Early Dynastic / Sumerian
The period from circa 3000 BC-2350 BC in southern Mesopotamia is sub-divided into three main phases known as Early Dynastic I, II & III. Part of this region at this period corresponds to the ancient region of Sumer hence the assumption that all of the material culture is Sumerian.
Description:
The Sumerian Period is a grouping of the Early Dynastic Periods which were divided by the Oriental Institute's excavations in the Diyala. This term was used during Woolley's time to refer to this span of time. It was preceded by the Jemdat Nasr Period and followed by the Akkadian Period. During this period, Kingship alternated between a number of competing dynasties, traditionally including Kish, Uruk, and Ur.
Ultra Low Chronology:
Short/Low Chronology: 2800-2230 BCE
Middle Chronology: 2900-2340 BCE
Objects: Early Dynastic / Sumerian Export: JSON - XML - CSV
| Object | U Number | Museum Number (UPM Date Reg Number) | Museum Number (BM Registration Number) | Museum Number (UPM B-number) | Description (Catalog Card) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 9364 | (none) | 1928,1009.185 | (none) | Silver bowl with long trough spout, with body finely fluted and engraved, the base outside has an eight petalled flower engraved upon it. Found inside two copper bowls. From the pre-historic graves? (Illustrated Harmsworth Universal History. part 5. facing p.481 : in color.) [card seems to be a replacement] |
| 9608 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Copper Bowl Hemispherical Rim broken Type III |
| 9670 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Copper Pan Like a deep frying-pan with long straight handle and circular bowl Type__ |
| 9787 | (none) | (none) | B17588 | Gilt Ornaments. Short copper rods, 006 long, originally encased with very thin gold. Some of these had attached to one end of them 2 small gold leaves: others had a gold flower rosette and the gold leaf had come off. Probably part of the head ornament 9785. Others had a rim round the stem near but not at the end: and there were found fragments of hollow gold leaf-like balls which may have gone above these so as rather to resemble a pomegranate. The copper stems were pierced with very small holes 0005 apart so must have served as spacers for beads, or else been sewn onto something. One of the gold flowers was fixed to a double silver bead, and to one also silver rosettes were similarly attached. [additional drawing on back of card] [drawing] |
| 9792 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Copper Bowl. Part of base missing. |
| 9797 | (none) | 1928,1010.129 | (none) | Silver Bowl Oval form With engraved line round rim and 3 slightly raised ribs [drawing] It forms part of a mass of broken copper vessels corroded together, and the full details of it cannot be seen. (nos. 11-14 in Field Notes) [Type] LXXXVII |
| 9885 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Copper Lamp Imitation of shell with hollow trough spout [drawing] |
| 9922A.1 | (none) | 1928,1010.694 | (none) | [A.1-.2] Pair, (one broken) earrings Silver Large spiral type and three others, rather larger and thicker, same type |
| 9957 | (none) | 1928,1010.401 | (none) | Copper Pan Inside it are 4 other copper vessels: all are broken and distorted [Type XLIV] [drawing] | |
| 9974 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Copper Bowl Much distorted but probably hemispherical [Type] III |
| 10001 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold Cup Oval calabash type, with rib at end On the side, inscr: Mes-Kalam-dug |
| 10002 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold Cup Hemispherical (nearly) with simple ridge round rim On one side inscription: Mes-Kalam-dug |
| 10003 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold Cup Oval, calabash type Decorated with fluting and engraved patterns round the edge and on the base. The handles are vertical knobs of lapis lazuli between gold plates, secured by rivets. |
| 10004 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold Lamp Ordinary flat shell type At the tip of the spout the metal is bent into a coil On the base inscr. "Mes-Kalam-dug" |
| 10013 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold Drinking-cup (electrum?) apparently lathe spun: base formed by adding a small circular plate. Found with U.10,034 |
| 10024A | (none) | (none) | (none) | [A-B] Lamps Silver, two were found, one inside the other: the outer lamp completely decayed, the inner in good condition. |
| 10031 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Silver Bowl Oval, with base Exactly like the gold example from the same grave: the foot is slightly developed Base burst in TYPE__ |
| 10032 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Silver Bowl Oval A good deal distorted & cracked |
| 10033 | (none) | (none) | B17529 | Silver Bowl Oval Resembling U.10031 badly smashed up |
| 10034 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold Bowl. (? electrum) Hemispherical with slight base broken nearly in halves. Found corroded to the copper tray (U.10036) and silver libation vase (U.10035). The decorated gold bowl, U.10003 was inside it, and so was the plain gold bowl U.10013 |
| 10035 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Libation Jug Silver In very good condition, but adhering to U.10036. [drawing 1:5] [struck out: XXVIII] Type 84 (new) |
| 10036 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Copper Tray With deeply recessed centre and sloped circular rim [drawing 2:5] Type 30 (new) [struck out: XXIX] |
| 10052A | (none) | (none) | (none) | [A-D] Silver Bowl 4 Oval - one inside the other. The 3 inner examples are well preserved and have small lapis handles: the outer bowl is much decayed. TYPE__ |
| 10080 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Copper Cauldron Straight-sided with two small ring handles at rim [drawing] Type LI |
| 10081J | (none) | 1928,1010.392d | (none) | Copper Vessels. Bowls, cups and tumblers. A mass of perhaps 30, all fixed together by corrosion. Many of the bowls are fluted. |
Related Terms
Ubaid - Uruk - Jemdat Nasr - Akkadian Dynasty - Guti/Post Akkadian - Ur III - Old Babylonian - Middle Assyrian - Kassite - Neo-Assyrian - Neo-Babylonian - Achaemenid Empire (Persian) - Seleucid - Parthian