ABSTRACT

It is possible that the small fragments simply came into the temple with the material used for the floors, or

they may represent disintegrated items or furnishings actually belonging to its use. O f the items for which a shape, if not a use, can be ascertained, two in particular are peculiar to the temple, and contrast with the usual fish-hook and haft fragments found in domestic contexts at Saar. These are the clasp-like item of thick copper wire [33], and the thoroughly enigmatic piece reminiscent of a shoehorn, or the disembodied spout of an Arabian coffee­ pot [31]. Knowing as little as we do about Dilmun cult practices, the imagination can be allowed free-rein with these objects. Perhaps the ‘horn was a scoop to transfer small quantities of a substance such as incense; perhaps the link was part o f an ornate fastening for some vest­ ment.