Pit X

General

Context Title:	Pit X¹
Context Name (Excavation):	Pit X
Context Name (Publication):	Pit X
Context Description:	Pit X was excavated as a large southern extension of the Royal Cemetery area, likely originally conceived as an extension of Pit Y (Pit J) at the southwest corner. Its main purpose was to uncover the earliest burials in the area, the so-called Jemdat Nasr cemetery first encountered in pits Y and Z. Pit X measured approximately 30x15 meters, though it may originally have been laid out to be 35x20. Woolley reports it as a rectangle covering 1000 square meters, but even the largest indication on the plan map and satellite images is at most 700 square meters and not truly rectangular. Nevertheless, it is a very large space that reached sea level some 20 meters below the surface of the mound. In the Antiquaries Journal for 1934 Woolley reports a total of 13,160 cubic meters of dirt having been removed from this pit. Some minor building remains of the Neo-Babylonian and Kassite periods were found near the surface but most of the area was apparently used as a dumping ground in the Late Bronze Age and later. Woolley knew that the Royal Cemetery area extended to the south of his main area PG but believed he would find few graves of the Akkadian and EDIII period. He discovered more than he expected, but none were overly rich in finds. These graves did not receive PG numbers since the UE2 Royal Cemetery volume had already been published. Instead, they received PJ numbers. The series PJG applied to graves in Pit X Woolley felt to be Akkadian or later and PJB applied to those of the EDIII period. The break between these two sequences came at around 10 meters above sea level. In all, Pit X added some 250 to the more than 1000 burials of these periods that Woolley had already uncovered in area PG. Beneath the graves of the Royal Cemetery (starting at around 6 meters above sea level) Woolley reached the earlier graves of what he called the Jemdat Nasr cemetery. Graves at this depth were given JNG numbers. In fact, JNG eventually applied to all of the early graves discovered in pits W, X, Y, and Z. Some of those excavated in Y and Z had received PG numbers but they were renumbered for publication in the JNG sequence. Most of these graves actually date to the Early Dynastic I period. The area near the base of the pit was smaller than that at the top. Only around 400 square meters was exposed near sea level, yet more than 200 early graves were discovered. Although Ubaid period pottery fragments were found, only two Ubaid burials were discovered here. The large area excavation stopped at 2 meters above sea level, but a test pit at the bottom reached down to sea level itself.

[1] Imported from BM list of contexts.

Files

General

UE 4 Pit X.pdf - Download

UE 4 Pit X.3.pdf - Download

UE 4 Pit X.2.pdf - Download

Objects: Pit X Export: JSON - XML - CSV

U Number	Museum Number (UPM Date Reg Number)	Museum Number (BM Registration Number)	Museum Number (UPM B-number)	Description (Catalog Card)
18828	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cone, fragment of base. With rather more than half the inscription preserved.
18895	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cone, fragment of. A little more than one-half split away from the lower part of the stem.
18824	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cone, fragment of. Inscribed on the stem only; about 1/3 of the stem preserved.
18878	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cone, fragment of. Lower part of the stem and fragment of the surface of the base. Inscribed on base and stem.
18894	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cone, tip of stem of.
18785	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cone. Base missing: inscription on stem in 10 columns; most of lower part preserved.
18838	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cone. Unusually samll, inscribed on the stem only. Tip missing and a chip off the base but only about 2 signs damaged and the text otherwise complete.
18808B	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cones, fragments of three, similar: only the stem inscribed. (A) Lower part, half of, with remains of 10 columns of text.; (B) Top part of stem with 13 columns of text partly preserved.; (C) One side only from base upwards. Part of 6 columns of text preserved.
18808C	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cones, fragments of three, similar: only the stem inscribed. (A) Lower part, half of, with remains of 10 columns of text.; (B) Top part of stem with 13 columns of text partly preserved.; (C) One side only from base upwards. Part of 6 columns of text preserved.
18808A	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cones, fragments of three, similar: only the stem inscribed. (A) Lower part, half of, with remains of 10 columns of text.; (B) Top part of stem with 13 columns of text partly preserved.; (C) One side only from base upwards. Part of 6 columns of text preserved.
18784B	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cones, two, similar: (A) All the base preserved with text complete and the stem to the length of 40mm, with about half its text. (B) Base chipped with edge of inscribed area damaged: of the stem c. 60mm remains with half the inscription.
18784A	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay foundation cones, two, similar: (A) All the base preserved with text complete and the stem to the length of 40mm, with about half its text. (B) Base chipped with edge of inscribed area damaged: of the stem c. 60mm remains with half the inscription.
18835	(none)	1935,0112.74	(none)	Clay jar-sealing. Burnt black. With 3 incomplete seal-impressions shewing presentaiton sceneand inscriptions. mark of jar neck inside.
18823	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay label (?). Roughly square with round corners, inscribed.
18796	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay label. Triangular inscribed on both faces and with seal impression on the edges.
19495	(none)	1935,0112.109	(none)	Clay model boat with very high stern and prow.
19215	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay model boat. 4 seats. High stem and bow.
19551	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay pot. Dark brown clay, burnished. Type JN 13 (but with wider rim) broken
19553	35-1-592	(none)	(none)	Clay pot. Light red clay, Type The body is decorated all over with horizontal lines in the middle and at top and bottom vertical incised lines. in fragments
20077	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay pot. Painted red and burnished. JN 28
20040	35-1-511	(none)	(none)	Clay pot. Painted ware. Drab clay : on the body below the shoulder, plain horizontal black bands : on the shoulder a floral (?) design with birds, in black paint. In fragments.
20025	35-1-233	(none)	(none)	Clay pot. Painted. JN
20024	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay pot. Painted. JN 28. The lower part of the body is plain. Bright red : on the shoulders panels alternating red and with black geometric designs on a buff ground.
20078	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay pot. Painted. On the shoulder, parts of geometric design in black on buff between red panels. The paint mostly gone. In fragments.
18809	(none)	(none)	(none)	Clay tablet (baked). One corner slightly chipped.