A Sumerian Palace and the "A" cemetery at Kish, Mesopotamia

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158 A SUMERIAN PALACE AND "A" CEMETERY, KISH point at the end of their shanks. This facilitated their being inserted in a wooden shaft without splitting it, and would suggest that reeds were not used for arrow- shafts nor bamboos for spears, as anything with a hollow interior would not require an edge on the head of the weapon.^' It is not yet certain whether the copper sheets from which most of the objects were cut were cast in sheet form. The fact that most of the smaller objects seem to have been beaten out of square or rectangular rods of copper would imply that the metal was hammered into this form before sale or for convenience in working. This squaring, however, seems in most cases too good to have been done with a hammer, and its extreme regularity suggests casting. In connection with these weapons with cutting edges it is noteworthy that not a single example of a mace-head was found in the graves, though specimens were found in the palace beneath. It would seem that this tjrpe of weapon had already passed out of use, except for ceremonial purposes, and the fact that one was placed in the hands of the god Ningirsu in the above mentioned Stele may probably be put down to conservatism. A mace-head would be practically useless against the thick head-pieces worn by some of the soldiers of Eannatum.*" BATTLE AXES Plates XXXIX and LXII Battle axes fall naturally into two classes—those which are socketed, as Figs. 1-4 of Plate LXII and those which are adze-shaped, as Figs. 12-13, 18-20 of Plate LXL A socketed battle axe was found in graves 74, 80, 104, 107, 128, and 135, and others which obviously come from graves were found in the mound. The finest examples are illustrated in Plates XXXIX, No. 7 and LXII, Figs. 2 and 4. Unfortunately, two of the graves in which battle axes occurred had been disturbed anciently, so the position of only four could be determined. In graves 107 and 135 the axe was placed a short distance from the front of the face, and in burial 80 it was close to the top of the head. In grave 104 the weapon lay just behind the pelvis, which suggests that it was carried in the belt, as are the knobkerries of the natives of the present day. The axe shown in Plates XXXIX, No. 7, and LXII, Fig. 1, is of cast copper, and is 106 mm long. It was found at a depth of a metre below the surface of the ground, and evidently once was part of the equipment of a burial (Reg. No. 2034; Baghdad). The similar axe (the lower one in No. 7) comes from burial 104. It is 142 mm long, and the thickness of the blade at the centre is 7.50 millimetres. It is also of cast copper, and is in such excellent condition that the patina could readily be scaled off (Reg. No. 2448; Oxford), ^^ The third battle axe (the middle one in No. 7) is of a different type. It is 133 mm long, and has a curved cutting edge at the end, which is 37 mm wide. Behind this, the blade narrows and widens out again slightly at the haft. This latter is formed by bending the end over to form a socket, which is strengthened by turning over the sides to hold the tongue in place (see also Plate LXII, Fig. 3, Reg. No. 2342; Oxford). The axe found in grave 74 is made of very thin sheet copper. Its haft is formed by rolling over the end farthest from the cutting edge to form a socket for the handle. The blade is of the same shape as Fig. 1 of Plate
THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH (Continued) 159 LXII (Reg. No. 2034). Fig. 4 of Plate LXII has a strong heavy blade evidently intended for active use. Its length is 92 millimetres. Though it is of cast copper, there is only a suggestion at the back of the socket of the rib usually associated with cast specimens. It was found in burial 135 (Reg. No. 2712; Oxford. Plate XLIII, No. 11). The three battle axes found in burials 80, 107, and 128 are of a type similar to Fig. 2 of Plate LXII. They are made of very thin copper, and probably were used merely for funerary purposes. That from bui'ial 107 was unfortunately broken by a man's pick, and all the pieces could not be found. Traces of wood were found in the socket of the axe taken from burial 128 (Reg. Nos. 2191; Oxford. 2397; Field. 2647; Field). From the presence of the rib at the back of the sockets of the cast battle axes it would seem that their form was derived from earlier objects made of sheet metal. Indeed, this rib is generally present on the model weapons found both last year and this. It seems to have originated in the endeavor to accommodate an overlarge socket to the wooden handle by squeezing the back of the socket together. Besides providing a tighter fit, the rib also had the effect of considerably stiffening the back of the socket. Its use was therefore earned on when these objects were made of cast, instead of sheet, metal. It seems probable that besides being fixed in the sockets, the handles were also lashed to the blades. The narrowing of the blade toward the socket certainly suggests this, as otherwise its narrowing would merely be a source of weakness. The socketed battle axe was unknown in Egypt in early times. It appears to have been introduced into that country from Syria,"*^ which probably borrowed it from Babylonia. ADZE-SHAPED BATTLE AXES Plates XXXIX, No. 9 and LXI, Figs. 5, 7, 12, 18-19, 20 This type of axe was found in burials 66, 78, 79, 92, 93, 98, 105, 113, and 131, In three graves the axe was close to the head; in one, close to and in front of the shoulders; in four close to the pelvis, and in the remaining grave, its position could not be determined owing to the burial having been disturbed. It will probably be argued by some that these objects were not used as battle axes at all, but that they are adze blades. This is, of course, possible in the case of the smaller and rougher specimens, but I am inclined to regard these as battle axes which were made especially for burial equipment. The fine weapons illustrated in Figs. 2-3 of Plate XXXIX, No. 9, and in Plate LXI, Figs. 18-19, could hardly have been used for any other pui-pose than that of warfare. These weapons were probably firmly lashed in a cleft stick, and they would no doubt have made very effective weapons of offence and defence. Fig. 5 of Plate LXI comes from burial 78, and is 123 mm long with the cutting edge at the wider end. Fig. 7 was found in grave 92. It is a very heavy- blade, flattened and widened at its cutting edge. As its upper ends show traces of burring, it is possible that this might be a metal chisel (Reg. Nos. 2182; Bagh- dad. 2292; Baghdad). Fig. 18 is long and narrow, and has been hammered out at the end to form an edge. On one side of the weapon the imprint remains in the
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LIBRARY >A. \^ Class\\ 4^
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AME
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68 CONTENTS Lipped Flat-based Potte
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LIST OF PLATES XXL Plan of Palace "
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PREFACE This volume contains the fi
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A SUMERIAN PALACE AND THE ''A" CEME
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INTRODUCTION 77 Only three burials
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TOPOGRAPHY OF KISH AND HARSAGKALAMM
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THE SUMERIAN PALACE AT MOUND "A," K
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— THE SUMERIAN PALACE AT MOUND "A
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Page 83 and 84: POTTERY This chapter deals with the
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Page 143 and 144: STONE VESSELS Plates XXXVIII, No. 1
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THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH (Continued)
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NOTES 215 " A very similar dish to
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A Sumerian Palace and the "A" cemetery at Kish, Mesopotamia

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