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      

Objects: Ziggurat Terrace | ZT Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Object U Number Museum Number (UPM Date Reg Number) Museum Number (BM Registration Number) Museum Number (UPM B-number) Description (Catalog Card)
10612 52-30-28 (none) (none) Tablet Business document Concerning payments cf. SE. Persian period (?) No date. HC..400.
10613 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of Door-socket. Inscription Equivalent to last 5 lines of Bur Sin, U.295, U.1727 Found at same time as fragmentary diorite statue) Later; Another fragment, joining, giving end of lines 2-5.
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]
11231 (none) (none) B16909 Obsidian Nail. Miniature. Square in section. T Shaped top. [drawing 1:1]
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.
1155 (none) (none) (none) Fragment from small baked clay barrel-cylinder of Nabonidus. Fragments of 4 lines, from Column I. Inscription of duplicate of U.1111, U.1113, etc. Probably part of same object as U.1154 but does not join.
1156 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of baked clay barrel-cylinder of nabonidus, inscription duplicate of that upon U.1111, U.1113, etc. Fragments of 15 lines, from column I.
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.
1163 (none) (none) (none) Clay jar-handle. (Broken off) Drab clay. In form of nude female figure. It has 13 circles arranged on back. P. [drawing not to scale]
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.
11677 (none) 1927,0527.24a (none) Fragment of Statue(?) Diorite inscribed.
1180 (none) (none) (none) Small fragment of baked clay tablet, with parts of 6 lines, from a New Babylonian copy of a syllabary.
1188 (none) (none) (none) Fragment from middle left side of a New Babylonian baked clay tablet. Obverse has remains of 3 sections, of a text of a religious nature, but too fragmentary to yield a certain sense; apparently bilingual. Reverse, parts of 2 sections of a list of woods, the second column broken away.
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.
1193 (none) (none) (none) Portion of a shell cylinder (split down middle), with part of inscription. A-tu, mar?
1198 (none) (none) (none) Fragment from upper part of a tablet with portions of 8 lines of accounts. About period of First Dynasty of Babylon.
1199 (none) (none) (none) Small baked clay tablet, inscription of of obverse only with 5 lines of accounts, mostly illegible. Period of 3rd Dynasty of Ur.
1207 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of New Babylonian baked clay tablet, obverse only preserved. Parts of 12 lines of an astronomical omen-text, in 4 sections.
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Media: Ziggurat Terrace | ZT Export: JSON - XML - CSV

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