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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 17625C | (none) | (none) | (none) | Inlay. Shell: [A-F] Six fragments of white shell cut in strips 38mm wide and decorated with 3 horizontal rows of 'mountain' design: the top and bottom rows are merely outlined with a double incised line which was filled in with black: the middle row is champleve and filled in with bright red paste of which a good deal is preserved. [drawing] |
| 17625D | (none) | 1932,1008.34 | (none) | Inlay. Shell: [A-F] Six fragments of white shell cut in strips 38mm wide and decorated with 3 horizontal rows of 'mountain' design: the top and bottom rows are merely outlined with a double incised line which was filled in with black: the middle row is champleve and filled in with bright red paste of which a good deal is preserved. [drawing] |
| 17625E | (none) | 1932,1008.35 | (none) | Inlay. Shell: [A-F] Six fragments of white shell cut in strips 38mm wide and decorated with 3 horizontal rows of 'mountain' design: the top and bottom rows are merely outlined with a double incised line which was filled in with black: the middle row is champleve and filled in with bright red paste of which a good deal is preserved. [drawing] |
| 18313C | (none) | (none) | (none) | Inlay. Fragments of grey steatite. Hair of head or beard from a large figure. [drawing] [A] One large piece thus [reference to drawing]. [B] One fragment from the upper part perhaps fitting on, [C] and one single curl |
| 18313A | (none) | (none) | (none) | Inlay. Fragments of grey steatite. Hair of head or beard from a large figure. [drawing] [A] One large piece thus [reference to drawing]. [B] One fragment from the upper part perhaps fitting on, [C] and one single curl |
| 18313B | (none) | (none) | (none) | Inlay. Fragments of grey steatite. Hair of head or beard from a large figure. [drawing] [A] One large piece thus [reference to drawing]. [B] One fragment from the upper part perhaps fitting on, [C] and one single curl |
| 18314A | (none) | 1933,1013.99 | (none) | Inlay. 2 fragments of, fitting together. Grey steatite. The hair of a large figure, carved in horizontal ripples with the single hairs denoted by roughly engraved wavy lines. [drawing] |
| 17734 | 32-40-4 | (none) | (none) | Incense burner. Clay. [drawing] 008 x 008 x 006 | |
| 3108 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Imitation celt. Of white stone, perhaps originally as pendant. In text: Neo-Babylonian period (14). |
| 1563 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Head. Brown clay: moulded. Beardless (female?) head in high relief, with flat headdress; much weathered. [drawing 1:1] |
| 3253 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Head of statue. Black diorite:: head of young person, finely modeled, broken off at base of skull: nose broken. Sketch. In text: Neo-Babylonian period (8) but date is probably 3rd Dynasty or earlier. [drawing] |
| 16423 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Head of statue. Dark steatite. Bearded male head with long hair dressed in the Assyrian fashion & long waved beard, both finely engraved. Good work but bad condition. The right side of the face perished and nose and lips gone, and the left side which is better preserved, damaged by rubbing. |
| 3340 | (none) | 1927,1003.79 | (none) | Half-bead mould. Limestone, for bead with scarab design. In text: Neo-Babylonian period (14). [Additional note on back regarding dinner plans] [drawing 1:1] | |
| 3250 | (none) | (none) | B16483 | Half brick of Sin-balatsu-iqbi. Main stamp: To Nannar, king of the dEnlils, his king Sin-balatsu-iqbi, shakkanak of Ur, caretaker of Eridu, the E-gal En-nu-an-na (Palace heavenly fortress), the place where stands dNin-ka-si, he has built 8 lines. Side stamp: 7 lines. To Nannar, king of the Enlils... Omits mention of Nin-ka-si. | |
| 3105 | (none) | 1927,1003.20 | (none) | Gudean clay cone. Fragment. To Nina, the priestess lady, lady of In-dubba, his lady, Gudea, patesi of Lagash, has done the proper thing? Cf. SAKI p.142 Backstein H. |
| 3244 | (none) | 1927,1003.7 | (none) | Gudea Foundation Tablet. Soapstone. To dNindar, the priest king, his king, Gudea, patesi of Lagash has built his beloved house, E-lal-tum (House where honey is brought), his KI-AB-DI-KI H.C. |
| 17704 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Grinder. Diorite. Great toe of left foot of statue sawn off and used as grinder. [drawing 1:1] |
| 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. | |
| 3313 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold wire. Small fragments. In text: Kassite period (16) in cat. |
| 17624 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold sheet. Fairly thick metal. Obviously plating from some object whose character cannot be determined. The surviving fragment comes from a rectangular piece, from the top right corner. Near the bottom of the fragment remains of panel with inscription impressed from the top surface. [drawing] |
| 18358 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold leaf. Fragment of very thin metal cut out for inlay with small shield-shaped stones arranged in rows. |
| 3311 | (none) | 1927,1003.228 | (none) | Gold leaf. Carved fragment in shape of blade, with dots beaten in round edge. In text: Kassite period (16) in cat. |
| 3309 | (none) | 1927,1003.226 | (none) | Gold leaf. Bearing traces of relief: fragmentary. In etxt: Kassite period (15) in cat. |
| 3310 | (none) | 1927,1003.227 | (none) | Gold leaf. Bearing traces of relief beaten into pattern. . In text: Kassite period (15) in cat. |
| 3312 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Gold leaf fragments? four fragments. Plain leaf. In txt: Kassite period (16) in cat. |
| 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
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Context
Ur > Ziggurat Terrace | ZT
References
Woolley, L. . (1955) Ur Excavations IV; The Early Periods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.