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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 2806B | (none) | 1927,1003.261 | (none) | Small cones. Gypsum compound? (A) lacks part of head and is broken at side. (B) lacks point. [drawing 1:1] |
| 1180 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Small fragment of baked clay tablet, with parts of 6 lines, from a New Babylonian copy of a syllabary. |
| 3120 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Small pot of bitumen. Sketch pattern 1:1. [drawing 1:1] |
| 1153 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Small tablet, nearly complete, slight break at lower left corner of obverse, 4 and 2 lines. Date only on reverse. Note of the weight (10 shekels) of 2 bronze ornaments for the king's door; weighd by Zezam. Dated in the 8th year of Bur-Sin I by formula mu en en-ki ba-hum. |
| 7830 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Socket. Diorite. UrNammu = 2749 etc. |
| 17602 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Statue fragment of White limestone. Back of head, showing type of hair-dressing: all the face in part of the ears broken away. [drawing] |
| 17833 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Statuette of reclining dog (?). Calcite. Originally, colored bright red (some of color left) with eyes filled in with black. The beast has a ruff and a bushy tail. A hole is pierced from the top of the back to the stomach. On the under side a seal cutting (much perished) showing animals mostly cut with the drill. |
| 3295 | (none) | 1927,1003.65 | (none) | Stone crescent. Pink marble, bored for insertion of standard pole. Sketch 1:2/ in text: Neo-Babylonian period (13) in Cat. [drawing 1:2] |
| 15804 | 31-16-520 | (none) | (none) | Stone hoe. [drawing 1:1] |
| 3246 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Stone mould. For beads etc. in text: Neo-Babylonian period(14) |
| 7816 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Stone tablet (fragmt). Limestone. Prob. of Kurigalzu. The insc. in so far as it is extent being identical with that of Kurigalzu's found. tablet U3019 except that line 9(?) is e-kis-sir-gal. HC.36. B. |
| 18308 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Stone vase fragment. White calcite. Bowl, shallow with carinated rim. On the outside a panel, complete, with inscription. [drawing of cuneiform inscription] Rimush |
| 18224 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Stone vase fragment. Black and white marble with fragment of inscription. Probably belongs to U.1455. H.C. |
| 18232 | (none) | 1933,1013.1 | (none) | Stone vase. Fragments of stalagmitic calcite with deeply colored veining. Type. On it, part of an inscription. |
| 17838 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Stone vase. White calcite. Miniature. Type RC 113 new. [RC.67 variant crossed out] [drawing 1:1] |
| 1701 | (none) | (none) | B15732 | Stone Weight. Black stone. Cigar shaped with 6 incised strokes. Type II |
| 3027 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Stone weight. Blue stone pebble with 2 sides ground flat. Type ? VIII |
| 10612 | 52-30-28 | (none) | (none) | Tablet Business document Concerning payments cf. SE. Persian period (?) No date. HC..400. |
| 7844 | 37-7-96 | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Fragment. Proper names. In rather archaic writing. |
| 8840F | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. In a box, not marked, and not fully examined, the following leftover unbaked, at end of season. (A)[A and H] 2 considerable fragments. (B)[B and I-L] 5 small tablets. (C) seal impression (interesting). (D) Contract with many fragments of its envelope, with seal impressions. also baked. (E) Fragment containing some proper names. (F) Half a business note also. (G) corner of archaic tablet. |
| 17641 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Unbaked = complete. | |
| 2818 | (none) | 1927,1003.145 | (none) | Terracotta animal. Prehistoric, reddish ware with painted square design and tooth design on back. Possibly pig. Head missing. | |
| 2542 | (none) | 1927,1003.146 | (none) | Terracotta dog. Red ware: seated, part of hind quarters missing. [drawing] | |
| 18237 | 33-35-13 | (none) | (none) | Terracotta figurine. Fragment of male figure, archaic type. [drawing 1:1] | |
| 17894 | (none) | 1932,1008.190 | (none) | Terracotta figurine. Fragment of painted Al Obaid ware. The face, the arms and the lower part of the body are missing (details are suggested). [drawing 1:1] |
| Media | Media Title | Title | Label | Author | Omeka Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolley's Field Note Cards | Woolley's Field Note Cards | Ur_Notes_v2_p160 | Ur_Notes_v2_p160 | (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_p212 | Ur_Notes_v2_p212 | (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_p214 | Ur_Notes_v2_p214 | (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_p219 | Ur_Notes_v2_p219 | (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_v4_p218 | Ur_Notes_v4_p218 | (none) | |
| Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings | Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings | 1939 | Woolley Leonard | (none) |
| Ur Excavations IV; The Early Periods | Ur Excavations IV; The Early Periods | 1955 | Woolley, L. | (none) |
| UPM Field Photo numbers | UPM Field Photo numbers | (none) | (none) | (none) |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0097 | GN0097 | (none) | |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0098 | GN0098 | (none) | |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0099 | GN0099 | (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.