﻿UR 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHALDEES 
  WOOLLEY 
  443 
  

  

  Possibly 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  decoration 
  of 
  yet 
  a 
  fourth 
  harp 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  up- 
  

   rights 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  of 
  wood, 
  now 
  decayed; 
  unfortunately 
  the 
  

   copper 
  too 
  was 
  terribly 
  perished, 
  and 
  though 
  we 
  succeeded 
  in 
  lifting 
  it, 
  

   it 
  can 
  never 
  be 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  wreckage 
  of 
  itself, 
  whereas 
  the 
  silver 
  

   animals, 
  though 
  crushed, 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  very 
  well 
  preserved. 
  

  

  Another 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  pit 
  yielded 
  two 
  objects 
  absolutely 
  unique 
  in 
  

   our 
  experience 
  — 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  statues 
  in 
  the 
  round 
  of 
  rampant 
  rams. 
  The 
  

   heads 
  and 
  legs 
  of 
  the 
  beasts 
  are 
  of 
  gold, 
  the 
  horns 
  and 
  the 
  long 
  hair 
  

   over 
  the 
  shoulders 
  are 
  of 
  lapis 
  lazuli, 
  and 
  the 
  fleece 
  over 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  

   body 
  is 
  of 
  white 
  shell, 
  each 
  tuft 
  carved 
  separately; 
  the 
  belly 
  is 
  of 
  

   silver. 
  The 
  animal 
  is 
  reared 
  right 
  up 
  on 
  its 
  hind 
  legs, 
  so 
  standing 
  20 
  

   inches 
  high. 
  On 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  it 
  are 
  tall 
  plants 
  whose 
  stems, 
  leaves, 
  

   and 
  large 
  rosettelike 
  flowers 
  are 
  of 
  gold, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  stems 
  of 
  these 
  the 
  

   front 
  legs 
  of 
  the 
  ram 
  are 
  tied 
  with 
  silver 
  bands. 
  The 
  composition 
  is 
  

   precisely 
  that 
  to 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  accustomed 
  by 
  the 
  engravings 
  on 
  

   shell 
  plaques, 
  but 
  here 
  we 
  have 
  it 
  executed 
  in 
  the 
  round, 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  

   scale 
  and 
  in 
  precious 
  materials; 
  the 
  workmanship 
  is 
  admirable 
  and 
  the 
  

   color 
  scheme 
  is 
  most 
  striking. 
  Baroque 
  as 
  they 
  are, 
  these 
  gay 
  statues 
  

   seem 
  to 
  be 
  rather 
  of 
  the 
  school 
  of 
  Benvenuto 
  than 
  products 
  of 
  early 
  

   Sumerian 
  art 
  as 
  we 
  should 
  have 
  imagined 
  it. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  added 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  judged 
  not 
  as 
  free 
  art 
  but 
  applied, 
  for 
  a 
  socket 
  above 
  the 
  

   shoulders 
  of 
  each 
  ram 
  shows 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  really 
  the 
  supports 
  for 
  some 
  

   article 
  of 
  furniture 
  or 
  ornament 
  which 
  has 
  disappeared, 
  leaving 
  no 
  more 
  

   trace 
  of 
  itself; 
  whatever 
  it 
  was, 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  gorgeous 
  object. 
  

  

  The 
  "death 
  pit" 
  has 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  cleared 
  of 
  its 
  remaining 
  gold. 
  In 
  

  

  the 
  meantime 
  we 
  are 
  digging 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  modern 
  surface 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  hopes 
  of 
  finding 
  beneath 
  it 
  the 
  actual 
  tomb 
  to 
  which 
  this 
  should 
  be 
  the 
  

  

  introduction. 
  

  

  THE 
  GREAT 
  STONE 
  TOMB 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  clearing 
  of 
  the 
  "death 
  pit" 
  we 
  finished 
  up 
  the 
  area 
  se- 
  

   lected 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  stage 
  of 
  our 
  season's 
  dig. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  graves 
  

   dug 
  this 
  season 
  already 
  exceeds 
  350, 
  and 
  the 
  small 
  objects 
  from 
  them 
  

   have 
  been 
  excellent. 
  Starting 
  on 
  a 
  fresh 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  graveyard 
  we 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  the 
  outset 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  interesting 
  information. 
  Below 
  

   the 
  mud-brick 
  Temenos 
  Wall 
  of 
  Nebuchadnezzar, 
  which 
  we 
  had 
  to 
  

   cut 
  away, 
  there 
  lay 
  private 
  houses 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  known 
  Kassite 
  period 
  

   (ca. 
  1700-1200 
  b. 
  c), 
  proving 
  that 
  Nebuchadnezzar 
  did 
  not 
  simply 
  

   follow 
  tradition 
  but 
  enlarged 
  the 
  sacred 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  city, 
  probably 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  include 
  new 
  temples 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  founding. 
  These 
  buildings, 
  

   and 
  the 
  brick 
  tombs 
  which 
  lay 
  beneath 
  their 
  floors, 
  had 
  disturbed 
  the 
  

   upper 
  levels 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  cemetery, 
  but 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  this 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   graves 
  of 
  the 
  Sargonid 
  age 
  (c. 
  2700 
  b. 
  c.) 
  produced, 
  as 
  we 
  dug 
  deeper, 
  

   their 
  accustomed 
  harvest 
  of 
  gold 
  and 
  silver 
  ornaments, 
  stone 
  vases, 
  

   and 
  copper 
  weapons, 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  dynasty 
  of 
  Ur, 
  500 
  years 
  

   older 
  and 
  lying 
  lower 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  soil, 
  were 
  not 
  less 
  rich. 
  Much 
  

  

  