Diqdiqqeh | DQ

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)
1646 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Clay, with device of eagle, lance, etc.
17744 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Clay. Half standing figure holding bow shaped axe in one hand [and sistrum in other has been crossed out]; standing figure with snake (?) in one hand and sistrum in other, circular cable above head; half seated figure holdling 3 spouted water pot (?); broken.
1648 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Clay. Presentation to deity, broken.
17706 (none) 1932,1008.177 (none) Cylinder seal. Clay. Tree between 2 adoring figures; crescent above one; 1 line erased inscription.
17702 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Clay. Tree encircled with fillet between 2 adoring figures; crescent on staff.
17736 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Clay. Trellis pattern and wheel.
7126 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Crystal. Grey. Linear markings. B.
18282 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark greenish grey steatite. A naked hunter with 2 lions heraldically crossed and rampant. Rather poor archaic work.
18258 33-35-173 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Presentation scene. Seated goddess, with 2 standing figures and 2 lizards. Poor condition.
18283 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. A god and a worshipper, standing and 2 columns of inscription.
18183 (none) 1932,1008.163 (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. A standing god, a worshipper at a shrine (?) and 2 columns of inscription. Badly cut and much worn.
17871 32-40-326 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Badly chipped. Presentation scene with seated goddess and 2 standing figures and 3 columns of inscription.
18351 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Design destroyed except for 1 standing figure: a single column of inscription.
18172 (none) 1932,1008.157 (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Eagle grasping 2 stags. Poor work.
18192 (none) 1932,1008.158 (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Introduction scene, 3 standing figures. Poor rough work.
18350 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Two figures, standing one on either side of a staff whereon a crescent.
1522 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark stone. Half. With trace of an archaic inscription.
18349 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Darks steatite. Two figures, standing on either side of a date palm.
6671 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Diorite? Black. Mottled. 3 lions rampant one upside down. B.
18276 33-35-174 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Fragment of greenish grey steatite. Only 2 columns of inscription left; no figures.
1708 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Fragment, shell. With traces of design.
2504 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Fragment. Brown limestone. Fragment. One worshipper - one standing figure - of a god: Between them the crescent [shown in drawing] on a short support. About BC 2300
18157 (none) 1932,1008.176 (none) Cylinder seal. Frit, once glazed but glaze all perished. Crude design: a hunter, with birds in the field: triangle border.
7553 (none) 1928,1009.16 (none) Cylinder seal. Frit. Grey. Stag, 2 stars, upright pole? Spear sticking vertically in ground. Persian.
17920 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Frit. Man shooting gazelle.

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)
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Ur Hinterland > Diqdiqqeh | DQ

References

Woolley, L. and M. Mallowan . (1976) Ur Excavations VII; The Old Babylonian Period, Oxford: Oxford University Press.