Neo-Babylonian Housing | NH

Context Title: Neo-Babylonian Housing | NH     
Context Name (Publication): Neo-Babylonian Houses     
Context Name (Excavation): NH     
Context Description: The excavation area abbreviation NH refers to the better-preserved Neo-Babyloninan Housing immediately southwest of area AH (though at one point Legrain mistakenly listed it as North Harbour). Woolley excavated in area NH for a short time in season 9 and again for an even shorter time ("a few days at the end of the season" according to field reports) in season 12. He did not dig below the level of Neo-Babylonian housing as his goal was to expose the layout of a portion of the Neo-Babylonian town. Across much of the site, the Neo-Babylonian domestic remains were badly preserved and even here there were only the stubs of walls and some evidence of later, Persian, occupation. The houses used no baked brick and they were close to the surface, thus they had often disappeared almost completely. Nonetheless, Woolley recovered outlines of two streets and seven houses along with a number of late artifacts, including two pots filled with tablets dating from the reign of Nabopolassar up to that of Alexander the Great. Neo-Babylonian houses were much more spacious in ground plan than Old Babylonian and were typically built with a saw-toothed outer plan that Woolley had difficulty explaining. The streets were much more linear than earlier layouts and this implies developments in centralized town planning. Woolley attributed this entire domestic quarter, which he believed had been built on ground cleared of all other remains, to the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Despite the fact that there were many artifacts recovered here and there were many graves excavated, there are only four field notecards extant and only cursory publication. When reporting graves, Woolley listed only house number, not room. Even the house numbers were assigned late, as evidenced by publication in UE9, which discusses House A and B while its map numbers 1-7. Houses 6 and 7 were certainly dug in 1931 when Woolley intended to extend area AH, but he changed his mind and only later went back to uncover the outlines of a few more houses south of these in the final season, including House 1, dug in 1934.     

Objects: Neo-Babylonian Housing | NH Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Object U Number Museum Number (UPM Date Reg Number) Museum Number (BM Registration Number) Museum Number (UPM B-number) Description (Catalog Card)
17376 31-43-516 (none) (none) Bangle copper. Circular in section. C shaped.
17435A 31-43-514 (none) (none) [A-B] Bangles. Copper. A pair. Ends. Penannular. One sent to Philadelphia. [drawing]
17142A 31-43-413 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Draped female figure with hands clasped below breasts. (A) poor impression. Complete. [drawing 1:1]
16445R 31-43-407 (none) (none) Terracotta Figurines. Mother & child: Type V.3, (A) Head missing, poor condition, complete; (B) From larger mould, but same type, head missing, complete; (C) from larger mould, but same type, head missing; (D) Complete; (E) Complete; (F) Head missing, poor cast; (G) Complete, bad impression; (H) Head missing; (J) Complete; (K) Complete (different mould) (L) Complete (same as mould K); (M) Fragment head and base missing; (N) Probably similar, but from larger mould, only upper part to arm preserved. (O) complete, poor impression; (P) Head missing; (Q) Head missing; (R) Complete; (S) Complete; (T) Complete.
16445K 31-43-406 (none) (none) Terracotta Figurines. Mother & child: Type V.3, (A) Head missing, poor condition, complete; (B) From larger mould, but same type, head missing, complete; (C) from larger mould, but same type, head missing; (D) Complete; (E) Complete; (F) Head missing, poor cast; (G) Complete, bad impression; (H) Head missing; (J) Complete; (K)Complete (different mould) (L) Complete (same as mould K); (M) Fragment head and base missing; (N) Probably similar, but from larger mould, only upper part to arm preserved. (O) complete, poor impression; (P) Head missing; (Q) Head missing; (R) Complete; (S) Complete; (T) Complete.
17245 31-43-33, 31-43-33 (none) (none) Steatite cylinder seal. Lazib, son of Bibi.[CARD MISSING Typed Transcription from British Museum Card]
17414 31-43-238 (none) (none) Fibula. Copper. [Type] 3. [drawing 1:1]
17407A 31-43-235 (none) (none) [A-B] 2 steatite knobs. For inlay. With a rosette pattern on the upper side consisting of a 8 shell petals with one inlaid shell center piece enclosed in a dark blue paste ring. Perforated with three holes for purpose of fixing. Tab anal. [drawing]
17406 31-43-228 (none) (none) Pin. Bone. Carved head. Tip missing. Tab anal. [drawing 1:1]
17421A 31-43-212 (none) (none) 2 signet rings. Silver. [A] One with circular bezel. [B] One with oval bezel.
17437B 31-43-209 (none) (none) [A-B] Bangles. Copper. A pair. Penannular. Thick metal. Ends thus: [reference to drawing] Philadelphia (see over) [Back of card reads: Sent to Phil. 1 silver bracelet, 1 copper bracelet, tied together but not a pair.] [drawing]
17437A 31-43-208 (none) (none) [A-B] Bangles. Copper. A pair. Penannular. Thick metal. Ends thus: [reference to drawing] Philadelphia (see over) [Back of card reads: Sent to Phil. 1 silver bracelet, 1 copper bracelet, tied together but not a pair.] [drawing]
17418 31-43-168 (none) (none) Beads. Glass. Balls. White with blue globules set in to the bead thus giving a white surface with blue spots usually six in all.
17357 31-43-142 (none) (none) Beads. 1 Mother of pearl (?) ball. Glass paste bugles and double conoids. Carnelian double conoids, ring beads. 1 steatite double conoid. 1 pale lapis lazuli (?) bugle.
15795 (none) 1930,1213.498 (none) Iron dagger. [additional drawing on back, showing some sort of map] [drawing 1:2]
16240B (none) (none) (none) 2 clay tablets (A) Neo-Babylonian letter; (B) Neo-Babylonian commercial document. Date: 9th year of Nabopolassar
16240A (none) (none) (none) 2 clay tablets (A) Neo-Babylonian letter; (B) Neo-Babylonian commercial document. Date: 9th year of Nabopolassar
16324 (none) 1931,1010.249 (none) Beads. 1 carnelian ball; 2-chalcedony lentoids; 1 hemispherical section lapis lazuli.
16445J (none) (none) (none) Terracotta Figurines. Mother & child: Type V.3, (A) Head missing, poor condition, complete; (B) From larger mould, but same type, head missing, complete; (C) from larger mould, but same type, head missing; (D) Complete; (E) Complete; (F) Head missing, poor cast; (G) Complete, bad impression; (H) Head missing; (J) Complete; (K)Complete (different mould) (L) Complete (same as mould K); (M) Fragment head and base missing; (N) Probably similar, but from larger mould, only upper part to arm preserved. (O) complete, poor impression; (P) Head missing; (Q) Head missing; (R) Complete; (S) Complete; (T) Complete.
16445L (none) 1931,1010.440 (none) Terracotta Figurines. Mother & child: Type V.3, (A) Head missing, poor condition, complete; (B) From larger mould, but same type, head missing, complete; (C) from larger mould, but same type, head missing; (D) Complete; (E) Complete; (F) Head missing, poor cast; (G) Complete, bad impression; (H) Head missing; (J) Complete; (K)Complete (different mould) (L) Complete (same as mould K); (M) Fragment head and base missing; (N) Probably similar, but from larger mould, only upper part to arm preserved. (O) complete, poor impression; (P) Head missing; (Q) Head missing; (R) Complete; (S) Complete; (T) Complete.
16445M (none) (none) (none) Terracotta Figurines. Mother & child: Type V.3, (A) Head missing, poor condition, complete; (B) From larger mould, but same type, head missing, complete; (C) from larger mould, but same type, head missing; (D) Complete; (E) Complete; (F) Head missing, poor cast; (G) Complete, bad impression; (H) Head missing; (J) Complete; (K)Complete (different mould) (L) Complete (same as mould K); (M) Fragment head and base missing; (N) Probably similar, but from larger mould, only upper part to arm preserved. (O) complete, poor impression; (P) Head missing; (Q) Head missing; (R) Complete; (S) Complete; (T) Complete.
16445N (none) (none) (none) Terracotta Figurines. Mother & child: Type V.3, (A) Head missing, poor condition, complete; (B) From larger mould, but same type, head missing, complete; (C) from larger mould, but same type, head missing; (D) Complete; (E) Complete; (F) Head missing, poor cast; (G) Complete, bad impression; (H) Head missing; (J) Complete; (K)Complete (different mould) (L) Complete (same as mould K); (M) Fragment head and base missing; (N) Probably similar, but from larger mould, only upper part to arm preserved. (O) complete, poor impression; (P) Head missing; (Q) Head missing; (R) Complete; (S) Complete; (T) Complete.
16445O (none) (none) (none) Terracotta Figurines. Mother & child: Type V.3, (A) Head missing, poor condition, complete; (B) From larger mould, but same type, head missing, complete; (C) from larger mould, but same type, head missing; (D) Complete; (E) Complete; (F) Head missing, poor cast; (G) Complete, bad impression; (H) Head missing; (J) Complete; (K) Complete (different mould) (L) Complete (same as mould K); (M) Fragment head and base missing; (N) Probably similar, but from larger mould, only upper part to arm preserved. (O) complete, poor impression; (P) Head missing; (Q) Head missing; (R) Complete; (S) Complete; (T) Complete.
16445P (none) (none) (none) Terracotta Figurines. Mother & child: Type V.3, (A) Head missing, poor condition, complete; (B) From larger mould, but same type, head missing, complete; (C) from larger mould, but same type, head missing; (D) Complete; (E) Complete; (F) Head missing, poor cast; (G) Complete, bad impression; (H) Head missing; (J) Complete; (K) Complete (different mould) (L) Complete (same as mould K); (M) Fragment head and base missing; (N) Probably similar, but from larger mould, only upper part to arm preserved. (O) complete, poor impression; (P) Head missing; (Q) Head missing; (R) Complete; (S) Complete; (T) Complete.
16445Q (none) (none) (none) Terracotta Figurines. Mother & child: Type V.3, (A) Head missing, poor condition, complete; (B) From larger mould, but same type, head missing, complete; (C) from larger mould, but same type, head missing; (D) Complete; (E) Complete; (F) Head missing, poor cast; (G) Complete, bad impression; (H) Head missing; (J) Complete; (K) Complete (different mould) (L) Complete (same as mould K); (M) Fragment head and base missing; (N) Probably similar, but from larger mould, only upper part to arm preserved. (O) complete, poor impression; (P) Head missing; (Q) Head missing; (R) Complete; (S) Complete; (T) Complete.

Media: Neo-Babylonian Housing | NH Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
Ur Excavations IX; The Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods Ur Excavations IX; The Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods 1962 Woolley, L. and Mallowan, Max (none)
  • 1 Media

Child Locations

Graves - Unit 2 - Unit 4

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References

Woolley, L. and Mallowan, Max. (1962) Ur Excavations IX; The Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.