National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

as in S.K. 239 (fig. 405 and plate 45, fig. 12) from the same point, and also in S.K.
362 (fig. 406; plate 45, fig. 10), from terrace B between +18 feet and +30 feet.
The bottoms are strikingly thick, as in S.K. 159 (fig. 407 and plate 45, fig. 5) from
terrace B, between +21 feet 5 inches and +23 feet 7 inches. The greater part
of the fragments found are of marble, but two of alabaster were collected. The
finds all come from the lowest layer of terrace B and are important in connection
with the buildings found there. While the marble and alabaster vessels are smooth,
two fragments with incised patterns (S.K. 169) belonging to a small shallow cup
of dark gray-green stone, are shown in fig. 408 and plate 45, fig. 6, from the upper
digging between +25 feet 5 inches and +29 feet.

FROM UPPER STRATA OF SOUTH KURGAN, CULTURE IV.

Whorls.—The number of whorls found in the upper strata of the South Kurgan
was strikingly small. They have no peculiarities of form. Some are conical, as
S.K. 121 (fig. 409 and plate 46, fig. 1); some are double-conical, and truncated
like S.K. 33 (fig. 410 and plate 46, fig. 2); some, as is more usual, are furnished with
a depression as in S.K. 3 (fig. 411 and
plate 46, fig. 3). Ornamented whorls
occur also in these layers, the patterns
consisting throughout of contiguous
short curved lines—the favorite motif
of ornamentation of the middle and
lower strata.

Flint implements.—Flint imple-
ments are also rare in the upper strata.
A knife (S.K. 53; fig. 412 and plate
46, fig. 4) may serve as a specimen;
also a two-edged saw (S.K. 13; fig.
413 and plate 46, fig. 5), and a one-
edged saw (S.K. 100; fig. 414 and plate 46, fig. 6). It is not determinable
whether these belong to the culture of the upper strata or, as older artefacts,
came accidentally into the deposit of that time.

Miscellaneous.—A lenticular mace (S.K. 38; fig. 415 and plate 46, fig. 8)
from the débris of the upper digging from between +45 feet 11 inches and +47
feet, stands by itself. It is made of violet-gray stone, is polished, and has an
unfinished perforation. In the hole on one side there still remains a part of the
drill-core. Among the miscellaneous objects there is an awl-shaped bone imple-
ment with a longitudinal channel (S.K. 44; fig. 416; plate 46, fig. 7), also found
in the upper digging, between +43 feet and +45 feet 11 inches.

One is disposed to regard the greater part of the separate finds from the upper
layers with more or less skepticism. They add nothing to our knowledge of the
culture characterized by the finds of iron in these strata, and only future studies
can determine whether they are to be referred to the older culture and have come
accidentally into the younger layers.