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

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172 A SUMERIAN PALACE AND "A" CEMETERY, KISH head 1.40 cm in diameter set rather crookedly on its stem (Reg. No. 1565; Baghdad). Fig. 15 comes from burial 50. It is 12.80 cm long, and is surmounted by a small knob (Reg. No. 1878; Field). Fig. 16 was found just below the surface of the mound. Its present length is about 5 cm, part of its point being missing (Reg. No. 2175; Field). Fig. 17 was found by itself in the mound. Its length is 10.70 centimetres. It has the feature (unusual in a pin of this type) of a hole for a ring or cord (Reg. No. 2295; Baghdad). Pins of the second class with added heads were plentiful, specimens being found in no less than forty graves. There are three examples in burial 80, and two in burial 110. They are made from a round, square, or hexagonal rod of copper tapering to a round point; and a globular bead made of glaze, stone or other material was fitted on the thinned-out top of the pin to make a substantial head. The upper or lower parts or both of the beads are frequently capped with thin, dome-shaped pieces of silver or copper to give an additional finish. The thinned-out top of the pin after passing through the bead is slightly burred over to keep it in place. Sometimes this point is split and turned over on either side to hold the bead yet more firmly. In many of these pins a hole was made through the upper portion. This was to accommodate a wire ring, similar to the rings present in Figs. 28-29 of Plate LVIII. The object of the ring, which seems to have been found inconvenient in some cases and removed, was probably, as suggested in No. 1 of this volume, for a lock or strand of hair to be passed through it to prevent the pin slipping from the head. Such a contrivance must have been very necessary, for the weight of the pins is in most cases very considerable. In lieu of this copper ring which occurred in pins found in graves 63, 71, and 102, a cord would appear to have been used in some cases. Traces of a fibrous material were found in the holes of pins from graves 52, 66, 68, and 80, and the pin from burial 66 is encircled by four bands of fibre which appear to be the remains of a cord. Those pins which are round in section from the point to the head were by far the most plentiful, numbering twenty-two examples in all. Those, that starting from a rounded point become square in section toward the head, came next in order of popularity, being fourteen in number (burials 55, 63, 66, 68, 77, 83, 102, 107, 113, 128, 130, 138, 141, 144). This latter style of pin is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, 7, 11, etc., of Plate LVIII. Three pins, two of which are illustrated in Figs. 8 and 10, are hexagonal in section for rather under half their length (burials 56, 90, and 104). The upper part of Fig. 23 from burial 110 is octagonal in section. It would appear that all these pins were made from cast copper wire, either round, square, hexagonal, or octagonal in section, which was rounded toward the points by being rubbed down with some abrasive. The patina can readily be scaled from these pins which are well preserved, and they then show a smooth surface which would not disgrace a modern craftsman. The points of interest of the straight pins with added heads which are illustrated in Plate LVIII may be briefly enumerated as follows: Fig. 5; burial 127. Upper portion square. Lapis-lazuli head somewhat roughly cut, supported in a cup of thin copper. A copper cap doubtless once
THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH (Continued) 173 crowned the bead, but is now lost (Reg. No. 2614; Field). Fig. 6; burial 83. Upper portion square. Plain lapis-lazuli head and point missing (Reg. No. 2220; Field). Fig. 7. Upper portion square, point missing. Head of glazed paste with a copper cup above and below it. The top of the pin is split and turned over on opposite sides after passing through the copper pieces and glazed bead so as to secure all the pieces of the head firmly in position (Reg. No. 2419; Field. See also Fig. 1 of Plate XL, No. 5). Fig. 8; burial 90. Upper portion hexagonal. Head of glazed paste, roughly fluted. Hole through pin below head (Reg. No. 2271; Oxford). Fig. 9; burial 93. Upper portion round. Point missing, lapis- lazuli head ornamented with lines to suggest fluting. Cup-shaped pieces of silver above and below the stone bead. The top of the pin is split and turned over on opposite sides (see also Fig. 2 of Plate XL, No. 5. Reg. No. 2316; Field). Fig. 10 is the finest specimen of this tj^pe of pin foimd this season, both for size and finish; from burial 104. Upper portion hexagonal. Head is a large globular piece of lapis lazuli, set in a silver cup with a corresponding silver cap above it, held in position by split top of pin. This is an unusually large and heavy pin, and was found in the grave of a male (see also Fig. 3 of Plate XL, No. 5. Reg. No. 2429; Oxford). Fig. 11; burial 128. Upper portion square. This pin probably once had a head, and after the head was lost or broken, the projection made to receive it was removed, and the top of the pin rounded off. Hole through square portion near top of pin (see also Fig. 4 of Plate XL, No. 1. Reg. No. 2639; Field). Fig. 23; burial 110. Upper portion octagonal, point missing. Head lost anciently. Hole through octagonal portion. This pin is illustrated to show the method of fining down the top of a pin to receive a head (Reg. No. 2453; Baghdad). Fig. 24. Upper portion round. Lapis-lazuli head. Top of pin has been burred to hold the head (see also Fig. 1 of Plate XL, No. 5. Reg. No. 2546; Baghdad). Fig. 28; burial 102. Upper portion square. Glazed head, capped above and below by dome-shaped pieces of copper, held in place by burring, thinned-out top of pin. Below the head there is a hole in the pin through which is passed a small ring of copper wire whose ends are coiled on each other (see Fig. 5 of Plate XL, No. 5. Reg. No. 2425; Field). Fig. 29; burial 63. Upper portion square. Glazed head held in position by bending over top of pin. A piece of copper wire has been passed through the pin to form a ring (Reg. No. 1990; Field). The pins illustrated in Plate XL, No. 1, all have plain, rounded tops. These were possibly made this shape, or their heads have been removed or lost, and their tops smoothed off in a similar way to Fig. 11 of Plate LVIIL The first, from burial 52, is especially interesting, as the top, when seen through a magnifying glass, shows the impression of a fine network of fibre, which may be the remains of a network that once enclosed the hair of the person in whose grave the pin was found. Fine strands of some material also pass through the hole in the pin. This pin is 26 cm long and 1 cm in diameter at the top (Reg. No. 1902; Field). The second is 23.60 cm long, 5.50 mm in diameter, and was found in grave 113. There is a hole through the pin 2.50 cm below the top (Reg. No. 2480; Baghdad). The third belongs to burial 77, and is 19.50 cm long (Reg. No. 2158; Field). The fourth has been discussed (see Plate LVIII, Fig. 11).
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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 65 and 66: THE SUMERIAN PALACE AT MOUND "A," K
Page 73 and 74: THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH (Continued)
Page 83 and 84: POTTERY This chapter deals with the
Page 101 and 102: TOOLS AND WEAPONS A considerable nu
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Page 121 and 122: PERSONAL ORNAMENTS MEDALLIONS Plate
Page 143 and 144: STONE VESSELS Plates XXXVIII, No. 1
Page 159: 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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