SUMERIAN TECHNOLOGY—BOBULA 641 
additions and repairs which were obviously regarded as highly 
meritorious work. 
Irrigation made methodical agriculture possible and produced 
fodder for the flocks of a settled people. Sheep, cattle, and pigs 
were bred in abundance by skilled herdsmen. “The carefully irriga- 
ted fields did yield amazing crops of barley and spelt; onions and 
Ficure 8.—The legendary hero overcomes and tames wild animals. Seal. 
other vegetables grew along the canal banks and as early as 2800 B.C., 
the date gardens were very extensive—a number of varieties of dates 
was cultivated and the harvest afforded one of the staple foods of 
the people,” said Sir Leonard Woolley (1928). Date stones were 
ground for fodder or used as fuel in the smelting furnaces. Oil was 
pressed from sesame seed, and it seems that there were mills for 
grinding large amounts of grain, although we do not know how they 
worked. 
The vegetables mentioned in Sumerian tablets are squash, gourds, 
eggplant, beans, lentils, cucumbers, chick-peas, leeks, garlic, cress, 
mustard, lettuce, capers, and some roots, probably turnips, radishes, 
and beets. Many spices were used: aloe, fennel, anise, fennugreek, 
coriander, thyme, marjoram, mint, rosemary, turmeric, ginger, saffron. 
One unidentified spice plant was the s¢mbirda. All these were care- 
fully gathered and preserved—the old records tell us of an “overseer 
of the house of herbs,” also of a man who is by trade a maker of 
Ficure 9.—Archaic seal depicts plowing. 
ointments. Small gold models of pomegranates used as jewelry show 
that this fruit was known. Almonds, plums, cherries, pears, mul- 
berries, apples, figs, grapes, quince, citron, and pistachio are 
mentioned. 
