Ziggurat Terrace | ZT
| Context Title: | Ziggurat Terrace | ZT |
| Context Name (Publication): | Ziggurat Terrace |
| Context Name (Excavation): | ZT |
| Context Description: | The excavation area abbreviation ZT stands for Ziggurat Terrace. It was used for any portion of the terrace on which the ziggurat stood, though other more specific abbreviations were also used. For example, the abbreviation PDW refers to the northern side of the terrace, west of the Great Nannar Courtyard (PD), and HD refers to the southern part of the terrace. Early references using the abbreviation ZT refer specifically to excavations along the terrace retaining wall itself. Later references, however, mention specific areas on top the terrace such as the so-called 'boat shrine.' The abbreviation also refers to deep clearing of the terrace fill, particularly on the north side in later excavation seasons, though the abbreviation Zig.31 was most often used for this. Woolley uncovered large areas of the retaining wall that supported the platform known as the ziggurat terrace. He found that it was decorated with large wall cones. These cones bore an inscription of Urnamma but there is evidence that the terrace in some form existed in the Early Dynastic period as well. The Urnamma retaining wall was slanted to support the terrace, was 1.7 meters high, 34 meters wide, and was decorated with 5-meter-wide buttresses about 4 meters apart. The inscribed cones dedicate the terrace to the moon god, Nanna, and show that it was called e-temen-ni-gur, which translates as, "house, foundation platform clad in terror." (Woolley read this e-temen-ni-il). |
| Season Number: | 02: 1923-1924 |
| Season Number: | 03: 1924-1925 |
| Season Number: | 05: 1926-1927 |
| Season Number: | 10: 1931-1932 |
| Season Number: | 11: 1932-1933 |
Files
| Object | U Number | Museum Number (UPM Date Reg Number) | Museum Number (BM Registration Number) | Museum Number (UPM B-number) | Description (Catalog Card) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17842J | 32-40-241 | (none) | (none) | Beads. A mixed lot. 192 carnelian bugles. 56 carnelian double conoids, lentoids and barrels. 11 large carnelian double conoids and facetted lentoids. 421 carnelian rings. 81 larger carnelian rings. 41 glazed frit balls. 43 lapis lazuli, rings, bugles, ovoids, small mixed beads, apatite (?) quartzite, shell, agate and crystal. | |
| 17842K | 32-40-242 | (none) | (none) | Beads. A mixed lot. 192 carnelian bugles. 56 carnelian double conoids, lentoids and barrels. 11 large carnelian double conoids and facetted lentoids. 421 carnelian rings. 81 larger carnelian rings. 41 glazed frit balls. 43 lapis lazuli, rings, bugles, ovoids, small mixed beads, apatite (?) quartzite, shell, agate and crystal. | |
| 17856 | 32-40-239 | (none) | (none) | Beads. Very small rings of white shell and dark steatite in bad condition. | |
 | 7921 | (none) | 1928,1009.143 | (none) | Bird. Miniature. Frit. Two holes pierced for eyes and one in each wing. |
| 3239 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Bitumen fragment covered with blue coloring matter. Color doubtfully from lapis lazuli powder more probably copper. |
| 18294 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Bitumen mace head. [drawing] |
| 2585 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Black clay tablet. Pillow shape. Dated: 29th Siwan, 5th year of Cambyses - BC 524. Text: ?barley regular ration (bal-la) for 3 bulls, ?ga barley, fodder (kissatta) For 13 sheep, total 20 1/2 qa barley (for the day) Obverse 5 lines. Reverse 1 line. H.C. |
| 2574 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Bone stilus? Writing end broken. Depth 2m-5m. |
| 1702 | (none) | (none) | B15812 | Bowl. Fine drab clay; wheelmade; with raised decoration imitating metal form; (in fragments) |
| 7822 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Brick with game board? |
| 3316 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Brick - Time of Sin-balatsu-iqbi. With counting board of 6 by 10 squares. In text: neo-Babylonian period (6) in Cat.[drawing] |
| 3252 | (none) | (none) | B16477 | Brick of Kurigalzu. To Nannar, his king, dKurigalzu mighty hero, king of Ur, king of Sumer and Akkad E-kish-shir-gal, his beloved temple, has restored. H.C. in text: Kassite period(13) | |
| 2669 | (none) | 1927,1003.267 | (none) | Brick of Silli-Adad. Fragment. Text: To nannar, his king. Si-li dAdad caretaker of Nippur, patesi of Ur, Larsa, Lagash, and the land ( )-al-lakia (the E)temen-ni-il?. Silli-Adad of Larsa predecessor of Arad Sin about BC 2168 (Th.D) H.C. |
| 3299C | (none) | (none) | B16558 | Brick of Sin balalsu iqbi 2 stamps: face and side. Same text as U.3250. Except var. 11.6-7: "E As-an-bur, the shrine of Enlil." |
| 3161 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Brick of Sin-balatsu-igbi. 12 lines inscription. |
| 3148A | (none) | (none) | B16559 | Brick of Sinbalatsu igbi. Fragment. H.C. |
| 3148B | (none) | (none) | (none) | Brick of Sinbalatsu igbi. Fragment. H.C. |
| 2728 | (none) | (none) | B16562 | Broken brick with graphic plan or game? P.35. In text: 3rd Dynasty Terrace (13) and Fig. [drawing 1:2] | |
| 643 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Bronze arrowhead. Normal, 3-flanged 8th-7th cent. type. |
| 3243 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Bronze dress pin. Long and thin with sharp point and slightly flattened head. Present length (highly bent): 156mm. Diameter: 4mm. |
| 3026 | (none) | 1927,1003.91 | (none) | Bronze implement. Genus unknown : both ends flattened. In text: Neo-Babylonian period (10) and Fig. | |
| 1400 | (none) | 1924,0920.409 | (none) | Bronze ring. Small. [drawing 1:1] | |
| 2518 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Bronze safety pin. Pin missing, back only. [drawing] |
| 1398 | (none) | 1924,0920.232 | (none) | Bronze spatula. [drawing 1:1] | |
| 3037 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Bur-Sin. Door-socket. Blue stone. Flaking off. To Ningal. Builts Gig-par azag. Duplicate of U.3031. In text: Neo-Babylonian period (8). |
| Media | Media Title | Title | Label | Author | Omeka Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ur Excavations IV; The Early Periods | Ur Excavations IV; The Early Periods | 1955 | Woolley, L. | (none) |
| Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings | Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings | 1939 | Woolley Leonard | (none) |
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v4_p218 | Ur_Notes_v4_p218 | (none) | |
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v4_p121 | Ur_Notes_v4_p121 | (none) | |
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v2_p219 | Ur_Notes_v2_p219 | (none) | |
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v2_p215 | Ur_Notes_v2_p215 | (none) | |
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v2_p214 | Ur_Notes_v2_p214 | (none) | |
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v2_p213 | Ur_Notes_v2_p213 | (none) | |
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v2_p212 | Ur_Notes_v2_p212 | (none) | |
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v2_p211 | Ur_Notes_v2_p211 | (none) | |
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v2_p160 | Ur_Notes_v2_p160 | (none) | |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0099 | GN0099 | (none) | |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0098 | GN0098 | (none) | |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0097 | GN0097 | (none) | |
| UPM Field Photo numbers | UPM Field Photo numbers | (none) | (none) | (none) |
- 15 Media
Sibling Locations
AH Site | AH - City Wall | CLW - DP - Dublalmah | LL - EH Site | EH - Ehursag | HT - EM Site | EM - Enunmah | TTB | ES - ESB - FH - Giparu | KP - Great Nanna Courtyard | PD - Harbor Temple - House 34/1 - House 34/2 - House Site - Kassite Fort - KPS Site | KPS - LT - LW - Mausoleum Site | BC - Neo-Babylonian Housing | NH - NNCF - NTB - P/103 - Palace of Bel-Shalti-Nannar | AD - Pit F - Royal Cemetery | PG - SM - Temenos Wall | TW - TTC - XNCF
Child Locations
Courtyard BB - Ningal Temple | HD - PDW - Room FF - Room GG - Room SW 2 - Ziggurat
Share
Context
Ur > Ziggurat Terrace | ZT
References
Woolley, L. . (1955) Ur Excavations IV; The Early Periods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.