ROYAL TOMBS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 121, 24 May 1928, Page 19

ROYAL TOMBS

ABRAHAM'S BIRTHPLACE HUMAN SACRIFICE AT UR It is six years since the British Museum sent an expedition, under Mr. C. L. Woolley to excavate upon the site of Ur, tho birthplace of Abraham, writes the London correspondent of the Melbourno "Argus." Mr. Woolley has been working with a party of experts sent by the University of Pennsylvania, and the joint expedition has achieved considerable success. The discoveries this season, however, have; eclipsed every record. Until the excavations at Ur this year, it was not certain that Sumerian burial customs closely approximated to those of Egypt. It has now ben shown that, at any rate in royal burials, the custom was to cut a tomb chamber at the end of a long shaft, and fill it with objects likely to be of use to tho dead man in his life beyond the grave. In November, Mr. Woolley uncovered tho grave of a certain Prince Mcskalam-dug, and found a series of remarkable gold and silver treasures; but an even more astonishing discovery was made at' tl;-- very end of the season's work. This proved to Aie the tomb of an unknown Babylonian prince. The body itself was not in the tomb, doubtless , becauso tomb robbers had l-aidef. the place soon after burial, but the bodies of.,the prince's wives and servants were discovered in the floor of the shaft leading to the tomb —men and women, who had been stabbed or strangled that they might serve their lord in the next world. A charioteer, a master of the robes, a cook, a butler, and a harpist, 'as well as the wives* and concubines of the harem, have been identified; and, with them, a wonderful array of objects showing the degree of culture' achieved in Babylonia about 3500 8.C., perhaps 1500 years before Abraham. The unknown prince of Ur had a chariot drawn by two asses, which also were killed and buried with their master. There were a draught board, a harp with 12 strings, lamps, silver jugs, and jewel-work in plenty. Ur was no mean city, and its princes wero men of wealth and culture. The tomb, with its shaft, measured 40 feet by 17 feet, so Mr. -Woolley's task was no easy one. The first object turned up by the spade was the harp. It- was made of wood, which had decayed, but the hole in tho ground was traceable, and made it possible to pour in plaster of paris and secure a cast of the upright beam, with the nails, which formed the keys, in their correct position. The upright of the harp was capped and bound with, gold, and it had an inlay of haematite, shell, and lapis, the 12 keys being of copper with gilt heads. The sounding-box was adorned with mosaics, having in front a series of shell plaques,, engraved with mythological scenes, and finished off with the head of a calf in gold, with hair and beard of lapis^-lazuli. Close by the harp was found the prince's chariot. Here, again, the wood had perished, but the hollows in the ground and the remains of decoration enabled Mr. Woolle;- and his exiperts to recover the general design, as well as the inlay of blue, white, and red which decorated it. The upper rail was adorned with 12 heads of lions and bulls in gold, and the body had on either side three gold lions' heads, with manes of lapis and shell; from tho front uprights projected panthers' heads of silver. The chariot was drawn by two asses—horses wero not known in Mesopotamia until 1500 years later—and tho bodies of the asses lay on either side of the pole. This, had upon it a rein-ring of silver, surmounted by a carving of a donkey. Tho excavators describe this donkey as tho most realistic piece of sculpture yet found. A tiny toilet set in gold, and a semi-circular "silver box with a mosaic ( lid in lapis and shell, are other, precious objects. The lion on the box lid, picked out in red, and standing out against a blue background, is most natural. Near tho chariot was found a, gaming-board, with two sets of playing pieces and dice—a very interesting object, but not so beautiful as an earlier , gaming-board found by Mr. Woolley. A large wooden chest was the central object of a wide series of funerary offerings, including alabaster jars, steatite bowls, and vases of granite and obsidian, to the number of 40. Privitivo copper axes, a full-sized saw of gold, "and a sceptrej' of lapis and gold, were other objects. Cut the chiof interest in the excavations was not the tomb furniture of stone and metal, but that of human life. On three sides- of the chest, under the offerings piled around it, were human bodies, nOno of them decently laid out for burial; but, as Mr. Woolley says, huddled up as if death had smitten them suddenly. One of the men wore a frontlet of gold and lapis, and gold earrings; perhaps he was a keeper of the royal wardrobe. Near by were six other bodies; while near the chariot were 13 bodies. One crouched up against the harp, tho arm bones mingled with the wood of the sounding-box, might be that of the royal harpist. Two were children; others were women wearing elaborate dresses and jewels, clearly the royal harpm.