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)
1604 (none) 1924,0920.100 (none) Figurine. Fragment, head and shoulder only; greenish clay; moulded. Female figure with necklace and low headdress.
1605 (none) (none) (none) Relief. Fragment, two heads only. Reddish clay; moulded. Male (bearded?) and female head, of figures standing side by side.
1606 (none) (none) B15652 Relief. Fragment. Drab clay; moulded. Figure of man (riding?) from waist upwards - the head in profile - and head of horse. P.
1607 (none) (none) B15661 Figurine. Fragment, waist upwards only. Green clay; moulded. Female figure with low headdress, necklace, bracelets and belt.
1608 (none) 1924,0920.86 (none) Figurine. Red clay: moulded. Female figure with high horned headdress, wearing flounced skirt and holding out object in left hand.
1609 31-16-875 (none) (none) Figurine. Drab clay; modeled. Female(?) figure with cross-belt (or bandoliers) - legs not indicated: head missing.
1610 (none) 1935,0113.267 (none) Figurine. Red clay; modeled. Figure of same type as U.1609 (the head and arms missing)
16109B (none) 1931,1010.424 (none) Terracotta Relief. Nude woman with hands clasped over breast, hair-in close- set parallel waves. Good modelling. Type III c.z. (A) Fragment broken away at hips: good impression; (B) Fragment broken away at hips good impression; (C) Fragment almost identical but from a slightly larger mould, fragment broken off at waist.
16109C (none) (none) (none) Terracotta Relief. Nude woman with hands clasped over breast, hair-in close- set parallel waves. Good modelling. Type III c.z. (A) Fragment broken away at hips: good impression; (B) Fragment broken away at hips good impression; (C) Fragment almost identical but from a slightly larger mould, fragment broken off at waist.
1611 (none) (none) B15675 Figurine, drab clay; modeled. Grotesque. Bes figure standing upon grotesque animal. P.
16112 (none) (none) (none) Amulet. Puzuzu head. Black steatite.
16119 (none) (none) (none) Adze. Black stone. Roughly cut, polished. [drawing]
1612 (none) 1924,0920.71 (none) Figurine. Fragment, bust only. Greenish clay; moulded. Bearded head with high horned headdress.
16128A (none) 1931,1010.203 (none) [A-B] Pair of tortoises. White frit. Criss-cross markings on back end and underside. Pierced for suspension. cf U.16755. [drawing 1:1]
16128B 31-43-309 (none) (none) [A-B] Pair of tortoises. White frit. Criss-cross markings on back end and underside. Pierced for suspension. cf U.16755. [drawing 1:1]
1613 (none) 1924,0920.78 (none) Figurine. Drab clay; moulded. Figure with skirt to knees, legs in profile, carrying axe (?) over right shoulder; head missing.
16135 31-43-184 (none) (none) Stone object. Alabaster. White. Elliptical shaped pierced with 5 circular holes, intercommunicating. [drawing 1:1 plan and elevation]
1614 (none) (none) (none) Figurine. Fragment, waist upwards only. Drab clay: moulded. Female(?) figure with high headdress, clothed, and having rosettes at each shoulder. There are also rosettes on background.
1615 (none) 1924,0920.120 (none) Stool. Drab clay. With 4 legs, and with moulded herring-bone pattern on the seat.
1616 (none) (none) B15699 Fragment from back of bedstead, or chair; yellow clay. With moulded relief, 2 birds facing among branches. P.
16163 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Black steatite. Presentation scene, 1 seated.
16179 31-43-28 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Green steatite. Presentation scene: enthroned god and two standing figures.
1618 (none) (none) (none) Fragment. Head of animal (horse?). Drab clay. [drawing 1:1]
16180 31-43-3 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Pink marble. Two rows of deeply incised circles.
16184 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Black steatite. Presentation scene. Enthroned god and two standing figures. Attributes: Crescent moon, goose, pair of scorpions & lizard.

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