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 Clay Seals and Sealings

Object U Number Museum Number (UPM Date Reg Number) Museum Number (BM Registration Number) Museum Number (UPM B-number) Description (Catalog Card)
18285 33-35-80 (none) (none) Signet ring. Copper. With oval bezel on which an engraved design, (corroded).
18289 33-35-259 (none) (none) Clay seal impression. From a cylinder. Standing figure of worshipper, with shaven head and long dress.
18450 33-35-177 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Grey stone. Introduction scene with 1 seated and 2 standing figures and 2 columns of inscription: the figures much erased.
18365 33-35-176 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Lapis lazuli. 3 standing figures.
18276 33-35-174 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Fragment of greenish grey steatite. Only 2 columns of inscription left; no figures.
18258 33-35-173 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Presentation scene. Seated goddess, with 2 standing figures and 2 lizards. Poor condition.
18248 33-35-172 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Pink limestone. Two men fighting a lion. Poor work and in poor condition.
18284 33-35-170 (none) (none) Stamp seal. Facetted conical: chalcedony. Persian type. Two standing figures worshipping before an altar: crescent above.
18341 33-35-164 (none) (none) Animal's body. Grey steatite. Body of couchant animal, the hind quarters complete, in fairly high relief: the front leg only sketched: the stone is rounded off at the shoulder so that there never was a head. The body is flat and bears two engraved signs thus. [drawing]
17797 32-40-345 (none) (none) Stamp seal. Shell. One side flattened and rough representation of animal drilled and scratched on. [drawing 1:1]
17726 32-40-330 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Pink limestone. 2 men fighting a lion.
17763 32-40-329 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Steatite. Obscured; 2 lines of inscription. Adoring figure of goddess separated by star on staff.
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.
17678 32-40-324 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. White limestone. Eye; joined ladders. On photo: U.17679.
17877 32-40-323 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Grey steatite. Seated deity & standing attendant. Poor cutting.
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]
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.
16743 31-43-46 (none) (none) Quartz cylinder. Unengraved. Unpierced. cf. U. 16606. [drawing 1:1]
17325 31-43-40 (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Steatite. Grey. One roughly cut human figure and second carrying an animal (?) two spears? [second carrying an animal has been crossed out on catalog card]
16554 31-43-34, 31-43-34 (none) (none) Cylinder seal, steatite. Ur-Ki(?)-dur(?)-sag(?) servant of... H.C. 30/II, 10
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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