Context Title: Diqdiqqeh | DQ     
Context Name (Publication): Diqdiqqeh     
Context Name (Excavation): Digdiggah; DQ     
Context Name (Excavation): Railway site     
Context Description: Essentially a suburb of the ancient city, this area is located about 2 km to the northeast of the ziggurat of Ur. The precise extents of Diqdiqqeh were never defined, but Woolley referred to it as the low ground between the main railway line and the branch that went to Nasiriyeh. The train lines no longer run in the same place they did in Woolley's day, but Corona images allow us to recreate their paths. This makes the general boundaries west, south, and east somewhat known but how far it stretched north is not completely clear. From the first season workers walking across this area picked up surface finds and brought them to Woolley. At that time the location did not have a fixed name in Woolley's mind and thus first season references sometimes say 'near the railway' or 'near Munshid's water engine.' In the second season Woolley decided to investigate more systematically, but after two days of excavation he decided there was not enough remaining architecture to reward further work. Instead, he continued to allow the workers to gather finds over the next ten seasons, and many later catalog cards state "brought in: Diqdiqqeh" The finds from Diqdiqqeh indicate that the ancient suburb played a role in manufacturing and perhaps in commerce. Canals seem to have met in the area and boats may have unloaded goods here. Many figurines, tools, moulds and other crafting items are among the finds, suggesting that Diqdiqqeh may have been an industrial area away from the main habitation. The so-called Treasury of Sin-Iddinam was also excavated in this general area in season 5. In the Antiquaries Journal of January 1925, Woolley described Diqdiqqeh as follows: “A mile and a half NE. of the ziggurat, between the main railway line and the Nasiriyah branch, there is a patch of low-lying ground, occasionally cultivated, which the natives call Diqdiqqeh... a happy hunting-ground for treasure-seekers, and I took advantage of this fact to collect from the natives the scattered antiquities which they might bring to light.”     
Season Number: 01: 1922-1923      

Objects: Diqdiqqeh | DQ 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)
16908 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Bearded man draped in kaukanes garment, holding a vase. (A) broken away at knees and face entirely perished. [drawing 1:1]
17168B (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Bearded male figure full face = cloak over left and right shoulder = hands in part of closet holding an axe and another object. (A) Fragment, pressed down to the hands only. Good impression. [drawing]
17153 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Bearded god, full face. Against his left arm and legs. Side of head a snake rampant. (A) Fragment, preserved from the waist up only.
16921 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Bearded god with horned cap, carrying mace; full face. (A) fragment broken away at hips: poor. [drawing 1:1]
16937 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Bearded god embracing a standing goddess nude but with a horned crown: crescent above. (A) Complete, but not a very good cast. [drawing 1:1]
16469 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Bearded and horned god. (A) Broken off at chest. [drawing]
18701 33-35-26 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Beaded man walking right: wears loose drapery and carries a flail (?) over his right shoulder: behind him a seated monkey.
16938 (none) 1931,1010.426 (none) Terracotta relief. Back of bedstead. Horned bull-footed demon grasping a crescent-topped staff, beyond this, a gryphon(?) and a monkey(?). (A) Complete but poor cast. [drawing 1:1]
17152 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. A man riding a donkey. (A) Fragment and only one leg of the man and the hind legs and tail of the donkey. [drawing 1:1]
17132 (none) 1931,1010.390 (none) Terracotta relief. A dwarf (?). Squat bow-legged figure. Wearing kilt: full front. (A) Complete but flaked.
17164 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. A demon (?) above an animal (perhaps the top figure as a lion?) (A) Fragment, only 2 legs of upper beast survived. [drawing]
1741 (none) (none) B15641 Terracotta relief. 2 figures full face side by side; on l, male figure, on rt. female: both wear long skirts. Whole surface of clay flaked off & details of figs lost. P.
1728 (none) (none) B15640 Terracotta relief. 2 figures (intact). Left bearded god with long flounced dress, holds scepter (?) in right hand; full face; left hand across chest; right goddess with tall horned crown, flounced skirt and shawl, over left shoulder, left hand across chest, right hand on shoulder of male figure: full face. The plaque stands upright on a slightly hollow base. P.
16479 (none) 1931,1010.434 (none) Terracotta relief. 2 bearded Gods facing each other and carrying the litmus. Type I,b.A. (A) Fragment from waist upwards, in poor condition.
18493 (none) 1933,1013.181 (none) Terracotta relief. (complete). Standing male figure facing right wearing kilt and cloak and carrying mace.
18494 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. (complete). Female figure, standing full face, with hands clasped over breast: wears a long skirted garment, double-horned head-dress.
17158 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. (back of bedstead) Above, two birds facing below, two gazelles facing against a background of trees. [drawing]
16481A (none) 1931,1010.407 (none) Terracotta relief. Woman's head with disk(?) below. (A) Flat and much worn. Very coarse modeling and face peculiar perhaps Kassite?; (B) Very poor impression and complete. (C) Complete. [drawing 1:1]
16481B 31-43-382 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Woman's head with disk(?) below. (A) Flat and much worn. Very coarse modeling and face peculiar perhaps Kassite?; (B) Very poor impression and complete. (C) Complete. [drawing 1:1]
16481C (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Woman's head with disk(?) below. (A) Flat and much worn. Very coarse modeling and face peculiar perhaps Kassite?; (B) Very poor impression and complete. (C) Complete. [drawing 1:1]
16499A (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Seated woman with flounced skirt suckling an infant. [drawing 1:1] (A) Part of skirt and feet broken away; [field photo] (B) Fragment head missing similar but from a different mould. Poor impression, and all the surface decayed away.
16499B (none) (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Seated woman with flounced skirt suckling an infant. [drawing 1:1] (A) Part of skirt and feet broken away; (B) Fragment head missing similar but from a different mould. Poor impression, and all the surface decayed away.
16500 (none) 1931,1010.394 (none) Terracotta relief. Seated goddess, full face, wearing horned headdress and flounced garment; on either side a crescent on a staff held by a minute human figure. (A) Fragment to below clasped hands. [drawing]
16495A 31-43-415 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Seated female figure with flounced skirt, nursing a child. On either side snakes. [drawing] (A) Complete, fair impression. (B) Complete, similar but from a slightly smaller mould.
16495B 31-43-416 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Seated female figure with flounced skirt, nursing a child. On either side snakes. [drawing] (A) Complete, fair impression. (B) Complete, similar but from a slightly smaller mould.

Media: Diqdiqqeh | DQ Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
Ur Excavations VII; The Old Babylonian Period Ur Excavations VII; The Old Babylonian Period 1976 Woolley, L. and M. Mallowan (none)
  • 1 Media