Necklace of Carnelian Beads

Carnelian is a translucent, orange, semi-precious stone. It was commonly used for making jewellery in the ancient near east. The important ancient city of Ur lay in the south of Iraq. It was excavated by Sir Leonard Woolley between 1922-1934. The main area was the citadel which contained various palaces and temples, especially the famous temple to the Moon god with its massive mud-brick ziggurat. This necklace came from one of the 1,840 graves of wealthy officials and nobles which Woolley excavated.