 | AH Site | AH | 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. | (none) |
 | No. 11, 11A, 11B Paternoster Row | This was by far the largest house found on the site and part of it at least would seem to have been three storeys high; it was further peculiar in having three separate entrances from Paternoster Row and a fourth at the back from what seems to have been a blind alley. It was not all of one date, as regards its foundation, and it included a virtually independent house of small size (Rooms 16-19) which had once had its own door opening on the street, but as found by us it was undoubtedly a single unit. Owing to its size and complication we gave it the name "The Khan", being unprepared to find a private house with nineteen or more ground-floor rooms; but it must be admitted that the presence at the back of the building of a large domestic chapel with many burials is against such an identification and this may have been merely the home of a wealthier citizen than the others living in the quarter and may be not less typical of its class than are the more modest houses of theirs. The three front doors would appear to have served respectvely the guest, the family and the servants and tradesmen. | (none) |