much degraded. 6: brownish gravel.
7
: brownish gravel with charcoal particles, plaster rubble and
oolitic limestone chippings. 8: dark yellow sand. 9: very compact,
brown gravel with charcoal particles and some small stones. 10:
yellow sand, subsoil.
BARBAR TEMPLE, BAHRAIN
125
A few holes were visible in the plaster floor
(Fig. 38.5), possibly later disturbances. One metre
from the northwest side of the floor was a row of
five, uncut stones placed on the floor, and in the
section a new course was visible, made of plaster
and smaller stones (Fig. 39.3). On the floor south of
this wall was a 10–20 cm-thick layer of yellow-
whitish clayey soil.
In the soil above the plaster floor potsherds were
plentiful in both trenches and almost only from
necked storage jars with late variants of the
triangular rim, with a few rims from bowls and
hole-mouth vessels, plus one rippled shoulder
sherd of Failaka type 47 and one scored shoulder
sherd of Failaka type 48 (Fig. 40) (63). The ware is
almost only of type 2 (64), side-sherds are either
smooth or low-ridged, bases are either marked of
type B40 or simple, flattened of type B43 (65).
Altogether, the assemblage is very similar to one
(517.ARU) found in a 1961 sounding, also located
outside the central plaster platform of the North-
east Temple (66), and as here with a variation of
triangular rims that characterizes a late phase of
Qala’at al-Bahrain period II till now only rarely
Fig. 38.
Plan of the house south of the Northeast Temple. 1: limestone ashlar. 2: yellow-brown sand with many small stones, some bones and
potsherds. 3: hard whitish-yellow sand. 4: plaster floor. 5: disturbance of 4. 6: hard clay covering 4. 7: five stones on 4. 8: stones and
plaster rubble. 9: hard yellowish-grey sand with many small stones and plaster rubble. 10: vertical plaster ridge. 11: hard yellowish-grey
sand with large, up to 40 cm, uncut stones.
Fig. 39.
Section through the house south of the Northeast Temple.
1
: brown-greyish soil. 2: brown-greyish sand. 3: uncut stones the
size of a hand set in plaster, wall on row of stones (12). 4: brown-
greyish sand. 5: brown-yellowish clayey sand. 6: brown-yellow-
ish clayey sand with many small stones. 7: as 6, but without
small stones. 8: compact brown soil with plaster rubble, oolitic
limestone chippings and hand-to-head-size stones. 9: vertical
plaster. 10: yellow-whitish soil with many bones and potsherds.
11
: plaster floor. 12: stones in a row, foundation for wall (3).
13
: hard clay covering 11.
F. HØJLUND ET AL.
126
found in Bahrain, but well represented in Failaka as
period 2B (Fig. 6) (67). This accords well with the
sparse finds from the old excavations indicating
that the Northeast Temple postdates Barbar Temple
IIb (68).
Fig. 40.
Pottery found on the floor of the house south of the Northeast Temple.
References
1. Andersen HH & Højlund F. The Barbar
Temples, vols 1–2. Aarhus: JASP, 48:
2003.
2. For their generous hospitality and
efficient assistance our warm thanks
go to the Bahrain Minister of Infor-
mation, HE Mr Nabil bin Yacoub Al-
Hamer, Undersecretary Mr Mahmoud
Al-Mahmoud, Assistant Undersecre-
tary Shaikha Mai Al Khalifa, Acting
Director of Archaeology & Heritage
Mr Khaled Al-Sendi, and Supervisor
of Archaeology Mr Abdelkarim
Al-Moft. For permission to excavate in
the private garden north of the temple
we are grateful to Mr Isa bin Ali and
his sons. The excavations were carried
out by Pernille Bangsgaard, Jesper
Hansen, Niels Haue, Dorthe Danner
Lund and Flemming Højlund, assisted
by twenty Bahraini labourers. The
excavations were supported by the
Carlsberg Foundation, the University
of Aarhus, the University of Aarhus
Research Foundation, and the Minis-
try of Information of the Kingdom of
Bahrain. Poul Kjærum dealt with the
stamp seals and the tokens. The
English was revised by Peter Crabb.
Karsten Mikkelsen digitized the
drawings. The excavations in 2004 are
registered at the Oriental Department
at Moesgaard Museum as nos
691–693.
3. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 1: 147–151, Figs 185–201, 2:
plan 6:4, 6, 7 and 9.
4. Cf. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 1: 233–241.
5. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 1: Fig. 221.
6. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 1: 147, Fig. 250, 2: sections 13.G
and 33.G.
7. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 1: Figs 185–200.
8. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 1: 147, 2: section 33.G.
9. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 2: Plan 6:2 and 36.
10. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Section 33.F (the door), section
33.K, Plans 6.10 (the wall) and 6.11 (the
threshold).
11. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 185, 2: Plan 7:25.
12. Cf. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 1: 233–241, Figs 463–518.
13. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 327.
14. Frifelt K. Islamic Remains in Bahrain.
Aarhus: JASP, 37: 2001: Figs 22–24.
BARBAR TEMPLE, BAHRAIN
127
15. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 185, Fig. 235.
16. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 175–185.
17. Carried out by Niels Breiner of the
Institute of Geology, Aarhus Univer-
sity.
18. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2.
19. Kjærum P. Stamp-seals, seal impres-
sions and seal blanks. In: Højlund F &
Andersen HH. Qala’at al-Bahrain vol. 1.
The Northern City Wall and the Islamic
Fortress. Aarhus: JASP, 30/1, 1994: nos
18, 19, 20, 22. Crawford H. Early
Dilmun Seals from Saar. Archaeology
International: Stoke Saint Milborough,
2001: no. 4361:01.
20. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 323ff.
21. Andersen HH. The Barbar Temple:
stratigraphy, architecture and inter-
pretation. BTAA 1986: 177. Andersen
& Højlund, The Barbar Temples 1: 187.
22. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: Fig. 14, 2: plan 8.3–4.
23. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Main section: A and Plan 5.2.
24. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 131, 2: Plans 3.46 and 5.1.
25. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Main Section: A, Section 30.A.
26. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 187.
27. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2.
28. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: Fig. 243.
29. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Section 31:2–3.
30. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: Fig. 222, 2: Plan 6.60.
31. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Section 31.A.
32. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Plan 3.52–53.
33. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: Figs 182–183, 2: Section 31.8–10.
34. Kjærum P. Stamp Seals and Seal
Impressions. In: Andersen & Højlund,
The Barbar Temples 1: 300–305.
35. Kjærum P. The Stamp and Cylinder Seals.
Plates and Catalogue Descriptions.
Failaka/Dilmun. The Second Millen-
nium Settlements 1:1. Aarhus: JASP,
17.1: 1983: no. 337.
36. Crawford, Early Dilmun Seals from Saar:
no. 5168:01.
37. E.g. Kjærum, Stamp and Cylinder Seals:
nos 25, 31, 71.
38. E.g. Kjærum, Stamp and Cylinder Seals:
nos 97, 117, 150, 247 and 131.
39. Kjærum, Stamp Seals and Seal Impres-
sions: 303, Figs 783–84, 787.
40. Kjærum, Stamp Seals and Seal Impres-
sions: 302ff.
41. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 326, Figs 242–245, 2: plan 8.3–4.
42. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: Fig. 203, 2: Plan 6.47–54.
43. Cf. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 1: 140 and 2: Plan 5.4 with 1:
165, 2: plan 6:43, and section 33:O.
44. Kjærum, Stamp-seals, seal impressions
and seal blanks: 331f, 345f. Kjærum,
Stamp Seals and Seal Impressions:
298ff, 303f.
45. E.g. Al-Sindi K. Dilmun Seals. Manama:
State of Bahrain, 1999: nos 45 and 47.
46. Oral comm. from S.F. Andersen who
examined the sherds in the field.
47. Andersen SF & Kennet D. Sasanian
and Islamic Pottery. In: Andersen &
Højlund, The Barbar Temples 1: 307–10.
48. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 199–208, 2: Plan 10.
49. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: 35–45. Konishi MA. Legendary
Spring and the Stepped Wells of 2000
B.C., Bahrain – from the excavations at
‘Ain Umm es-Sujur. Lahore Museum
Bulletin 9/1: 1996: 81–93.
50. The two similar well-chambers at
Umm as-Sujur are also connected to a
subterranean channel and an open
channel respectively, although it is
difficult to judge the direction of their
inclinations from the plans, cf. Konishi,
Legendary Spring: Figs 3–5.
51. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Plan 10.B.
52. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 1: 204–208.
53. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 202, Fig. 258.
54. For this group of objects, see Andersen
& Højlund, The Barbar Temples 2: 47–49.
55. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Plan 10.
56. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: Fig. 265, 2: Sections 34.F and 35.3.
57. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Section 35.8.
58. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Section 35.18.
59. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Section 35.F.
60. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 2: Section 34.G.
61. Cf. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar
Temples 2: Section 34.2–3.
62. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: Figs 600–615.
63. Højlund, F. The Bronze Age Pottery.
Failaka/Dilmun. The Second Millen-
nium Settlements 2. Aarhus: JASP,
17/2: 1987.
64. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 210.
65. Højlund & Andersen, Qala’at al-Bahrain
vol. 1.
66. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: Figs 633–656.
67. Højlund, The Bronze Age Pottery.
Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 210.
68. Andersen & Højlund, The Barbar Tem-
ples 1: 249.
F. HØJLUND ET AL.
128
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