By approximately 4,000 years ago, jewellery-making had become a significant craft in the cities of
Sumer and
Akkad. The most significant archaeological evidence comes from the
Royal Cemetery of Ur, where hundreds of burials dating 2900–2300 BC were unearthed; tombs such as that of
Puabi contained a multitude of artefacts in gold, silver, and semi-precious stones, such as
lapis lazuli crowns embellished with gold figurines, close-fitting collar necklaces, and jewel-headed pins. In
Assyria, men and women both wore extensive amounts of jewellery, including
amulets, ankle bracelets, heavy multi-strand necklaces, and
cylinder seals.
[17]Jewellery in Mesopotamia tended to be manufactured from thin metal leaf and was set with large numbers of brightly-coloured stones (chiefly agate, lapis, carnelian, and jasper). Favoured shapes included leaves, spirals, cones, and bunches of grapes. Jewellers created works both for human use and for adorning statues and idols; they employed a wide variety of sophisticated metalworking techniques, such as
cloisonne,
engraving, fine granulation, and
filigree.
[18]Extensive and meticulously maintained records pertaining to the trade and manufacture of jewellery have also been unearthed throughout Mesopotamian archaeological sites. One record in the
Mari royal archives, for example, gives the composition of various items of jewellery:
“
1 necklace of flat speckled chalcedony beads including: 34 flat speckled chalcedony bead, [and] 35 gold fluted beads, in groups of five.
1 necklace of flat speckled chalcedony beads including: 39 flat speckled chalcedony beads, [with] 41 fluted beads in a group that make up the hanging device.
1 necklace with rounded lapis lazuli beads including: 28 rounded lapis lazuli beads, [and] 29 flutd beads for its clasp