ON SUMERIAN COPPER. Q71 
| Tin Nickel Lead Tron 
per cent. per cent. | per cent. per cent. | 
Dagger (Early) B.M.L. IL . _ . | 20-2 0-7 nil tr. 
Axe (Late) U 11475, B.M.L. XIII A 1-64 0-21 tr. 1:0) 4 
. Axe (Early) U 12483, B.M.L. XIV 5-8 tr. tr tr | 
Some drillings were received from Mr. H. Frankfort, Oriental Institute of the 
University of Chicago. These drillings, marked K 351, were taken from a statue 
found at Khafaji, 20 miles north-east of Baghdad. The remains are believed to be 
contemporary with the royal tombs at Ur and the A cemetery at Kish, but the site 
is farther north than any other from which Sumerian metals have been found. This 
proved to contain 0-63 per cent. Tin, no Nickel, and traces only of Lead and Iron. 
The form of the statues was such that they must have been cast, and the quantity 
of Tin is sufficient to allow the making of a clean casting. 
Specimens were received from the Susa Mission through M. R. de Mecquenen, of 
the Louvre, Paris. No. 1, Cast axe, marked ‘ Attapak8on,’ about the time of 
Hammurabi, contained Nickel 0-45 per cent., Iron 2-9 per cent., traces of Tin, 
Antimony and Arsenic; no Silver or Lead. No. 2, Hoe with socket made by 
hammering—period about Sargon I, contained Nickel 0-12 per cent., Iron 1-34 per cent., 
traces of Tin, Arsenic, Antimony and Silver, and no Lead. Other samples from the 
Susa Mission gave the following analyses :— 
T 
l 
N | Tin | Nickel Tron | Lead Antimony 
0. Jonnie " ‘i ; pow fy 
| | per cent. per cent. per cent. per cent. per cent. | 
j | 
1801 tr. oY. 0-96 — i 
1955 tr. | 0-30 1-6 as — 
| 1820 — tr. 1-05 tr. — 
1944 1-63 0-35 0-88 tr. -- 
a a EE a da Ve 
A series from Thermi in Lesbos was received from Miss Winifred Lamb. ‘These 
consisted of copper specimens, some of which contained Tin in small quantities, the 
highest being 1-65 per cent. This specimen also contained 0-42 per cent. Nickel, 
but none of the others had more than 0-05 per cent. of that element. 
An examination has also been made of some of the Luristan bronzes from Persia, 
received from Mr. A. U. Pope. These will be reported on fully in the volume of 
Persian Art now in preparation. Both copper and bronze specimens were found, 
the Tin being in one instance as high as 19-7 per cent. Nickel was usually present 
only in traces, but one bronze contained 1:1 per cent. of that element. A silver ring 
contained both gold and copper, and was evidently made from the native metal. 
Only a few samples of ore have been received this year. By the courtesy of the 
Hon, the Agent to the Governor-General and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan, 
four samples of ore were obtained, two only of which proved to contain copper. 
No. 1 was from Koh-i-Lar at a place about six miles west from the Lar Post. This 
ore contained 42-76 per cent. Copper and only a trace of Nickel. Sample No. 2 came 
from Koh-i-Lar, about five miles southwards from Lar Post. It contained 16-80 per 
cent. Copper and no Nickel. The other two ores contained Lead, but no Copper. 
Information obtained from the India Copper Corporation, Ltd., states that the 
copper mines in Singbhum were undoubtedly worked in ancient times, and large slag 
heaps still exist. The ore worked in recent years has contained Copper and Nickel 
in the approximate ratio 95 to 5. The two metals do not occur in the same mineral, 
but Chalcopyrite and Pyrrhotite are intimately mixed, so that in smelting Copper and 
Nickel would be obtained together. The ore is free from Arsenic, Antimony and 
Bismuth, and the quantity of precious metals present is negligible. A circular plate 
of cast Copper was found at the Masaboni mine, obviously of ancient origin, and 
had the following analysis :— 
Copper : 3 : F ; é . 94-44 per cent. 
Nickel ‘ ; ‘ ‘ : ‘ « )98-56 . 
Tron . ‘ - i 4 . ; sivas 03883) Rests 
Sulphur. - 5 ; ‘ : imho OSL1Si¢ WG} 
Insoluble . : 5 F t . ‘ 0-688 . 
