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)
17929G 32-40-122 (none) (none) Celts. [Woolley did not assign subletters; they are assigned in this database based on the order of drawings on the card] [A] Schist [drawing 1:1] [B] Schist [drawing 1:1] [C] Shale [drawing 1:1] [D] Jasper [drawing 1:1] [drawing side view 1:1] [E] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [F] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [G] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [H] Schist [drawing 1:1]
17929H 32-40-121 (none) (none) Celts. [Woolley did not assign subletters; they are assigned in this database based on the order of drawings on the card] [A] Schist [drawing 1:1] [B] Schist [drawing 1:1] [C] Shale [drawing 1:1] [D] Jasper [drawing 1:1] [drawing side view 1:1] [E] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [F] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [G] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [H] Schist [drawing 1:1]
17929A 32-40-120 (none) (none) Celts. [Woolley did not assign subletters; they are assigned in this database based on the order of drawings on the card] [A] Schist [drawing 1:1] [B] Schist [drawing 1:1] [C] Shale [drawing 1:1] [D] Jasper [drawing 1:1] [drawing side view 1:1] [E] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [F] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [G] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [H] Schist [drawing 1:1]
18052 32-40-12 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Nude female standing full face, hands clasped. Hair elaborately dressed, big earrings and necklaces. Complete from knees upwards.
16929A 31-43-90 (none) (none) Clay mould. (A) For a female head in profile, high relief: head with filletted and braided hair, looking right (in impression): rows of necklaces. Full face, rather pleasing and not like the usual Sumerian type. (B) For a bearded male figure, draped, standing in profile facing left (in impression) with hands clasped on breast. Very fine work, bold and yet delicate, perhaps goldsmiths moulds: the female head is best suited to such technique as gold-working. Brought in together and said to have been found together.
16618 31-43-9 (none) (none) Stamp seal. Greenish grey steatite. Pyramidal. 2 scorpions.
16929B 31-43-89 (none) (none) Clay mould. (A) For a female head in profile, high relief: head with filletted and braided hair, looking right (in impression): rows of necklaces. Full face, rather pleasing and not like the usual Sumerian type. (B) For a bearded male figure, draped, standing in profile facing left (in impression) with hands clasped on breast. Very fine work, bold and yet delicate, perhaps goldsmiths moulds: the female head is best suited to such technique as gold-working. Brought in together and said to have been found together.
17341 31-43-76 (none) (none) Button seal. Steatite(?). White. Fragment. Half only remains. Animals. With a boss on the upper side perforated for suspension.
16927G 31-43-7 (none) (none) Group: objects found together and belonging to a manufacturer of cylinder seals. (A) Limestone fragment, a trial piece with first sketches of 3 standing figures; (B) Limestone fragment, a trial piece with one standing figure nearly finished; (C) Uncut and unpierced cylinders of shell, steatite and limestone; (D) Unfinished beads of rock crystal; (E) Part of an eye of a statue; etc. (F) Limestone fragment a trial piece with the lower parts of 2 standing nude male figures (this was brought in separately, cf. U.16994) (G) Square of red limestone, sculptors trial pieces with unfinished figures of man and dog. [These objects were relettered on the card as follows: C=E, D=F, E=G, F=C, and G=D. Entries in this database, however, follow original lettering]
16974 31-43-657 (none) (none) Terracotta relief of a woman, draped, advancing left with rt arm extended. (A) fragment: right hand and all figure below hips missing. Type XIII.5
17314 31-43-63 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Steatite. Black. Unpierced. Unfinished. A reserve for an inscription which has not been inserted.
16794 31-43-59 (none) (none) Cylinder Glazed Frit Type same as U.16.606.
17305 31-43-585 (none) (none) Bowl. Baked clay. Light drab. Decorated with an incised tree(?) and a serpent (?) turned round the trunk(?). Type 1DLXII.
17439 31-43-529 (none) (none) Adze. Copper.
16920 31-43-463 (none) (none) Terracotta. A disk with 2 short legs: on the top of it, the head and arms of a woman with breast in front; hand modeled and very rough. [drawing 1:1]
16743 31-43-46 (none) (none) Quartz cylinder. Unengraved. Unpierced. cf. U. 16606. [drawing 1:1]
16904 31-43-459 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Grotesque and very rough. Draped human figure. [drawing 1:1]
17151 31-43-456 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Two deities, a god and goddess, facing each other. Both wear the long dress with pleated flounces. (A) Complete except for feet. [drawing 1:1]
16487A 31-43-455 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Bearded god, draped. Standing on an animal(?) [drawing 1:1] (A) Animal missing poor worn impression. (B) Similar figure, but from a larger mould, broken off at thighs; (C) Similar, broken away at knees, poor.
16450A 31-43-454 (none) (none) Terracotta Figurines. Bearded god. Type VII,4. (A) Fragment broken off at waist; (B) Fragment broken off at waist; (C) Terracotta Relief. Bearded god. Broken off at hips: very good impression. [drawing 1:1] (D) Fragment broken away below hands, similar figure, but from a smaller mould.
16478A 31-43-453 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Bearded and horned god carrying mace and axe: Type VII, 3. (A) From waist upwards only. (B) From crossed hands upwards: (C) Head missing above mouth, body complete.
17178 31-43-452 (none) (none) Terracotta relief of bearded god, full face the left hand raised and holding a bird (?). The right by the side. (A) Fragment, broken off at hips.
16909 31-43-447 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Man wearing kilt, advancing right over rough ground. (A) Fragment from waist upwards missing: good bold work. [drawing 1:1]
17156 31-43-446 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Male figure bearded and clothed, facing left and grasping with both hands a tree(?). Another tree behind him. (A) Fragment, broken away at hips.
16455B 31-43-445 (none) (none) Terracotta figurines. Man with monkeys. (A) Fragment broken off at waist, rubbed; (B) Fragment broken off at waist, good impression; (C) Fragment only from the waist downwards preserved; (D) Fragment upper part from above knees, poor rubbed impression.

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