Context Title: AH Site | AH     
Context Name (Excavation): AH; Abraham's Housing     
Context Name (Publication): AH Site     
Context Description: In the southeast portion of the mound of Ur, Woolley excavated a large horizontal extent of domestic space roughly 115 x 85m. near the surface he found scattered Neo-Babylonian and Kassite remains and intrusive graves of the late periods but he did not publish these in detail nor are there any extant notes covering them. Instead, Woolley's main goal was to uncover the best preserved floorplans of houses. These he found several meters down, houses of the Isin-Larsa/Old Babylonian period. Because the Old Babylonian period was typically that associated with the potential time of Abraham, Woolley used the abbreviation AH (Abraham's Housing) to refer to this excavation area. In the course of excavation of the Isin-Larsa/Old Babylonian levels Woolley numbered 27 'houses,' or excavation units. He renumbered the houses for publication based on the overall plan, preserved walls, and doors onto streets. In this way he showed there were 52 individual houses within his 27 excavation areas. However, houses were frequently altered throughout period, as families would knock out walls or block up doors, and thus true house numbers are difficult to establish. Woolley mentions phases of rebuilding, but states that he sought the best preserved floor plan and published the excavation of a particular house based on that plan alone. In some cases he noted deeper remains that may have gone back to the Ur III period. These levels he partially uncovered as he excavated graves beneath the Larsa period floors. A great deal of baked brick was in use for walls of the Isin-Larsa/Old Babylonian period. Some houses used it in the lowest portion of a wall, but others used it for entire walls up to 3 meters in height. Town planning was not evident, as streets tended to wander in narrow and winding paths. Corners where streets met were often rounded, leading Woolley to surmise that this was to prevent problems with laden donkeys catching their wares on corners. Many houses had a domestic chapel within, often with family burials beneath the floor. Communal chapels were also noted, at least four being identified in the area. Finally, Woolley believed that some buildings were specifically used for commercial activities (shops), though this is difficult to prove.     

Objects: AH Site | AH 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)
2540 (none) (none) (none) Clay pot. Greenish drab ware. Type CXXII =RC.83 (not p)
2541 29-174-10 (none) (none) Clay pot. Pinkish drab clay, with broken mouth. Type CXXIII.
2544 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of inlay. Glazed frit, from flower pattern. [drawing 1:1]
2545 (none) (none) (none) Clay Figurine. Greenish drab clay. Headdress unusual and figure bearded and in round. [drawing]
2547 (none) (none) (none) Copper ring. Finger ring with bone inside.
2551 (none) (none) (none) Figurine. Drab clay. Nude female suckling child; and legs missing. [drawing 1:1]
2552 (none) (none) (none) Mask. Black stone, pierced top to bottom. Lower part of face missing. Shaven male. [drawing 1:1]
2554 (none) (none) (none) Clay Figurine. Drab clay. Clothed figure legs and feet only: carrying monkey. [drawing 1:1]
2573 (none) (none) (none) Pin. White stone. Point missing. [drawing 1:1]
2606 (none) (none) (none) Imitation vase. Drab clay, lip broken. [drawing 1:1]
2610 29-174-20 (none) (none) Clay watering pot. Hand moulded, with spout and holes in top. [drawing 1:1] Type as U.1892
2630 (none) (none) (none) Clay figurine. Drab clay: seated goddess with left hand raised: Flounced dress: head and torso only. [drawing 1:1]
2631 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of small soap-stone box. Engraved with circular design. Sketch. [drawing]
2640 (none) (none) (none) Clay model shield. Drab clay: arm band at back unpierced. [drawing]
2641 (none) (none) (none) Clay figurine. Drab clay: female with flounced costume: seated: weapon about head. [drawing 1:1]
2656 (none) (none) (none) Clay vase. Buff clay: fragmentary. Type CXXXIV=RC.13 (not p)
2658 (none) (none) (none) Clay figurine. Drab clay: female with hands on breasts [drawing 1:1]
2663 (none) (none) (none) Clay vase. Drab: painted base. Type CVII. =RC.55, =L. (not p)
2664 (none) (none) (none) Clay pot. Reddish vase, miniature, handmade. [drawing 1:1]
2671 (none) (none) (none) Stone phallus. Carefull carved from white pebble. [drawing 1:1]
2720 (none) (none) (none) Ibex head. Buff clay ware of fine design. Sketch. [drawing]
2909 (none) (none) (none) Miniature frog. Black stone: pierced for suspension. [drawing 1:1]
2987 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Goddess with flounced dress and hands raised. [drawing 1:1]
3071A (none) (none) (none) [A-C] Three copper finger rings.
3276 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta animal. Presumably horse(?). Legs missing. Sketch. [drawing]

Media: AH Site | AH Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p030 Ur_Notes_v3_p030 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p031 Ur_Notes_v3_p031 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p032 Ur_Notes_v3_p032 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p033c Ur_Notes_v3_p033c (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p034c Ur_Notes_v3_p034c (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p035 Ur_Notes_v3_p035 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p036 Ur_Notes_v3_p036 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p037 Ur_Notes_v3_p037 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p038 Ur_Notes_v3_p038 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p039 Ur_Notes_v3_p039 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p040 Ur_Notes_v3_p040 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p041 Ur_Notes_v3_p041 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p042 Ur_Notes_v3_p042 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p043 Ur_Notes_v3_p043 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p044 Ur_Notes_v3_p044 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p045 Ur_Notes_v3_p045 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p046 Ur_Notes_v3_p046 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p047 Ur_Notes_v3_p047 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p048 Ur_Notes_v3_p048 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p049 Ur_Notes_v3_p049 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p056 Ur_Notes_v3_p056 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p057 Ur_Notes_v3_p057 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p059 Ur_Notes_v3_p059 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p060 Ur_Notes_v3_p060 (none)
Woolley's Field Note Cards Woolley's Field Note Cards Ur_Notes_v3_p061c Ur_Notes_v3_p061c (none)

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Context

Ur > AH Site | AH


References

Woolley, Leonard. (1974) Ur Excavations VI; The Ur III Period, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Luby, Edward Michael. (1990) Social Variation in Ancient Mesopotamia: An Architectural and Mortuary Analysis of Ur in the Early Second Millenium B.C., UMI Dissertation Services.

Legrain, Leon, and Woolley, Leonard. (1936) Ur Excavations III: Archaic Seal-Impressions, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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

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