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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 18226 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Sheet gold. a strip of fairly heavy metal bent double lengthways as if to form an edging, but the sharp point is solid. |
| 2597 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Seal. Green glaze. Cynophelous monkey intaglio: pierced for suspension. [drawing 1:1] |
| 1115 | (none) | 1924,0920.179 | (none) | Seal. Black burnt clay. Incised lines on face. [drawing] |
| 1401 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Seal(?) in form of small ring. Green glaze faience. [drawing 1:1] |
| 2765 | (none) | 1927,1003.198 | (none) | Seal cylinder. Dark (basalt) stone. 3rd Ur Dynasty. [drawing 1:1] |
| 18299 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Sculpture head. Fragment of diorite. Life-size male head wearing broad high fillet treated like the crown of the head with small circular rings of hair. The face all deliberately smashed away and part of the right ear, right eyebrow and inner corner of right eye preserved. Very fine work of the best Guden type. |
| 2572 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Ring. Pottery: roughly joined. Depth 2m-5m. [drawing 1:1] |
| 2780A | (none) | 1927,1003.132 | (none) | Pottery vases. Buff ware: widely splayed lip and pointed below baseline. A. is reconstructed, B. fragmentary. Type CXLIII = L.107. Larsa period. Found associates with U.2781 and U.2782. ? No (10) etc. L.5. (6) | |
| 2780B | (none) | (none) | (none) | Pottery vases. Buff ware: widely splayed lip and pointed below baseline. A. is reconstructed, B. fragmentary. Type CXLIII = L.107. Larsa period. Found associates with U.2781 and U.2782. ? No (10) etc. L.5. (6) |
| 2635A | 29-174-17 | (none) | (none) | Pottery vase. Unglazed greenish buff clay. Type CXXIX =L. (not p) Associated with U.2654 | |
| 2635B | (none) | (none) | (none) | Pottery vase. Unglazed greenish buff clay. Type CXXIX =L. (not p) Associated with U.2654 |
| 2782 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Pottery vase. Buff ware: graceful shape with knob full. Lip broken. Type CXLV. Uncertain; if type is certain do not include in Larsa series probably = CXLII L.107 see typed. |
| 2845A | (none) | (none) | (none) | Pottery jars. Large of buff ware. Round bottomed. B. slightly different and lip broken. Type CLVII, =RC.220, [the following would seem to apply to (B) only) (not p) |
| 2729 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Pottery jar. Larsa period. Wheel-made moulded base with small knob incomplete. Larsa period. Type CXXXVI =L40.a. Associated with U.2730 and U.2731 [drawing] |
| 1564 | (none) | 1924,0920.386 | (none) | Pottery fragment. Drab clay. Glazed with pattern on yellow ground of purplish-blue with white squares. This fragment resembles glazed ware found at Asshur and in Cyprus. [drawing 1:1] |
| 2605 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Pottery fragment. Buff clay, inscribed with couchant lion. [drawing 1:1] |
| 2781 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Pot stand. Red ware : complete. Type CXLIV =L.138 [=RC.245 has been crossed out.] |
| 2638 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Pot fragment. Marble, with him in low relief, standing on brick pavement. [drawing 1:2] |
| 1157 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Portion of baked clay barrel-cylinder of Nabonidus, inscribed as U.1111, U.1131, etc. 16 lines, column I and 5 column II. |
| 1193 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Portion of a shell cylinder (split down middle), with part of inscription. A-tu, mar? |
| 1190 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Portion of a large black diorite duck-weight, originally of 30 minas. Much broken, both on the head and across the middle. On one side of the neck, a crescent moon in low relief, on other side, part of an inscription dedicating the object for the life of a king of the 3rd Dynasty of Ur: the name is now missing. R.1. No. 84. |
| 1166 | (none) | (none) | B15616 | Portion from the shaft of a large clay cone, with inscription of Warad-Sin, king of Larsa, duplicate of U.641, etc. joined from 4 small fragments. P. | |
| 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. |
| 3079 | (none) | 1927,1003.67 | (none) | Polished celt. Of dark green stone. [drawing 1:1] |
| 3127 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Polished celt. Of dark blue stone, pierced at top. [drawing 1:1] |
| Media | Media Title | Title | Label | Author | Omeka Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0097 | GN0097 | (none) | |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0098 | GN0098 | (none) | |
| Field Photographs | Field Photographs | GN0099 | GN0099 | (none) | |
| UPM Field Photo numbers | UPM Field Photo numbers | (none) | (none) | (none) |
| 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_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.