Metal

Assyrian metal

bronze, lead, iron and ... gold!

In the Assyrian settlement at Tell Sabi Abyad more than 400 metal objects have been recovered so far. Most objects are made of bronze, but objects of lead and iron as well as gold ornaments have also been found.

Most artefacts are toggle pins, or cloak pins. They were used to fasten garments or as hair pins. They are simple in shape, with a rounded top that is joined smoothly to the pin itself. There are also some metal dishes and animal figurines made of lead. Straws made of lead were used by the Assyrians for drinking beer. They have a pierced, flattened end. Assyrian beer had a solid head; beer-drinkers would not be hindered by that if they used the straws.

Among the artefacts there were a large number of rings, earrings and bracelets of gold, bronze and iron. In 1998 we found several beautiful and very precious ornaments. They were part of a burial: the gold treasure. The ornaments were in a jar, together with the cremated remains of the deceased.

Although there were Assyrian soldiers in the settlement, we have found few weapons: only about twenty spear-heads and a dozen daggers. The presence of so few daggers may be due to the fact that these weapons in particular were a sign of someone's status. In that case the inhabitants took the daggers with them when they abandoned the settlement.

All in all the metal finds give us a picture of the metal industry in the Assyrian period, and they show us what the Assyrians in their fortified settlement used metal objects for.