Posted on 03/09/2005 5:46:51 PM PST by blam
Ancient earrings discovered at Burnt City disprove ornament theory
Tehran Times Culture Desk
TEHRAN -- Archaeologists have found a pair of silver earrings in a grave of a woman in the 5200-year-old Burnt City which disproves the theory that the inhabitants of the city never used earrings, the director of the Iranian archaeological team working in the region said on Tuesday.
A skeleton of a woman with one circular silver earring on each side of her skull was unearthed during the last days of the excavations at the cemetery of the Burnt City, Mansur Sajjadi added.
The Burnt City is located 57 kilometers from the city of Zabol in Irans Sistan-Baluchestan Province and covers an area of 150 hectares. It was one of the worlds largest cities at the dawn of the urban era. It was built circa 3200 B.C. and destroyed some time around 2100 B.C. The city had four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times. Since it was not rebuilt after the last time it was burnt down, it has been named the Burnt City.
This is the first time we have found a pair of earrings at the ancient site. A large mirror and a silver ring were also discovered in the womans grave, he said.
The large amount of gemstones and jewelry found at the Burnt City over the past few years indicates that the inhabitants were interested in ornaments. The objects also showed that the people were skilled in making necklaces, bracelets, rings, and other adornments, but no earrings had ever been found at the site. Archaeologists had believed that the use of earrings was not common in the city, but the newly discovered earrings disprove that idea.
A group of anthropologists is currently studying the skeleton to determine the age and race of the woman, Sajjadi added.
Sajjadis team is working with a group of Italian archaeobotanists, led by Lorenzo Constantini. The Italian group also discovered several brown, beige, and maroon pieces of textiles during the latest phase of excavations.
Archaeologists had previously discovered a 10-centimeter ruler with an accuracy of half a millimeter in the ruins of the ancient city.
Last December, Sajjadi announced the discovery of an earthenware bowl at the Burnt City which bore images of what experts believe is the worlds oldest animated picture drawn around it.
Although many studies have been carried out on the Burnt City, so far experts have not been able to determine the ethnicity and language of the citys inhabitants.
GGG Ping.
This was worth a theory.
Proves you can't take it with you.
Well, my body has been found from one of my past lives. Those earrings and that ring were some of my favorites I'm sure! LOL
If that ruler was actually marked in centimeters and millimeters, something is seriously wrong...
Dice From Burnt City
history ping
You beat me to it. Some pathetic archeologist trying to come up with a dissertation topic happened upon the theory that the inhabitants of some ancient city never used earrings. He got his degree, but now his theory has been conclusively disproved. Like we care.
Burnt City "ruler" looks more like the fragments of a modern comb.
Earings mean??????
Why not a theory about trimming toenails?
That's the backup dissertation topic.
How much is that in cubits?
How much is that in cubits?
"Archaeologists had believed that the use of earrings was not common in the city, but the newly discovered earrings disprove that idea."
They find one pair of earrings and that disproves that they weren't common?
Right. Maybe they were strictly burial wear and live inhabitants wouldn't be caught dead in them. :-)
In another recent find, a clay tablet was discovered. It was the equivalent of a modern day newspaper. The headline declared, "Woman burned for wearing earrings! Subheading: New fad imported from Babylon won't catch on here."
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