Sumerian Steatite and Shell Bead Hoard, One Pound Lot

Near East, Mesopotamia, Sumerian. A full pound of ancient disc and short-tube beads, hand-ground from dark grey-green steatite and pale cream shell, each pierced through the center with a fine drill. Thousands of examples fill this lot, their edges softened by wear and burial, their surfaces ranging from chalky matte to a low waxy sheen where the soapstone has kept its polish. Scattered among them are occasional beads of a warm red stone, likely carnelian or a related chalcedony, adding sparks of color to the muted mass. Beads of this scale were strung by the hundred into multi-strand necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and garment trim, and appear in quantity in Mesopotamian burials, where personal adornment accompanied the dead. Sold as a bulk group, ideal for restringing or for study of ancient lapidary technique. Steatite (soapstone) was the workhorse of Mesopotamian bead production: soft enough to be sawn, ground, and bow-drilled in volume with copper and abrasive sand, yet capable of hardening and darkening when heat-treated. Shell, much of it imported up the Gulf from the Indian Ocean littoral, supplied the pale counterpoint, while carnelian, the likely red element here, was traded from the Indus valley and beyond and was prized for its solar warmth. The great graves of Ur produced strung ornaments running to many thousands of such beads, arranged in alternating bands of light and dark, a chromatic rhythm this lot still preserves in miniature. Item # 203210

Estimate:$300

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