Byzantine Period (324-638 CE)

About 19% of the pottery dates to the Byzantine Period (ca. 324-638 CE). The dominant forms in the assemblage include bowls, storage jars and jugs, as well as oil lamps and cooking vessels. Other forms account for only a small percentage of the assemblage. One group of vessels common to the period is known as ‘’Fine Byzantine Ware’’. It is characterized by thin, well-levigated and well-fired vessels which are often burnished and adorned with incised wavy lines. These vessels which continue to appear during the Early Islamic Period are dated from the mid-6^th through early 8^th centuries CE.  The so called ‘’Candle Stick’’ oil lamps are likewise abundant in the assemblage. The assemblage is also rich in imported bowls, mainly belonging to African Red Slip and Late Roman C wares.