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• Fragment of an Iranian Chlorite Vase. 2500-2400 BCE
• Decorated with the lion headed eagle (Imdugud) found in the temple of Ishtar during the 1933 - 1934 fieldwork by Parrot. Dated 2500 - 2400 BCE. Louvre Museum collection AO 17553. 
• Shahdad standard: Meluhha smithy catalog of Shahdad, Marhashi 

  
  Location of Lagash. At the time of Hammurabi, Lagash was located near the shoreline of the gulf.

  
  
• Location of Shahdad
  Oldest standard in the world. Shahdad standard, 2400 BCE (Prof. Mahmoud Rexa Maheri, Prof. Dept. of Civil Engineering, Shiraz University, dates this to ca. 3000 BCE Oct. 15, 2015 "Following an archeological survey of the South-East Iran in 1930's by Sir Auriel Stein, in 1960's and 1970's a number of archeological expeditions spent a few seasons digging at different locations through theKerman province. Of these, three teams are worthy of mention; one team from Harvard University lead by Professor Lamberg-Karlovsky focused on different layers of the 7000 years old Tape-Yahya at Sogan valley; another team from Illinois University lead by Professor Joseph Caldwell worked on the remains of Tal-i-Iblis, another 7000 years old settlement and a third team by Iranian Department of Archaeology, lead by Mr Hakemi, dug the rich graveyards of the 6000 years old Shahdad near the great Lut desert. The wealth of discoveries though great, went almost unnoticed by the public in the pursuant academic research in the form of Doctorate theses and expedition reports and scientific journal papers. Little attempt was also made to correlate the findings at different sites." http://www.mrmaheri.com/page.php?id=1-5-1)
  

  Source: http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Images2/Pre-Median/Shahdad_Standard.jpg "The discovered standard in Shahdad is consisted of a squared metal piece, 23.4 in 23.4 centimetres in size, mounted on a 128-centimeter metal axle which the flag can turn over it. An eagle with opened wings which is in a landing position can be seen on top of the axle. The flag is engraved with some designs which depicting requesting water from rein goddess, which reveal irrigation method which was practiced during the third and fourth millennia BCE in Shahdad." http://www.cais-soas.com/News/2007/May2007/14-05-iran.htm
  
  
  
  The upper section of the Shahdad Standard, grave No. 114, Object No. 1049 (p.24)

  
  

  Three pots are shown of three sizes in the context of kneeling adorants seated in front of the person seated on a stool. meṇḍā 'kneeling position' (Gondi) Rebus: meḍ 'iron' (Munda)

  
  

  eruvai 'kite' Rebus:eruvai 'copper'

  
  

  dula 'pair' Rebus: dul 'cast metal'

  
  

  arya 'lion' (Akkadian) Rebus: Ara 'brass'

  
  

  kul, kOla 'tiger' Rebus: kol 'working in iron'

  
  

  poLa 'zebu' Rebus: poLa 'magnetite'

  
  kōla = woman (Nahali) Rebus: kol ‘furnace, forge’ (Kuwi) kol ‘alloy of five 

  
  

  metals, pañcaloha’ (Tamil) kol ‘working in iron’ (Tamil)
  
  kaṇḍō a stool. Malt. Kanḍo stool, seat. (DEDR 1179) Rebus: kaṇḍ = a furnace, 

  
  

  altar (Santali)
  
  If the date palm denotes tamar (Hebrew language), ‘palm tree, date palm’ the rebus reading would be: tam(b)ra, ‘copper’ (Pkt.)

  
  

  
  kuṭi ‘tree’. Rebus: kuṭhi ‘smelter’ (Santali). The two trees are shown ligatured to 

  
  

  a rectangle with ten square divisions and a dot in each square. The dot may 

  
  

  denote an ingot in a furnace mould.

  
  

  Hieroglyph: BHSk. gaṇḍa -- m. ʻ piece, part ʼ(CDIAL 3791)

  
  

  Hieroglyph: Paš. lauṛ. khaṇḍā ʻ cultivated field ʼ, °ḍī ʻ small do. ʼ (→ Par. kheṇ ʻ field ʼ IIFL i 265); Gaw. khaṇḍa ʻ hill pasture ʼ (see also bel.)(CDIAL 3792)

  
  

  Rebus: khaṇḍa 'implements'

   Santali glosses
  
  
  

  Glyph of rectangle with divisions: baṭai = to divide, share (Santali) [Note the 

  
  

  glyphs of nine rectangles divided.] Rebus: bhaṭa = an oven, kiln, furnace 

  
  

  (Santali) 
  
  
  

  ḍāḷ= a branch of a tree (G.) Rebus: ḍhāḷako = a large ingot (G.) ḍhāḷakī = a metal heated and poured into a mould; a solid piece of metal; an ingot (G.)

  
  Three sets of entwined 'glyphs (like twisted ropes) are shown around the entire narrative of the  Shahdad standard.
  
  
  
  Twisted rope as hieroglyph:
  
  
  Rebus: dhāˊtu n. ʻ substance ʼ RV., m. ʻ element ʼ MBh., ʻ metal, mineral, ore (esp. of a red colour) ʼ Mn.Pk. dhāu -- m. ʻ metal, red chalk ʼ; N. dhāu ʻ ore (esp. of copper) ʼ; Or. ḍhāu ʻ red chalk, red ochre ʼ (whence ḍhāuā ʻ reddish ʼ; M. dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron ʼ)(CDIAL 6773).
  
  
• Hieroglyph: endless knot motif
  

  After Fig. 52, p.85 in Prudence Hopper opcit. Plaque with male figures, serpents and quadruped. Bitumen compound. H. 9 7/8 in (25 cm); w. 8 ½ in. (21.5 cm); d. 3 3/8 in. (8.5 cm). ca. 2600-2500 BCE. Acropole, temple of Ninhursag Sb 2724. The scene is described: “Two beardless, long-haired, nude male figures, their heads in profile and their bodies in three-quarter view, face the center of the composition…upper centre, where two intertwined serpents with their tails in their mouths appear above the upraised hands. At the base of the plaque, between the feet of the two figures, a small calf or lamb strides to the right. An irregular oblong cavity or break was made in the centre of the scene at a later date.”

  
  

  The hieroglyphs on this plaque are: kid and endless-knot motif (or three strands of rope twisted).

  
  

  Hieroglyph: 'kid': करडूं or करडें (p. 137) [ karaḍū or ṅkaraḍēṃ ] n A kid. कराडूं (p. 137) [ karāḍūṃ ] n (Commonly करडूं) A kid. Rebus: करडा (p. 137) [ karaḍā ] Hard from alloy--iron, silver &c.(Marathi)

  
  

  I suggest that the center of the composition is NOT set of  intertwined serpents, but an endless knot motif signifying a coiled rope being twisted from three strands of fibre.

m1406 Seal using three-stranded rope: dhAtu Rebus: iron ore.

Hieroglyph:  धातु [p= 513,3] m. layer , stratum Ka1tyS3r. Kaus3. constituent part , ingredient (esp. [ and in RV. only] ifc. , where often = " fold " e.g. त्रि-ध्/आतु , threefold &c ; cf.त्रिविष्टि- , सप्त- , सु-) RV. TS. S3Br. &c (Monier-Williams) dhāˊtu  *strand of rope ʼ (cf. tridhāˊtu -- ʻ threefold ʼ RV., ayugdhātu -- ʻ having an uneven number of strands ʼ KātyŚr.).; S. dhāī f. ʻ wisp of fibres added from time to time to a rope that is being twisted ʼ, L. dhāī˜ f.(CDIAL 6773)

Rebus: M. dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron ʼ); dhāˊtu n. ʻ substance ʼ RV., m. ʻ element ʼ MBh., ʻ metal, mineral, ore (esp. of a red colour) ʼ; Pk. dhāu -- m. ʻ metal, red chalk ʼ; N. dhāu ʻ ore (esp. of copper) ʼ; Or. ḍhāu ʻ red chalk, red ochre ʼ (whence ḍhāuā ʻ reddish ʼ; (CDIAL 6773) धातु  primary element of the earth i.e. metal , mineral, ore (esp. a mineral of a red colour) Mn. MBh. &c element of words i.e. grammatical or verbal root or stem Nir. Pra1t. MBh. &c (with the southern Buddhists धातु means either the 6 elements [see above] Dharmas. xxv ; or the 18 elementary spheres [धातु-लोक] ib. lviii ; or the ashes of the body , relics L. [cf. -गर्भ]) (Monier-Williams. Samskritam)

Three strands of twisted rope, meḍhi 'plait' meḍ ‘iron’ dhā̆vaḍ 'smelter' Harappa Script hieroglyph continues on Punch-marked coins of Gandhara