Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-04
FIND ANCIENT ART
IN MES0P0TAM|A
Objects Nearly 5000 Years
Old Unearthed in Valley
of Euphrates.
By the Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA. January Abb
Jects nearly 1000 years old have been
, unearthed by the joint expedition of the
University OF Pennsylvania Museum and
the British Museum to Mesopotamia
encouraging the archeologiStS in the
hope that further excavations will
bring forth material for d complete
history of mans first settlement in
the Euphrates Valley.
a report from G.. Leonard Wooley,
field director of the joint expedition.
| made public slast night by Or. g. b.
Gordon, director Of the university
museum, said the first months work
of the digging season at Gr had been
unusually rich III important dis
coveries and has taken us straight
back To the earliest times.
The expedition is working IN the
sacred area on "a site believed to
be that of the palace of Dungia, King
of Ur, III $3.50 Be. and which had
been partly eXcavated in 1884. Num-
erous graves. dating to a period be.
tween 1900 and 1900 Be. We're UNI
earthed and the great Temenos wall
of NebuchadneZZar was found well
preserved.
Statue of King.
In one of the tattered remnants Of
the mud brick wall We're found boxes
of burnt brick, each containing
stone tablet inscribed with the name
of Dungia and the dedication OF the
building. and copper statuette Of the
king represented carrying on his
head u basket of mortar for the lay
ing of the first brick.
Another object, rarer than the cop
per figures, Mr.. Wooley's report said.
turned up in the loose rubble filling
hot, ,n n N
diorite statue of the king with long
Inscription on his back, a small statue
and headlesS. but the first of its kind
| yet known. and. better still, the head
| of a statue of probably
Nin-Gal. the moon gods wife-dating
| from the same period, the third dy-
| nasty Of Ur. This small head. carved
| in white marble, shows Sumerian art
| in a more attractive ouise than does
any other object known To me. The
modelling Of the features is soft and
! lifelike and an extraordinary express
| sion of vitality is given the eyes, which
are inlaid with shell and lapis iazuli.
The pair, originally painted black, is
very deliberately rendered. 1t is a
| real masterpiece Of ancient sculpture.
Artificial Terrace.
The Dungia building lies on high
| artificial terrace and To its height Is
probably due the name E-Harsag, the
house of the mountain. which is far
! older than the third dynasty of Ur.
Around the drains which pierce the
! terrace levels we find pottery like
! that of The first Ur dynasty and in
| sCribed tablets which date back 10
! the fourth millennium before Christ.
ON a neighboring site We're found
! what appeared to be dwelling houses
; attached TO large temple. Under
the floor of one of the rooms pot
| terry. stone vessels, gold beads with
| jewel settings and pendants of silver
| iligree and half of an alabaster relief
! carved on both sides were dug up
! The alabaster relief represents a boat
| fashioned out of reeds tied together
| with an arched cabin amidships on
one side is a man standing and in the
! cabin are boar and a goose. while
| tied against the stern are two fish
! Or. Wooley said this object probably
| illustrates the life of the people II
| the marsh districts of southern Mes
| opotamia not later than 5000 B. c.
| Then a foot or 50 further into the
| rubbish" said the report, I'VE came
| upon the main find Lying touch
| ing each other in the soil and abso
! lutely intact there were two statues
| Of rams They were carved in white
| gypsum. 16 inches high. Only the
| forepartS are sculptured. the body
! tapering off to a fornless block. As
| there is a hole through the body oil
| each, which would we'll take a nail
| they were perhaps the supports Of q
| throne-the throne of the God Ea Of
E,ridu whose symbol was the ram.
am inclined to attribute the rams te
5000 b. G. or rather earlier.