handle

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Find coordinates (within a 5-meter radius): 38.414837, -6.444710

Description: The southwest mountainside (nearer the top) is absolutely littered with sherd handles such as this. I chose to pseudo-document this one due to its coherence. It’s lost whatever glaze it may have had and has broken off at the joints. Notable features include the two raised lines that run parallel in a steep parabola on both sides.

jota sherd

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Find coordinates (within a 5-meter radius): 38.414888, -6.444758

Description: This sherd I found down along the small, mid-mountain ridge which is all but invisible from the top of the mountain. This piece offers a view of some fairly intricate design work done on what would have been its exterior; note the blue paint surrounding the design; the more I look at it the more I wonder whether what I think is dirt in the center is actually a corroded metal and whether what I call blue is actually a shade of green patina along its edges. Curious.

Because an old man on the mountain told me that the house foundation very near to the findspot is that of a Roman house, I’m curious to know whether this piece is an example of Roman ceramic work.

grey sherd

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Find coordinates (within 5 meters): 38.418034, -6.445973

Description: This pot sherd is unique among those we’ve discovered on the mountain. It’s grey and wheel-thrown, as evidenced on the long lines on the back side. As we haven’t the resources to properly date this piece, I can only conjecture that it is Moorish (from the middle ages) or Roman, as settlements from these vintages are known to have existed on the mountain and I’m assuming older sherds remain buried in the sediment. Of course, I could be wrong. Any help would be appreciated!

This sherd was found just below (SW of) the NW corner of Hisn al-Sajra, the ruined fortress on top of the mountain.