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)
20037.1	(none)	(none)	(none)	[.1-.2] Earrings. A pair. Silver. Triple hoops of coiled wire.
20037.2	(none)	(none)	(none)	[.1-.2] Earrings. A pair. Silver. Triple hoops of coiled wire.
20035.1	(none)	(none)	(none)	[.1-.2] Beads. Small carnelian and lapis short cylinders, paste rings, and one flat oval carnelian.
20035.2	35-1-86	(none)	(none)	[.1-.2] Beads. Small carnelian and lapis short cylinders, paste rings, and one flat oval carnelian.
18875	(none)	(none)	(none)	Weight Steatite. Date-shaped. Weight according to Baghdad 81 2/3 grammes = 1260.27 Troy grains (1 gramme = 15.432 Troy grains)
18873	(none)	(none)	(none)	Weight hematite. Long thin date-shaped. Type III.
19298	(none)	1935,0112.15	(none)	Vase. Black clay finely burnished. Type JN 13. Imitation of stone type JN 26.
(none)	35-1-229	(none)	(none)	Unknown
(none)	35-1-228	(none)	(none)	Unknown
(none)	35-1-226	(none)	(none)	unknown
18818	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terrracotta relief, fragment of. Upper part of large bearded male figure advancing left with right hand extended: the left hand holds a weapon against the breast: apparently nude. Face bad.
18852	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief. Seated goddess with horned cap and long flounced dress seated facing right with her feet on a lion. Top corner of plaque broken but the figure intact.
18750	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief. Nude male figure advancing right, the left hand held over breast, right arm hanging, left leg forward. Head missing and feet. Fairly common type (with short beard.)
18772	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief. Nude female standing with hands clasped below the breasts. Feet missing. Very much worn.
18773	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief. Nude female figure, full face with hands raised on either side of her head holding weapons(?): a long cloak falls behind the body. Complete down to the knees.
18728	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief. Female figure, full face with long sleeves and heavily flounced skirt, standing and holding with each hand in front of her breast a dumb-bell shaped object.
18803	(none)	1935,0112.62	(none)	Terracotta relief. Bearded man advancing rt and carrying in front of him in his left hand a goat; right hand rasied to mouth. Feet missing.
18751	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief, upper part of. Grotesque figure with small head, upward arms and very large body wearing kaukanes. [drawing 1:1]
18827	(none)	1935,0112.64	(none)	Terracotta relief, part of. Nude female figure standing full face: the left hand in front of breast, right arm by side and the hand holding a spouted pot. Heavy necklace, flat cap.
18853	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief, fragment. Woman standing, full face, wearing heavy cape and coat with long hanging cuffs: her hands clasped in front. Broken away below the waist.
18771	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief, fragment. Upper part of male figure, bearded advancing right: left hand held out in front, right arm by side: wears cuirass (?) and girdle. (apparently clubbing an enemy).
18789	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief, fragment. Head, shoulders and left arm of a bearded mail figure advancing right. High relief and coarse modelling.
18770	(none)	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief, fragment of. Male figure advancing right with uplifted arms; in the left hand a bow(?) [drawing]
18774	(none)	1935,0112.65	(none)	Terracotta relief, fragment of. From the hips upwards, a nude female figure, full face, the left hand held across the belly, the right arm by her side: high relief, coarse face with big eyes.
18775	35-1-105	(none)	(none)	Terracotta relief, fragment of. From the breasts upwards, a nude female figure in high relief: common features of 'Kassite' type.