General Information

Chhim Fabric 1A was first identified by P. Reynolds and called Lime-rich Chhim Fabric (Reynolds 2004: 126-127, pl. 1; Reynolds 2005: 570, pl. 13: 92-93).

Reynolds was the first to write about the possibility of local vessel production, basing his claim on the pottery finds from the necropolis in Chhim studied by the Lebanese Direction Générale des Antiquités in 2003 (Ortali-Tarazi,Stuart2004: 126–127, pl. 1). However, it was not until 2015 that Reynolds’ claim found strong support in the macroscopic comparison of the raw material from which the vessels of unknown origins were made with the clay used in the construction of the kitchen ovens (tannur/tabun in Arabic) (Shafer-Elliott 2014: 121), uncovered in the village in rooms EVII and EXVII (Waliszewski 2003: 273, figs. 5, 8).

Chhim Fabric 1 (ChF 1) is completely different from the sandy clay used on the coast. A characteristic feature of Chhim Fabric 1 is the high content of fine white grains, most probably limestone.

In terms of this fabric, five types of ware have been distinguished (A, B, C, D, E), differentiated due to the amounts and sizes of the limestone grains and the various firing processes used, visible in the different vessel colours and hardness. Ware E stands out the most as it additionally contains an admixture of thick-grained quartz. Products from group ChF 1A are predominant.

Lime-rich Chhim Fabric

Chhim (Lebanon/Lebanon Mountains)