Sumerian Urudu and Kartvelian metallurgy

Abstract

The Sumerian civilization has long posed some insoluble interpretational problems. One is the presence of a highly sophisticated level of metallurgy, despite the absence of minerals and ores, which excludes Sumer as a possible birthplace of metallurgy. This craft must have been either borrowed or taught by experienced teachers, and proof of this is found in the language, where many metal names are of unknown etymology (Hallo, 1963 :141).