Temenos Wall | TW

Context Title: Temenos Wall | TW     
Context Name (Excavation): TW     
Context Name (Publication): Temenos Wall     
Context Description: The excavation area abbreviation TW stands for Temenos Wall, a wall that surrounded the ziggurat terrace and its extended sacred space in the northern central portion of the city of Ur through much of its history. The wall may have begun in the Early Dynastic period, as Woolley found some indication of what he believed to be its earliest foundation. There was clearly an Ur III period version that ran south of the giparu and then further southeast to encompass the ehursag. This was the general line of the wall through the Isin-Larsa/Old Babylonian and into the Kassite period, though the Kassites made some changes in the northern portion. Finally, the Neo-Babylonians changed the wall greatly, expanding the area encompassed to the north and south and adding several gateways. The foundations of this later, quite massive, wall often destroyed earlier remains. Woolley explored parts of the temenos wall in many seasons and frequently used the TW abbreviation for the wall in any of its building periods. Other excavation area abbreviations include parts of the temenos, particularly NCF, PDW and BC. The temenos wall built by Urnamma was 6 meters thick and built of mud brick with a baked brick facing. Most of the baked brick had been removed, probably for later building. The Nebuchadnezzar and Nabonidus temenos wall had chambers within it and sported six gates into the temenos area. This area was known as e-gish-nu-gal (Woolley read this e-gish-shir-gal). At least one later interpretation conflates TW with the phrase Town Wall, but the wall surrounding Ur was always referred to as the city wall, (CLW).     
Season Number: 01: 1922-1923      
Season Number: 03: 1924-1925      
Season Number: 05: 1926-1927      
Season Number: 11: 1932-1933      
Season Number: 12: 1933-1934      

Objects: Temenos Wall | TW 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)
216 (none) 1923,1110.102 (none) Terracotta relief. [drawing 1:1]
440 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of large account tablet of Sumerian period.
445 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of cone. Ends of 13 lines. Unidentified. Placed in IN/No. 7
506 (none) (none) (none) Clay saucer. Drab clay. Wheelmade. Kassite [Below]. Type LVI.
553 (none) (none) (none) Clay pot. Drab clay. Wheelmade, broken. Type VIII, but with hollow base and with traces of a spout.
554 (none) (none) (none) Clay cup. Drab clay, wheelmade, broken. Type XIII.
555 (none) (none) (none) Clay cup. Drab clay, wheel-made, broken. Type XIII.
556 (none) (none) (none) Clay saucer. Greenish clay, wheelmade, broken. Type XLIV.
561 (none) (none) (none) Clay saucer. Red clay with drab engobbage. Wheelmade, broken. (Below) Type XLV.
603 (none) 1923,1110.113 (none) Terracotta relief. Fragment of head of bearded god wearing horned crown: behind, rough, with a hole for affixing it to a background. [drawing 1:1]
606 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Very much worn: defaced remains of 3 standing figures.
607 (none) (none) (none) Beads of frit originally blue glazed, the glaze wholly perished. 15 spheroids and 4 bugles.
608 (none) (none) (none) Clay figurine. Lower part only of flat wide-hipped Astarte figure. [below] Photo 69. [drawing 1:2]
609 (none) (none) (none) Clay wheel. Hub projects on both sides + has indented holes round it: edge of rim scallopped. [inserted] (N.B. scallops are bigger than drawn here) [drawing]
610 (none) (none) (none) Clay antefix roughly moulded in greenish drab clay; fragment only: petal pattern in relief. [drawing]
618 (none) (none) (none) Clay vase. Reddish-drab clay and drab engobbage. Wheelmade. Top missing. [below] Type XLIV =RC.72, =L106b [circled] Not p
621 (none) (none) (none) Clay vase - top of. Greenish clay. wheelmade. [below] Type XLIX. Very wide example. [circled] Not p.
622 (none) (none) (none) Clay vase. Greenish clay. Wheelmade. Base missing. [below] Type XLIX. [circled] Not p.
623 (none) 1923,1110.76 (none) Clay pot. Red clay with drab engobbage. Wheelmade. Broken. [below] Type XXIX. Not p.
624 (none) (none) (none) Clay cup. Drab clay, wheelmade, broken. [below] Type L = p.71
625 (none) (none) (none) Clay saucer. Drab clay, wheelmade. [below] Type XC. but carelessly made. Rounder rim than in 938. [inserted] = P.37
626 (none) (none) (none) Clay saucer - Miniature. Drab clay, wheelmade, broken. [Below] Type LI = RC.2?7 [circled] Not p.
628 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. grey steatite. Very roughly engraved in scratching line work with what probably meant for human figures.
629 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Well engraved with standing figure of a suppliant l. facing a seated goddess(?) rt = the crescent moon between. Three columns of inscription. 3rd Dynasty style.
630 (none) (none) (none) Faience figurine. Fragment of green-glazed frit: Osirid(?) figure. [drawing 1:1]
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Media: Temenos Wall | TW Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
Ur Excavations IX; The Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods Ur Excavations IX; The Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods 1962 Woolley, L. and Mallowan, Max (none)
Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings 1939 Woolley Leonard (none)
Ur Excavations VIII; The Kassite Period and the period of the Assyrian Kings Ur Excavations VIII; The Kassite Period and the period of the Assyrian Kings 1965 Woolley, Leonard (none)
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References

Woolley, L. and Mallowan, Max. (1962) Ur Excavations IX; The Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Woolley Leonard. (1939) Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Woolley, Leonard. (1965 ) Ur Excavations VIII; The Kassite Period and the period of the Assyrian Kings, Oxford: Oxford University Press.