Preliminary notes on some EB IVB Painted Simple Ware shards from Ebla

A restricted group of EB IVB (ca. 2300-2000 BC) Painted Simple Ware shards from Tell Maridkh, ancient Ebla, is presented. These materials stand out from the common Painted Simple Ware repertoire due to the presence of geometric patterns and stylised figurative motifs. However, the fabric types seem consistent with the standard EB IV Painted Simple Ware fabric types attested at the site. This finds are briefly analysed referring to chronology and ancestry of painted wares in Syria in the late 3rd/early 2nd millennia BC.