110 IN THE BAMPUR BASIN [Chap. IV
192; Pl. VIII) has its parallel among the Shahi-tump ware, with which there are points of contact also as regards the fabric and colouring of the designs. Mention may be made among the finds here of several small unpainted jars and a flat plate, 181 ( Pl. XXXI ), of red plain burnished ware turned upside down over what seemed to be remains of food-stuff.4a The broad trumpet base, 165, may have carried a wide bowl or patera like Khur. L. i. 279 ( Pl. XV) and those found at Mehi.5 Fragments of decorated glass bangles and small pieces of copper or bronze were found also in the lowest layer reached.
On the last of the five days spent at Bampûr ( February 27th—March 2nd) heavy rain, eagerly welcomed by the cultivators, stopped further excavation. But it also washed down on the slopes of the mounds numerous small objects otherwise hidden from view. Thus there were recovered more glass bangles inlaid with brilliant colours or otherwise decorated (Bam. surf. .500-4, 511) ; a bronze arrow-head; two flint chisels, as well as plenty of pieces of painted pottery corresponding in type to those excavated ( see, e.g., the naturalistic mountain sheep, Barn. surf. 440, Pl. IX.). There was no reason to doubt that the whole of the mounds to the west of the fort marked ground occupied from chalcolithic times onwards. On the slopes of the great mound which the walls of the upper fort occupy at a height of 95 feet, and those of the outer circumvallation at an average elevation of 50 feet, no ancient potsherds were picked up. This may be due partly to the masses of refuse and debris which have been thrown down there during later times and encumber the slopes. They hide the surface of what apparently is an outlying natural terrace of the gravel glacis farther north. Within the fort itself, which by the courtesy of the elderly Persian commandant we were allowed to visit, the huge refuse accumulations disclosed only pottery of medieval or later times.
Our stay at Bampûr was also utilized to gather information about other old sites from local dignitaries, such as Faqir Muhammad, son of Döst Muhammad Khan's wazir, the old `Balûch-bashi' from Qasimabad, and intelligent Mullah Ghulam Muhammad of Iran-shahr. Small parties of men were sent out to the localities mentioned by these informants to bring back specimens of pottery and the like. These were to enable me to prepare a programme as to the places which might be visited by us with advantage within the available limits of time; for signs of the advancing season made it clear that time would have to be husbanded if the search for old remains within the arid basin, drained by the Bampûr river from the east and the Halil river from the west, was to be brought to a close before the heat became too great for field work.
4a For shapes of unpainted vessels from various ô See Tour in Gedrosia, Mehi. III. 6. 13;
layers see Pl. XXXI. PI. XXX.
1 . . . . | . . . . 11 . . . . | . . . . 21 . . . . | . . . . 31 . . . . | . . . . 41 . . . . | . . . . 53 . . . . | . . . . 64 . . . . | . . . . 76 . . . . | . . . . 88 . . . . | . . . . 101 . . . . | . . . . 111 . . . . | . . . . 122 . . . . | . . . . 132 . . . . | . . . . 143 . . . . | . . . . 154 . . . . 160 161 162 163 164 165 . . . . | . . . . 176 . . . . | . . . . 186 . . . . | . . . . 197 . . . . | . . . . 208 . . . . | . . . . 219 . . . . | . . . . 230 . . . . | . . . . 241 . . . . | . . . . 251 . . . . | . . . . 262 . . . . | . . . . 273 . . . . | . . . . 287 . . . . | . . . . 299 . . . . | . . . . 310 . . . . | . . . . 320 . . . . | . . . . 331 . . . . | . . . . 341 . . . . | . . . . 351 . . . . | . . . . 369 . . . . | . . . . 389 . . . . | . . . . 409 . . . . | . . . . 421 . . . . | 430