Shepherds of the black-headed people - New York Art Resources ...
Shepherds of the black-headed people - New York Art Resources ...
Shepherds of the black-headed people - New York Art Resources ...
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UE III : 43,found in SIS 7UE III: 480,two items,datable to J-Nor early ED I 56container(vessel), cutopen while claystill wet"lock"? andtag? boredthrough0 TUR.NUN,humangrasping longsinuous curves.Deliveringagency (elitepersonage)? 550 ŠAM 2 , origin <strong>of</strong>stored goods(purchased)?As may be seen, <strong>the</strong> earliest stage <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ur sealings, dating to <strong>the</strong>very beginning <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> third millennium, does already show a ra<strong>the</strong>rhigh degree <strong>of</strong> sophistication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> administrative machinery <strong>of</strong> thisearly Sumerian state.First, we have <strong>the</strong> very simplest form <strong>of</strong> goods’ movement –comestibles delivered in movable containers, presumably for directconsumption.Next, <strong>the</strong>re are commodities in mobile containers bearing sealswhich denote sets <strong>of</strong> institutions, <strong>of</strong>fices and communities. Thesemay perhaps visualize exchange <strong>of</strong> token commodity volumesamong such entities, perhaps as a sign <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir social (political?)coherence.Finally, <strong>the</strong> evidence <strong>of</strong> sealing <strong>of</strong> storage spaces under <strong>the</strong> names<strong>of</strong> various dignitaries bearing traditional (Uruk-age) titles hints atredistribution <strong>of</strong> goods on behalf <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ur polity, though it isunclear whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> dignitaries delivered <strong>the</strong> goods to Ur orcollected <strong>the</strong>m from <strong>the</strong> city which might have acted as a collectionpoint <strong>of</strong> such deliveries.Never<strong>the</strong>less, in view <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong>se sealings turned up in <strong>the</strong>same find contexts as later seals, and thus presumably went55 See Charvát 2006.56 UM catalogue entry: "Ur, found 7 ½ to 8 m below brick pavement, datedca. 3100 B.C. in <strong>the</strong> prehistoric settlement. Includes decorated pottery;clay animal; a number <strong>of</strong> seal impressions on clay jar stoppers; clay copies<strong>of</strong> shell bugle beads; bone tubular bead; copper needle, etc. Palmetteenclosed (sealings)".42