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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16981 | 31-43-227 | (none) | (none) | Gold wire. Square or rectangular in section, twisted, and one end thickened and flattened to a head = the other end broken. | |
| 15796 | 31-17-91 | (none) | (none) | Amulet(?) Terracotta animal. Possibly a tortoise(?). [drawing 1:1] | |
 | 15804 | 31-16-520 | (none) | (none) | Stone hoe. [drawing 1:1] |
| 3122A | 29-174-3 | (none) | (none) | [A] Pottery vase. Of pinkish ware with narrow base opening out to splayed foot. Type CXCIII. =RC.74, =L9b. (B) Thinner. | |
| 3334 | 29-174-28 | (none) | (none) | Glazed bowl. Fragmentary and unornamented: with plain transparent glaze. | |
| 2621 | 29-174-27 | (none) | (none) | Glazed bowl. Reconstructed: drab clay, on low base: straight-sided. [drawing 1:2] | |
| 2620 | 29-174-26 | (none) | (none) | Glazed bowl. Reconstructed: with lotus design in relief outside: inside traces of flower design in color. =new type 2 (p) [drawing 1:2] | |
| 3333 | 29-174-25 | (none) | (none) | Lamp. Fragmentary. Glazed pottery: stem broken: glaze of buff color with tracks of bluish green. Sectional sketch 1:2. [drawing 1:2] | |
| 2654A | 29-174-22 | (none) | (none) | [A-B] Clay vases. Buff clay, unglazed. B fragmentary & greenish. Type CXXXII. (not p) Assocd with U.2635 A & B. | |
| 2635A | 29-174-17 | (none) | (none) | Pottery vase. Unglazed greenish buff clay. Type CXXIX =L. (not p) Associated with U.2654 | |
| 2538 | 29-174-12 | (none) | (none) | Clay Pot. Pinkish drab ware. Found with U.2558 A+B. Type CXX. =P.121. Type drawing in album. | |
| 643 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Bronze arrowhead. Normal, 3-flanged 8th-7th cent. type. |
| 772 | (none) | 1923,1110.121 | (none) | Clay model of animal intestines? Roughly made out of crumbly and lightly baked creamish clay. [drawing] | |
| 773 | (none) | 1923,1110.120 | (none) | Clay model of animal intestines? of powdery poorly baked clay; afterwards accidentally burnt and damaged. Like U but in worse condition. | |
| 806 | (none) | 1923,1110.2 | (none) | Basalt hinge-stone. Inscribed with name, etc., of NABONIDUS. The fragments of the iron shoe of the door-post are still fixed in the stone. |
| 895 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay pot. Green clay, wheelmade, broken. Roughly wheelmarked over the top half of the pot. Type XLVIII but the rim is not flat but curves outwards. =P97 [drawing] |
| 1111 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Fragment (711) of New Babylonian Clay cylinder with inscription for Nabonidus (cf. Langdon, Neubab.Konigsinscar. P.250ff.) Duplicate of U.1131, U.1132 and other fragments unnumbered making up part of the complete cylinder. |
| 1115 | (none) | 1924,0920.179 | (none) | Seal. Black burnt clay. Incised lines on face. [drawing] |
| 1131 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Fragment from middle of a baked clay cylinder of Nabonidus (cf. U.1132, U.1111) in 2 columns 2 3/8 [60.325mm] by 1 3/4 [44.45mm] inscription concerning the building of E-lugal-galga-si-sa, the Ziggurat of Ur. Joins U.1132, and another fragment unnumbered making up part of complete cylinder. |
| 1132 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Fragment from left side of backed clay cylinder of Nabonidus. Part of same object as U.1113, but does not join. (Joins a later discovered fragmnet, completing the left end of the cylinder) Joins U.1131, and another fragment unnumbered making up part of complete cylinder. |
| 1135 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Flint implement. arrowhead? [drawing 1:1] |
| 1151 | (none) | (none) | B15617 | Portion (about half) of small baked clay cylinder of Nabonidus, duplicate of U.1111 etc. Found in 2 pieces and joined. P. |
| 1152 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Cylinder seal. Persian(?) 2 gryphons facing palm tree. [drawing] |
| 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. |
| 1154 | (none) | (none) | B15618 | Fragment from right side of small baked clay barrel-cylinder of Nabonidus. 17 lines from 2nd column. Inscription duplicate of U.1111, U.1131, etc. P. |
| Media | Media Title | Title | Label | Author | Omeka Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPM Field Photo numbers | UPM Field Photo numbers | (none) | (none) | (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) |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0097 | GN0097 | (none) | |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0098 | GN0098 | (none) | |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0099 | GN0099 | (none) | |
| 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) |
- 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.