PUABI'S ADORNMENT FOR THE AFTERLIFE

321 Pages·2013·19.71 MB·English

by  Benzel, Kim

PUABI’S ADORNMENT FOR THE AFTERLIFE:
MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES OF JEWELRY AT UR IN MESOPOTAMIA

KIM BENZEL

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

2013
©2013
Kim Benzel
All rights reserved
ABSTRACT
PUABI’S ADORNMENT FOR THE AFTERLIFE:
MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES OF JEWELRY AT UR IN MESOPOTAMIA

KIM BENZEL

This dissertation investigates one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the
20th century – the jewelry belonging to a female named Pu-abi buried in the so-called Royal
Cemetery at the site of Ur in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq. The mid-third millennium
B.C. assemblage represents one of the earliest and richest extant collections of gold and precious
stones from antiquity and figures as one of the most renowned and often illustrated aspects of
Sumerian culture. With a few notable exceptions most scholars have interpreted these jewels
primarily as a reflection in burial of a significant level of power and prestige among the ruling
kings and queens of Ur at the time. While the jewelry certainly could, and undoubtedly did,
reflect the identity and status of the deceased, I believe that it might have acted as much more
than a mere marker and that the identity and status thus signaled might have had a considerably
more nuanced meaning, or even a different one, than that of royalty or royalty alone. Based on a
thorough examination of the materials and methods used to manufacture these ornaments, I will
argue that the jewelry was not simply a rich but passive collection of prestige goods, rather that
jewelry that can be read in terms of active ritual, and perhaps cultic, production and display. The
particular materials and techniques chosen for the making of Pu-abi’s jewelry entailed
methodological operations akin to what Alfred Gell has called the “technology of enchantment
and enchantment of technology” and allowed these ornaments to materialize from their creation
as a group of magically and ritually charged objects.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix

DEDICATION xiii

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION 1

PAST SCHOLARSHIP ON THE “ROYAL CEMETERY” AT UR 5
METHODOLOGY AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES 8
GOALS OF THIS DISSERTATION 9
CHAPTER II
MATERIALS: JEWELRY MATERIALS IN MESOPOTAMIA AND AT UR 11

INTRODUCTION 11
MATERIALS AT EARLY DYNASTIC UR 24
GOLD (AND SILVER) 26
LAPIS LAZULI 56
CARNELIAN 71
AGATE 80
CONCLUSION 83
CHAPTER III
MAKERS: JEWELERS AS RITUAL TECHNICIANS IN MESOPOTAMIA 85
INTRODUCTION 85
GOLD (AND SILVER) SMITHS 88
LAPIDARIES 109
CONCLUSION 113
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CHAPTER IV
MAKING: “SKILLED CRAFTING” OF JEWELRY AT UR 115

INTRODUCTION 115
PU-ABI’S JEWELRY 117
ADORNMENT OF PU-ABI’S HEAD 119
ADORNMENT OF PU-ABI’S BODY 138
ADORNMENT RELATED TO PU-ABI’S BODY 153
COMPARATIVE JEWELRY ASSEMBLAGES AT UR AND ELSEWHERE 166
CONCLUSION 176
CHAPTER V
MADE: SKILLED CRAFTING AND ENCHANTED ADORNMENT 178

INTRODUCTION 178
SKILLED CRAFTING AND ENCHANTMENT 179
CULTIC ADORNMENT IN MESOPOTAMIA 192
PU-ABI’S ENCHANTED ADORNMENT 202
CONCLUSION 207
CATALOG 209
PLATES 221
FIGURES 234
BIBLIOGRAPHY 278

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATES:
Plate 1: Pu-abi’s comb, Cat. no. 1 221
Plate 2: Pu-abi’s poplar wreath, Cat. no. 2 222
Plate 3: Pu-abi’s poplar wreath, Cat. no. 3 223
Plate 4: Pu-abi’s willow wreath, Cat. no. 4 224
Plate 5: Pu-abi’s ringlet wreath, Cat. no. 5 225
Plate 6: Pu-abi’s hair ribbon, Cat. no. 6 226
Plate 7: Pu-abi’s earrings, Cat. no. 8 227
Plate 8: Pu-abi’s rosette medallion necklace and detail, Cat. no. 9 228
Plate 9: Pu-abi’s cloak necklace or collar and detail, Cat. no. 10 229
Plate 10: Pu-abi’s belt or cloak border, Cat. no. 13 230
Plate 11: Pu-abi’s “garter,” Cat. no. 15 231
Plate 12: Pu-abi’s toggle pin, Cat. no. 22 232
Plate 13: Pu-abi’s dress or belt pin, Cat. no. 33 233

FIGURES:
Figure 1: Map of Mesopotamia in the third millennium B.C. 234
Figure 2: Varia from the “Royal Cemetery” of Ur 235
Figure 3: Current reinterpretation and display of the majority of 236
Pu-abi’s attire at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology

Figure 4: Zainab Bahrani and Kim Benzel visiting with Rachel 237
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Maxwell-Hyslop at her home in Little Tew in the summer of 2006

Figure 5: Pu-abi’s head ornaments 238
Figure 6: Excavation photo of foundation deposit, Temple Oval, 239
Tutub/Khafaje, Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C.

Figure 7: Foundation deposit of Ur-Namma, Nippur, 239
Mesopotamia, ca. 2112–2095 B.C.

Figure 8: Pu-abi’s head ornaments 240

Figure 9: Pu-abi’s body ornaments 240

Figure 10: Top row, Pu-abi’s head ornaments; Pu-abi’s comb, 241
Cat. no. 1, Pl. 1; Middle row, left to right, Pu-abi’s poplar wreath,
Cat. no. 2, Pl. 2; Pu-abi’s poplar wreath, Cat. no. 3, Pl. 3;
Pu-abi’s willow wreath, Cat. no. 4, Pl. 4; Bottom row, Pu-abi’s
ringlet wreath, Cat. no. 5, Pl. 5

Figures 11a, b: Top, detail of Pu-abi’s comb, Cat. no. 1, Pl. 1; 242
bottom, microphotography detail of Pu-abi’s comb, Cat. no. 1,
showing stress fractures from work hardening where prongs of
comb split off

Figure 12: Detail of Pu-abi’s comb, Cat. no. 1, from back 243
showing mechanism for flower attachments

Figure 13: Microphotography detail of Pu-abi’s comb, Cat. no. 1, 243
showing mechanism for flower attachments

Figure 14: Pu-abi’s comb, Cat. no. 1, back showing wire reinforcing 243

Figure 15: Top row, one of Pu-abi’s poplar wreaths, Cat. no. 2, Pl. 2 and 244
detail; Middle/bottom rows, microphotography detail of suspension loops

Figure 16: Top row, one of Pu-abi’s poplar wreaths, Cat. no. 3, Pl. 3 and 245
detail; Middle/bottom rows, microphotography detail of suspension loops
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Figure 17: Top row, Pu-abi’s willow wreath, Cat. no. 4, Pl. 4 and detail; 246
Middle/bottom rows, microphotography detail of suspension loops

Figure 18: Pu-abi’s willow wreath, Cat. no. 4, microphotography detail of 247
suspension loop

Figure 19: Pu-abi’s willow wreath, Cat. no. 4, microphotography detail of 247
suspension loop as it meets one of the ring pendants

Figure 20: Two of Pu-abi’s of four (?) hair rings, Cat. no. 7 248

Figure 21: Top, detail of Pu-abi’s necklace, Cat. no. 10, Pl. 8; Bottom, 249
microphotography detail of medallion in Pu-abi’s necklace, Cat. no. 10

Figure 22: Pu-abi’s “cloak” beads, Cat. no. 11 250

Figure 23: Pu-abi’s additional beads, Cat. no. 12 250

Figure 24: Microphotography detail of Pu-abi’s belt, Cat. no. 13, 251
showing the seam join on one of the cylindrical gold beads

Figure 25: Microphotography detail of Pu-abi’s belt, Cat. no. 13, 252
showing the folded over edges on one of the cylindrical gold beads

Figure 26: Detail of Pu-abi’s belt, Cat. no. 13, Pl. 10, 253
showing joins of rings

Figure 27: Pu-abi’s “cuff,” Cat. no. 16 253

Figure 28: Pu-abi’s ring, Cat. no. 17, microphotography 254

Figure 29: Pu-abi’s ring, Cat. no. 18, microphotography 255

Figure 30: Pu-abi’s ring, Cat. no. 19, microphotography 256

Figure 31: Pu-abi’s ring, Cat. no. 20, microphotography 257
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Figure 32: Pu-abi’s ring, Cat. no. 21, microphotography 258

Figure 33: Pu-abi’s toggle pin, Cat. no. 23 259

Figure 34: Pu-abi’s toggle pin, Cat. no. 24 259

Figure 35: Pu-abi’s cylinder seal, Cat. no. 25 260

Figure 36: Pu-abi’s cylinder seal, Cat. no. 26 260

Figure 37: Pu-abi’s cylinder seal, Cat. no. 27 260

Figure 38: Pu-abi’s amulet, Cat. no. 28 261

Figure 39: Pu-abi’s amulet, Cat. no. 29 261

Figures 40, 41: Pu-abi’s amulets, Cat. no. 30 261

Figure 42: Pu-abi’s amulet, Cat. no 31 261

Figure 43: Pu-abi’s amulet, Cat. no. 32 262

Figure 44: Microphotography detail of Pu-abi’s toggle pin, 263
Cat. no. 22, showing cap at top of pin

Figure 45: Microphotography detail of Pu-abi’s dress or belt pin, 264
Cat. no. 33, showing stress fractures from work hardening

Figure 46: Gold, lapis lazuli, and carnelian ornaments associated with 265
Body 51, PG 1237, Ur, Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C.

Figure 47: Gold, lapis lazuli, and carnelian ornaments associated with 266
Body 54, PG 1237, Ur, Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C.

Figure 48: Gold, lapis lazuli, and carnelian ornaments associated with 267
Body 55, PG 1237, Ur, Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C.
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Figures 49a, b: Jewelry hoard, discovered beneath floor of 268
Akkadian palace, Tell Asmar, Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C.;
right, burial items, Burial 344, Kish, Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C.

Figures 49c, d: Left, gypsum plaque depicting bejeweled female figure, 268
discovered in area of Ishtar temple, Ashur, Mesopotamia,
ca. mid-late 3rd millennium B.C.; right, drawing of same

Figures 50 a-c: Left, mosiac column with shell, pink limestone, 269
and black shale inlays, Ninhursanga temple, Tell al Ubaid, Mesopotamia,
ca. 2400-2250 B.C.; top right, fired clay cone-mosaic panel, Uruk,
Mesopotamia, ca. 3300–2900 B.C.; bottom right, reconstructed
clay cone-mosaic columns decorating staircase in the E-anna Precinct,
Uruk, Mesopotamia, ca. 3300–3000 B.C.

Figure 51: Shell inlay of a woman wearing a cylinder seal, 270
Dagan temple, Mari, Syria, ca. 2550–2250 B.C.

Figure 52: Shell inlay of a woman’s head, Ninni-zaza temple, 270
Mari, ca. 2550-2250 B.C., Syria

Figure 53: Terracotta nude female figurine, Tell Asmar, 271
Mesopotamia, ca. 2100–1900 B.C.

Figure 54a: Gold rosette ornament, Ur, Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C. 272

Figure 54b: Gold rosette ornaments, PG 1133, Ur, Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C. 272

Figures 55a, b: Gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and shell combs, PG 1237, Ur, 273
Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C.

Figure 56: Gold and lapis lazuli flowers, PG 1237, Ur, 273
Mesopotamia, ca. 2500 B.C.

Figures 57a, b: Gold basket earrings with pendants, Treasure A, 274
Troy, Anatolia, ca. 2500 B.C.?
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