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)
18705 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Hand modelled. Grotesque nude male (?) figure with beak like nose and heavy necklace: no breasts, so presumeably male, but round the waist a belt below which that may be the top of a shirt but may be the top of thje pudenda triangle of a female figure. Arms and body below waist missing.
18075 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Hand modelled. Fragment of human head with big coiled earrings, with cloak worn over the head and falling on each side.
18070 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Hand modelled. Female figure, full face, with large wig, holding object to breast with rt. hand. Complete from waist upwards.
18081 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Hand modelled. Bearded man (in the round). Fragment: body below waist and arms missing.
18261 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Hand modelled. A goat, standing, with head thrown back.
18079 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Hand modelled, snowman technique. Seated female figure, full face: hands designed draped. Very crude. Complete.
18074 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Hand modelled, snowman technique. Nude female figure standing full face: left arm missing. Head very small with big hair waves: breasts applied; triangle much exaggerated, coming almost to the ground; with no legs. (Covered with salts)
18082 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Hand modelled in the round: snowman technique. Bearded man, full face, left hand to breast, right arm missing. Fragment: body below hips missing.
6847 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Grotesque beak nosed figure wearing close fitting coat with high collar and supporting lamb against breast. Cap with thick lining upon head. B. [drawing 1:1]
1766 (none) 1924,0920.146 (none) Terracotta figurine. Green clay. Fragment. Head only, much damaged, of ram. [drawing 1:1]
6874 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Goddess. Fragmentary above breast and below waist. Palms of hands resting on wweist, finger tips of left hand touching finger tips of right. Eight rows of necklaces. 3 clay pellets superimposed to represent jewels? B
18059A (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Goddess, full face, with high crown, carrying club and axe between claseped hands. (A) Fragment, from below hands upwards. (B) Fragment. From waist upwards.
18060 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Goddess, full face, with clasped hands. On head a flat cap with 3 tall plumes: elaborate drapery. Fragment, from below hands upwards.
2987 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Goddess with flounced dress and hands raised. [drawing 1:1]
18036A (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Goddess seated on throne; full face; high crown and heavily flounced dress; hands clasped on legs. Spoked circles round throne. (A) Complete. (B) Fragment from breast upwards.
18036B (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Goddess seated on throne; full face; high crown and heavily flounced dress; hands clasped on legs. Spoked circles round throne. (A) Complete. (B) Fragment from breast upwards.
7110B (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. God. Full face down to waist. Below in profile. Bearded god with cows' ears, wearing high horned headdress. Left hand held horizontally against waist, right hand at side. God wears open skirt, right leg covered; left leg exposed. B. [drawing 1:1]
7034 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Fragmentary. Warrior trampling on foe clothed in short coat which only down to the knees. [drawing 1:1]
3013 (none) 1927,1003.170 (none) Terracotta figurine. Fragmentary. Presumably fish-god, bearing mace in left hand. One leg exposed. [drawing 1:1]
6760 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Fragmentary. Lost below waist. Figure with animals head and human body, hands clasped round neck. B.
6921 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Fragmentary. Bearded man in profile with monkey on shoulders. Male figure clothed in long flowing garment and wearing close fitting cap on head. Twisted cord suspended from Monkey's neck and hangs down in front of male figure who holds a stick in his left arm. In his right hand a staff? -held against side. Cf. U.6855 same mould may have served for both. B.
6925 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Fragmentary head lost. Enthroned Ishtar in profile: feet resting on seated lion's head. Ishtar wears flounced kaukenes skirt scalloped at bottom. B. [drawing 1:1]
6898 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Fragmentary head and feet missing. Female, closely draped? Carries baby against breast. B. [drawing 1:1]
6884 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Fragmentary below waist. Female figure wearing heavy necklace. Thick wavy hair falling over shoulders and done up in a knot at the back. B. [drawing 1:1]
7549 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Fragmentary below waist. Bearded god with thick protruding nose, wearing high conical cap with a peak which has a triangular parting to it on the middle of the forehead. Against the breast, on either side of the beard the tops of long staves? Wide square shoulders. Two rounded plaits of hair one on either side of head fall just below cap. On either side of breast rosettes and below beard an inverted crescent moon. [drawing 1:1]

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