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Field Museum of Natural History

Founded by Marshall Field, 1893

ANTHROPOLOGY MEMOIRS

Volume I

Field Museum-Oxford University Joint Expedition

Plates, 1 Map

:!4:>5:^

Chicago

1925-31

CONTENTS

I. Report on the Excavations of the "A" Cemetery at Kish, Mesopo-
tamia. Part I. By Ernest Mackay 1

II. A Sumerian Palace and the "A" Cemetery at Kish, Mesopotamia.

Part II. By Ernest Mackay 65

III. Report on Excavations at Jemdet Nasr, Iraq. By Ernest Mackay . . 217
Index 295

Field Museum of Natural History

Anthropology, Memoirs

Volume I, No. i

REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A"
CEMETERY AT KISH, MESOPOTAMIA

PART I

BY

ERNEST MACKAY

WITH PREFACE BY STEPHEN LANGDON

20 Plates

Field Museum-Oxford University Joint Expedition

BERTHOLD LAUFER
CURATOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY

EDITOR

Chicago
1925

Gn

CONTENTS

Page

List of Plates 5

Preface by Stephen Langdon 7

I. The "A" Cemetery at Ingharra, Kish 9

Dimensions and Shape of Graves "

Position of the Body 12

Proportion of Sexes ^3

Preser\'ation of Bones ^4

Pigment Shells I4

Rubbing Stones '5

Amulets "5

Glaze 16

Metals 16

Minerals 18

Stone Vessels '9

Unusual Objects i9

Tabvilation of Objects Found in Graves opp. 20

n. Pottery "

Handled Pottery Type A 21

Pottery Braziers Type B 24

Straight-shouldered Ware Type C 28

Spouted Vessels Type D 29

Cup-based Pottery Type E 3°

Bowls Type F 32

Pans Type G 32

Beakers Type H 32

Jars with Holes for Suspension Type J 32

Flat-based Pottery Type K 33

Round and Pointed Base Pottery Type L 34

Cups with Holed Bases Type M 35

Narrow-mouthed Ware Type N 35

Simple Dishes Type O 36

Tabulation of Pottery Types opp. 37

III. Tools and Weapons 38

Battle-axes 3^

Daggers and Knives 4°

Razors (?) and Adzes 4i

Chisels 42

Saw or Sickle Blade 42

IV. Household and Toilet Articles 43

Spindles 43

Toilet-cases 44

Hair Ornaments 44

Pins with Coiled Heads 45

Animal-headed Pins 46

Simple Hair-pins 46

Needles and Bodkins 48

Metal Bowls and Dishes 48

V. Personal Ornaments 5i

Jewellery 5^

Fillets 52

Ear-rings 52

Bracelets 53

Finger-rings 53

Beads 53

VI. Cylinder Seals 58

LIST OF PLATES

I. View of "A" Cemetery from Ziggurat at Ingharra and Pottery.

II. Jar Handles and Copper Implements,

III. Copper Implements, Inlay, and Pigment Shells.

IV. Toilet Articles and Jewellery.
V. Burials.

VI. Cylinder Seals.

VII. Beads and Sketch Plan of Kish.

VIII. Burial Groups.

IX. Handled Pottery.

X. Pottery Type A.

XI-XII. Pottery Type B.

XIII. Pottery Type C.

XIV. Pottery Types D, E, and F.
XV. Pottery Types G, H, J, and K.

XVI. Pottery Types L, M, N, and O.

XVII-XVIII. Copper Implements.

XIX. Copper Hair-pins.

XX. Copper Bowls.

PREFACE

The technical description of the pottety, metal and stone implements and
other details of the more material side of the archaeological discoveries, found
at Kish by the Field ]\iusetam-Oxford University joint expedition, has been
assigned to the competent hands of Mr. Ernest Mackay, our excavator. Archi-
tectural plans of all buildings and technical discussion thereof are also en-
trusted to the excavator, who will furnish a volume on this subject as soon as
the more important buildings are completed. It is proposed that Field Museum
will undertake to publish all volumes on this aspect of the expedition. The
decipherment of inscriptions and inscribed tablets and their publication will
be undertaken by the Department of Assyriologj' in the University of Oxford.
A volume on the history of the famous city of Kish written by myseh" has
already appeared, under the title "Excavations at Kish in 1922-24" ( Paris,
Paul Geuthner, 1925). To this volume the reader is referred for the histori-
cal, religious, and cultural importance of the discoveries up to April, 1924.
The cimeiform texts will be published in future volvunes of the "Oxford Editions
of Ctmeiform Texts."

In the present volvime, Mr. Mackay deals almost exclusively with the
pottery and implements fotmd at the Sumerian palace. The very extensive
collection of pottery found in the tablet hill, chiefly by me, and still more nu-
merous groups of the same kind foimd this season, will be published and de-
scribed in a succeeding volume. This pottery is all from the late period,
seventh to fourth centuries B.C. A general description of most of the objects
found in connection with the rooms stored with inscribed tablets will be found
in the volume referred to above.

WTien the complete description of the archaeological discoveries and archi-
tectural plans of the great Sumerian palace at Mound "A" shall have been
made public, the importance of this part of our excavations will be found to be
unique and unexpectedly great. This building furnishes a perfect example of
early Sumerian architectural design upon a grand scale. We have unques-
tionably foimd the palace from which the oldest and the mightiest dynasties
of Sumer ruled within the changing limits of their ancient kingdoms, from the
most remote period of himian history to the founding of the empire of Agade
in the twenty-eighth century B.C. The great outer court of this palace, with
its wide sweep of alcoved walls, fine flight of stairs and imposing row of pillars,
was exposed at the end of last season. This year a great hall of pillars has
been excavated north of the court, and a very rich collection of copper, silver
and gold objects has been recovered. The remarkable inlaid frescoes of the
palace found last season are described in my volimie. We have, however,
at present to deplore the failvire to find royal inscriptions of the long Une of
kings who lived here. At the present writing, we have no historical inscrip-
tions of a Mesilim or a Kug-Bau to chronicle, but they are certainly to be

expected somewhere in the recesses of this vast building. The material in this
volume is confined entirely to the pre-Sargonic period, and in itself illustrates
some of the most important aspects of early Sumerian and Semitic civilizations.
The task of dealing technically with each group of objects and each period is
one which imposes upon the direction of the expedition more lingering over
details and tardiness in publication than the public will be disposed to condone.
The field catalogue, carefully prepared for every object at the end of each day's
work, now contains more than 4000 cards, which cannot be placed at the dis-
posal of scholars until each mound is completed. From many considerations,
a more satisfactory series of volumes could be published by withholding our
results for many years, but such procedxire, although adopted by some expedi-
tions, cannot encourage excavations nor stimulate the interests of scholarship.
I know the gratitude with which the scholars and the public of Europe and
America at large have read of the remarkable discoveries at Kish. For these
discoveries we are chiefly indebted to the loyal generosity of Field Museimi
of Chicago and to Mr. Herbert Weld, of Queen's College, Oxford. Many vol-
umes will be required to publish our results, the two volumes published this
year by Mr. Mackay and myself will, we trust, fully testify to the importance
of the excavations. In 1923-24, the staff consisted of Mr. Mackay, Col. W.
H. Lane, and myself. For the present season. Father Eric Burrows of Ox-
ford has gone out as Assyriologist in place of the director of the expedition,
and Mr. Talbot Rice of Christ Church, Oxford, has joined the staff. Mrs.
Mackay, a trained anthropologist, has been with her husband since October,
1923, and has contributed all of the line-drawings in this volvune.

STEPHEN LANGDON,

Professor of Assyriology.
Jesus College, Oxford, February 22, 1925.

REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A"
CEMETERY AT KISH, MESOPOTAMIA

PART I

I. THE "A" CEMETERY AT INGHARRA, KISH

The cemeter)^ lettered "A" is situated south of and close to the vety
prominent series of mounds known to the local Arabs as Ingharra (Plate VII).
In shape it is a low and irregular moimd, the highest portion of which is not un-
like the letter S. The top of the mound, a large area of which is nearly fiat, is
four metres above the plain beneath it and 4.60 metres above the level of the
cultivation which comes fairly close to its eastern and southern sides.

From a distance the moimd looks somewhat insignificant. It is only
when it is approached from the north or east, where its sides rise somewhat
abruptly, that its importance is realized (Plate I, Fig. i). Col. Lane, when
prospecting around this part of Kish, was struck with the great quantity of
broken potsherds lying on the mound as compared with the small number on
the surrounding plain. He accordingly began a preliminary investigation there
with two gangs early in January, 1924, and on the second day uncovered a
burial which contained pottery of a type not found before in i^Iesopotamia.

With results so promising, work was continued on this site with a larger
number of men until the middle of March, 1924. Thirty-eight graves were ex-
cavated, together with the remains of two important buildings dating from a
very early period and lying beneath the bvuials.

The history of the site, which awaits further excavation, appears to be
as follows: —

First, we have the remains of a large building of crude mud bricks of the
small "cushion" type, averaging 23 x 15 x 3.5 to 5 cm in size, provided with a
fine stairway entrance and strongly fortified. This building was enlarged at
a later period by erecting an armex alongside and to the south of it. On
the eastern side of this annex was a portico with four large round columns
also made of mud brick. The bricks used in the construction of this second
building average 20.5 x 13 x 3.5 to 5.5 cm. It is hoped that it will ultimately
be possible to determine what interv^al of time passed between the con-
struction of the first btiilding and the erection of the second annex. ^

As is always the case with mud buildings, the second also soon fell into
decay. It was repaired by the same or another people with both baked and
unbaked bricks, averaging 24.5 x 17x4 to 5 cm in size and of a fiat biscuit-
like shape, sometimes impressed with one or two thumb-marks, and sometimes
with none. That a considerable interval of time elapsed between the erection

' These two buildings will be described more fully in a later publication.

lO REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

of the second building and its restoration is proved by a flight of steps, which
originally lead up to it, being covered over, and a long ramp substituted owing to
the changed level of the ground.

Once more the site became derelict and was used as a rubbish heap, a
cemetery, and a play-ground for children. Evidence of the latter is afforded
by a number of broken clay toys being found scattered about. Later, this
ground was used for some unimportant buildings just prior to the period of
Hammurabi (2067-24 B.C.). Then it was again abandoned until the Graeco-
Parthian period, to which a tomb containing multiple burials belonged.

In our present state of knowledge, the small "cushion" type of plano-con-
vex brick is said to date from an indefinite period before 3100 B.C., meaning
that though this style of brick ceased to be used at about the latter date, we
know nothing of the period at which it was first used in Mesopotamia. The
"biscuit" type of brick, so called from its much flatter shape, is thought to
date from 3100 B.C. to about 2900 B.C. It is to this period that we have to
assign the burials found in the "A" mound.

Two graves (Nos. 13 and 15) were found upon platforms of the biscuit
type of brick, which averaged 23 x 14. 5 x 3 to 4.5 cm and 24 x 16 x 4 to 5
cm in size, respectively. These burials, therefore, belong either to the same
period as the brick platforms, or to a somewhat later time. The graves can-
not date from so early as 3500 B.C., because they were made when the build-
ing on which they rested was in an advanced state of decay. Nor can their
date very well be later than 2900 B.C., because one of the bodies was lying on
a specially constructed, burnt-brick platform whose sides were coated with
bitumen. The archaic character of some of the objects found in this cemetery,
especially of the weapons, would also militate against their belonging to a late
period. Col. Lane and I would, therefore, date the burials about to be de-
scribed at about 3000 B.C., a date which allows time for the decay of the
"cushion" and "biscuit" type of plano-convex brick buildings which lie beneath
them.*

As stated above, thirty-eight graves were excavated in the "A" ceme-
tery, and it is probable that during next season's work many more will come
to light. In view, however, of the importance of the burials cleared this year,
containing, as they do, entirely new types of pottery and other articles, it has
been thought advisable to publish an account of them as soon as possible, so
that the material may be available to those who want it. At the time of
writing, except for the discoveries at Fara in Lower Mesopotamia, which was
partially cleared by the Germans in 1902, and the excavations by the British
Musetun and Philadelphia at Tell'Obeid in the season 1923-24, we know prac-
tically nothing of the burial customs and of the objects placed with the dead in
the early periods of Mesopotamian history.

' Allowance has to be made for the destruction of buildings by enemy action. Large and important build-
ings such as those in the "A" mound would probably be badly wrecked in a raid; and there were many raids
against Kish.

THE "A" CEMETERY AT INGHARRA, KISH 1 1

DIMENSIONS AND SHAPE OF GRAVES

All the graves were simple holes of just sufficient size to take the body
and funeral furniture. Owang to the very compact nattire of the soil, due to
damp and salt, it was found impossible to distinguish between the filling of
a grave and its surrounding walls. For this reason, the exact dimensions
of the graves could not be ascertained, except in four cases to be described
below.

Grave 5 v.-as cut down through a plano-convex pavement of the biscuit type
of brick, and its dimensions were as follows: 160-180 cm long, no cm wide
and 65 cm deep (Plate V).

In grave 10, which contained the skeleton of a small child, a rough pav-
ing, one brick thick, had been made of plano-convex bricks of both cushion
and biscuit type.' To further protect the remains, this grave was also roughly
lined with bricks laid on their edges.

An even more elaborate flooring was constructed for grave 13. It was
made of biscuit bricks, averaging 23 x 14. 5 x 3 to 4.5 cm in size. It measured
1.50 metres in length by one metre in width, and was one brick thick. Whole
bricks were used for the outer portion and broken ones in the middle, the whole
being bound together by mud mortar.

In another grave (No. 15), there was a similar floor, 2 metres long by 1.17
metres wide and one brick thick, but it was much better finished off with a
coating of bitumen i cm thick. The biscuit bricks employed were of two sizes,
measvuing 22 x 14.5 x 4 to 5 cm and 24 x 16 x 4 to 5 cm, respectively. There
is no doubt that the floors of graves 10, 13, and 15 were especially constructed
and that they were not remains of early buildings.

Grave 23 was found on the top of a burnt-brick wall made of the biscuit
type of plano-convex brick. But the people who dug the grave must have
come upon this wall by accident and utilized it as a floor.

These paved graves in conjunction with burial 5 justify us in conclud-
ing that all the graves in the "A" cemetery were simple rectangular holes.
No sort of coffin was provided for the additional protection of the body, ex-
cept the rush or reed covering found in burials 21 and 27.

It would seem that graves were dug to no particular depth. The average
depth was about 1.50 metres. The deepest grave (No. 28) was 2.93 metres
below the surface of the ground, but that this unusual depth was not in-
tended for the protection of the objects buried is proved by the burial being
but poorly equipped. Without further data we have no means of estimating
the exact amount of denudation that has taken place above each grave. It is,
however, hardly likely to have been excessive owing to the consolidation of
the soil.

As none of the workmen could tell when they were coming to a grave,
the rule was made that when pottery was met with, they were to clear to the

' The cushion bricks were borrowed from other parts of the site and were, of course, of earlier date than
the biscuit bricks.

12 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

same level some distance around. Col. Lane or myself then completed the
excavation of the burial with a small knife. After a little training, we were
able to allow one tribesman, by the name of Omran Mazuk, to clear graves as
far down as the bones, leaving us the task of removing the objects and record-
ing them. The fact that the large handled and brazier types of pottery were
in most cases found in an upright position greatly assisted the location of
graves without damage to their contents.

POSITION OF THE BODY

Of the thirty-eight graves recorded, twenty-four contained skeletons suf-
ficiently preserved for their exact position to be noted (graves 5, 7-10, 12, 13, 15,
17-21, 23-28, 30-33, 25)- Six of these skeletons were found with their heads
to the south, or as close to it as possible (graves 9, 13, 20, 21, 23, 26). In
four cases, the head was to the north or N.N.E. (graves 12, 17, 30, 35), and
in six, to the west or W.S.W. (graves 15, 18, 19, 24, 25, ^S)- Three of the
remaining burials were orientated to the N.W. (graves 10, 27, 28), and five
to the S.W. (graves 5, 7, 8, 31, 32). It is, therefore, evident that no particu-
lar care was taken as to the direction in which the head lay.

The same disregard was paid to the side on which the body was placed;
fifteen skeletons lay on the left side and nine on the right.* This absence of
any rule as to the orientation and position of the body implies that the rela-
tives of the deceased had no idea in their minds of any particular direction
in which the soul of the dead man was going. This is quite at variance with
the general practice and beliefs of early civilizations.

The position of the head in burial 23 was most unusual. The skull was
found upright and looking directly to the east, though the body itself was on
its left side facing to the north. This peculiar position is quite possible with-
out severance of the head; it was probably due to the body being placed too
far along in the grave so that the head was propped up against the end.

The suggestion has been made in more than one quarter that the people
who founded the first Egyptian dynasty originally came from Mesopotamia
and that they introduced the change that took place at that period in the
orientation of the dead. The variation in position found in the graves of the
"A" cemetery would tend to disprove this theory. Although the first dynasty
of Egypt is of considerably earlier date than this cemetery, yet the rigid cus-
toms of that dynasty with regard to the orientation of the body persisted
down to the twelfth dynasty, or even later; that is, to a period later than the
date of the "A" cemetery at Kish.^

The lower limbs in most of the graves were in a semi-contracted posi-
tion, the knees rarely being above the level of the pelvis. The legs in most
cases were in a straggling attitude ; no attempt was made to arrange them after

' Right side: graves 7, 8, 15, 18, 25, 27, 28, 32 and 35. In the oldest burials at Shuruppak, the bodies
were laid on their right sides.

* It might, of course, be argued that the people who entered Egypt were not of the same race as the people
who were buried in the " A" cemetery, but this is improbable.

THE "A" CEMETERY AT INGHARRA, KISH I3

the body was placed in the grave. The body in grave 15 was almost com-
pletely extended, the arms alone being contracted. Not a single body was
found in the crouched position so common in the earliest graves of Egypt.

The hands were generally placed in front of the face with a copper bowl
or small pottery jar or dish between them as if for the dead man to drink. ^
In graves 27, 32, and 23j the right or the left hand was used as a pillow, for
which purpose a brazier was used in grave 19 (Plate V).^ In burial 21 the
head was placed upon the mouth of an upright jar with the result that the
under portion of the skull was crushed for want of adequate support.

No remains of clothing were fotmd, although careful search was made.
The dampness of the soil would speedily have destroyed linen and leather.
We know, however, that clothing did once cover the bodies in the graves from
the fact that the round silver ornaments fotmd in five of the burials were
perforated with small holes to facilitate sewing them on to a garment of some
kind (graves lo, i6, 21, 23, 32. Plate IV, 18, 20-23).

In two burials (Nos. 21 and 27), a few small fragments of coarse reed or
rush matting were fotand which looked as if the bodies had been covered by
or wrapped in this material. They were in a very poor state of preservation.

One burial only was found in a pottery urn (grave 36), that of a small
child in a very crouched position, necessitated by the comparatively small size
of the vessel. From the three pieces of pottery placed beside the urn, we
must conclude that this burial is of the same period as the others under dis-
cussion.

PROPORTION OF SEXES

Out of the thirty-eight graves excavated, four were those of children (Nos.
3, 10, 18, 36). In graves 16 and 34, there were double burials, — a man and
a woman in each case, as proved by the objects buried with them. In every
bvuial foimd, the pelvis was in too bad a state of preservation to give any in-
dication of the sex.

Nine graves (Nos. 2, 5, 11, 14, 16, 20, 28, ^3^ 34) contained bodies which
must have been of the male sex, for they were accompanied by such mascu-
line equipment as battle-axes, daggers and adzes. Articles for feminine use,
such as spindles, needles, toilet cases, hair-pins, bracelets, etc., were found in
sixteen graves (Nos. 4, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34).
In fact, the only indication that the occupant of grave 15 was a woman was
that no less than three hair-pins were found with the body.

In eleven graves it was impossible to determine the sex of the occu-
pants owing to the lack of funeral equipment in addition to the decayed state
of the pelvis (Nos. i, 6, 7, 17, 22, 26, 29, 31, 35, 37, 38). It will thus be seen
that out of a total of thirty-four graves, the foior child-burials being excluded,
there were nine definitely of the male sex and sixteen female. This proportion

• Graves 5, 21, 23, 25, 30, etc. (Plates V and VIII). The same thing was observed in the graves at Para.

* The use of a hand as a pillow was also observed in the Shuruppak (Fara) cemetery.

14 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OP THE "A" CEMETERY, KTSH

of male to female is about the same as in the country districts of Iraq at the
present day.

PRESERVATION OF BONES

We were fortunate in finding five skulls in a sufficiently good state of pre-
servation to permit of their being embedded in wax and sent to Oxford for
proper examination. As might be expected, but few skulls had withstood
the heavy pressure of the earth with which they were covered. Even whole
specimens could not be lifted without their crumbling, and Col. Lane and I
found the only procedure possible was to bare the skull a few inches at a time,
treating each successive portion with hot wax. As all the bones were very
damp, the wax had to be heated to a high temperature to make it penetrate
the substance of the bone. The skulls sent to Oxford came from graves 20,
21, 23, 28, and 31,

We were not so successful in preserving the other bones. They were
always in a most deplorable condition and broke up even if they were blown
upon. On this account, it was sometimes difficult even to determine the
position of the body. In some cases it cotild only be done by tracing the
lines of gray in the soil which were all that was left of the bones. Occasion-
ally it was only possible to determine the direction in which the head was
looking by the position of the teeth; and even these were sometimes in a
very crumbled condition. This work had all to be done by ourselves, as we
had no trained diggers on whom we could depend.

PIGMENT SHELLS

In most of the graves there were one or more small shells containing pig-
ment. These shells were invariably a species of Cardium, averaging about
48 mm from the hinge to the edge. The two valves were usually found
together. As a general rule, they were foimd with female bodies, but occa-
sionally they were found with male bodies (Nos. <;, 11, 20, 23> ^tc, cf. Plate
III, No. 8).

The pigments in these shells are white, light-green, blue, red, and black,
of which the last color is the most common. From the appearance of the
pigment in some of the shells, it must be concluded that it was smeared on
the face with the finger, but sometimes a brush seems to have been used.
Some of these pigment shells were evidently prepared solely for funeral equip-
ment, as the small quantity of color in each shows no signs of ever having been
disturbed. This is particularly noticeable in the case of a shell found in grave
15, which contains an untouched dab of green paint placed on the remains of
some black paint already there.

In graves 8, 11, and 24, there were clean shells in addition to those con-
taining pigment. The colors found, arranged in order of frequency, are:
black 17 times, red 5, green 5, white 3, and blue i. In none of the burials was

THE "A" CEMETERY AT INGHARRA, KISH I5

a complete set of pigments fovmd; there were never more than two in the
same grave. ^

The black paint is probably kohl, sulphide of antimony. The red is an
oxide of iron. The green, which is of an apple-green shade, suggests mala-
chite; but, whatever material it is, it appears to have been mixed with a white
substance.^

These three colors are very similar to those found in predynastic graves
in Egypt. They were probably used for the same purpose. The black pig-
ment, which is in the form of a fine powder, was used for the eyes; the green,
possibly for the same ptu-pose.* The red pigment may possibly have been
employed for face ornamentation as at the present day.'* It seems to have
been prepared with some kind of grease.* The blue pigment is turquois in
color, but its composition is uncertain. The shells themselves probably came
from the Persian Gulf or Indian Ocean. Nearly a third of the known species
of Cardiadae. in number nearly 200, come from Indian waters. Most of the
species are edible, and these shell-fish were doubtless a favorite diet with
the people buried in the "A" cemetery. Numbers of shells of fresh-water
mussels also have been found scattered about on the site of Kish. The posi-
tion in which these pigment shells lie in a grave varies considerably. They
have been found by the feet, near the middle of the body and close to the
head, and they were very often put inside the pottery.

RUBBING STONES

Small pieces of sandstone, which owing to the action of salt are now
always in an extremely friable state and even powdery, were often placed
in the graves. They are always irregular in form and range from the size of a
walnut to pieces measiuing 30 x 1 5 cm. They are found in burials of both
sexes and were probably used for rubbing. It is quite common in the East at
the present day to see people of the poorer classes, of both sexes, and even
children, rubbing the soles of their feet with pumice or sandstone to remove
the hard skin, which if left is apt to crack and become sore. These rubbers
were placed just anywhere in the graves (5, 9, 11, 15, 17, 18, 21, ;^2< etc.).

AMULETS

Only one amulet has been found in the "A" cemetery vip to the present;
in grave 8 which contained the skeleton of a young female. It is 69 mm long,
27 mm wide, 21 mm thick, and is rectangular in shape with rounded edges.
A hole for a cord had been bored through it near the top, both sides of the

' Excepting grave 24, in which there were no less than four shells, two containing a black powder, one a
white paste, and the fourth nothing.

2 In graves 20, 24, and 32 shells were found containing a pasty white substance. This substance has a barely
noticeable tinge of green in some places, which suggests that the original color has disappeared.

3 It has been suggested that green was used in ancient Egypt to protect the eyes from the glare of the sun
in the same way that Eskimos apply it beneath the eyes to prevent snow-blindness.

< Similar pigments were found in the Para cemetery, but usually in small stone dishes.
5 It was found in burials 13, 23, 30, and 32, all of which were female.

1 6 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

stone being roughly flattened in this region to faciUtate the operation. At first
it was thought that the amulet was a hone, but the brown limestone of which it
is made is far too soft for such a purpose. Similar objects have been found in
other parts of Kish, principally on the site of the plano-convex building about
half a mile N.N.W. of the "A" cemetery.^ As this amulet was found close to
the neck, it was probably worn on a string of beads (Plate I, No. 6).

One of the beads on a string around the neck in burial i6 is carved in the
shape of a frog (Plate IV, No. 26). It is of lapis lazuli, and is of quite good
workmanship. As it is the only bead of its kind on the necklace, it is possible
that it also was worn as an amulet.

The suggested use as amulets of the silver medallions with raised central
bosses which are described in the section on the jewellery is doubtful. They
were probably intended simply for ornamentation, and have no other significance.

GLAZE

The use of glaze for cylinder-seals, beads, and other small objects was
known in the period of the "A" cemetery. It was applied to pottery, as shown
in Plate XVIII, No. 20, or to beads and other objects made of a white porous
paste, a very similar composition to that used in ancient Egypt (Plate XVIII,
No. 21).

It is usuall}^ in a fair state of preservation, but its original color, prob-
ably a deep blue, has been destroyed by the action of salt. All the glaze that
has been found so far is quite white, or else tinged in places with a faint
apple-green. The composition of which the glazed articles were made is now
practically only held together by the glaze, so that all these objects are ex-
tremely fragile.

The technique of this work was very good. The glazes are even and well
fired, and they have penetrated well into the material to which they were ap-
plied. Their surfaces, moreover, show very little pitting or porosity due to
over-firing.

In our present state of knowledge, it is impossible to say at what period
the art of glazing was introduced into Sumer. Some of the glazed cylin-
drical beads very closely resemble those of Egypt. They may have been in-
troduced from that country via Syria in very early times. ^ But the fact that
the number of examples of glazed work foiuid in the "A" cemetery is com-
paratively small shows that the art was not yet extensively practised at that
period. In graves 4, 12, 20, and 32, glazed beads were found which have
turned quite brown. They must originally have been some other color than
the usual deep blue (Plate IV, Nos. 31, 23)'

METALS

The "A" cemetery was very rich in copper implements and tools, some
of which are quite new to us. They are in an excellent state of preservation,

' See site marked as N on sketch-map in Plate VII.

2 The glazed beads were either cylindrical or of the shape shown in Plate VII, No. 1 2.

THE "A" CEMETERY AT INGHARRA, KISH 1 7

especially those from the graves that had not been disturbed. That this should
be so despite the fact that the soil is very salty implies that the metallurgy
of the period was of a high order and that the copper used was very pure.

The fact that copper was well known to the Sumerians in very ancient times
is proved by its being found in great quantities in the earliest sites. The region
from which it was brought is still a matter of surmise. The question cannot be
settled until exhaustive examination has been made of samples of tools and
implements of the various Sumerian and Babylonian periods and also from
the various mines which may have been used in those days. Sinai was the
principal source from which the ancient Egj^ptians obtained copper, and the
early inhabitants of Mesopotamia may also have obtained it from there. Cop-
per was worked in Sinai as early as the first dynasty of Egypt and still earlier
by the Semites dwelling there.

A place called Kimash, which has been located in the Zagros range, is
mentioned by a priest-king of Lagash in an inscription as early as 2600 B.C. :
"From Kimash I got copper, and from the mountains of Meluhha I got iron
and gold."

Besides these sources, there are other probable places near to Kish. In
the upper parts of the Tigris valley near Pontus there are said to be several
old copper mines, and another ancient mine exists near Arghana-Maden in
Kurdistan. This last mine was exceptionally rich. It was worked by the Ger-
mans during the war. The earlier workings have now been destroyed, but
that it was known to the ancients is proved by a stele of Naram-Sin being
found in the vicinity. Lt.-Col. Sykes mentions a copper mine behind Sabza-
war in Persia which is being worked at the present day.' Cyprus also gave cop-
per to the ancient world; these mines date back to an early period.

That lead was also known in Sumerian times is evident from two ves-
sels of that metal being found in the cemetery (Plate XX, No. 2). Melted
fragments were found in several parts of Kish in buildings of the earlier type
of plano-convex brick.

This metal is mined in Persia at the present day, where it occurs in the
form of galena, a compound of lead and sulphur. The process of extracting
the pure metal from galena is a very simple one; the galena is roasted until
the sulphur is burned away. Another source from which the Sumerians may
possibly have obtained their lead is the mines between the Red Sea and
the Nile; but that it came from Persia is much more probable.

Comparatively few silver objects were found in the "A" cemetery. They
include the thin silver handle of a dagger and various objects of jewellery
(Plates III, No. 4 and XVII, No. 9). Silver was always a rare metal in the an-
cient world; in some countries it was even regarded as equal to gold in value.
The reason for its being rare in the past was that it is so seldom found in its
native state. ^ In Persia, as far as is known at present, it only occurs in

' p. M. Sykes, History of Persia, Vol. I, p. 37.

' Del Mar, History of Precious Metals, Chap. XXX.

I 8 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

lead in a small proportion up to not more than one per cent.' The process
of extracting silver from lead is far simpler than its extraction from its ores ; it
consists merely in bixming away the lead and recovering the silver from the
residue. We have proof that silver vi^as thus manufactured in Elam from a
letter to a certain Enetarzi, a ruler after the first dynasty of Lagash (about
2800 B.C.), who says that this metal formed part of some booty taken from
that country. Whether this booty was in the form of bullion or of silver ves-
sels is not mentioned (cf. Revue d'Assyriologie, Vol. VI, p. 142).

Not a single gold article, nor any trace of gold, was found in any of the
graves of the "A" cemetery, though we know it was known in a still earlier
period. But, as many of the graves had been disturbed anciently, it is pos-
sible that articles of this metal had been stolen. Several fine gold objects
were found during the season 1924-25 in the same stratum.

MINERALS

The stones most favored by the Sumerians for beads and other ornaments
were lapis lazuli and camelian.

The lapis lazuli was probably brought from Persia, in which country it
is plentiful. That recovered from the "A" cemetery is either a dark or medium
blue with no pyrites in it.^

The source of the camelian is difficult to trace. It could have come either
from Arabia, where it is common, or from the stony river beds to the north.
Its color is in most cases a clear bright red, which may have been natural or
the result of special treatment, such as roasting, which is practised in India
at the present day.

The Sumerians seem to have found some difficulty in working lapis lazuli.
In most cases it is merely rubbed down and not polished.* Very few of the
lapis-lazuli beads are perfect in shape, and their surfaces show a certain
amotmt of unintentional facetting. Lapis lazuli is not so hard a stone as
camelian, yet articles made of the latter material are well shaped and beauti-
fully polished. The two kinds of stone do not seem to have been worked
by the same people, and it is possible that articles of one or the other stone
were not manufactured in Sumer, but were imported ready made. If so,
the objects made of lapis lazuli were probably those manufactured at home,
while the camelian beads came from outside, either from Egypt, whose people
seem to have been very skillful at this work, or else from a third country
that supplied both Egypt and Sumer.

Haematite is rare in the "A" cemetery. Its use is confined to two cyl-
inder seals (Plate VI, Nos. 2 and 9) and one small bead from burial 21. The

' The traveller Tavernier, who visited Persia in the middle of the seventeenth century, mentions the silver
mines of Kerven.

2 Dii Morgan (M^moires sur la Delegation en Perse, Vol. VIII, p. 53) states that lapis lazuli was origin-
ally worked near Kashan, but that the site of the mine is unknown. Mount Bilki, which according to an Assyrian
record was a mountain of lapis lazuli, may perhaps be identified with Mount Demavand which is not far distant
from Kashan. P. M. Sykes, History of Persia, Vol. I, p. 36.

' Lapis lazuli is, of course, capable of taking a high degree of polish.

THE "A" CEMETERY AT INGHARRA, KISH I 9

scarcity of this substance in the graves is probably due to the difficulty of
obtaining the ore, and not to any difficulty in working it, as it is not particu-
larly hard.

Two stones very rarely found are jasper and rock-crystal. They only
occurred in two graves (Nos. 27 and 23, respectively) in the form of beads.
Calcite was much used in making cylinder seals (Plate VI, No. 4) and beads
and to ornament hairpins, for it is soft enough to be very easily worked.
It was found in the country itself, there being a plentiful supply in the west-
em desert. Limestone was used to make four cylinder seals (Plate VI, Nos. i,
16) and a few beads. The kind of stone employed was fairly hard, either gray
or dark brown in color, and capable of taking a dull polish. It does not seem
from its rarity to have been a popular stone for personal ornaments. It could
have been brought from any of the countries bordering Sumer.

A bituminous limestone was used in making a cylinder seal found in grave
12 (Plate VI, No. 19). This material, as is also shown by the remains of a
carved bowl found at a lower level than the graves, withstands the action of
salt and time very well. One wishes that it had been more extensively em-
ployed.

The frequent use of bitmnerii especially in building, shows that this mate-
rial was as easily obtained in the period to which this cemetery belongs as in
later times. It must have been brought down the Euphrates from Hit, where
it is still collected in a small way from the bitumen pools.

A bead made of serpentine was found in grave 15. It was the only object
made of this kind that has been discovered in the cemetery.

STONE VESSELS

No stone vessels were found in the graves of the "A" cemetery, though
broken fragments occurred on the same site at various levels, which will be
dealt with in a later publication. A possible reason for the absence of objects
of this nature is that they were perhaps considered too valuable to be placed
with the dead.

UNUSUAL OBJECTS

A rare object found in grave 2 was a cup which had been made from an
ostrich shell by cutting about one-third of the top of the shell away and rough-
ly smoothing the edge. It was the only one of its kind found in the cemetery,
and it was in such a very bad condition with so many pieces missing that it
could neither be restored nor drawn. The remains of a similar cup were found
in one of the chambers of a large building of plano-convex bricks, about
half a mile from the "A" cemetery, which appears to be of the same date.
The ostrich is still found in the Arabian desert, and was doubtless plentiful in
early times. Its feathers as well as its eggs were utilized by the ancients.

The model pottery brazier. No. 23 in Plate VII, ought perhaps to have
been included with the pottery, but its very small size prohibited this. Though
it does not actually come from a recorded grave, but from some rubbish near

20 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

the surface on the north slope of the mound, it was, nevertheless, probably
washed out of a burial. It is hand-made, and must have been a child's toy.

Two toy clay animals were found with the remains of a child in an urn-
burial in grave 36. It is difficult to say what these animals were supposed to
be, — goats, most probably. There was a hole through the head just below the
eyes in one of the animals for it to be pulled along with a string.

In burial 1 1 an object of btirnt clay was found which is obviously a model
battle-axe (Plate VII, No. 24). It is 81 mm long by 78 mm wide at the head
and 16 mm thick at the same place. It is somewhat roughly made and pro-
vided with two holes for tying it to its handle. The lower portion has a fairly
good edge. This, as well as the axes represented in Plate XVII (Nos. i, 4, and
8), is especially valuable as showing a type of weapon in use at the period.
The burial in which it was found had been disturbed anciently, so that the exact
position of the battle-axe in relation to the body could not be ascertained.

The appended table of the various objects found in the "A" cemetery has
been drawn up for purposes of reference. Against the number of each grave
is placed the sex, except where it is uncertain. The numbers of the various
objects found in each grave are given. In the case of the beads, the cross
merely indicates that beads were found in that particular grave, ranging in
number from one to a whole string. The various objects are dealt with in detail
in the text, the pottery having a separate tabulation.

CHAPTER III

ER V

CH.4PTER VI

CHAPTER I

No. of
Grave

Sex

Battle-
axes

Curved
Blades

Daggers

Bracelets

Fiager-
ringa

Beads

Cylinder
Seals

Amulets

Rubbers

Pigment
Shells

Toys

• I

?

X

I

* 2

M.

I

2

X

*3

C.

* 4

F.

I

I

5

M.

X

I

2

* 6

?

7

?

8

F.

I

X

I

I

I

9

F.

I

I

2

lO

C.

2

X

*ii

M.

I

I

2

12

F.

X

I

I

13

F.

X

2

'14

M.

2

X

15

F.

X

I

I

2

*i6
17

M.andF.

I

2

I

I

X

3

I

2

■

I

18

C.

X

I

2

19

F.

X

I

2

20

M.

I

I

X

2

21

F.

I

X

I

I

2

*22

?

23

F.

I

I

X

3

2

*24

F.

X

I

4

25

F.

X

26

?

I

27

F.

X

28

M.

I

X

*29

?

30

F.

3

2

31

>

■ 32

F.

X

3

2

33

M.

I

X

I

2

*34

M.andF.

I

I

-|

X

I

2

35

?

36

C.

X

2

*37
*38

?

?

TABULATION OF OBJECTS FOUND IN GRAVES

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER IV

CBAFT

.RV

CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER I

No. ot

&.

Battle-

Oantd

DaggefB

E.;™

Cb«l.

»d.„,

Model

SciiuUo

Sptedlt-
ffhorls

Toilet
Cuei

HeiNpins

Coiled
Hftii^piiu

beftded
Pioa

Straight

BodkiDB

Coptwr
Bowls

Botek

H&Ddled

M^.„io„

Fillet!

Gar-nogi

Bracelets

Finger-

Beads

'&-

imuleU

Rubben

PismtQt

Tox.

• 1

?

X

X

t

M.

■

2

'

X

• 3

C.

* 4

F.

■

'

■

■

■

.

5

M.

■

'

■

'

2

X

I

2

* 6

?

7

?

■

S

F.

1

I

2

2

X

.

,

,

9

F.

■

>

■

2

,

,

2

lo 1 C.

I

^

2

X

•ii

M.

'

2

.

.

2

'2

F.

> ,

■

■

X

.

.

'i

F.

I

I

X

2

•h

M.

2

2

X

■5

F.

■

>

■

X

t

.

2

•l6

M.andF.

I

2

I

I

I

I

I

I

.

.

X

3

:

2

.7 j ?

.

l8

C.

I

.

X

■

2

■9

F.

I

I

3

X

.

2

JO

M.

I

I

X

2

21

F.

.

2

2

I

.

.

3

.

X

■

■

2

•22

?

23

F.

.

.

.

.

I

.

I

.

.

.

I

X

3

2

*24

F.

.

.

X

■

4

25

F.

I

X

26

27

■

F.

I

X

28

M.

,

X

•29

?

30

F.

.

3

2

31

r

,

,

32

33
•34
35

F.

,

I

X

3

2

M.

I

,

,

X

I

2

M.andF.

.

.

.

.

2

,

I

3

.

I

X

■

^

?

36
•37

C.

X

2

?

•38

?

II. POTTERY

HANDLED POTTERY TYPE A Plates I, No. 5, IX and X

A specimen of the handled pottery shown in Plates I, IX and X was
found in practically every grave in the "A" cemetery at Ingharra. In three
graves two jars of this type were foimd, one large and the other small. ^ This
handled pottery is peculiar and quite unlike any that has been found up to
the present in Mesopotamia or elsewhere. It is possible that this pottery is
either a local type or that it was confined to the northern part of Sumer. Only
more extended excavations in various parts of Mesopotamia will decide this
point. The pottery is wheel-made of a well-kneaded clay and under medium
magnification shows but little porosity and little or no foreign matter. In
color it ranges from a light salmon-pink to a deep red. The surfaces of a few
jars are coated with a substance which is yellow-drab in color. This may be a
slip, but it is more probably a salt incrustation, as there is a certain amount
of sparkle.^

The ware is thick, in some cases as much as i cm, but not unduly so
when the size and purpose of the jars are considered. The baking is good;
though most of the jars were found broken through earth pressure, it was pos-
sible to repair them, despite many of the pieces being heavily saturated with
salt. A few only — jars which were found in graves close to the surface of
the ground — were in a bad state. Every example of this handled pottery was
made in three pieces, joined together at the shotilder and between body and
base. The joining was on the whole skillfully done, and is difficult to detect
in the unbroken examples. Sometimes, however, the parts were not equally
damp when they were put together and therefore failed to adhere properly.
This fault was more frequent in joining on the bases, which were always
hand-made.

It will be seen in the two plates in which this type of pottery is shown
that the general design is the same. The sole departtire from the general
rvile is No. 11 (Plate X), which has an unusually high base.* The chief pecu-
liarity about this ware is the handle which is ornamented in high relief with
the features and breasts of a woman, the nose especially being very promi-
nent. In every jar of this type which has been found up to the present, it
is a female figure that is represented on the handle, never that of a male.
The handles were made of tubular pieces of clay which were sometimes left
hollow and sometimes flattened. Three of the jars are especially interesting be-
cause the hollow handle communicates with the interior of the jar, though

' Graves i, 18 and 2j. The contents of graves i and 18 had been disturbed. The first contained no bones,
and the second those of a child. It is possible that each of these burials was a double one, as, for instance, mother
and child, and that the smaller jar was provided for the child.

2 Jars 9, 1 6, and 1 7 are certainly washed over with a thin cream slip.

' Compare this base with type E pottery (Plate XIV, Nos. 8-18).

21

22 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

the extreme upper portion of the handle has been squeezed so flat as to allow
only a minute drop of water to pass through (Burials 2, 23, 23', Plate X, Nos.
17, 22, 24). Most of the handles were secured to the shoulder of the jar by
cutting a hole in the latter and passing the end of the handle through. This
made a strong joint. In nearly all cases the joint is rough, as seen from the
inside of the jar, though care was taken to conceal it on the outside. In some
examples, the end of the handle was pared or thinned, so that a flange rested
against the surface of the jar; this was afterwards carefully pressed down all
round to ensiu-e as close adherence as possible.

The feminine features on the handles were formed with the addition of
pellets of clay. In some rare cases the nose was squeezed up out of the handle,
but in general it was added and the joint carefully smoothed over. The two
breasts were always added and range in shape from rough nodules to full,
rounded forms.

As a rule, the eyes are placed on either side of the nose itself or as close to
it as possible. They are in some cases simply rough clay pellets, in others cut
disks of clay. Occasionally, fvirther refinement was effected by impressing
a circular mark in the centre of each eye to represent the pupil (Plates IX,
No. 7; X, Nos. I, 7, 9). Jar No. 9 has no eyes; the handle is very roughly
made (see also Plate II, Nos. 1-9). In one case (Plate II, No. 7 and Plate IX,
No. 6), the pupil of the eye is represented by the addition of a second and
smaller pellet in the middle of the first.

Ears are not very common. If present, they are mere projections on the
comers of the squared top of the handle (Plates IX and X, Nos. 22, 24; II,
Nos. 4, 5). Eyebrows are also rare; they are represented by thin strips of clay
placed above nose and eyes (Plates II, Nos. 6-9; IX and X, Nos. i, 4, 6, 21).
They are very prominent in Plate II, Nos. 7 and 8, giving the face a pro-
nounced owl-like appearance. It is possible in Nos. 6, 8, and 9 (Plate II),
especially in No. 6, that these strips of clay represent hair as well.

Most of the handles are further ornamented with incised markings made
with a pointed stick. In the majority of cases, these are either rough and
irregular scratches or a series of oblique parallel lines running from left to
right and right to left alternately. In rare cases, there are rough imitations
of necklaces of three or more strings of beads (Plates II, No. 8; IX and X,
Nos. 2, 6, 19, 21, 22). A feature on some of the handles is a roughly hatched
triangle just below the breasts, which represents the Mons Veneris (Plates
II, Nos. 7, 8; IX and X, Nos. 6, 21). In some jars, however, this portion of the
body is shown below the handle on the body of the jar, immediately below
the notched beading of the shoulder (Plate X, Nos. 22, 23).

There can be little doubt that the origin of these handles was a spout
through which to pour the contents of the jar. This is borne out by the facts
that they were all made from tubular pieces of clay, that some retain this
shape and that the cavity of the handle in some cases communicates with the
interior of the jar. Another important point is that none of the handles is

POTTERY 23

actually secured to the rim of the jar, though most rest against it, or are sepa-
rated from it by a distance of a few millimetres only. In fact, some of the
handles look so insecure that one hesitates to lift the jars by them. It is prob-
able that if this type of jar had lasted over a longer period, we should have
seen the gradual disappearance of the figure and the eventual joining up of
the top of the handle to the rim of the jar for added strength. The spouted
jar is very common in early Mesopotamian pottery, but it was, of course, only
suitable for vessels used for liquids.

It is uncertain at present whether these handled jars were made for cere-
monial purposes. One was foiuid in every burial of importance, and it would
seem likely, therefore, that they were in everyday use. This suggestion is
borne out by the fact that a few of the jars were slightly broken when placed
in the graves; the missing pieces were not to be found, though each grave was
carefully cleared either by Col. Lane or myself. The figiures on the handles
suggest that the contents of the jars were under the protection of a goddess;
in all probability, a water-goddess. Who this deity was, it is impossible to say
with any certainty, as the cult or cults of the temples that lie imder the
mounds known as Ingharra are not yet known. ^ The fact that these jars were
generally found in an upright position suggests that they contained water for
drinking or for ablutions in the owner's next existence.

In every one of thirteen graves a handled jar was found; behind the head
in five cases, in front of the head in three, and in three behind the back near
the pelvis. In one grave, the jar was placed behind the shoulder, in another
behind the feet. The usual position, therefore, of these jars is behind the
body. It will already have been noticed that each jar is decorated on the
shoulder as well as on the handle. In Nos. 2-5 (Plate IX), this decoration is
very poor and consists solely of rough hatching done with a sharp point.
The most usual design is a series of large triangles, apex upwards, the interi-
ors of which are filled in with lines crossing one another to form a series
of rough lozenges. Another common motive is two interlacing zig-zag lines
evidently made with a comb-like implement, for they are in groups of parallel
hues, three, four, and sometimes five in number. A flint with a serrated edge
could hardly have been used for these lines, as they are on the whole too regu-
lar. Some of them begin or end in awkward places, which seems to suggest
that they were made by a comb fixed at the end of a stick. The decoration as
a whole is fairly well done, and in some examples an attempt was made to
achieve regularity.

A simple decoration consisting of a single zig-zag line, also made with a
comb, is shown in Nos. 16 and 17 (Plate X). Decoration in two registers is
somewhat rare, but four examples were found (Plate X, Nos. 21-24). In No. 21,
the design is the same in both registers, but the other numbers show more
variety. A striking peculiarity of this pottery is the presence of a projecting

' Prof. Langdon suggests that the figure represents either Nintud, the mother goddess, or Nina, the
water goddess, an early form of Ishtar.

24 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

beading aroimd the jars at the junction of neck and body. In most cases,
this beading projects very considerably from the shoulder of the jar. The prob-
able origin of this form of decoration was the inability of the potter to make
this type of jar in a single piece. It would seem that in the course of manu-
facture the upper edge of the body of the jar was splayed slightly outward,
in order that the lower edge of the neck might fit into it, forming a kind of
plumber's joint. When this junction had been properly effected, the edge of
the lower part of the jar was turned over against the shoulder, and any irreg-
ularity caused by the join, whether inside or out, was then rectified by smear-
ing the joint over with clay. This method of building a jar had its defects
owing to the union not always being true with the result that complete ad-
herence all round did not always take place.

In all the larger jars, this rim was then heavily notched all round by a
piece of wood or bone with a roimded surface. Generally each notch is slight-
ly oblique, running either to left or right, but there are examples where the
markings are vertical. Besides being an ornament, the notching must have
assisted in pressing the two parts of the jar together. ^ To complete the deco-
ration most of the jars have a simple series of points pricked around the junc-
tion of the neck and sloping shoulder. This was done with a pointed instru-
ment held almost vertically, each stroke being directed downward.

These jars are on the whole well made, especially their upper portions
which are invariably better finished than the bodies. The latter show undula-
tions and finger-grooving in some of the less skilfully finished examples. The
surfaces are smooth and impolished. The interiors of the jars, as a rule, show
no very noticeable finger-grooving, the surprising absence of this being doubt-
less due to the making of the jars in separate pieces. Any roughness in a jar
was to be found in its hand-made portions, namely the handle or the ring
forming its base. Such defects were probably caused in making these two por-
tions adhere properly to the body of the jar.

In the style of decoration, but not in form, this pottery resembles early
Hittite pottery, though it is, of course, of considerably earlier date. Its simple
geometric decoration may not have been borrowed; it might as easily have
originated in the country in which it is found as elsewhere.^ These jars range
in size from 10.5 to 39 cm in height (Plate IX, Nos. 10 and 12).

POTTERY BRAZIERS TYPE B Plate I, No. 4; Plates XI and XII

Only the very poorest graves or those in a badly disturbed state lacked
a brazier which was evidently considered an essential part of the funeral
equipment. These braziers were always of heavy ware, and not so well fin-
ished off as were the handled jars. The stems seem unnecessarily clumsy.

1 It should be noticed that the jar shown as No. 21 (Plate X) has a plain beading around its shoulder.
It is the only jar of this type in which the notching was omitted.

'- The notched beading at the junction of the shoulder and body in this pottery in a superficial way re-
sembles the beading in a similar position on some of the Palestine pottery dated to the "First Semitic Period."
The use ot the combed ornament was also common in Palestine in the same period, which is dated to 2000-1800

POTTERY 25

ranging, as they do, from i to 1.5 cm in thickness. The fine example num-
bered 18 on Plate XII is 44.5 cm high, and the smallest size (Plate XI,
No. 5) 12 cm high. It will be noticed that these braziers exhibit a consider-
able diversity both in shape and size. This is perhaps due to the complex
nature of this type of pottery, each specimen of which must have taken a con-
siderable time to make.

Like the handled ware, these braziers were made in two pieces which
were joined together before the clay was dry. The upper portion or dish was
always better finished oft" than the stem and base; the latter portion always
has very pronounced finger-grooving inside caused by the effort required to
pull up such a heavy mass of clay while on the wheel. ^

When the bases are decorated, their roughness is usually accentuated by
the dragging of the surface of the pottery by the point or comb with which the
designs were scratched. In the specimens found up to the present no attempt
was made to remove this blemish.^ The same clay was used as for the handled
ware, and the color of the two types of pottery was very similar, but in many
cases the braziers were imperfectly baked. It would appear from this that not
sufficient allowance was made for the thickness of the material, with the result
that many of the vessels show the characteristic gray tinge in the thickness
of the clay which is the mark of imperfect firing. Unfortunately salt has
played havoc with much of this ware, owing to its shape and its defective
baking, with the result that only one specimen was recovered whole and the
remainder in many pieces, most of which were badly scaled. The very form of
the braziers was ill adapted to stand the pressure of the grave filling, which
broke off their dishes and basal portions.

With two exceptions, these braziers were all found in an upright position.
In burial 19, the brazier was placed as a pillow for the dead man (Plate V).
It lay on the body in btirial 8, where it had perhaps fallen when the grave was
filled in. Its usual position in the grave was behind the body. Of fourteen
graves which were in a tolerable state of preservation, the brazier was found in
seven, standing behind the head or shoulders; in four, it was behind the pelvis
or the feet. In three instances only, it was placed in front of the head, but
at some distance from it. The vessels of this type have been called "braziers"
owing to their pecuHar construction. It was, first of all, thought that they
were used for food. The presence, however, of what are evidently ventilation
holes in many of the specimens (Nos. 4, 6, 12-14, 17), proves that they were
made for heating purposes, the holes serving to cool the stem so that the
utensil could be readily moved from place to place. Food, however hot, could
never sufficiently heat the stem for ventilation to be necessary, but in the case
of a fuel-like charcoal, especially if constantly replenished, such holes would
be required. It must be admitted, however, that not a single brazier was

' In the case of No. 4 in Plate I, also No. q in Plate XI, the two portions were apparently fitted together
and then placed on the wheel once more for a final trimming-up.

2 In No. 14 the ventilation holes were even bored after the decoration was finished, with the result that
a heavy burr has been left around the edges of the holes.

26 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

found to contain any vestiges of fuel, nor even to show the marks of burning.
But such traces would be readily removed by time and the action of salt; and
if charcoal were used, it must be remembered that it is a very clean fuel.
The ventilation holes were bored with a stick varying from i to i}4 cm in
diameter. In the vessels numbered 4, 6, 12, 14, and 17, these holes are in the
base, two close together on either side. In No. 13, there is a single hole on
either side of the stem, close under the dish.

On examining the two plates on which this pottery is shown, it will be
seen that the simplest form of brazier is unomamented in any way. It has a
plain wide base and dish, the latter with a deep groove aroimd its edge. In
Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5, the base is still plain with the exception of a simple groov-
ing on No. 2. The rims of the dishes, however, are heavily grooved, the
ridges above and below being coarsely notched with a stick. In No. 6, how-
ever, only the upper ridge is treated in this way. No. 7 is interesting, because
the heavy grooving of its base is spiral in form. Up to the present, it is the
only brazier that has been found to show this feature. In Nos. 9, 10, and 11,
the base of the brazier is roughly decorated with criss-cross lines, made with a
fine point in the first two and with a heavier one in the third. No. 1 1 is also
distinguished by the upper edge of the base being notched, — a unique feature up
to the present.

Brazier No. 1 2 has several interesting points. There is a notched beading
just above the middle of the stem and another above the base, which is orna-
mented with a chevroi;! design of three lines made separately. In Nos. 13 and
14 we have a more elaborate form of decoration, especially in the latter, in
which there is a double notched beading just above the base which is roughly
hatched with a single point. No. 13 has two forms of decoration on its base,
the upper one made with a single point in groups of three lines, arranged chev-
ron-wise. The fine linework of the lower register is also made with a single
point. No. 15 is an exceptionally neat brazier and graceful in form. A broad,
notched beading, below which is a row of chevrons made with a fotir-toothed
comb, decorates the base of the stem. This piece of pottery has been washed
with a light cream slip, and through over-baldng its dish has become slightly
twisted.

No. 16 is rather clumsy. On the base and the lower part of the stem, a
simple design was drawn with a seven-toothed comb. The outer edges of the
dishes of Nos. 16, 18, and 20 are scored heavily with three horizontal lines in-
stead of the grooving made on the wheel. This scoring is done with a stick,
and further ornamentation is afforded by a series of vertical lines (set slight-
ly obliquely, especially in the case of No. 18), which break up the surface of
the rim into a number of small squares. The bases of Nos. 1 8 and 20 are deco-
rated with lines made with combs of three and five teeth, respectively.

No. 19 is a cvirious object. Both the top and base are broken off, and
its surface is decorated with a roughly hatched pattern incised in the clay
with a point, and moreover there are six horizontal ribs which are notched.

POTTERY 27

There can be no doubt that we have here part of the stem of an unusually deco-
rated brazier. It was found in the cemetery mound, lying by itself in loose
debris. The miusually small brazier (Plate XI, No. 5) was found with the
small handled jar (Plate IX, No. 9). This set of pottery probably belonged
to a child's grave. The bones of the burial could not be found and had doubt-
less perished because of their extreme fragility. The only other pottery found
with these two pieces was a number of small dishes.

As has already been mentioned, these braziers, like the handled ware, ranged
in color from salmon-pink to a dark red. There were, however, three ex-
ceptions, Nos. 3, 5, and 15, which were washed over with a thin cream slip.
The handled jars from the same burials had been similarly treated. Our
knowledge is at present insufficient to determine the sequence of the graves
in which handled ware and braziers were found, but the manner of their deco-
ration helps us a little. I would put down the undecorated ware as being
necessarily earlier than those pieces which were decorated with a single point,
as Nos. II, 12, and 14. These three braziers were accompanied by handled
jars that were also decorated with a single point. There are a few cases, how-
ever, in which the brazier has been decorated with a single point and the
handled jar accompam'ing it with combed lines; and the reverse also occurs.

Most of the braziers and handled jars have combed lines made with an
instrument with from three to seven teeth, and these are probably of slightly
later date. The fiat rim of practically every brazier was ornamented with
a simple, wavy line. This seems to have been considered an essential part of
the decoration, and is only missing in Nos. 11, 13, 16, 18, and 20, and in those
braziers which are entirely undecorated. Unfortunately, we cannot compare
this ware with any other of the same kind elsewhere, as nothing quite like it
has as yet been found. ^ It has a remote resemblance to the Hittite pottery,
named "champagne cups," that have been found in cist burials in Central and
North Syria. These belong to the bronze age (early Hittite), approximately
II 00 B.C., but our examples are of a much earlier date.

A very similar form of vessel, undecorated and made of a black and red
ware Uke the predynastic and pan-grave potter}' of Eg^'pt, has been found in
the pre-historic burials (dolmens and cainis) in southern India. These vessels
are about one-third the size of our braziers. This Indian pottery has been con-
jecturally dated to about 2500 B.C., and is supposed to have been used for
burning incense.

It has been noted that a specimen or sometimes two of the handled ware
already discussed accompanied these braziers in the burials in which they were
fotind. In some cases the decoration on the two vessels is practically the same,
suggesting that both were made by the same potter. This is an interesting
point, for most potters in the Orient at the present day specialize in certain

• Since the above was written, some results of the Kara excavations have been published by Walter
Andrae, Die archaischen Ischtar-Tempel in .A^ssur, Plates XVIII, XIX, XX. In the cemetery at Fara similar
braziers were found to those discovered at Kish. They were, however, of a more degraded type. Andrae has
dated them in a period named G, or before 3000 B.C.

28 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

shapes, and one or two, and sometimes more, makers may have to be visited to
obtain the particular type of jar desired.

STRAIGHT-SHOULDERED WARE TYPE C Plate XHI

This type of ware is very frequently found in the Ingharra burials, two,
three, and sometimes five specimens being found in a grave.* But no special
position in relation to the body was allotted to them. The shape is very charac-
teristic, each jar having a well-defined neck and shoulder, the latter forming
a sharp angle with the body. The general shape is not dissimilar to some of
the twelfth dynasty ware of Egypt, except that the latter ware has an almost
flat base. This pottery is not particularly thin for its size, and in most cases
has a dragged, imeven surface, especially on the lower portion of the jar.
The clay is light red, well kneaded, and in the majority of cases well baked.
Three specimens have apparently been coated with a thin cream slip, but a
more minute examination than could be given in the field is necessary to prove
this (Nos. I, 6, and i8; graves i, 2, and 6). In a gi-eat many cases the clay
was worked in too dry a condition, with the result that, besides being uneven,
the surface of the pottery is striated. On the whole, however, the ware is of
creditable workmanship. All examples found up to the present have been
made on a wheel.

The ring-like base with which each specimen is pi-ovided was added later.
In most instances it was trimmed up on the wheel after being added. The
joining was not always perfectly done, and the base has sometimes parted
company with its jar, owing principally to the action of salt. It is suspected,
but not at present proved, that the neck and shoulder of the jar were added
to the body, the join being very sldllfully made and very diflficvilt to detect.
No. 23 was found to have parted into two in this region, the break being too
even and regular not to have been other than the result of a join giving
way. The simpler type of jar has a plain neck as in Nos. 1-4. Nmnbers
5-7 have thick necks with the rim formed by turning over the top. In Nos.
8-1 a, the necks are more complex, definite form being afforded by a scored
line at the junction of neck and shoulder. No. 12 is most tmusual owing to
its great height as compared with its breadth. The examples that follow are
squatter in form. Their rims and necks are more shapely, being improved
either by a single fluting in Nos. 15-19 and by a double one in No. 20. The
angle between the shoulder and body is also more pronounced, especially in
jars 16, 18-20.

Nos. 21-25 S'll have fairly simple necks and rims, but they ai"e especially
interesting in that their shoulders are ornamented with scored lines. In the
first two, this scoring is spiral and made with a toothed instrument. Nos.
24 and 25 have been similarly ornamented, but the gi'oups of lines run straight,
not spirally, round the shoulders of the vessels. The latter is also noticeable

• Burials j6 and 34 each contained three specimens; in burial i there were four; burial 5 contained five.

POTTERY 29

on account of the beading around it, which, though unnotched, is similar to
that on the handled jars.

As in the case of the other types of ware, it is not at present possible to
assign proper sequence dating owing to the small number of graves as yet
excavated. Nor is it always the case that the jars of the same type found in
the same grave were exactly similar. For instance, Nos. i and 16 which were
found together in grave 2 are of the same general type, yet differ considerably
in detail from one another. Jar No. 23 is of especial interest. Its base is
formed by working the lower part of the body downward and outward with
the fingers to form a ring. The junction of the shoulder and body is orna-
mented with short lines rtmning obliquely, and the shoulder itself is roughly
decorated with two wavy lines scratched with a point. It is of light red ware
with a yellowish face, which seems to be the result of a salty deposit.

SPOUTED VESSELS TYPE D Plate XIV

The spouted jar, though frequently found at an earlier period,^ is a rare
feature in the cemetery, only two examples being found (Burials 23 and 24;
Nos. 4 and 5). The other examples illustrated in the plate are included for
comparison only; but, as they come from the same site and were found ap-
proximately at the same levels, there is reason to think that they are of the
same date as the burials.

Jars Nos. 4 and 5 ai'e very similar, except for their bases. The base of
No. 4 has a number of focused grooves scored vipon it (Plate XV, A). This
is a peculiarity which is very frequently found in the simpler types of pot-
tery in this cemetery (Plate XV, Nos. 16-46). The scoring seems to have been
produced by the surface of the wheel upon which the pottery was turned, being
lightly covered with loose sand. The jar when finished was removed from the
wheel by a sliding motion before the latter had ceased revolving, as is shown
by the scoring, which is always well pronotmced, taking the form of loops
passing through a single point situated somewhere near the edge of the base.
When scoring is present, the base of the jar is always rough and uneven,
and it appears that a considerable amount of force was needed to remove it
from the wheel.

Nos. 4 and 5 are both somewhat roughly made with irregular surfaces;
they appear to have been made on a slow wheel. In each the spout, which
is large as compared with the sizes of the vessels, is hand-made, and is skillfully
joined on. No. i has a slightly convex and uneven base. The spout is hand-
made, and the jimction between it and the jar well finished, both inside and
out. A spongy material, brown in color, which was found at the bottom of this
jar is being analyzed. The grooves scratched with a point at the base of the
neck and immediately below are a very unusual ornamentation in this type of
jar.

' In a plano-convex building below the cemetery and in other parts of the site of Kish. These sites will
be dealt vrith in a later publication.

30 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

No. 2 is unusual in shape. It has a small flat, unsteady base and a thick
rim. The spout is rudimentary. No. 3 has a spout out of all proportion to the
size of the jar. It has been joined on very unskillfuUy, and the result is ugly.
This type of ware is made of an entirely different clay from that used in other
pottery found in the cemetery. It is straw-colored or light yellow, and is hard
baked. The clay is granular in appearance, and contains very little foreign
matter. The baking is not responsible for the color of this ware, as will be
explained below. It bears a certain resemblance to the clay used in some Ham-
murabi and Neo-Babylonian pottery found at Kish, though most of the pot-
tery of these periods is soft baked. It very closely resembles alluvial clays
found on the surface of the ground in most parts of Mesopotamia, as distinct
from the river clays which are considerably darker in color. Practically all
the pottery found in the "A" cemetery was made from the latter material.

Spouted vessels are a very early type of Sumerian pottery, and they have
survived down to the present day in Iraq. The type is apparently not now
found in Asia Minor, but it is in every-day use in Syria, and I have come across
a few examples in Egypt, which, however, may have been imported. It has
been found in Palestine and dated there to the first Semitic period (2000-
1800 B.C.) and again to the fourth Semitic period (1000-550 B.C.). And the
same kind of pottery will doubtless be found in Syria when the archaeology of
that country has been properly studied. This type of jar was used for drink-
ing. The vessel was held above the level of the mouth, into which the water
was poured without contact with the lips. This requires a certain amount of
practice, as those who essay the feat with the modem spouted jars find out.

CUP-BASED POTTERY TYPE E Plate XIV

A very striking fonn of pottery is the ware shown in Plate XIV (Nos. 6-18).
It is not at all common in the "A" cemetery, many graves being without a speci-
men, whereas others contain two (Nos. 10-12, 14-17; graves i, 9, 12-14, ^4'
29, 32, 34). Owing to their shape and to the thinness of the ware, few of the
examples that were found have survived the pressure of the earth, to which
the bases especially have succumbed. They have also suffered badly from the
action of salt. This ware is made of fine, well-kneaded, dark-red clay. But
though the shapes and proportions of the vases are so good, most of the
examples found are somewhat roughly finished, frequently with striated and
irregular surfaces.^

The jars were always in an upright position and placed near the head of
the burial, — usually in front of the face. When two jars were present, they
were close together. The base was always added to the vessel in the course of
construction. In the majority of cases, this was so skillfully done that it is
probable that after the base was affixed the jar was returned to the wheel
for a final trimming-up. As in most of the better pottery in the graves, the
upper part of these vessels was better finished than the lower. It will be seen

' Nos. 10, II, and 12 appear to have been washed over with a thin cream slip.

POTTERY 3 1

that the rims are all alike, flat and ledge-like in form. In Nos. 17 and 18, the
base is very considerably shortened. No. 14 is peculiar in that a small spiral
button has been left at the bottom inside, — another proof that no particular
care was taken in the finish of these vessels.

It has been stated that this pottery was made of a dark-red clay. There
are, however, three exceptions, — Nos. 6-8, in which the material used is ash-
colored, probably owing to dung' or some similar substance being kneaded
with the clay. Unfortunately, none of these three pieces of pottery was found
in a recorded grave. Nos. 6 and 8 come from the cemetery mound, and No. 7
from a large plano-convex building about half a mile away. They are, how-
ever, so allied by shape with the type under discussion that it has appeared
advisable to include them in it (see also Plate I, Nos. 2 and 3).

No. 6 is dark-gray in color. Its neck is decorated by deeply pricked lines
crossing one another obliquely, thus forming a series of lozenges. The shoulder
is ornamented by a double line of small circles, 7^ mm in diameter, which
were deeply incised in the clay with a round instrument. Each circle has a
smaller circle inside it, and both circles and pricked lines were probably filled
in with a white paste as in jar No. 7. The jar had a cup-like base, which is
now missing, but the mark of the join still remains.

No. 7 is light-gray, thin for its size and well made. Three rows of hol-
lows, which were filled in with a white paste resembling gypsvmi, decorate the
shoulder. The hollows are about 1 mm in diameter, and though not undercut
in any way, a slight ridge or burr around the edge of each serves to hold the
paste, which forms a kind of small white boss.

The two lower rows of bosses are separated by an incised line which
is also filled in with white. The surface of the jar is smooth, but unpolished.
Its base is small and only just sufficient to allow it to stand steadily. Both
these jars have traces of some black material, which to the casual eye resembles
bitumen, adhering to the iimer and outer surfaces. This is probably the re-
mains of some scented fat or ointment. No indications of similar contents
were found in any other jars of this type, which means that they were placed
in the grave empty or that their contents have entirely disappeared. The
squat shape and wide mouth of these vessels in themselves suggest that their
contents were other than a liquid.

The finding of these two vessels with black and white incised decoration
indicates, I think, that this method of ornamentation was practised in Sumer;
it perhaps originated there. That these two jars were not imported is strongly
indicated by their being similar in shape and form to the imdecorated vessels
of the ordinaiy red ware. It is, of course, possible to argue that the whole
of the pottery of this type was imported, but I venture to think that the par-
ticularly fragile nature of these jars itself precludes this possibility.

No. 8 is of dark-colored clay and entirely undecorated; but it is noteworthy
on accoimt of its being imusually tall for its width. It is a very graceful jar.

' This substance is still used in Palestine and Syria to make a dark-colored clay. An almost black effect
can sometimes be produced, especially if the surface is rubbed to close the pores.

32 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

BOWLS TYPE F Plate XIV
The two bowls illustrated at the foot of this plate and numbered 19 and
20 are of a type uncommon in the "A" cemeteiy, for they are the only two
that have been found as yet. The first is from burial 12, and is made of some-
what coarse light-red clay. It has a ring base and banded rim. No. 20 is
from burial 29. It differs radically from No. 19 in form, but not in color or
make. The surfaces of both are rough and striated inside and out, the clay
having probably been worked in too dry a condition. Both utensils have
very wide mouths, and were probably used for corn or meal.'

PANS TYPE G Plate XV
Of the three pans figured in this plate, only the first was found in a grave
(grave 11). The remaining two, however, resemble the first so closely that
they have been included as probably being of the same period. No. i was
foimd broken, and only some of the pieces could be recovered. It is impossible
to say whether it was originalty round or oval in shape. It is roughly made
and baked and of a light -red color. The base is fiat and uneven, the sides
slightly concave. No. 2 is of the same ware. Its rim is produced upwards to
form three projections, or lugs, placed at irregular intervals. ^ No. 3 is of very
inferior ware, its sitrface being iiTegular both inside and out. In color and
texture, however, it resembles the other two. All three pans are hand-made
and appear to be of home manufacture. In shape and form they resemble the
pans used in Iraq and Syria at the present day to hold flour and dough. Our
specimens were probably used for this purpose.

BEAKERS TYPE H Plate XV
This is a rare type of pottery ; it was found in only two graves in the ceme-
tery. From their wide mouths and rounded bases, it would appear that
these vessels were used for dipping water from a larger jar. No. 4 was found
in grave 13 with much other pottery. Nos. 5 and 6 come from grave 28; they
were placed together with some other pottery just behind the head. The remain-
ing jar of the group (No. 7) did not come from a burial, but it has been
figured, as it is obviously of the same type, though considerably shorter. It was
found close to grave 30 and about 2 metres below the surface of the ground.
Two small holes for suspension are provided near its rim. The ware is of a
light-red color, except in No. 5, which is greenish-gray. This jar is also badly
out of shape through over-firing. All the examples are wheel-made, and have
rough striated surfaces, both inside and out. The clay is fine and well kneaded.
The pottery of this group is thin for its size.

JARS WITH HOLES FOR SUSPENSION TYPE J Plate XV
This type of jar also is uncommon in the "A" cemetery. The close simi-
larity of form of all the examples found would date them to the same period,
despite their being found at several different levels.

' In grave 36 an infant burial was found buried in a bowl exactly similar to No. 20.
2 The Arabs of to-day habitually make the edges of their larger pans irregular. On being asked the reason,
their invariable answer is, "It is the custom."

POTTERY

33

No. 14 is mentioned first, as it can be more closely dated than the others.
It is of light-red ware with a small, rough, fiat base showing the shallow
focussed grooving illustrated in Plate XV, A. There are two holes just below
the rim of the vessel through which a cord could be passed to hang it up. This
jar is one of a group of pottery fovtnd with burial 23-

No. 8 is hand-made and of very crude workmanship. It has two irregular
small holes for suspension. It is a dingy- white, which seems to be the natural
color of the clay, and it has been very well baked. Traces of a dark-colored
substance were found at the bottom of the jar, but in too small a quantity for
analysis. This vessel has a pronounced cup-like base, in which respect it re-
sembles No. 9. No. 9 is very roughly made of dark-red clay. No. 10 is on
the whole well made, and, like No. 1 1 , has a well-defined rim around it at the
junction of the shoulder and body. The latter example is, however, ver^' irregu-
lar in fonn. No. 12 is also of a light-red clay. It would appear to have
been treated in some way to make it non-porous. Its base is slightly concave.
No. 13 was so hard baked as to become almost vitrified. It is roughly made,
and on a slow wheel as its base shows focussed scoring. Possibly it is a throw-
out owing to bad filing.

Fig. 15 illustrates a quaint jar of a light -yellow color and very roughly
made. The base is flat, oval in shape, and shows focussed grooving. The mouth
also was oval, but the opposite sides of the rim were pressed together in the
middle so as to form two mouths. A hole has been bored through the pressed-
in portion of the rim to take a cord.^

The traces of a black substance in jar 8 perhaps give us a clue to the pur-
pose of these suspended jars. They possibly served to hold a fat or oint-
ment which was sufficiently expensive to cause the jars containing it to be
hung up out of the way. All these jars are small enough to permit of a finger
being inserted down to the bottom, except No. 15, which, owing to the shape
and size of its two mouths, could hardly have been used for anything very
viscous. The small size of these jars, and especially of Nos. 10-12, coupled
with the roughness of their make and very obvious finger-markings, at first
led to the belief that they were made by children to play with. The holes,
however, we think, preclude this theory.

All these jars, with the exception of Nos. ij-15, are hand-made.

FLAT-BASED POTTERY TYPE K Plate XV

The potter\^ included under this title is the type most commonly found
in the cemeter}^ On reference to the plate, it will be seen that it is hea^^
ware for its size. The base is thick and clumsy, flat, and marked with the scor-
ing illustrated in the plate (A) . A specimen of this type of pottery was found
in practically every grave, even the poorest. No especial position was allotted
to it. In many cases, two examples were found together, as Nos. 27 and 40, 16
and 29. In burial 23 three specimens were found (Nos. 19, 26, and 36). Most

' This vessel must have been worked into an oval shape after it had been removed from the wheel.

34 REPORT UN THE EXCAVATION OE THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

of these vases are simple in form with plain rims. Nos. 34-36 have more com-
plex rims, especially the last. The squatter examples (Nos. 37 and 38) seem
to be stages in degeneration, by which a more dish-like form was reached
(Nos. 39 and 40).

It should be noted that the thickness of the lower portion and base in
these jars is excessive. From this it would seem that they were in common
use, and were made thus to avoid their easily upsetting. In the majority of
cases these jars are roughly made, especially outside. No. 17 is exceptionally
well finished. They vary from a light straw color to dark red. Some of this
pottery was washed over with a thin cream-colored slip, noticeably Nos. 21, 38,
39, and 40. The last three, it will be noted, are the dish-like forms. The pot-
tery figured in the bottom row of the plate is of very much the same type, but
in these specimens spouts were made by pulling part of the rim outward. In
reality we have here a distinct type; but in other respects these jars so closely
resemble the pottery described above that they have not been put in a class
by themselves.

No. 41 is yellow in color and very roughly made. Its base shows the
usual scoring. Nos. 42 and 46 were found together in burial 23, but they differ
considerably, the first being exceedingly roughly made and the second of the
usual type. If it were not for the wheel striations and the focussed grooves on
its base. No. 42 might be thought to be hand-made. No. 43, like 41, is yellow
and roughly made. No. 44 is light red in color; it is badly out of shape through
overfiring. It is impossible to say with any certainty for what these jars were
used. A spout would hardly have been provided for a water-vessel of this size,
and the only alternative is that they were used for milk. A spout of this de-
scription would be useful in pouring out the milk after the cream had formed.
If heat also was employed to make the cream rise, the thick bases would serve
to prevent over-heating.

ROUND AND POINTED BASE POTTERY TYPE L Plate XVI

Although these jars are of many different forms, they fall into one class
inasmvich as all their bases are rounded or slightly pointed. Nos. 1-5 are very
similar, and of these three come from graves, whereas Nos. 3 and 4, which are
obviously of the same date, were found in the debris in the vicinity of the ceme-
tery. These five jars are wheel-made and thin for their size. They are light
red in color, but Nos. 2-4 are coated with a thin whitish sHp through which the
color of the pottery shows in places. The ware is good and on the whole well
made, though all the examples show striated surt'aces with traces of drag here
and there.

Nos. 6-10 are very small jars, thick for their size, of light-red ware and
wheel-made. No. 8 alone comes from a grave; the remainder were found ly-
ing in the neighborhood of the graves. No. 10 is most interesting, as well as
being the best finished vessel of the group. Jar 1 1 was found in burial 31. It is
of light-red ware with a slightly irregular surface coated with a thin cream slip.

POTTERY

3.<

Nos. 1 2- 1 8 are somewhat similar to type E without a base. They all come
from recorded graves, except Nos. 14, 15, and 17, but they had no definite
position in those graves. Not one of these examples is coated with a slip, and
their surfaces are rough and striated, especially No. 18, whose lower portion is
marked by shallow finger-grooves.

Both Nos. 14 and 15 are hand-made. They were found together, but re-
moved by the digger before their exact levels were recorded. Of the ornamented
examples, Nos. 13 and 19, the former comes from burial 14, and is of unusual
pattern, its rim and shoulder being decorated with five lines scored with a point.
No. 19 comes from burial ii; unfortunately its rim is missing. It is light red
in color, and has been twisted in firing. The shoulder is incised with a num-
ber of fine lines in grovxps of three and four. Both these examples are slightly
pointed at the base.

CUPS WITH HOLED BASES TYPE M Plate XVI

The jars numbered ao to 25 inclusive are of a very tmusual pattern. Nos.
22-25 come from burial 2; each has a small hole at the edge of body and base,
which was bored with a stick when the clay was still wet. The holes range from
5 to 10 mm in diameter. This ware is rough, dragged, and striated. No. 23,
from burial 18, is also roughly made. The hole near its base is 2}-^ mm in dia-
meter. Jars 20 and 21 are of the same type as the foregoing, but have no drain-
age holes. It is difficult to understand the exact piarpose of these jars. They
may possibly have served as strainers, being filled with some porous material
through which the liquid was filtered. The fact that all the drainage holes
were placed between the junction of the base and body is curious. It should
be noted that the rounded bases of all these vessels would permit of their being
placed in the necks of larger jars.

NARROW-MOUTHED WARE TYPE N Plate XVI

This type of jar differs considerably in form as well as in finish from the
rest of the pottery found in the "A" cemetery. Of the six specimens found,
only two were in graves, the remainder being scattered about at the eastern
end of the cemetery at various levels. No. 26 is of thick, heavy, red ware, the
surface of which at one time had been so carefully smoothed that it was almost
polished. Unfortunately, it was too badly broken and weathered to be worth
keeping. No. 27 came from burial 4, and is of a light-red ware and rather softly
baked. No. 28, from burial 5, is light red, and thick and heavy for its size. Its
surface also is very smoothly finished.

No. 29 is light yellow with an exceptionally smooth surface, almost polished
in places, though it shows slight wheel-striations here and there. It closely re-
sembles No. 30 which is red and coated with a red slip which was polished.
This polishing appears to have been done with a smooth insti-ument, possibly
a piece of bone, after the jar had been removed from the wheel. The markings
resulting from the polishing are irregular and in short strokes of various widths.
The coloring-matter appears to be haematite.

36 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

No. 31 is of slightly different form. It is straw-colored, and even now
looks almost new. It is wheel -made, with a very smooth face marked only
here and there with fine striations.

In Nos. 28-30, we have a most interesting series, which is dated to the
period of the "A" cemetery by the finding of No. 28 in btirial 5. These jars,
though heavy for their size, are exceptionally well finished, and there is no
doubt that examples Nos. 26, 27, and 31 belong to the same period, because
they also are so well finished. It is impossible to say for what these jars were
intended. From the narrowness of their necks it is probable that they held a
powder or some other easily-extracted substance. As they are comparatively
rare, it is possible that they were imported; in that case their apparently use-
less weight would certainly protect them from breakage in the event of their
having to travel a long distance.

SIMPLE DISHES TYPE O Plate XVI

The pottery dishes shown at the base of this plate are not particularly
common in the burials,^ though they were found in embaiTassing quantities on
the site itself and in other parts of Kish. They appear to have been the most
common form of pottery used, and evidently served to hold food. They vary
very little, though some are better made than others; all have a very rough
base with characteristic wheel-scoring. The color of the clay varies from light
yellow to dark red, according to the degree to which they were fired.

The table given below shows the number of pieces of pottery of the given
types that were placed in each grave. Graves i, 18, and 23, it will be seen,
each contained two jars of the handled type, one large and the other small.
Why it was thought necessary to put two of these jars in a grave, it is diffi-
cult to imderstand, though it is possible that each grave contained the burial
of a small child as well as that of an adult. ^ In practically every case, both a
handled jar and a brazier were found. Wherever only one or the other was
found, that is, in burials 1,8, and 16, the bones had been disturbed, and it is
possible that the brazier in the first case and the handled jars in the second
and third were removed anciently.

Next to types A and B, type C is that most frequently found. It has oc-
curred in varying nimibers in twenty-one burials. In seventeen graves, how-
ever, not a single example was found. Type C is closely followed by type K
which was found in twenty-one graves. The largest number of jars of this type
found in one grave was 3, but they nearly always occur singly or, more rarely,
in pairs. Type O was only found in eleven graves, no less than four examples
coming from each of burials 3 and 32 and three from burial 27. It is curious
that a cvip of so simple a form should be comparatively rarely placed in the
graves, whereas it is frequently found outside them.

' They were found in graves 3, 7, 11, 13, 16, 21, 13, 27, 31, 32, and 36.

2 Unless the body of an infant was placed in an urn, it is practically impossible to find traces of its bones
owing to their extreme fragility.

J.

'

_J_..

1

i "

TABULATION OF POTTERY TYPES

Asterisk denotes disturbed burial

Number of
Grave

Sex

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H 1 J

K

L

M

N

0

* I

?

2

2

2

2

• 2

M.

I

1

4

I

I

3

*3

C.

I

I

4

*4

F.

I

I

2

I

5

M.

I

I

5

I

I

I

• 6

?

I

I

I

7

?

2

I

8

F.

I

9

F.

I

I

2

I

lO

C.

♦ii

M.

2

I

2

2

I

12

F.

I

I

I

I

I

3

13

F.

I

I

2

I

I

*i4

M.

I

I

2

I

2

15

F.

I

I

I

I

♦i6

M.andF.

I

3

I

I

17

?

I

i8

C.

2

I

I

19

F.

I

I

I

20

M.

I

I

2

2

21

F.

I

I

I

I

2

I

*22

?

23

F.

2

I

I

3

I

*24

F.

2

I

2

I

25

F.

2

26

?

2

27

F.

I

I

3

28

M.

2

2

I

•29

?

I

I

2

I

I

30

F.

I

I

I

31

?

I

I

32

F.

I

I

2

I

I

4

33

M.

I

I

I

I

*34

M.andF.

I

I

3

I

35

?

36

C.

I

I

2

*37

?

*38

?

I

POTTERY

31

The hand-made jar (type J) is the most uncommon. Only one specimen
has as yet been discovered in a grave (burial ;^2)- As examples of this type
of jar, all of which are illustrated in the plate, have been found outside the
graves, it is possible that this particular specimen was accidentally included in
the filling of the grave, though it certainly' appeared to belong to the burial.

Two rare types (M and N) have each occurred in two graves. They
were probably used for some special purpose, hence the infrequency of their
occurrence.

III. TOOLS AND WEAPONS

The copper weapons foimd in the "A" cemetery are mostly rather fragile.
In many cases they were beaten out of thin sheet metal, and it seems likely
that some were manufactvired expressly for funeral equipment, as they are
much too thin for actual use. Daggers and knives are a common feature in
the cemetery. All the daggers are provided with short tangs, to which handles
were fastened by from one to three rivets. It would seem that the majority
of these handles were of wood or some other perishable material, as only four
have been fovmd, one silver, one wood, and the third calcite (Plate XVII, Nos.
9, 12, 1 6).^ Some of the handles were fastened on with bitumen without the
aid of rivets (Plates XVII, No. lo; XVIII, Nos. 1-3, 5, 6, 8), and this substance
was also used to secure the blade more firmly in the handle in many of the
ri vetted specimens. As in many cases fragments of fine matting were found
adhering to the blades, it apears that the weapons were carefully wrapped up
before being placed in the grave. These fragments were preserved only because
they were impregnated with copper salts and therefore resisted decay. It is
possible that they may once have formed part of the sheath of the weapon.
But whether this were so or not, it is certain that the matting aroimd the weap-
ons was not part of the matting in which some of the bodies appear to have
been wrapped.

BATTLE-AXES Plates III and XVII

The two battle-axes numbered i and 4 in Plate XVII came from graves
ao and 2. A similar axe to No. 4 was found in burial 16, but it was too much
damaged to be dravm. No. i is made from sheet copper (see also Plate III,
No. 3). It was first cut to shape, and then the upper portion was bent over to
form a socket for a handle. The end of the loop forming this socket was mere-
ly bent against the top of the blade and is still free. Doubtless it was formerly
tied down to the blade and handle by a thong. Some rush-like material was
foimd adhering inside the socket, which must have been employed as pack-
ing between metal and wood. The striking end of the weapon has a curved edge.
Though the axe is so small, it was doubtless a very effective weapon. The
metal from which it is cut is 3 mm thick.

No. 4 was found in pieces, but it was possible to restore it sufficiently to
draw it (see also Plate III, No. 3). It was cut from sheet metal about 2 mm
thick. This weapon could hardly have been intended for actual use, as even
the slightest blow would double it up. As in No. i, the loop for the handle is
formed by bending over the upper end of the blade. In its present corroded
state, it is not possible to determine whether any attempt was made to weld
or solder the turned-over end. The weapon will have to be suitably treated to
remove the thick patina before this point can be settled. The striking portion

' The design on the handle of No. i6 is illustrated in Plate XVIII, No. 4.

TOOLS AND WEAPONS 39

has been beaten to an edge. An axe exactly similar to this one was found in
burial 16, but it is in very bad condition.

The position of the axe could be recorded only in burial 20, as this grave
alone was undisturbed. It was found with a copper dagger vinder the pelvis
of the skeleton, which suggests that the weapons were carried in a belt.^ The
weapon numbered 8 in the plate came from bvirial 34, which was disturbed
anciently. Like the other weapons, it was cut from sheet metal, which was
in this case i mm thick. It is crescent-shaped with a projecting tang in the
middle and at either end. This blade was originally backed with wood, which
projected to form a long handle. It exactly resembles the axe held in the left
hand of the Sumerian king in an inlaid plaque, which was foimd at a lower
level (Plate III, No. 7). On comparing the two, it will be seen that the blade
was lashed to the handle in three places.^

The curious implements shown in Plate XVII (Nos. 2, 3, 5, and 6) were
found in burials 2 and 16. Their purpose is difficult to explain. Nos. 2 and 3
were found together, and evidently form a pair. They were in a disturbed
grave, from which all the bones had disappeared except those of the feet, close
to which they were lying together with other objects; but whether this was
their original position it is impossible to say. Each is cut from a fiat piece of
copper. In neither is there any trace of an edge (see also Plate III, No. i),
Nos. 5 and 6, found in grave 16, are not quite so ctirved (see also Plate III,
No. 2). This burial also was disturbed, the bones of two, if not three, bodies
being mingled together in great confusion.^ The articles in question were found
near one of the skulls, and No. 6 was wrapped round the mouth of a jar in
such a way that it must have been in a soft or springy state when placed in
the grave, so that it was bent by the pressure of the earth.

It will be seen that both have blimtly pointed ends and taper gradually to
what must have been the handle. This end is roughly notched as if to take the
thong which fastened on the handle. There is no trace of an edge and, like
Nos. 2 and 3, these two examples were cut from a flat piece of beaten copper,
2 mm thick. These four copper implements resemble sickle-blades in shape.
If used for this purpose, they must have been backed by long pieces of bone
or wood. But the absence of any edge, or even teeth, I think, removes this
possibility, especially when coupled with the fact that sickles in pairs would
hardly have been placed in graves. The two burials from which they came also
contained battle-axes, showing that their occupants were of the male sex,
though it is possible that in the double burial 16 the second occupant may have
been a woman and that these copper implements were her property. Burial 2,
however, proves that objects of this nature were also btiried with men.*

1 For the dagger, see Plate XVII, No. 1 1 .

2 A very similar weapon, but thicker and made of cast metal was used in Egypt in the twelfth dynasty.
The specimen from Kish is of very primitive make. See also Plate III, No. 6.

' No evidence as to the sex of the bodies found in grave i6 could be obtained owing to the broken con-
dition of the bones.

* There is a certain resemblance between these objects and an implement carried by a man on a piece of
shell carving in the Louvre, which would imply that we have here some form of battle-axe. If this be so, each
blade would have required a very heavy backing which would not have permitted much of the edge to project.
See the Louvre Catalogue, p. 389, and Handcock, Mesopotamian Archae^ilogy, p. 310, Fig. 78.

40 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

These objects also remotely resemble a curious wand held in the right hand
of a female figure carved in mother-of-pearl, which formed part of a series of
inlaid figures found in the same mound as the graves, but at a lower level. It
is possible that these objects were used in dancing. A third suggestion is that,
like the strigil of the Romans, they were used to scrape the body. They are
well adapted by their shape for this piirpose.

DAGGERS AND KNIVES Plates II, III, XVII-XVIII

The finest dagger foimd in the cemetery, though not the best preserved, is
illustrated in Plate XVII, No. 9. In this weapon we have the very unusual
feattire of a slightly-curved blade. The handle is of wood covered over with a
thin plate of silver which is folded roiond it and joined down the side. Three
copper rivets fasten the handle to the tang. It is probable that a boss once
finished off the handle, and that, as no trace of it was foimd, it was made of
wood. The blade and tang are together 210 mm long; the blade alone measures
145 mm. Owing to extreme corrosion, it has not yet been foimd possible to
measure the thickness of the metal accurately, but in its thickest part it ap-
pears to be about 3 mm. This dagger was fotmd in burial 16, in which there
was more than one skeleton; but, as the grave had been distixrbed, its exact
position with regard to the body could not be ascertained. This weapon .shows
a high level of craftsmanship (see also Plate III, No. 4).

No. 10 was cut from a fiat piece of copper. There are no signs of rivets,
but the fiat tang was fixed in the missing handle with bitumen (see also Plate
III, No. 6, second weapon down). The metal is in an excellent state of preser-
vation, but is very thin, averaging only i mm in thickness. It comes from
burial 34, which was in a badly disturbed state. No. 1 1 is also cut from sheet
metal, 3 mm thick, and is in fair condition. It has a short tang with rounded
top which was fastened to the handle by means of a single rivet. This object
was found lying under the pelvis in burial 20 in company with the axe illus-
trated in the same plate (No. i).

No. 12 is more substantially made. It is 3.5 mm thick in the middle and
gradually thins out toward its edges. As it has been shaped by hammering, it
is in a good state of preservation. The remains of a wooden handle were
foimd adhering to its three rivets. It comes from burial 14, but its exact posi-
tion could not be determined, as the grave had been disturbed.

No. 13 was fotind in burial 28 close to the pelvis. It is in excellent con-
dition, and is 2.5 mm thick in the middle. To give additional strength, there
is a vein 2 mm wide down the middle of either side of the blade. This is the
only specimen from the cemetery which has this feature. The handle could not
be found, but it was originally fastened to the tang by two rivets (see also Plate
III, No. 5).

No. 14 is well preserved. It was lying on the pelvis in burial 23- Its thick-
ness in the middle is 2.5 mm. The tang shows traces of the bitumen, which
was used to fasten on the handle in addition to the two rivets. In No. 15 the

TOOLS AND WEAPONS 4 1

blade is thickened down the middle for additional strength. It is 3.5 mm thick
in this region. It comes from a disturbed burial (No. 14) and, moreover, was
found broken. The vipper part of the tang is missing; it probably held a second
rivet.

In burial 4 there were no bones, but a dagger (No. 16) was found beneath
a group of badly broken pottery. The weapon is just over i mm thick, and
was cut from sheet copper. The top of the tang is missing, and may have
had another rivet. What appears to have been the handle was found in close
vicinity, — a short piece of calcite which at first sight resembles a cylinder seal.
Owing to the action of salt, this handle has cracked and become irregular in
shape. The design on the handle was a simple one of incised lines in parallel
groups of three, crossing one another to form a series of lozenges (Plate XVIII,
No. 4). No. 7 in Plate XVII comes from burial 7, where it was found just in
front of the face. It seems to be a small knife or razor. The top of the blade
is missing. As the blade and tang together are only 40 mm long, it is possible
that this article was once contained in a toilet-case similar to those shown in
Plate XVIII, Nos. 22 and 23.

No. I in Plate XVIII is a dagger of thin metal, less than 2 mm thick.
It does not appear to have been rivetted to the handle; but this is not certain,
as the upper part of the tang is missing. There are traces of bitumen adhering
to the tang. This weapon was found close to the knees in burial 8. In Nos. 2,
3,5, and 6 we have a different type of article that resembles a knife rather than
a dagger. They are peculiar in that they possess long, thin tangs which were
inserted into handles without rivetting. Their size precludes them from being
weapons of offence or defence and places them in the category of household
articles. In some respects they resemble spear-heads, but their extreme thin-
ness would have made them useless for this purpose.

No. 2 was found in burial 5 beneath a jar in front of the face. There is a
roimd tang, and the blade is but a little o ver i mm thick. It was beaten out
of a piece of copper wire, of which the tang represents the original dia meter.
It has been badly bent through pressure. No. 3 was found close to and behind
the head in burial 23. From the objects found in this grave it seems to have
been that of a woman. The knife blade is beaten from wire of the diameter
of the tang (see also Plate II, No. 16). No. 5 comes from burial 34, but its
position could not be ascertained. The blade is .5 mm thick (see Plate III,
No. 6, third weapon from the top). No. 6 was found in perfect condition
beneath a group of pottery in biorial 4. It is well made, but thin for its size,
being not over i mm thick (Plate II, No. 13).

RAZORS (?) AND ADZES Plate XVIII

The objects shown in Plate XVIII (Nos. 7-13) all have a cutting edge
at one end, the other end being either turned over at right angles or neatly
rounded off. They were probably used as razors or to cut skins or clothing.
No. 7 is a thin, flat blade, 2 ram thick at the top, flat in section, and tapering

42 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

gently to a cutting edge which shows signs of much use. It came from burial
23, and was lying close to the pelvis of the skeleton (Plate II, No. 21).

No. 8 is 2.5 mm thick with an edge at its wider end. From its thickness,
coupled with the fact that its upper end is slightly notched, it is possible that
this object is an adze-blade. It is well made and shaped, but has been an-
ciently broken at one comer of the edge. It was found just behind the head in
burial 33 (see also Plate II, No. 19). Nos. 9 and 10 are of the same type. The
former was found in burial 5 lying with other copper objects under some pot-
tery in front of the face. It is made from a piece of thick, flat wire, which
was hammered into shape, leaving a slight ridge down the middle. There is a
fine edge at its broader end, and the upper portion has been turned over at
right angles. The thickness in the middle of the blade averages 2 mm (see
also Plate II, No. 20). No. 10 was found with a knife close to and in front of
the right knee of the body in burial 8.

No. 1 1 is flat in section and 5 mm thick at its upper end. The edge is
chisel-shaped, but the butt shows no signs of having been hammered. This
again is probably an adze-blade. It was found on the eastern side of the "A"
cemetery about one metre below the surface of the ground (see also Plate II,
No. 18). No. 12, from burial 4, was foxind under a group of jars. It is almost
rectangular, of thin metal, only just over i mm thick, and has a flat tang 16
mm wide. The edge is at the bottom, and is unfortunately badly broken. No.
13 was not found in a bvirial, but lay beneath a wall provisionally dated to the
period of Dungi. It averages 2.5 mm in thickness, and has the usual cutting
edge.*

CHISELS Plate XVIII

The three chisels numbered 13a, 14, and 15 are well made, in fact Nos.
13a and 15 still look quite serviceable. No. 13a was found in burial 5 under a
jar in front of the face. No. 14 was recovered from just below the surface of
the ground on the east side of the moimd; No. 15 from burial 19, where it
was lying close to the right hand of the skeleton. No. 13a is 142 mm long
and 4 mm square. Nos. 14 and 15 are respectively 10 x 7 mm and 9x4 mm
in cross section.

SAW OR SICKLE BLADE Plate XVIII

The object numbered 16 is most interesting and might be either a saw
or a portion of a sickle-blade. It is a thin blade, only 1.5 mm thick, the lower
end of which looks as if it had been anciently broken away ; but until the patina
has been removed it is impossible to determine whether this is actually so.
One edge of the blade is irregtalarly serrated. The teeth which average i mm
in length were cut with a sharp instrument. Though found lying by itself in
rough debris near a group of graves, this implement has been included in this
report, because it is possible that it came from a disturbed grave.

' This tool is, of course, of earlier date than the time of Dungi.

IV. HOUSEHOLD AND TOILET ARTICLES

SPINDLES Plate XVIII

The spindle numbered 17 in this plate is the only one that has been found
in the "A" cemetery up to the present. It lay in front of and at some distance
from the face of burial 21. The metal portion is a copper rod, now 123 mm long
and 3 mm in diameter. Unfortunately, the top of the rod is corroded away.
The lower end is square in section immediately below the whorl, and teiTni-
nates in a simple hook. The whorl is hemispherical in shape and made of a
porous, white paste which was formerly glazed. It still shows a faint green tint
which may once have been blue. It is 25.5 mm in diameter and 11 mm deep
(see also Plate III, No. 5). The two whorls numbered 18 and 19 in the same
plate must have come from similar spindles. They were found just below
the surface of the south slope of the cemetery mound, and had possibly been
washed out of neighboring burials.

No. 18 is made of shell, and is cone-shaped. It is 20 mm in diameter at
the base and 14 mm high, and is ornamented with four triangles incised in
the shell. A small piece of lapis lazvili was formerly inset in a small round
depression in the centre of each triangle. No. 19 is very similar to No. 18,
and measures 22 mm in diameter and 9 mm in height. It also is made of
shell, but is not so well preserved; it is somewhat powdery owing to the action
of salt. The design upon it consists of three triangles, the spaces between
which ai-e halved across, and in the middle of each triangle a depression re-
mains in which lapis lazuli was once inlaid. Both these whorls were cut from
the apex of a shell; their bases show the arrangement of its convolutions.'

The objects numbered 20 and 21 come from grave 34, which was pillaged
anciently; its contents were in great confusion. No. 21 is a fragment of a handle
made of glazed pottery, formerly blue in color, but now light green. It
is possible that it belonged to the knife numbered 5 in the same plate. The
long handle (No. 21), however, does not fit any of the copper objects found in
grave 34. It is now 127 mm long by 19 mm in diameter at its widest part and
14 mm at its narrowest. It is made of a porous, white paste. The color of the
glaze has long since disappeared, but there is a slight trace of green here and
there. A shallow spiral groove 5 mm wide has been cut in the paste to take
a black substance resembling bitumen, which was smoothed off flush with the
surface. This latter must have been run in after the glazing was done, as its
melting-point is very much lower. A small hole was pierced at 78 mm from
the rounded top of the handle, presumably for a cord. The handle is entirely
hand-made, and is slightly irregular in shape (see also Plate III, No. 6). An
exactly similar handle was found in minute pieces in the same grave.

' A similar whorl to these two was found in burial 23, but in too bad a state to be drawn. It was 19.5
mm in diameter and 10 mm in height. No trace of its spindle could be found.

43

44 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

TOILET CASES Plate III, No. 6; Plate XVIII, Nos. 22 and 23

Nos. 22 and 23 are toilet sets which both came from grave 34. The second
and better preserved specimen is a cone-shaped case made of sheet copper with
the edges slightly overlapped. It measures 15 mm in diameter at the open
mouth and is 72 mm long. The point of the case is ornamented by a thin
band of silver 3 mm wide, and a similar band seems to have ornamented the
top of the case 8 mm from the edge, as the impression of it still remains, and
there is a small rivet hole on either side. The case contains three small copper
insti-uments on a copper ring. But, owing to corrosion, they have stuck to
each other and to the case, and proper treatment will be necessary before they
can be removed for examination. No. 22 is not at all well preserved, and the
point of the case is missing. It is made in exactly the same way as No. 23,
but has no silver bands.

A third toilet-case was fomid in grave 16, but so badly broken that it
covild not be drawn. It was possible, however, to examine its contents, which
were fotmd to be two small, pointed rods and a thin, blade-like piece of metal.
It is difficult to avoid concluding that even in those far-off days the belles of
Sumer manicured their hands.

HAIR ORNAMENTS Plate XIX

The number of hair-pins worn by the Sumerian women of the period of the
"A" cemetery varied between one and three. In graves 8, 9, 13, 16, 21, 23, and
24, two were foimd; and from each of graves 12 and 15 no less than three
were taken. The number of these pins that were worn, in conjunction with
their very considerable weight, would indicate that the coiffure of the period
was elaborate. It perhaps resembled that of the women of the Far East at
the present day. Only the pins with coiled heads (Plate XIX, Nos. 5-8) were
found in male as well as in female biuials (graves 4, 14, 31, and 23) < ^^^ it is
probable that this type of pin was used as a tool rather than as a hair-pin.
One pin of this type, however, came from grave 15, which also contained pins
that were obviously intended for the hair. It would seem that hair-pins were
worn as such only by women.

The four pins (Nos. 1-4 in Plate XIX) are made of copper. They are
flattened in the middle, and the top is bent over at right angles. They
appear to be hair ornaments, for they were all found close to the head. No. 2,
however, is of some weight and length, and must have been a cumbersome
object to wear in the hair. The flattened central portion of the pin was pos-
sibly contrived to prevent the pin from twisting round in the hair. This por-
tion is ornamented in two of the pins, and when the remainder of the pins
have been properly cleaned, it is possible that they also will be found to be simi-
larly ornamented. In Nos. 3 and 4 a small hole was bored through this por-
tion of the pin. There is a similar hole in most of the other types of pins, in-
tended, it wovild seem, to take a small metal ring, as shown in the broken pin
numbered 26. This ring, however, seems to have been easily lost, as only the

HOUSEHOLD AND TOILET ARTICLES 45

one example has been found. It was probably intended that a strand of hair
should be passed through the ring to prevent the pin from slipping from the
head. In all, seven pins of this type were found in the "A" cemetery.

No. I was fotind with No. 14 lying in front of the neck in burial 12. It is
1 80 mm long. The curved head was ornamented with a disk-shaped came-
lian bead, the tip of the pin being filed to receive the head and burred over
slightly to hold it in place. There is a simple design incised on the flattened
portion of the pin (see also Plate II, No. 10).

No. 2 is by far the biggest specimen fotuid so far; it is 267 mm long. Its
head is hemispherical and made of white paste with fluted sides (probably at
one time glazed). A thin silver plate partially covers the top of the head, and
the whole effect is that of a conventional flower. The pin itself is square in
section immediately behind its head, then flattens out lozenge-shape in the
middle, below which it rounds off toward the point. The design, if any, on
the flattened portion is until treatment entirely concealed by patina. This
pin was found in burial 23 lying close to and at the back of the head.

No. 3 lay in front of the face in burial 9. It measures 184 mm in length.
It is of the same shape as the other pins, except that it has a more pronounced
bend at the top, which may, however, be accidental. There is an incised design
on one side of the middle portion. The bead is missing from the head of the
pin; and, as it could not be found, it is to be surmised that it was of wood and
has decayed (see also Plate II, No. 12). A very similar pin to this one was
found in grave 15.

No. 4 has no point. The head is ornamented with a lapis-lazuli bead cap-
ped by a thin, dome-shaped piece of silver. It was taken from burial 16; but,
owing to the disturbed condition of the grave, its exact position could not be
noted. A very similar type of pin to No. 3 was found in burial 27. It was
unfortvmately removed by a digger before its exact position could be recorded.
It measured 132 mm in length, and the head was ornamented with a large,
white bead which criunbled to powder directly it was lifted. The middle por-
tion appears to have a pattern incised upon it, but it is at present hidden by
the patina. Grave 34 also contained a pin of this type, but in fragments
owing to the burial having been disturbed. It appears to have been cut out
of a piece of sheet metal, and a rovind paste bead was found in a powdery
condition close to its tip.

PINS WITH COILED HEADS Plates IV and XIX

A very simple form of hair ornament was made by slightly flattening
one end of a copper rod and coiling it to form a head. Only six specimens of
this type have been found, four of which are shown as Nos. 5, 6, 7 and 8 in
Plate XIX. Not one of these pins is perforated with the hole so common in
the other types, but perhaps no ring was needed owing to the small size of the
pin. The position of the two first specimens illustrated could not be noted, as
they were found in graves in which but few vestiges of bones remained. The

46 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KTSH

third was lying close to and in front of the pelvis, where it may have fallen
when the body was placed in the grave. The fourth lay in front of the head.

No. 5 was taken from grave 4. It is 93 mm long, and was made from a
copper rod 3.5 mm in diameter. The head of this pin is ver^' slightly coiled
so that it forms a small eye. No. 6 from burial 14 is 145 mm long and 6 mm
in diameter. Its head has been but slightly flattened, but it is tightly coiled.
Two pins of this type were foxuid in this grave. No. 7, fovind in gi-ave 31, is
100 mm long. Its flattened head is rolled over several times to form a whorl
(see also Plate IV, No. 7). No. 8, from burial 15, is made from copper wire
4.5 mm in diameter. The head has been beaten into ribbon form and twisted
up into a large tight coil (see also Plate IV, No. 8). A pin of this type from
grave 23 measures 147. 5 mm in length by 6.5 mm in diameter at the thickest
part. Its upper end is slightly flattened and rolled over once. The pins in
graves 14 and 23 were both found in what are presumed to have been male
burials. They may not, therefore, have been intended for use as hair-pins, but
rather as some kind of borer. It must, however, be admitted that the pin in
grave 23 ^^Y behind the head. The position of the pin in burial 14 vmfortu-
nately could not be determined owing to the bones being disturbed. Service-
able daggers were found in both these graves, which could hardly have belonged
to the funeral equipment of a woman.

ANIMAL-HEADED PINS Plates II, IV and XIX

The four pins illustrated by Nos. 12, 13, and 14 are the only ones that
were found of their type. Nos. 13 and 14 appear to have been cast, and the
design, as far as can be seen until the incrustation has been removed, is a bull's-
head. No. 12 is 113 mm long, and the shank is 4.5 mm in diameter just below
the head. The latter is formed by first flattening out the rod and then fretting
out the horns and ears of an ox from the flattened portion. A rough semblance
of the actual head of the animal was ingeniously contrived by bending a strip
of metal over between the honas. This pin was found in btorial 13 lying in
front of the face together vidth a pin identical with No. 27 (see also Plates
II, No. 14, and IV, No. 15). No. 13 was discovered in a building some dis-
tance from the cemetery, but it has been included for the sake of comparison.
The face appears to be human, but, as it is very incrustated with patina, it
will have to be cleaned before this point can be determined. No. 14, from
burial 12, was found in front of the neck of the body. It is 200 mm long, with
a round shaft tapering to a point. The head appears to be that of an ox with
short, curved honis, but this again can only be decided after the removal of the
crust that covers it (see also Plate IV, No. 14). A similar pin to No. 13, found
in burial 25, was in too corroded a condition to be drawn (Plate IV, No. 13).

SIMPLE HAIR-PINS Plate XIX

The commonest form of pin is a straight rod tapering gently to a point
with either a plain, rounded head or topped with a bead of lapis lazuli or
glazed paste. The majority of the simpler hair-pins are round in section.

HOUSEHOLD AND TOILET ARTICLES 47

Some, however, are either square (Plate XIX, No. i6), from graves 12 and
15; hexagonal (No. 20), from graves 9 and 32, or octagonal (No. 28), in section
below the head, gradually becoming round toward the point, from graves 23
and 24. No. 20 is of a simple type with a plain, slightly flattened head. It is
190 mm long by 9.5 mm in diameter at its upper end, which is hexagonal in
section. The pin gradually becomes round as it approaches the point. It was
found lying across the neck of the body in grave 32 (see also Plate IV, No. i).
No. 21, whose upper portion is square in section, came from a grave which had
been disturbed in ancient times.

No. 22 was found together with No. 5, lying vmder some small jars in
grave 4. It is long and narrow, 3.5 mm in diameter below the head, which is
a slight knob or boss measuring 5 mm in diameter. No. 23 came from the
temple site beside the ziggurat at Tell Ahaimir. It has been included here, as
it is obviously of the same type as the others figured. It was probably brought
to the site in the earth which was used to fill the foundations of the later
temple. No. 25 lay close to the head of the occupant of grave 18. It is 108
mm long and 4 mm in diameter. The head resembles that of a nail, and is 10
mm in diameter (see also Plate IV, No. 3).

The ringed pin (No. 26) was discovered one metre below the surface
on the north side of the cemetery. A copper wire was passed through a hole
16 mm from the top of the pin, and its ends coiled on one another to make
the ring. Unfortvmately, the point of the pin is missing (see also Plate IV,
No. 4). Pins with plain tops are not so frequently found as are those which
have, or had, a head made of stone or some other material. As the heads of
many pins of the latter tj'-pe are now missing, it must be concluded either
that they were missing when the pins were placed in the grave or that they
were made of some material that readily decayed. This last supposition is the
more probable. It wovUd account for so many pins now being headless, though
the point on which the head was fixed still remains. Nos. 16-19 and 24 all
had bead -like heads. The last three came from graves; the first two, from the
eastern slopes of the cemetery. No. 16 is square in section at the top, and
gi'a dually roimds off toward the point.

No. 17 has a square projection to take the head, but is otherwise roimd
in section. No. 19 lay on the shoulder of burial 5. No. 15 lay together with No.
24 in front of the neck in burial 8. A small lapis-lazuli bead is fitted upon the
top of the pin which was thinned to receive it. No. 21 measures 221 mm in
length. Its upper portion is square in section, and the hole for the ring is
bored through this portion of it. This pin was picked up on the surface of
the cemetery mound. The fine specimen numbered 27 is in excellent condition,
and measures 230 mm in length and 9.5 mm in diameter below the head. The
round lapis-lazuli bead which forms the head is 13 mm in diameter. It lay
close to the pelvis of burial 21 (see also Plate IV, No. 9).

No. 28 is a small pin from the pillaged burial 34. It is 151 mm long by
6.5 mm in diameter just below the head. The upper portion is octagonal in

40 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

section. The head is of lapis lazuli and somewhat out of shape. It was firmly
fastened on by buning over the top of the thinned-out portion on which it was
fixed (see also Plate IV, No. lo). A pin which lay some distance from the head
in burial 21 was so cracked and swollen by corrosion that it could not be
drawn. It measured 233 mm in length, and was surmovmted by a round bead
of lapis lazuli 1 6 mm in diameter. The bead is capped above and below by thin
dome-shaped pieces of silver which leave but little of the bead to be seen (Plate
IV, No. 11). A copper pin from burial 19 was round in section tapering to a
point. Its head, 9 mm in diameter, was black in color and might once have
been glazed. Its composition is unknown. This head was fastened to the pin
by means of a small point on the top of the latter, bitumen being used as an
adhesive. A beautiful pin, found in grave 9 close to the pelvis of the body, is
217 mm long by 9 mm in width at its head. It is hexagonal at the top, and
gradually becomes rounded as it narrows down. Its six sides are not equal in
width, two being 6 mm wide and the remaining four averaging 4.5 mm. The
head of the pin was of calcite or paste, and was sectired to the metal by bitu-
men, but it was foimd in a powdered condition (Plate IV, No. 12).

NEEDLES AND BODKINS Plate XIX

Of the needles or bodkins ilkistrated in Plate XIX (Nos. 10 and 11), No. 10
does not come from a recorded grave. There is, however, every reason to
siippose that it has been washed out of a grave that formerly existed on the
side of the cemetery mound. It is 1 50 mm long. The top has been slightly
flattened and perforated to form an eye. The metal around the eye has been
slightly grooved lengthways, as in modem needles, to facilitate threading. No. 1 1
from biuial 4 is 192 mm long and 2.5 mm in diameter. This is of a more
primitive type than No. 10, as its top has simply been bent over for 11 mm to
form a rough eye 7 mm in length. These needles were probably used for
leather work. Their points are not very sharp, and on this accoimt a hole
would have to be bored first before the needle could be inserted.

METAL BOWLS AND DISHES Plate XX

Metal bowls and dishes are fairly frequently found in the "A" cemetery,
showing that this type of utensil was well loiown and in common use in the
period to which the graves belong. As will be seen, these bowls and dishes
are simple in form and of somewhat primitive make. Their usual position
in the grave was either just in front of the face or immediately behind the
head. In grave 21, however, where no less than three bowls were found, one was
placed near the feet. In burial 15, the one metal dish was laid close to and in
front of the pelvis. Usually, more than one metal dish was placed in a grave;
there were two in burial 11, three in burial 21, and four in grave 34. The
large number in this last grave is accounted for by the fact that it held more
than one body. Three of the metal dishes had handles, as shown in Plate XX ;
another dish fovmd in burial 23 probably once possessed a handle, as did

HOUSEHOLD AND TOILET ARTICLES 49

No. 12 also. In two burials (Nos. 21 and 23), the right hand rested on a copper
dish supported on the left hand, as if to suggest that these dishes were greatly
valixed. Copper, as is well known, is not a suitable metal for food utensils,
as it is readily attacked by acids. This must have been recognized even in
early times, and for this reason it is supposed that these bowls and dishes were
intended solely for drinking.

Nos. I and 8 came from burial 1 1 which was disturbed, and both were
found broken. No. i is 116 mm in diameter at the rim and 63 mm in height.
No. 8 is a little smaller and deeper and has a fiat base. Both are well made
and carefvdly shaped. With these two dishes a piece of repousse copper
(No. 13) was found, whose shape suggests that it is part of the handle of a
dish which has disappeared.

Nos. 3, 7, and 9 are an interesting group from bvtrial 21. No. 3 was placed
immediately behind the head. It is 116 mm in diameter and 60 mm high; for-
merly round, it is now very much bent and twisted by the weight of the earth
upon it. No. 7 was near where the feet would have been, if londistiu-bed. Its
diameter is 112 mm, and it stands 27 mm high. The base is fiat and measures
48 mm across. This specimen was unfortunately broken, and fragments of it
are missing. No. 9 is of a more elaborate type. As it is bent, it could only be
measured approximately; it averages 143 mm in diameter and 40 mm in height.
The handle and bowl are of one piece of metal, the former being a plain strip
which is coiled over at the end. It was foiuid in front of the face with the
right hand resting upon it and the left hand tindemeath. It is well made,
but bent and cracked; small fragments are missing through corrosion.

Nos. 4, 5, and 6 come from bvirial 34. Altogether four copper vessels were
found in this grave, but the fourth was so badly broken that it could not be
drawn. It was of the same tj^pe as No. 3. The positions of these bowls could
not be recorded, as the grave had been anciently disturbed. No. 4 is 87 mm in
diameter and 49 mm high. It is in good condition with only a small piece
missing. This bowl was made from thicker metal than the others. No. 5 is a
good, simple shape, but in a very coiToded state; it measures 89 mm in diame-
ter and 36 mm in height. No. 10 is a rather shallow bowl, 93 mm in diameter
and 26 mm deep, with a protruding fiat base 46 mm in diameter. It is badly
broken. The handle is simple, fiat, and in one piece with the bowl. It is 14
mm wide near the bowl and 7 mm wide at the tip.

No. 6 was not found in a grave; it lay 250 cm below the surface of the
ground in the southern slope of the cemeter}^ It is 55 mm high and 97 mm in
diameter. It is in perfect condition, but it has been pressed into an oval shape
by the weight of earth above it. The ornamental, handled dish nvmibered 1 1 is
the only one of its kind to be found in the cemetery. It was lying on the
mouth of a jar just behind the head in biuial 24. Its base is, therefore, ex-
ceptionally well preserved, though the upper portion has been cracked and
distorted by uneven pressure. It measures 136 mm in diameter and 2^ ^'^^^
in height. The base is slightly convex, but this is possibly due to its having

50 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

been unsupported. The upper portion of the bowl is ornamented with shallow
fluting, whose convexity is inside and not outside, as in modem practice, show-
ing that it was worked from the outside. This dish is well made and shows an
advanced stage of craftsmanship.

No. 12 is unique in shape. It was taken from bxorial 2, which vinfortu-
nately had been badly disturbed anciently. Its dimensions are approximately
154 mm in length and 96 mm in width. The base and rim of the dish are
rectangular, and the base is practically flat. The sides slope quickly outward,
and the comers are rounded. There was at one time a flat handle at one end
of the dish, but this could not be found in the grave. Three other bowls were
foimd in different graves, which were in too dilapidated a state to be drawn.
The first, from grave 12, lay with some copper hair ornaments in front of the
neck. It was of the usual simple shape and very similar to No. 6. The second,
in grave 23, had a handle similar to that of No. 10. The third measured 102
mm in diameter and 50 mm in height; it was fotind in burial 15.

The small bowl numbered 2 is made of lead. It measures roughly 75 mm
in diameter at the rim and 52 mm in depth. Its base is flat and projects slightly
below the rest of the bowl. The metal is in an excellent state of preservation,
though it has been holed in several places anciently. It was found in grave 12
just behind the neck. A very similar lead bowl, but not in such a good condi-
tion, was foimd in burial 9, where it lay behind the head and beneath the cup-
shaped base of a jar. Owing to its being very much dented, this dish could not
be drawn. It would seem to have measured roughly 40 mm in height and 74
mm in diameter.

The use of lead for cups is somewhat surprising, as it would be thought that
this metal would not have stood even gentle usage. Yet the pure metal was
used, unmixed -mth any hardening alloy. This fact is proved by the ease with
which a lead cup which was found very much flattened was bent back to its
original shape. Both the lead bowls described above were thickly coated with
a yellow oxide, which readily scales off, showing the metal beneath.

The usual thickness of these metal bowls was from 1.5 mm to 2 mm at
the rim and 0.5 mm at the base. The thickness of the rim is the original thick-
ness of the sheet copper from which the bowl was made. It is usual, even at
the present day, to leave the rim of a hammered vessel as far as possible tin-
touched and to beat toward the centre of the plate, so that the rim shall have
as much substance as possible to stiffen it.

V. PERSONAL ORNAMENTS

JEWELLERY Plates IV and XX

The most noteworthy piece of jewellery found in the graves in the "A"
cemetery was a round piece of silver with a simple embossed design. Specimens
were found in five graves out of a total of thirty-eight excavated. This pro-
portion shows that this type of ornament was very frequently worn, especi-
ally as many of the graves must have contained male burials, and others had
been rifled. All these medallions, as will be seen from Plate IV, resemble one
another veiy closely. The Sumerian silversmith seems to have resembled his
colleagues of the present day in the Near East who, conservative to a degree,
limit themselves to a very few designs. Another possible reason for this want
of originality is that these objects may have been regarded as amulets. The
central motive of the design may possibly represent the sun with its rays.
The position in which this form of ornament was worn appears to have varied.
The position of four of the specimens was recorded ; the fifth example was found
in a disturbed grave (No. i6). Of the four, two were lying in front of the neck,
one close to the breast, and the fourth near the pelvis. We may, therefore,
infer that these bosses were generally worn on the breast and in some cases
at the waist.

The fact that these medallions were sewn to the clothing is proved by the
presence of a row of five or six holes on either side close to the edge. These holes
are all roughly pierced, and evidently made with a sharp point and not drilled.
From this fact it is evident that the ornament could not be accidentally dis-
placed in carrying the body to the grave or in placing it in position. It must,
therefore, have been worn in different positions according to the fancy of the
wearer. Only two of these pieces of jewellery were in a fair state of preservation.
Silver is attacked by salt more readily than copper, and some of the specimens
fell to pieces when being removed from the damp soil. Four were cut from very
thin silver plate, averaging i mm in thickness. The design is repousse from
the inside, and is made up of a central roimd boss surrounded by one or more
rings in relief. In two of the ornaments the spaces are filled in wdth radial
lines made from the outside with a chisel-edged ptmch. Owing to the thinness
of the metal, the edge was in some cases rolled over slightly to strengthen the
medallion. This was somewhat roughly done.

From the objects foimd in the graves with these medallions, we must
conclude that this form of ornament was worn by women only. One specimen
(Nos. 1 8 and 20 are two photographs of the same object) was found in a child's
grave (No. 10) in front of the neck. It is 43 mm in diameter and i mm thick,
and its design is as described above, the outer of the two raised rings forming
the edge of the ornament.

51

52 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KLSH

No. 21, from bvirial 23, was originally 55 mm in diameter and very thin
with a flat, unrolled edge. It is unfortunately in a deplorable state owing to
corrosion. The design is quite simple with a large raised boss in the centre,
23 mm wide, and two rings in relief. It lay close to and in front of the neck.

No. 22 came from the disturbed burial (No. 16). It is very similar to No.
21, except that its boss is larger, and there are three rings around it instead of
two. It measures 46 mm in diameter.

A medallion taken from burial 32, where it was found close to and in front
of the pelvis, is 48 mm in diameter, and the small boss in the centre measures
14 mm in diameter. Its edge has been turned over to strengthen it.

The best -made specimen (No. 23) came from burial 21, where it was found
lying close to the breast. It is 50.5 mm in diameter and 3.5 mm in thickness
at the edge. The boss is made of a shallow, dome-shaped piece of silver, 20
mm in diameter and 9 mm in height, including the plate, to which it is ap-
parently soldered. The central boss is surrounded by three circles in relief,
and the ornament is chased both back and front with fine lines radiating
outward.

FILLETS

A piece of jewellery which was unique in this cemetery is a silver fillet
worn by the occupant of grave 21. It is a long, narrow band, still with a certain
amount of spring about it; it measures 170 mm in length, 11.5 mm in width,
and I mm in thickness. It was adhering to the skvill, lying horizontally across
the forehead. Either for ornamentation or to stiffen it, both sides of the band
were pricked all the way along about 5 mm from the edge. This was done
with a pointed instrument, but without actually perforating the fillet. Both
ends of the ornament are roimded, and there is nothing to show how it was
fastened to the head. It was probably secured in the hair on either side of the
face (Plate IV, No. 24).!

EAR-RINGS Plates IV and XX

Ear-rings, both of silver and copper, were frequently found in the ceme-
tery. They were worn by both sexes and, as a rule, in both ears. In burials
19 and 21 two ear-rings were fotmd in the right ear and one in the left; and in
burial 9 there were two in the right ear and none in the left. The two rings in
the right ear of burial 19 were one of silver, one of copper. Children also wore
ear-rings, but always made of copper. A shell ring which lay in front of the
face in biirial 23 may possibly have been worn in the nose. It measures 19 mm
in outside diameter and 8 mm inside diameter; it is cut from a roimd piece of
shell. The ear-rings found fall into three groups: — first, plain wire, as No. 19
in Plate IV, and No. 17 in Plate XX; second, coiled wire, as Nos. 16-17 in Plate
IV, and No. 18 in Plate XX. Lastly, a small type with the wire flattened at
the ends, as Nos. 15 and 16 in Plate XX. Many of the coiled rings do not

' Compare this fillet with a similar ornament worn in the hair on the alabaster head of a Sumerian woman
of early date (De Sarzec and Heuzey, D^couvertes en Chald^e, Plate VI, Fig. 3).

PERSONAL ORNAMENTS ^2

match; that is, large rings were worn in one ear, and small ones in the other,
but the rings of this type were very likely manufactured at home. The rings
of the type of Nos. 15 and 16 in Plate XX were, however, probably made by
a silversmith; they were always worn in pairs. The silver and copper wire
used for making ear-rings varied from 2 to 3 mm in diameter. No soldering
was ever done, the ear-rings being prevented from falling off by the simple ex-
pedient of overlapping the wire.

BRACELETS Plate XX, Nos. 14 and 14a

Bracelets were not often worn. They have been found in only six graves
(Nos. 10, 16, 21, 23, 30, and 34), three of which were those of children or young
persons. The bracelet niunbered 14 is of copper and flat in section with rounded
edges. Its width is 5 mm, and it is 2.5 mm thick. Two of these bracelets
were found on the left wrist, and one on the right in bvirial 30. The two
bracelets from grave 10 are made of round silver wire, 5.5 mm in diameter,
with the ends slightly overlapping. Judging from their small size, 44 mm in
diameter, they must have belonged to a child. In burial 21 there was a silver
bracelet on the right wrist, made of a tape-like piece of silver similar to the
silver fillet found with this body, but without the pricking along its edges.
A similar bangle, 8 mm in width, was fovmd on the left arm of the occupant
of grave 23. Both these bracelets were in a deplorable state of preservation.

In biuial 34 there was one bracelet (Plate XX, No. 14a) of copper wire
about 4 mm in diameter and slightly oval in section. The ends of the wire
overlap, and the diameter of the bracelet which is badly bent averages about
68 mm. A camelian bead of cylindrical form, 9 mm long and 8 mm in diame-
ter, which was found close to the left wrist of bxirial 21, was possibly worn on a
bracelet of cord.

FINGER-RINGS

Finger-rings were exceedingly rare in the "A" cemetery. They have been
found in only one grave (No. 23), where the right hand which rested upon a
copper dish had rings upon the third and fourth fingers. They were foimd
adhering to the phalanges, and were in a deplorable condition. Each ring was
8 mm broad. A plain, flat silver bangle on the left arm, also in bad condition,
was the replica of the rings, though, of course, larger in diameter.

BEADS Plates IV and VII

Beads were found in considerable quantities in the "A" cemetery. They
occurred in twenty-four graves out of the thirty-eight excavated, ranging in
nimiber from a single one to a long string. They were worn by both sexes. In
view of the fact that several graves contained beads which were originally glazed,
but had become extremely fragile and the same color as the soil through the
action of salt, we may perhaps assume that glazed beads were placed in most or
all of the burials. The materials most commonly used for the manufacture of
beads, apart from glaze, were camelian and lapis lazuli. Beads made of these

54 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

stones occurred in practically every necklace, lapis-lazuli beads being especially
plentiful. Silver beads were also fairly popular, they were found in graves 3,
4, 14, and 21. More rarely used stones were limestone (graves 10 and 13),
rock-crystal (grave 23), jasper (grave 27), serpentine (grave 15), and two stones,
gray and black respectively, which have not yet been identified (graves i and
13). Only one specimen was found of each of the five last-mentioned stones.
Only one shell bead was found (grave 28). It appears to be the shell of a
species of Dentalium, and is 9 mm long. A number of similar shells were
found close to the "A" cemetery, and had apparently also been used as beads.

The beads of the "A" cemetery can be classified by their shape into seven
groups: —

(i) Disk-shaped beads with either flat or slightly rounded siirfaces (Plate VII, No. 17).

(2) Squat barrel-shaped beads, occasionally slightly facetted (Plate VII, Nos. i, 12,

and 19).

(3) Long barrel-shaped beads (Plate VII, Nos. 10 and 21).

(4) Long or short cylindrical beads (Plate VII, Nos. 3,5, 14, and 20).

(5) Squared beads, long or short.

(6) Globular beads.

(7) Ornamented beads.

(i) The disk-shaped beads were one of the commonest shapes. They form
a large portion of the necklace illustrated in Plate IV, No. 28. These beads
vary considerably in quality, and may be either highly or semi-polished in
the same necklace. The rougher beads may be of earlier date, and have
been re-used. Their holes for threading also vary greatly, ranging from one
that will hardly admit a fine needle to one that is two or three millimetres in
diameter. The process of mantifacture seems to have been as follows: The
bead was first roughly chipped into the shape of a roimd, flat disk, and then
drilled. Several were then stnmg on a cord and rolled to and fro on some
abrasive material, which roughly polished their faces, and in the case of the
larger beads produced a slightly roimded surface.'

(2) A sideways motion during this process produced two facets separated
by a ridge in the middle of the bead, so that it took a squat barrel shape
(Plate VII, No. 19).^ This method of polishing and shaping beads served at
the same time to smooth the interiors of their holes. The same process was
employed m making the beads of groups (2) and (3).

(3) Owing to their length, beads of this group revolved more evenly on
the cord; hence their lateral faces curved more gently, and the central ridge
characteristic of groups (i) and (2) is absent. It is, of course, possible that
each of the longer barrel-shaped cylinder beads was rolled separately. The
thinner disk-shaped beads were only made in camelian and, rock-crystal.^ The

• This method of making the disk-shaped bead was practised in ancient Egypt from the earliest times.
There is little or no difference between beads of this type from that country and the specimens found in the
"A" cemetery.

2 The amount of sideways motion depended entirely on how the beads were strung, whether tightly or
loosely.

' One rock-crystal bead was found in burial 23.

PERSONAL ORNAMENTS 55

thicker beads with a central ridge occur in cameHan, lapis lazuli, and occasion-
ally in glaze, the latter always hand-made, but obviously in imitation of the
shape of the stone beads. The more roughly finished, disk-shaped camehan
beads are, as a rule, of a brownish-red color and semi-opaque. The better-
finished beads are deep red in color and nearly transparent.

(4) The cylindrical beads, whether short or long, are usuaUj' of glaze,
camelian, or lapis lazuli. The glazed beads are of the rod-like form that is so
common in Egypt from early to very late times. These glazed cylindrical beads
seem to have been made by dipping a thin rod or cord into a white paste,
which is probably g>'psum, or a composition of ash. The foundation was then
burnt away, leaving a long, hollow rod of the paste. This rod was broken up
into sections of the required length which were then glazed. The rod was
obviously not glazed entire, vmless two coats of glaze were appUed, for the
ends of the beads were glazed as weU as the sides.

(5) The squared beads are always of lapis lazuli. Specimens were found
with other beads in graves i, 3, and 22. They were cut — presumably with
a saw — from blocks of lapis lazuli, and then rubbed smooth, during which
process their edges became sUghtly rounded.

(6) Globular beads are somewhat rare. They were usually made of lapis
lazuK. They have been found with other beads in graves i, 2, 5, 8, 10, 21,
22, and 28. Those taken from grave 10 are of limestone and lapis lazvili; those
from grave 28, of glaze. The boring of a bead was done from either end, even
in the thinner specimens, with the result that the diameter of the middle of
the hole was often so small as to make it difficult to thread the bead. The
larger beads are beautifully drilled, the holes in most beads meeting accurate-
ly in the middle. The drilling was probably done with emery powder and a
thin copper rod. In each of burials 14, 20, 32, 34, and 36, one solitan^ bead
was fovind which had been worn on a string aroiuid the neck. The occupants
of the first two burials were males, the third was female, the fourth grave con-
tained two bodies, a male and female, and the last was the burial of a child.
The beads in burials 14, 32, 34, and ^6 were barrel-shaped and made either of
silver, glazed paste, or cameUan. As mentioned before, camelian beads were
quite the most popular, followed by lapis lazuh. CameHan beads were, as a
rule, highly polished, except in the case of some disk-shaped beads. For some
reason, which it is not easy to explain, the Svimerians seem to have experi-
enced great difiaculty in working lapis lazuli, even though it is softer than car-
neUan.^ Their lapis-lazuli beads all show a certain amo-unt of apparently unin-
tentional facetting, and are rarely true in shape. They look as if they had
been first roughly sa-sNTi into shape, and, as suggested in the introduction to
this paper, the two stones may not have been worked by the same people.
The lapis-lazuH beads fotind in the "A" cemetery are mostly of the tnmcated
double-cone type, as represented in Plate VII, Nos. 12 and 19, or they are
barrel-shaped as No. 10 in Plate VII.

' The hardness of camelian is 7, that of lapis lazuli 5.5.

56 REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

(7) A very unusual type of bead was found in a necklace from grave 21
(Plates IV, No. 27 and VII, Nos. 9 and 11). The first flat, lozenge-shaped bead
on the necklace is made from thin silver plate, but exactly how, it is difficult to
make out, owing to the incrustation of patina. It appears to have been made
from a thin piece of silver which was doubled and then folded over along the
three open sides. The hole for the cord was probably made by embossing the
plate down the middle of each half, so that the two grooves came together.

The bead which matches it in shape is of camelian; its edges are rounded,
and the hole is well cut. Another tmusual bead is figured in Plates IV, No.
31 and VII, No. 7. It is 45 mm long, and was found by itself in grave 20.
It is made of porous paste which seems to have been glazed. What the origi-
nal color of the glaze was, it is difficult to determine; it is now quite a dark
brown. The bead consists of two globular portions, which are fluted in the
direction of the general axis, joined together by a bar, 15.5 mm long, decorated
with seven annulations. Both ends are broken, and the bead may once have
been considerably longer with a repetition of the globular portions. It is, of
course, possible that it may have been part of some kind of fillet or necklace,
but no trace was found of any other portion of it.

The cylindrical bead shown in Plates IV, No. 32 and VII, No. 21 came from
burial 14, where it was the only bead found. It is of silver, and both ends are
slightly damaged. It now measures 42 mm in length and 8 mm in diameter in
the middle. The covering of patina makes it impossible to determine how its
edges were joined, whether by lapping over or soldering.

Bead 23> in Plate IV, was the only specimen found in burial 32. It is made
of a white paste, originally glazed, and its sxirface is now much blackened. It is
decorated with incised parallel lines rimning round the bead at right angles to
its long axis, as well as along its axis so as to form a series of minute squares.
The limestone bead shown in Plate VII, No. 13 was foimd with two other
beads in burial 13. It is 25 mm long, by 16 mm wide, 7.5 mm thick, and is
decorated with incised Unes. The small holes formerly held pieces of lapis lazuli.
Bead 8 in Plate VII is also very unusual. It is made of sheet silver with silver
rings soldered on either end. It was foimd in burial 21 together with the fiat,
lozenge-shaped beads of silver and camelian described above.

A very curious, bright red camelian bead was foimd in a necldace from
burial 23 (Plate V, Nos. 25 and 30). It is 15 mm long by 5 mm in width and
4 mm in thickness in the middle; it is rectangular in shape when viewed from
front or back, oval when viewed from the side. The front and back are smooth-
ly polished, but the sides show signs of the original flaking. Both front and
back are ornamented with a design of three interlocking circles in white. These
circles have been painted on the stone and bvimt in in some way. The white
substance is extremely hard, and appears to be vitrified. A bead of the same
type, measviring 9 mm in length and 8 mm in diameter, was found in a neck-
lace from btmal 21. Its highly polished surface is decorated with three lines
of white, running zig-zag fashion around the bead.

PERSONAL ORNAMENTS 57

A very similar bead to the one with the three circles was brought to me
early in the season by a boy who said he picked it up on the "A" moimd. I
unfortunately rejected it, as I thought at the time that it was of modem
manufacture. The bright red of some of the camelian beads found in the "A"
cemetery may perhaps be dtie to roasting, as mentioned in the introduction.
In carrying out this process, it is possible that the white substance was by
accident foimd to adhere very closely to the stone, and afterwards this knowl-
edge was utilized for decorative purposes. There is no indication that the de-
sign on these ornamented beads was first incised and then filled in with white.
The color adheres to the polished faces with extraordinary tenacity, and can
only be removed with the point of a needle with very great difficulty.

A lapis-lazuli bead from grave i6 is roughly cut into the form of a frog
(Plate IV, No. 26). It was possibly an amulet, and in form, though not in
substance, resembles similar beads which are frequently found in Egypt. A
long, cylindiical bead of serpentine, 48 mm in length and 9.5 mm in diameter,
was found together with some short cylindrical beads of glaze in burial 15. It
had the figure of a ninning antelope engraved upon it. It is possible that in
reality we have here a simple form of cylinder seal. The hole through it has
been very much enlarged through wear. A curious bead (?) was foimd with
others in btirial 19. It is made out of a piece of sheet copper bent roimd into
the form of two tubes side by side, each of which is 23 mm long and 6 mm in
diameter. If this object is actually a bead, it may have been a divider for sev-
eral strings of a necklace. It may equally well have been an ornament for the
hair. The latter seems more probable, as copper was apparently never used in
the manufactiAre of beads at the period of the "A" cemetery. Bead No. 2 in
Plate VII is of lapis lazuli and decorated with incised lines. As it has two
holes, it probably served as a divider in a necklace of more than one string. In
bvirial 27, a small fiat pebble was used as a central stone, on either side of which
were two disk-shaped beads — three of cameUan and one of jasper.

VI. CYLINDER SEALS

Seals were foimd in fifteen graves out of the thirty-eight excavated. In
each of three bvirials there were no less than three seals, though only one was
a double burial (graves 1 6, 23, 32). In the undisturbed graves, the seals were
usually fomid in front of the upper part of the body, which suggests that they
were worn on a string around the neck. In two burials (Nos. 8 and 23), a
seal lay close to the pelvis, and had probably been fastened to a girdle. In
grave 31, a seal lay between the hands and the chest; it may have been tied to
one of the wrists.'

Seals are as frequently found in female burials as in those of males. As
they were vxsed solely for sealing contracts, conveyances, and other legal docu-
ments, this fact would seem to show that the women of the period transacted
business on their own account, and for this ptirpose had their own seals. The
presence of three seals in a grave containing only one burial is surprising.
Possibly two of these seals had belonged to ancestors of the occupant of the
grave, who may himself have been the last of his family.

The favorite material for making seals was shell. Out of a total of
thirty-seven, twenty -two are cut in this material. Of the remainder, five seals
are of limestone, one of bituminous limestone, four of calcite, two of haema-
tite, one of serpentine, one of lapis lazuli, and one of glazed paste. The use
of glaze for cylinder seals is most unusual, and we were fortimate in recover-
ing a specimen from grave i , though it is in a deplorable condition through the
action of salt. Each seal is a practically perfect cylinder with flat ends. In
only one case is there any trace of the concavity that is met with in seals of
the period following that of our cemetery. This exception is a limestone seal
from grave 4, which has a slightly concave lateral surface and flat ends.

In those seals that were made of shell, the size was limited by the size
of the shell from which they were cut. The axial portion of a big shell pro-
vided enough soHd material to make a seal averaging 35.5 mm in length by
17.5 mm in diameter; from a smaller shell a seal measuring 20.5 by 11 mm
was cut. That the whole of the axial portion of the shell was utilized is proved
by the fact that in a great ntimber of the seals the convolutions of the shell
are seen at either end. There is little doubt that all these seals were cut from
the same species of shell.

A limestone seal from an unrecorded grave, measuring 30 mm in length by
16 mm in diameter, is especially interesting, because, being only partially made,
it shows the method of manufactvire. It is a cylindrical piece of stone and
imbored. The figtore of a man has been roughly cut on one side, and a man's
head left unfinished on the other. The workmanship is very rough. The
fact that no attempt had been made to bore the usual hole through it indi-
cates that it was customary to do the engraving first. If this were so, it

' In Iraq at the present day both seal and purse are worn on a string around the neck.

58

CYLINDER SEALS 59

argues great confidence on the part of the Sumerian in his use of the drill.
But it should be noted that in this particular instance the stone is compara-
tively soft (Plate VI, No. i).i

From the nabbed appearance of some of the seals it would appear that
they had been much used. But their condition might be accounted for by their
being worn hanging loose upon the person. This would also partially accotmt
for the holes being wider at the ends ; in some cases they were 6 mm in diame-
ter at the ends, whereas the diameter in the middle of the seal was only about
3 mm.

The most popular subjects for the scenes engraved on the cylinder seals
are a row of animals walking or running in file or one or two lions attacking
flocks defended by herdsmen armed with sticks or bows and arrows. In the
latter scenes, the lions are for the most part arranged with their bodies crossing
one another. They are always portrayed as seizing the animals attacked by
the neck. This argues close observation of nature on the part of the artist,
both as regards the lion's method of attack and the fact that these animals
generally hvmt in pairs. It would seem that the herdsmen of the period to
which these seals belong were greatly troubled by lions, though the latter were
a smaller variety than the African species.^

The long-horned antelope which appears on these seals was a curious
animal to be domesticated, as apparently it was; on a votive tablet found
at Nippur an antelope is even shown drawing a plough. It was probably
present in Mesopotamia in large herds long before the occupation of that
country by the Sumerians. It must have been kept chiefly for its meat; the
hair is too short to be utilized for weaving. The presence of these animals
coupled with that of the lion would suggest that Mesopotamia at the time was
a semi-arid country like parts of South Africa at the present day. The ani-
mals portrayed on the seals are all such as would have been suited to a flat,
grazing comitry; for example, the ostriches on the seal shown in No. 4 of
Plate VI and the various types of antelope on seals 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, etc. The
stag on seal 16 probably came from the better wooded and more hilly coiontry
on the northern or eastern borders of Mesopotamia.^

The human-headed (?) bird on seals 7, 8, 10, and 12 resembles the heraldic,
eagle-like bird which was the symbol of Lagash, though it is not represented
on the seals from Kish as holding a lion with each claw, — with the possible ex-
ception of No. 12. The presence of two registers on a seal is rare. And, imfor-
tunately, the two examples shown in Plate VI (Nos. 17 and i8) come from
imrecorded graves, though they are certainly of the same period as the other
burials. In both, the subjects portrayed are complex and out of the ordinary,

' Another limestone seal, also from an unrecorded grave, is unbored, though its design, a simple tree or
bush, had been finished.

- The Mesopotamian lion has, I am informed, recently become extinct. Two specimens presented to Sir
Henry Layard were described by him as maneless, taller and larger than a St. Bernard dog. Sir Henry Layard
also reported that he saw lions with long and shaggy manes not far from Mohammarah. Lt.-Col. Sykes (His-
tory of Persia, Vol. I, p. 34) reports having seen a dead lion floating down the Karun River. The lions repre-
sented on our seals are certainly not of the maneless variety.

' Magnificent stags and roebuck roam the forests of the Caspian Province (Sykes, History of Persia,
Vol. I, p. 34).

6o REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OF THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

especially in the case of No. 17 which has an extremely interesting ziggurat scene.

A scene which occtirs in Nos. 15 and 17 of Plate VI and on the badly
preserved seal, which is the last on the appended list (No. 983), is most un-
usual. Whether this human-headed object is intended to represent a human
boat propelling itself with the aid of a pole, it is difficvilt to say. It may
possibly represent the soul of a dead man being carried across the sacred river
of death; if so, the dead body is concealed beneath a kind of canopy which is
shown in both the illustrations. The boat is represented as being propelled
by itself. A small animal, probably a kid, is present with this boat -like ob-
ject in all three seals ; it would indicate that the scene is of the land rather than
of water. The whole motive is probably mythological, but that it was well
known is shown by the fact that it has been found in three separate graves.^

It appears that the utmost endeavor was made to fill up every available
space on a seal. It is skillfully done in most cases, especially on those seals
which portray scenes of vnld life, whether the animals are rampant or in file.^

Some kind of a drill must have been employed in engraving these seals.
The scenes appear first to have been outlined with a small chisel or point, and
then worked over with a drill. The use of the latter is proved by the hoofs of
the animals being represented simply by drill holes in seal 2. The bodies and
necks of the ostriches shown on seal 4 were finished off with a driU after first
being cut with a point. Whether this drilling was done with a rod rapidly re-
volved between the fingers or by means of a bow-drill cannot be ascertained at
present.

In the majority of the seals the deeper portions of the cuttings are as
well finished and polished as the surface. This finish, coupled with the extra-
ordinary powers of composition shown in the scenes themselves, proves that
the art of seal-cutting and design was at a very high level indeed at this period.
The use of the same symbols for various deities as were employed in the later
periods of Babylonian history is very interesting; as, for example, the star
and crescent in Nos. 14 and 16 and the crescent in No. 5. The crescent is
emblematic of the moon-god; the star, of the goddess Ishtar. It is possible
that the four roimdels which are clustered about the star of Ishtar in seal No.
14 represent planets. These symbols do not seem to have any connection with
the scenes they accompany. They were probably simply intended to fill up
what would otherwise have been a blank space on the seal.

The garment worn by all the human figures on seals 13, 14, 16-18, is
the kaunakes, or short kilt, whose lower edge in the early period is formed by
a single row of fringe. In two seals (Nos. 14 and 16), the figures also seem
to be wearing a shawl which is draped across the right shoulder and under the
left arm. If this be so, the arrangement of the garment is unusual; it is nearly
always shown the other way about, leaving the right arm free for action. The

' Mr. Gadd tells me that a seal with a very similar design was found at Ur this season.

2 For the best example of the fiUing-up of every vacant space on a seal, observe the heraldic tail of the lion,
Plate VI, No. 5. This could not be done in the case of the antelope, and a crescent was substituted which has
nothing whatever to do with the design. Also note the unfinished figure of a man in front of the antelope
and the scorpion above the lion's tail.

CYLINDER SEALS 6 1

figures in seal 19 at first sight appear to be nude, but the kilts have simply been
rolled up around the waist.

The figiu-es in the seal from grave 12 (Plate VI, No. 19) and in a seal
from an unrecorded grave appear to be wearing two feathers. If these orna-
ments are feathers, they are probably those of the ostrich.

The seals included in the appended list all belong to the same period.
The majority come from recorded graves in the "A" cemetery, and most of the
remainder from the site known as "N," situated about half a mile N.N.W. of
the "A" cemetery (see Plate VII).

No. I. 30 mm long, 16 mm in diameter. Limestone. "A" cemetery. Unfinished and un-
bored. Figure of a man with bird's legs, a stone (?) in left hand. Suspended from the
left arm is what may be a bow. Close to and in front of the figure is the unfinished
head of another figure (No. 1329).

24 by II mm. Haematite. "A" cemetery. Two homed animals running. One ani-
mal is looking back. Crudely cut, but very spirited (No. 934). In Field Museum.

17 by 9-5 ii^rri- Serpentine. Vicinity of "N". Two long-homed antelopes in file. In
front of first animal is what appears to be a tree or bush (No. 928).

14 by II mm. Calcite. Vicinity of "N." Two animals resembling ostriches running.
A thicket is represented behind them (No. 894). In Field Museum.

16.5 by 10 mm. Shell. Grave 23. An antelope with long horns curving backward
is standing in front of a lion. A crescent is shown over the body of the antelope, and
a scorpion above the looped tail of the lion (No. 1288).

12 by 8 mm. Shell. "A" cemetery. Slightly oval in section. Roughly cut figure
of an antelope running through a thicket (No. 927).

32.5 by 17 mm. Shell. "A" cemetery. Two registers, no line of separation. In the
lower register, a line of antelopes with long horns curving backward. In the upper
register, an eagle with outspread wings grasping in each claw the leg of an antelope
which is looking backward. Another object between the antelopes is indistinct (No.

1277). In Field Museum.

0

No. 8. 17 by 8.5 mm. Shell. "A" cemetery. An eagle with outspread wings beside two
antelopes, one of which is eating from a bush (No. 843).

No. 9. 20 by II mm. Haematite. "A" cemetery. Roughly cut and shaped. Figure of a
man protecting an antelope from a lion (No. 1109).

No. 10. 21 by 10 mm. Shell. Grave 8. Worn and roughly cut. Two registers. In the up-
per register, an eagle with outspread wings and other objects which are indistinct.
In the lower register, a row of antelopes with long horns (No. 985).

No II. 20 by 9 nun. Shell. Vicinity of "N." Two lions with bodies crossed, each attacking
an antelope. Two snakes standing on their tails with their bodies twisted together
in rope-fashion (No. 773).

No. 12. 25.5 by 12 mm. Shell. "A" cemetery. A little weathered. An eagle with outspread
wings with one claw grasping an antelope looking backward, \vith the other a lion

(No. 1348).

No. 13. 36 by 19 mm. Shell. Grave 21. Rather worn. A lion attacking two antelopes in the
presence of a figure seated before a shrine (No. 1333).

No. 14. 36 by 20 mm. Shell. Grave 24. Somewhat worn. Two lions attacking an antelope
which is being protected by a man. A star and crescent are in the background (No.
1312).

No. 15. 19 by 1 1 mm. Shell. Grave 23. A curious scene representing the figure of a man in a
kind of shell-like case with a forked staff in the left hand and a double-pronged
instnmient in the right. A calf is represented in the background with other objects
which are indistinct (No. 1287).

No.

2.

No.

3-

No.

4-

No.

5-

No.

6,

No.

?•

6a

REPORT ON THE EXCAVATION OP THE "A" CEMETERY, KISH

No. i6. 24.5 by 12.5 mm. Limestone. Vicinity of "N." Figure of a lion attacking a stag.
In front is a design of a coiled rope, above which are a star and crescent and the
symbol of Ishtar. A man protecting the stag has an arrow in his right hand and a
bow in his left (No. 1 1 17). In Field Museum,

No. 17. 28 by 13.5 mm. Shell. "A" cemetery. Two registers. The upper register shows a
scene very similar to that of No. 15, the only difference being that the shell-like case
is here very much like a boat. The lower register is unusually interesting. Two
figures are shown building a ziggurat and about to place a brick on the top of it.
The ziggurat has four stages and panelled faces. This work is being performed in
front of a seated figure wearing a longer skirt than the rest of the figures. Three figures
in front of the seated figure are apparently carrying mud or bricks on their heads to
the ziggurat workers (No. 1420). In Field Museum.

No. 18. 33 by 16 mm. Shell. Grave 9. Two registers. In the upper register are two lions
with their bodies crossed, each attacking an antelope. Three men in short kilts are
trjang to protect the antelopes, two of them with bows and arrows. In the lower
register are a long group of figures in short kilts with a priest performing a rite over
a table or altar (No. 994).

No. 19. 30 by 22 mm. Bituminous limestone. Grave 12. A man in a short kilt separating
two lions which stand on their hind legs. He is holding the lions by their throats.
Farther on are two male figures, one clasping a lion by the throat, the other trjdng
to soothe an antelope. These two last figures appear to be armed with daggers. A
small kid is also represented (No. 1132).

SEALS NOT ILLUSTRATED

A number of seals have not been reproduced owing to their bad condi-
tion. Particulars of these are given below under the numbers of the burials in
which they were found.

Grave i
Grave 4
Grave 11
Grave 15

Grave 16

Grave 16

Grave 16
Grave 19
Grave 23
Grave 26

Grave 32

Grave 32

Grave 32
Grave 34

26 by 14 mm. Glaze. Two long-homed antelopes in file (No. 652).

22 by 13 mm. Limestone. Subject not clear (No. 714). In Field Museum.
32 by 17 mm. Limestone. Subject not clear (No. 1062).

23 by 1 1.5 mm. Shell. Two lions with bodies crossed, seizing an antelope. Tree
in background (No. 11 74).

28 by IS mm. Shell. Apparently a scene of a man standing by a sheaf of corn
(No. 1189a). In Field Museum.

28 by IS mm. Shell. Lion attacking an antelope which is being defended by a man
(No. 1189b). In Field Museum.

29.5 by 14 mm. Shell. Quite indistinct (No. 1189). In Field Museum.

17.5 by 18.S mm. Calcite. Quite indistinct (No. 1262).

30 by 19 mm. Shell. A seated deity can just be made out (No. 1294).

26 by 12.5 mm. Shell. A lion attacking an antelope which is being protected by
a man armed with bow and arrow (No. 1353).

20 by 12 mm. Shell. Two long-homed antelopes in file (No. 1483). In Field
Museum.

19 by lo mm.
Museum.

Shell. Three long-horned antelopes in file (No. 1484). In Field

35 by 15.5 mm. Shell. Impression weathered away (No. 1485).

16 by 8.5 nmi. Lapis lazuli. An animal figiu-e can just be made out, and seems
to be that of a long-homed antelope. Though this seal was made of hard stone,
it had been reduced to minute fragments by the action of salt (No. 15 13).

CYLINDER SEALS 6^

The following seals come from unrecorded graves in the "A" cemetery,
and are given under their registration numbers : —

No. 1046. 19 by 14 mm. Limestone. Unbored. Scene of a simple tree, roughly carved. In
Field Museum.

No. 1279. 34 by iSmm. Shell. Scene of man with feathers ( ?) in his hair (cf. No. 19), dressed
in a short, open kilt, trying to quiet two antelopes who are rearing on their hind
legs. Eacli antelope is being attacked by a lion. In Field M useum.

The seals below come from the "P" site, but belong to the same period
as the seals from the "A" cemetery. They are given below under their regis-
tration numbers.

No. 983. 26 by 15 mm. Calcite. Scene very similar to upper register of No. 17, but the
tail of the shell-like object terminates in a human head. Other features are indistinct.

No. 1077. 27 by i8 mm. Calcite. Figure of two antelopes standing back to back. The seated
figure above them is dressed in a single kaimakes. In Field Museum.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS, VOL. I, PL.

Fig. 1. View of "A"' Cemetery from Ziggurat at Ingharra (p uI.

B.29

*f^

Pottery h<p- »■ -'■ -J- -^- -"'•

J

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS. VOL. I, PL.

JAR HANDLES AND COPPER IMPLEMENTS (|jp, -'-'. 40, -|J».

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY. MEMOIRS. VOL. I, PL. III.

COPPER IMPLEMENTS, INLAY, AND PIGMENT SHELLS (pp. ij. i;. 3S. 3V. j". 41. 4.0.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS. VOL. I. PL. IV.

TOILET ARTIC

LES AND JEWELLERY (pii. ij. 16. JS-4S. Sl-SJl-

i

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

4NTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS, VOL. I. PL. V

BURIALS (pp. n. 13. 25. 56).

i

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY. MEMOIRS. VOL. I. PL. VI.

Cylinder Seals (pp. 18.59-61).

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS. VOL. I, PL. VII.

e©

J

eiE^

BEADS (pp. 19. 53-S7).
Actual size.

§KETCH PtAN OF KiSH (p. 9).

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS, VOL. I, PL. VIII.

0^^ Burial 33

BURIAL GROUPS (p. 13).

© 0®

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS. VOL. I. PL. IX.

HANDLED POTTERY (pp. -M. -'j. 37).

I

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

ANTHROPOLOGY. MEMOIRS. VOL, I. PL. X.

POTTERY TYPE A (p. Jil.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS. VOL I. PL. XI,

.i^rFin^ffTrfffn^^vTf&i^irt*

cz.

] (±

iz:

mmii 111 ■■■■liimini

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POTTERY TYPE B (pp. -•J---;).
Scale Kij.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS. VOL. I, PL. XII

POTTERY TYPE B (p. -m).
Scale i;i2.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS. VOL. 1. PL. XIII.

POTTERY TYPE C (p. -M.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY. MEMOIRS. VOL. I. PL. XIV.

POTTERY Types D, E, F (pp. 29-32).
Scale 1:12.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS, VOL. I, PL. XV.

POTTERY Types G, H, J, K (|.p. jy, ,t-',«(.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY. MEMOIRS. VOL. I. PL. XVI.

POTTERY TYPES L. M, N, 0 (pp. 34-361.
Scale i:i.'.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS, VOL. I, PL. XVII.

COPPER IMPLEMENTS (pp. -'o. 38-40>.
Scale 1:4.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY. MEMOIRS, VOL. I, PL. XVIII.

0

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(zmz

Copper implements (pp. ss-ja).

Sgale 1:4.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY, MEMOIRS, VOL. I, PL. XIX.

ffll

Q U.

Q

Copper Hair-pins (pp. 4j-4?l.
Scale 1:4.

i

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ANTHROPOLOGY. MEMOIRS, VOL. I. PL. XX.

Copper Bowls (pp. 17. 4S-53I.