National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

that found at Sīrāf. This together with the style of the ornamented tombstones
distinctly suggests that Fāl flourished about the same period as Sīrāf; but occupa-
tion of this site probably continued longer. No porcelain was picked up by us
among the mounds.

Having convinced myself by this reconnaissance that the Tal-i-pīr mound of
Haraj offered the best chance of profitable results from trial excavation, I started
work there on the morning of January 25th with three dozen men, half brought
from Nauba and half collected locally. The mound is situated close to the left
bank of a flood-bed receiving the drainage from the north-western head of the
valley. It measures in length about 200 yards from north-west to south-east,
with a maximum width of some 130 yards towards the middle, and rises to a
height of approximately 19 feet above the adjoining field level. A considerable
portion of the top and slopes is covered with Muhammadan graves. Regard for
these obliged me to confine our two trial trenches to the south-eastern side of the
mound. The one opened on the first day was carried in eight sections, i–viii,
each measuring some 6 feet square on the surface, from a level about 5 feet below
the top down to an average depth of 4 feet 8 inches from the surface. The bottom
reached in the lowest section, viii, corresponded approximately to the surface
level of the cultivated plain beyond the flood-bed. The digging here passed first
through a layer of refuse marked by animal bones and ashes, then a layer of earth
before reaching, lower down, painted potsherds and worked stones. On January
26th a second trial trench was started in sections ix–xii at a distance of about 12
feet to the west of the first and carried from the same level down the slope. Fig.
86 shows both trenches.

From the start worked stone implements, mostly blades and borers show-
ing signs of use, turned up in great numbers in all sections, the blades measur-
ing up to 5 inches in length (for specimens, marked Har., see Pl. XXX). There
were found also a grinding stone with flat handle and a large stone pestle, also a
massive short club-shaped hammer (Har. 102; Pl. XVIII). Of special interest were
two 'button seals' of stone, Har. i. 6, 8 (Pl. XXX), from sections vi and viii,
showing on their flat surface simple but neatly cut geometrical patterns and
provided with pierced shanks at the back. They correspond closely in shape and
design to similar objects obviously used for clay sealings, which were found by
me at several chalcolithic sites of Fārs on my third South-Persian journey. Such
'button seals' had been recovered before by Professor Herzfeld at the prehistoric
village near Persepolis, and are represented also by closely similar specimens
among Mr. Mallowan's rich finds at Arpachīyah.² The same affinity is revealed