HELP:DOOR SOCKET?

[Ozcan Buze]

I am trying to understand a passage of a book by S.M. Kramer on
Sumerians. In the book Kramer relates about the Sumerian documents and
in what form and shape these were found. In one of his sentences he says
that some of the Sumerian documets were found inscribed on door sockets.
My question is: What is a door socket? I know what is a socket, and what
is a door, but don´t know what is a door socket. An how can one inscribe
anything on them? So if anyone with a knowledge of this or anyone who
may be helpful to clarify the issue please send me a message or reply
here.
Thanks in advance.

[Chad Ryan Thomas]

Ozcan Buze <bu...@online.no> wrote in
<uEG4kTC0...@galatham.demon.co.uk>:

>What is a door socket? I know what is a socket, and what

>is a door, but dont know what is a door socket.

A door socket is a groundstone with a circular depression in the middle
of one side. The wooden door had a post along one side that extended
below the bottom of the door and rested in the depression--this took the
place of a hinge. Instead, the door pivoted on the post, and the socket
kept it aligned along the jamb. Presumably, there was a similar socket
in the lintel stone above the door.

> An how can one inscribe anything on them?

Same as inscribing on any other stone, though I must assume that the
inscribed ones were more elaborate than the average sandstone chunk with
a hole in it.

--
****** Chad Ryan Thomas *********** crth...@asu.edu ******
/ "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be\
\ content." -- St. Paul (Phil. 4:11, KJV) /
*********** http://www.public.asu.edu/~crthomas ***********

[Robert Stonehouse]

Ozcan Buze <bu...@online.no> wrote:
>I am trying to understand a passage of a book by S.M. Kramer on
>Sumerians. In the book Kramer relates about the Sumerian documents and
>in what form and shape these were found. In one of his sentences he says
>that some of the Sumerian documets were found inscribed on door sockets.
>My question is: What is a door socket? I know what is a socket, and what

>is a door, but dont know what is a door socket. An how can one inscribe

>anything on them? So if anyone with a knowledge of this or anyone who
>may be helpful to clarify the issue please send me a message or reply
>here.

Ancient doors did not turn on metal hinges like ours.

The flat board that made the door was fixed, all along its length,
to a round wooden post, which projected above the top and below the
bottom of the door and was pointed at the ends.

The top point fitted into a hole in the ceiling and the bottom point
into a hole in the floor. The post, and so the door, turned in these
holes to open and close.

With a little more sophistication, mere holes could be replaced by
hardwood sockets, which would be smoother and would wear better.
ew...@bcs.org.uk

[mmdtkw]

Sumerian door socket info can be found at:
http://www.dubsar.com/nippur/doorpvt.html

which has a link to more at:
http://www.dubsar.com/nippur/jppdoor.html

This was found with a simple search using the Google search engine
entering three words: sumerian,
door, and socket.

Tom Wukitsch
(http://sites.netscape.net/mmdtkw/MMDTKWSiteMap.html)

-------------------------

[Michael Mcneil]

Such sockets can be found today in public auditoriums, where the hinge
is set in the floor and incorporates a spring closer.
See also First Kings chapter 7 verses 47 to 50 of the Bible.

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