Description (Catalog Card): Cylinder Seal. White shell, the ends inlaid with lapis disks. Very much decayed. 2 heroes & 4 animals: man on the left strikes at a rampant bull(?) turned away from him & grappling with a lion(?) this lions body crosses that of a second lion who attacks a bull which is seized from behind by a figure half human and half bull. Between the two human figures is a double column inscription, upper register only:-Mes-kalam-dug(or sar) Lugal.2     
Find Context (Catalog Card): PG 1054 C3     
Material (Catalog Card): Shell4     
Material (Catalog Card): Lapis lazuli4     
Material (Catalog Card): Limestone4     
Measurement (Catalog Card): L. 49mm, D. 30mm     
U Number: 11751     
Object Type: Seals, Stamps, and Sealings >> Cylinder Seals      
Museum: British Museum      
Season Number: 07: 1928-1929      
Culture/Period: Early Dynastic III1     
Description (Modern): Orange brown limestone or shell cylinder seal with dark blue lapis lazuli core; depicts a contest scene - bull man, bull, crossed lions, bull-man(?) and hero(?). Terminal - inscription over hero.1     
Description (Modern): Object is not sealed.     
Material: Inorganic Remains >> Stones and Minerals >> Mineral >> Semi-precious >> Lapis Lazuli      
Material: Inorganic Remains >> Stones and Minerals >> Stone >> Sedimentary >> Limestone      
Material: Organic Remains >> Shell      
Museum Number (BM Big Number): 122536     
Museum Number (BM Registration Number): 1929,1017.348     
Tablet ID Number: P247679     
Measurement (Diameter): 29     
Measurement (Height): 48     
Measurement (Height): 495     
Measurement (Width): 305     
[1] Data collected by British Museum research team.
[2] Woolley's description
[3] NW Corner
[4] Material as described by Woolley
[5] Barrett. 1976. Near East Section, Ur, Inscribed Objects

Locations: 11751 | 1929,1017.348 Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Location Context Title Context Description Description (Modern)
PG/1054C (none) (none)
PG/1054 The grave is a complex one, consisting of a deep, walled shaft above a rubble and earth domed tomb. Woolley believed that the burials in the shaft acted as a kind of death pit, thus he believed the bodies in the shaft to be attendants to the primary burial in the domed chamber below. In the main chamber were the bodies of five people, four men and one woman. The woman was clearly an important person, lying in the center of the tomb and having a gold cylinder seal as well as other high value objects, including much carnelian. The walls of the shaft above began from a layer packed over the domed chamber and in theory could be a different grave entirely. However, Woolley believed he had evidence of a continuous process that included the packing and smoothing of layers above the dome and then the construction of the shaft. In the shaft, at differing levels, were four more burials. Some of these also possessed rather high-end objects and one had nearby a cylinder seal with the name of Meskalamdug, the King. In his section of PG1054, Woolley reconstructed a dome over this grave, but later intrusive burials had destroyed the upper walls and, if it had been there, the upper, smaller dome as well. (none)
  • 2 Locations

Media: 11751 | 1929,1017.348 Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
Ur Excavations II; The Royal Cemetery Ur Excavations II; The Royal Cemetery 1934 Woolley, Leonard (none)
PG1054 Field Notes PG1054 Field Notes 1922-1934 Woolley et al (none)
Woolley's Catalog Cards Woolley's Catalog Cards Card -- BM ID:194 Box:50 Page:106 Card -- BM ID:194 Box:50 Page:106 (none)
  • 3 Media