Agate— Archaeology and Folk-lore 
The Sumerians, the earliest inhabitants of Meso- 
potamia, were the first nation in history, as far as we 
know at present, that recognized the ornamental value 
of semiprecious stones and that understood and prac- 
tised the art of stone-cutting for the purpose of mak- 
ing cylinder seals, signet-rings, beads, and other arti- 
cles of jewelry. In the excavations undertaken by 
Field Museum at Kish in cooperation with Oxford 
University under the auspices of Captain Marshall 
Field, great quantities of beads of various substances 
and forms have been brought to light. These beads 
were worn by both sexes, and the materials commonly 
used for their manufacture were agate, carnelian, and 
lapis lazuli, which occur in almost every necklace. It 
appears from their relative number that carnelian and 
agate beads were more popular than those of lapis 
lazuli. Many are of oblong, cylindrical shape, up to 
two and two and a half inches long with perforations 
firmly and evenly drilled. Many examples of such 
beads may be viewed in the exhibits of Kish antiquities 
in Stanley Field Hall (Cases 6 and 20) . In Plate XIII 
one of the finest necklaces from Kish is reproduced. 
It consists of agate and lapis-lazuli beads alternating, 
and also contains beads of gold foil made of the same 
shape as those of agate. Perrot and Chipiez figure 
a cylinder of veined agate on which are portrayed 
winged quadrupeds seizing and devouring gazelles. 
It was found by De Sarzec at Tello, and is now in the 
Louvre of Paris. The source of the agates and car- 
nelians used by the Sumerians has not yet been traced. 
Aside from beads, the Sumerians used agate also 
for making ceremonial axe-heads. One of these, with 
a three-line inscription, is in the American Museum 
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