Fragment of pottery vessel with snake decoration

From Tell Arpachiyah, northern Iraq
Halaf period (5,000-4,000 BC)

Very little is known of the early stages of the occupation at Tell Arpachiyah, apart from the pottery. The earliest phase is characterized particularly by deep straight-sided bowls, often decorated with cross-hatching or rows of large lozenges. Other shapes are known, but they are limited and the decoration tends to be bold and relatively simple. This sherd, decorated with a snake with a flickering tongue, comes from a vase made from a yellow clay with a lustrous brown slip.

C. Trümpler (ed.), Agatha Christie and archaeolog (London, The British Museum Press, 2001)