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)
16617 31-43-204 (none) (none) Puzuzu head. Black steatite.
17433 31-43-202 (none) (none) Puzuzu amulet. Steatite.
16555 31-43-20, 31-43-20 (none) (none) Cylinder seal, white calcite. Ga-ad-i(?)-li(?)-a, daughter of Ah(?)-na-nu-um H.C. 30/II, 11
17117B 31-43-195 (none) (none) Wall-cones of white calcite. A. blunt point: a roughly incised line round the stem near the head. B. plain. C. Similar to (B), head broken.
17117A 31-43-194 (none) (none) Wall-cones of white calcite. A. blunt point: a roughly incised line round the stem near the head. B. plain. C. Similar to (B), head broken.
16749 31-43-19 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Baked clay. 2 crescents on poles and an X. Rough work.
16135 31-43-184 (none) (none) Stone object. Alabaster. White. Elliptical shaped pierced with 5 circular holes, intercommunicating. [drawing 1:1 plan and elevation]
17319 31-43-18 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Baked clay. Animals (?) at gate of shrine course cutting.
16927F 31-43-178 (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]
17436 31-43-175 (none) (none) Copper head. Of a female? Miniature. Solid casting.
17332 31-43-17 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Steatite. Black. Fragment. 3 geese (?).
17121A 31-43-10 (none) (none) Seals. Two steatite plaques, rectangular and oblong, flat on one side and gabled on the other, the gabled side pierced perhaps for a metal ring handle. A) [drawing 1:1] thus, with rough design of a scorpion. B) smaller but apparently with the same design (much worn)
15799 31-17-89 (none) (none) Amulet. Monkey. Shell.
15797 31-17-88 (none) (none) Amulet. White steatite(?) Double ended. Monkey and bear.
15474 31-17-21 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Black steatite. 2 scorpions.
1253 31-16-995 (none) (none) Fragment of a terrracotta model. Apparently part of the reins from a toy similar to the preceding.
2560 31-16-993 (none) (none) Child's rattle. Drab clay; circular, of two pieces fitted together. Hole in one side.
3039 31-16-984 (none) (none) Terracotta horse. Only head and neck with hands of last rider on neck.
2939A 31-16-968 (none) (none) Terracotta pig. Head missing. (B) Has snout and eye. Sketch less than 1:1 [drawing]
3350 31-16-940 (none) (none) Fragment of mould for figurine. Limestone: showing flounced skirt of draped figure.
2512 31-16-938 (none) (none) Mask. Terracotta. Pierced for suspension, grotesque head, much broken. [drawing 1:1]
3075 31-16-937 (none) (none) Terracotta mask. Much encrusted with salt, but apparently not grotesque.
1369 31-16-934 (none) B19341 Figurine. Fragment. Shoulders downwards only: drab clay: moulded. Figure in pleated skirt holding an emblem in each hand.
1654 31-16-926 (none) (none) Figurine. Fragment, from shoulder to knees only. Red drab clay; moulded. Figure in profile; much weathered.
1652 31-16-923 (none) (none) Clay figurine. Drab clay; moulded. Bearded figure with horned headdress and pleated skirt, holding emblems; weathered.

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