$..$B6PRJRU]HZVND    &8/785$ ವ :(77(5(1   187 187 Akkadica 134 (2013), pp. 187-199. Fenestrated Pot Stands in Ninevite 5 Pottery Tradition : New Data from Tell Arbid (north-east Syria) A. Smogorzewska * Abstract : Tell Arbid, a site in northeastern Syria, yielded numerous fenestrated pot stands in its Ninevite 5 pottery assemblage. Two types can be distinguished among them : triangle-fenestrated pot stands, oc- curring in the early incised and excised pottery phase of the Ninevite 5 period, and arrow-fenestrated pot stands, diagnostic for the late Ninevite 5 period, as they appear along late excised pottery and the earli- est examples of Metallic Ware (EJII in the Syrian Jazirah). Unlike the triangle-fenestrated pot stands, the arrow-fenestrated variety is geographically limited to the Upper Khabur area. Moreover, they have been found on just a few sites in the area. Tell Arbid, which might have been one of their production centers, has turned out the most numerous and diversified group of such pot stands (ca. 40 diagnostic fragments from Area D). Arrow-fenestrated pot stands seem to be a local invention related to late Ninevite 5 pottery tradition, as indicated by their chronological horizon, geographic spread as well as their technological char- acteristics. They might have evolved from the earlier triangle-fenestrated pot stands. Keywords : Ninevite 5, fenestrated pot stands, Tell Arbid, pottery INTRODUCTION At Tell Arbid, a site in northeastern Syria, in the Upper Khabur basin, extensive re- mains of a Ninevite 5 period settlement have been uncovered (Fig. 1). Among the finds from the recent excavation seasons, there are numerous examples of fenestrated pot stands, that have so far been rather scarce in Ninevite 5 pottery assemblages. Among known sites with attested Ninevite 5 period settlements in northern Mesopotamia, Tell Arbid has yielded the most numerous and varied collection of fenestrated pot stands. The idea of decorating pot stands with cut-out “windows” is universal, as attested by their independent occurrence with- in different pottery tradition throughout the Near East and beyond. However, arrow-shaped fenestrations, that are characteristic of the Tell Arbid pot stands, are a new diagnostic motif in the Ninevite 5 repertoire. The site consists of a main tell, a so-called lower city and a few smaller mounds (Fig. 2). The whole site covers ca. 50 hectares, 12 of which make up the main tell. The mound, which was settled during a few millennia, conceals remnants of occupation from the Ninevite 5, Early Dynastic III, Akkadian, Post-Akkadian (EJII-EJV in the Syrian Jazirah periodization), as well as Khabur ware and Mittani periods. After the Mittani period, there came a settlement gap that ended in the Neobabylonian period. The latest traces of occupation * Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 02-927 Warsaw, asmog@wp.pl. Archaeological excavations at Tell Arbid have been conducted since 1996 by a Syrian-Polish Mission, led by P. BieliĔski on behalf of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw. Annual reports on the work can be found in the PAM (Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean) Journal (PAM VIII- XIX) which are also available online at www.tellarbid.uw.edu.pl.