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

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120 A SUMERIAN PALACE AND "A" CEMETERY, KISH In the segments found in the last two chambers, both upper and lower rims are strengthened with heavy beading. In many cases, considerable damage had been done to the walls of the palace in the process of sinking these drains. As the majority go a considerable distance down, a very large hole had to be made before the lowest segment could be laid. The hole had also to be of considerably larger diameter than that of the segments, in order that a packing of pottery fragments might be placed around the segments for additional drainage, which was done to within a few feet of the top. There are, unfortunately, as said before, no means of accurately dating these drains, for the houses to which they once belonged disappeared many centuries ago. It is probable that the majority of them belong to some period prior to that of Nebuchadnezzar II, as no trace of any work from the time of that monarch has been found on the "A" mound. OBJECTS OF THE PALACE PERIOD With the exception of the graves of later date, the palace proved to be a very disappointing site as regards the finding of movable objects. Room after room, as it was cleared, proved to be bare; and, what was still more strange, with the exception of one or two pieces, no pottery was found that could with certainty be refen'ed to the palace period. One could readily understand the lack of valuables, as these might naturally have been looted and taken away; but it is hardly likely that much attention would be paid to pottery. Even if this had been considered of value, some of it would sui'ely have been broken and left behind. The lack of pottery is most unfortunate, for it was badly needed to help in dating the building and also for comparison with the pottery in the later graves, of which there is no lack.^^ Perhaps the most interesting object found in the palace, and obviously part of its decoration, was the fragment of slate and limestone inlay work represented in Plate XX, Figs. 2-3. It was found lying face downward close to the N. W. comer of the chamber marked 35 in the plan and but a few centimetres below the surface of the ground. Its dimensions are 64 by 33 cm, it is 3 cm thick. The dark- gray slate in which the inlay is set is laminated in several places, which points to its having been subjected to heat. The inlay is of fine, white limestone. A part of the lower edge of the plaque is perfect, but all the other edges are badly broken. The centre of the plaque was cut out— its edges are quite smooth— and the space so formed must have contained a small scene or, more probably, the name of the king with an inscription explaining the meaning of the scenes. The line across the upper part of the plaque above the king's head gives the impression that this was not the only register. The groundwork of the plaque is made up of irregular pieces of slate cut so as to fit together. The top left-hand side of the plaque is a smooth cut edge. Channels were roughly hollowed in the slate to the depth of 7 mm to take the limestone inlay, and were in most cases considerably larger than the inlay they accommodated. The inlay is variable in thickness. The dif- ferent pieces that go to make up the same figure even range from 4 to 6 mm in
THE SUMERIAN PALACE AT MOUND "A," KISH 121 thickness. From traces of bitumen found still adhering to the back of the pieces of inlay there can be no doubt that this substance was used to cement the inlay in its slate bed. It was probably poured in while the pieces were held in place by the fingers. It is possible also that the whole surface of the slate was painted over with bitumen to hide the joints of the background as well as the joints between the inlay and its groundwork. The inlay, itself, it will be noticed, is also made up of irregular pieces of limestone, and considerable ingenuity is shown in contriving the joints where they would be the least apparent. The smaller details of the scenes were drawn in fine incised lines about 1 mm deep, but to portray the larger ones, such as the beards, the stone was scooped out to a depth of about 2.50 millimetres. These latter details were filled in with thick, black paint, traces of which were found still adhering in many places. This engraving seems to have been done after the inlay was cemented into position. The inlay shows no signs of having been rubbed down after being fixed, for each piece is of the same thickness throughout and perfectly flat on either surface, nor were there any holes or grooves cut to give firmer hold to the bitumen cement. The scene is of a monarch holding a prisoner with the right hand and grasping a battle-axe with a long wooden handle in the left one. The head-dress is most curious, but unfortunately a small fragment is missing from the centre. There is, however, little doubt that the top was a simple curve, as in the figure found elsewhere in the palace and shown in Plate XX, Fig. 3. The king is naked above the waist, which is encircled by what appears to be a thick, heavy girdle. Below this hangs a long pleated kilt, whose front panel is held up by the hand that holds the battle-axe to give greater freedom of action. Unfortunately, little remains of the prisoner held by the king. He is represented as nude, except for a cincture about the waist, and his hands are tied behind his back with a double coil of rope. It is noticeable also that he is xmcircumcised. On the right of the plaque is a similar prisoner, but much more nearly complete. This second figure also is nude but for a belt around the waist. The head is represented as bare, except for a long lock of hair hanging down on the left of the face to the same level as the beard.^' This feature is also represented in the por- trait of the king. The beard is long and narrow, and arranged exactly as in the the case of the king. This prisoner too has his hands tied behind his back. All the figures are of an extremely archaic character, and are represented with a great deal of vigor. The drawing is good, and though the muscles are not shown, details such as the knee-cap, ankle-bone, etc., are portrayed. As in all primitive figures, the eye is unduly large; great prominence is also given to the nose, and but little to the mouth. The pupil of the eye is represented by a hole into which a piece of lapis lazuli was formerly fitted. This stone was commonly used for this purpose, even in animal figures. Its color does not necessarily imply that the originals had blue eyes, for it is the pupil, not the iris, which is made of lapis lazuli. The king has his right foot slightly raised as if it were resting upon something. Unfortunately, the plaque is broken away here, but it is possible that the foot was placed upon a fallen captive. The king's attitude calls to mind 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
Page 14 and 15: LIST OF PLATES XXL Plan of Palace "
Page 17 and 18: PREFACE This volume contains the fi
Page 19 and 20: A SUMERIAN PALACE AND THE ''A" CEME
Page 21 and 22: INTRODUCTION 77 Only three burials
Page 23 and 24: TOPOGRAPHY OF KISH AND HARSAGKALAMM
Page 29 and 30: THE SUMERIAN PALACE AT MOUND "A," K
Page 49 and 50: — THE SUMERIAN PALACE AT MOUND "A
Page 63: 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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THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH (Continued)
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PERSONAL ORNAMENTS MEDALLIONS Plate
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STONE VESSELS Plates XXXVIII, No. 1
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NOTES 215 " A very similar dish to
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FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. AN
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FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. 24
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I FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.
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A Sumerian Palace and the "A" cemetery at Kish, Mesopotamia

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