Context Title: Great Nanna Courtyard | PD     
Context Name (Publication): Great Nannar Courtyard     
Context Name (Excavation): PD     
Context Description: The meaning of this two-letter designation is unclear. It may derive from Woolley's search for Shulgi's palace and may thus stand for Palace of Dungi. Woolley came to realize, however, that it was an enormous courtyard surrounded by rooms, and at times in the excavation it was simply referred to as the Ziggurat Courtyard. The path through the court led to the ziggurat terrace and eventually to the temple atop it. The court was likely a gathering place for special occasions of worship to the moon god (whose name Woolley read Nannar, but which we read today as Nanna). Therefore, Woolley eventually dubbed this space the Great Nannar Courtyard. Area PD is the large space to the east of the ziggurat terrace, substantially lower in elevation than the base of the ziggurat. It had many floors over many periods. It consisted of a large paved courtyard (some 50 x 75 meters) surrounded by rooms that may have been used for storage. Because of indentations in some of the wall faces, Woolley believed there was once an inset wooden colonnade along some of the walls.     
Season Number: 02: 1923-1924      
Season Number: 06: 1927-1928      
Season Number: 07: 1928-1929      

Objects: Great Nanna Courtyard | PD 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)
752 (none) 1923,1110.12 (none) Clay cone. 2 col inscription on base, damaged at bottom. Single column on shaft, nearly complete. Rim-Sin. Recording the king's building of a temple called E-eshbar-zida for the god Ninsianna.
2676 (none) 1927,1003.40 (none) Clay cone. Fragment. Time of Arad Sin? ?dNannar gi-ne-es? Ka in-pa(d)-da ?(Uri)kima? gar? ga
7829 (none) (none) (none) Clay cone. Warad-Sin = U.19 etc. (SAK 212 C). B.
2612 (none) 1927,1003.34 (none) Clay nail. Arad-Sin. Fragment of stem. Same text as U.2528, 2565. Column II only preserved. Construction of E-TEMEN-NI-IL, the house of the heart delight of Nannar for the life of Arad-Sin and of his father Kudur-Mabug.
2821 (none) (none) (none) Clay pot. Handmade, miniature of brownish ware. Sketch pattern to seals [last word unclear] cf. type CXXVIII [drawing 1:1]
11683 (none) (none) (none) Clay sealing. Fragment of 3 lines. of inscription.
11682 (none) (none) (none) Clay sealing. Presentation scene. In front of seated, bearded god (Nannar?) small kneeling figure, facing the worshippers. Crescent above. Inscription En(?)(... ) Du(b-sar) Aradd( ).
2616 (none) (none) (none) Clay tablet. About BC 702. Contract - Fragment. Dated: 11th of Kislinu, on the 22nd year of (Marduk-) apal-iddin mar ridutu. Tablet of Nabu shaumm-iddina son of Ah-bu-shi of Ur, several witnesses, the experts (mudanie) and the scribe. H.C.
2615 (none) (none) (none) Clay tablet. Fragment. Date incomplete Year after? Month: Shu-numun-a - probably time of Gungumu of Larsa BC 2050. Text: goods for the priest of Nana from Lugal-ezen, the treasurer (Sa (g) - tu) of priest's house (e-en-na) has received.
2702 (none) 1948,0423.22 (none) Clay tablet. Fragment. Date: Dungi? When Simurum was destroyed Text: 229 gur 130 qa of barley ration of the 5th month. Issued from the Ga-num: the depot. ( ) 34 gur 90 qa - month of the feast of Ninazu.
2839 (none) (none) (none) Clay vase. Buffware; with small foot and tall straight sides: fragmentary. Type CXXIV. =P.76a
2622 (none) (none) (none) Cone of Arad-Sin. Nearly complete. Cf. U.2528, U.2565, U.2612, U.2613, U.2617
2611 (none) (none) (none) Cone of Kudur-mabug about BC 2000. Nailshape. Fragment. Text: ?Col. 2: to nannar my king, with fervent prayers, I rebuilt GA-NUN-MAH the house of silver and gold, the mighty festival ward, of Sin, that in ancient days was built and had decayed, for my life and the life of Arad-Sin (my son) king of La(rsa)... 2 columns cp. [cf.?] 2614
2679 (none) 1927,1003.47 (none) Cone of Kudur-Mabug. Fragment. Column I: 1-3, Column II: 1-19. Cp. U.2611, U.2616. Noter the variant: to Nannar my king ? the ga-nun-na, the house of gold and silver, the huge festival ward, that was built in ancient days and had perished, I built for my life and that of Warad-Sin my son king of Larsa. H.C.
2617B (none) 1927,1003.33 (none) Cone, fragment of top
12570 (none) (none) (none) Cone. (Warad-Sin or Rim-Sin). Fragment. Part of 14 lines. Partly identical with R1U 130. (Perhaps identical inscription? But RIU 130, 10 is different in one sign; and present inscription is from first or incomplete column of stem (and corresponding part of R1U 130 is from a second column (of head?). HC 116
2617A (none) (none) (none) Cone. Arad-Sin. Fragment. Column I, 7-25. Restoration of E-temen-ni-il.
12568 (none) (none) (none) Cone. Fragment (nearly complete text). Sumuilum = R1U 115. Variant as U.7777.
2614 (none) 1927,1003.26 (none) Cone. Kudur-Mabug. Fragment. Completes U.2611 gives column I, 15-24 and few signs of Column II lower part. Rebuilds GA-NUN-MAH. H.C.
12182 (none) (none) (none) Copper Peg. bent at right angles. Stem is triangular in section and hallowed to form a runnel.
1487 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Crystal. Four-winged deity carrying a sickle and facing him a winged bull erect; a cross between their feet. In text: see U.1359 etc.
12690 30-12-47 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Glazed frit. Blue-green. Winged dragon, rampant lion. Star.
12688 (none) 1929,1017.365 (none) Cylinder seal. Glazed frit. Bluish green. Inscribed. 7 columns of inscription and a remaining portion of seal a heavily draped standing figure right hand upraised in salutation engraving of head has flaked away.
12689 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Glazed frit. Bluish green. Inscribed. Broken and much decayed.
2809 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Red marble. About 2700 BC [drawing]

Media: Great Nanna Courtyard | PD Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings 1939 Woolley Leonard (none)
  • 1 Media

Child Locations

PS - Room 1 - Well no. 1