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)
17877 32-40-323 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Grey steatite. Seated deity & standing attendant. Poor cutting.
17869 32-40-316 (none) (none) Jeweller's trial piece (?). Fragment of a four-sided rod of white limestone: on one side a roughly cut intaglio; a small figure of a man copulating with a woman, the latter figure large and grotesque.
17759 32-40-315 (none) (none) Amulet. Frit. Frog. [drawing 1:1]
17870 32-40-310 (none) (none) Amulet. White shell. In the form of a flying bird (one wing missing) [drawing 1:1]
18040A 32-40-31 (none) (none) Terracotta relief. Nude girl standing full face, left hand to breast, right raised to shoulder level. (the body has an almost Praxitelian curve!). (A) Complete, except for the lower leg. (B) Fragment from the waist upwards. (C) Fragment, from the hips upwards.
17863 32-40-309 (none) (none) Amulet. Puzuzu head. Glazed frit (glaze all decayed. [drawing 1:1]
17758 32-40-305 (none) (none) Figurine. Frit, formerly glazed. Duck. [drawing 1:1]
18003A 32-40-28 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Bearded man with kilt advancing right. Head full face. (A) Complete. (B) Upper part to waist only. (C) Upper part to waist only.
18046E 32-40-27 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Woman, nude, standing full face, with tambourine : over the shoulders a spotted cloak. Coarse type. (A) Fragment from navel upwards. (B) Fragment from thighs upwards. Different mould and flatter relief: no cloak. (C) Fragment from thighs upwards: similar to (A). (D) Fragment from waist upwards: similar to (C). (E) Fragment from belly to knees. (F) Fragment: head only. (G) Fragment: from waist upwards and a smaller mould.
18046C 32-40-26 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Woman, nude, standing full face, with tambourine : over the shoulders a spotted cloak. Coarse type. (A) Fragment from navel upwards. (B) Fragment from thighs upwards. Different mould and flatter relief: no cloak. (C) Fragment from thighs upwards: similar to (A). (D) Fragment from waist upwards: similar to (C). (E) Fragment from belly to knees. (F) Fragment: head only. (G) Fragment: from waist upwards and a smaller mould.
18096 32-40-25 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Primitive. Hand modelled: man standing, right arm broken. [drawing]
18063 32-40-23 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Female figure, nude, standing full face and holding a tambourine before the breasts. Fragment from waist upwards.
18013 32-40-22 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Bearded man, full face, upper part of body nude, carrying a bird between clasped hands. Fragment from waist upwards.
18051 32-40-20 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Nude female standing full face, hands clasped. Head unduly large, body thick and heavy: hair dressed in Egyptian style. Complete from knees upwards.
18104 32-40-2 (none) (none) Vase of light drab clay in the form of a woman carrying a jar. (the arms broken). [drawing 1:1]
18007 32-40-18 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Bearded god, full face. Fragment, from breast upwards.
18054 32-40-17 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Nude female standing full face, hands clasped. Slender type. Complete.
18011 32-40-15 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Bearded man (?) full face, hands folded below breast: elaborate drapery. Fragment from wiast upward.
17681 32-40-142 (none) (none) Bowl. Pink limestone. Not RC or L [drawing]
18021 32-40-14 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Relief of demon facing left and holding sticks (?) by head with grotesque features, very small body. Fragment, from waist upwards.
17785B 32-40-137 (none) (none) [A-D] Weights. Heamitite [sic] Types II, III. [drawing]
17785D 32-40-136 (none) (none) [A-D] Weights. Heamitite [sic] Types II, III. [drawing]
17786 32-40-129 (none) (none) Weight. Heamitite [sic]. With inscription [drawing 1:1] type I
17980 32-40-128 (none) (none) Weight. Haemitite. Type II. [drawing 1:1]
17749 32-40-125 (none) (none) Weight. Haematite. 2 scratches. Type II. [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