Mud bricks were the primary building blocks at Ur. Most were sun-dried but some were intentionally baked to make them more stable. Baked bricks were typically used in building foundations and as facing to important public buildings, but they were also used extensively in some house walls, especially in the Isin-Larsa/Old Babylonian period. Those used in public buildings were often stamped with a building dedication and the name of the king, and the bricks that were collected from the field are almost exclusively of this type. A few bricks have other impressions in them, such as dog paw prints or inscribed lines imitating gaming boards.

Bricks were rectangular, square, or plano-convex and their sizes sometimes varied with time period, though direct temporal indicators are not clear simply from brick measurements. For Brick Stamps see Stamps/Sealings under Economic/Administrative. 

Objects: Bricks 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)
15066D (none) (none) (none) Group (A) Brick =RIU 119 + 12570 (HC. 1928/9 - 115) lines 1-15 slightly completing lines 14 & 15 (B) Also another fragment of same (not preserved). (C) Another small frgment (not preserved) (D) Another fragment slightly completing 12570 line 17-19 & 24. HC.13 [CARD MISSING Typed Transcription from British Museum Card]
3250 (none) (none) B16483 Half brick of Sin-balatsu-iqbi. Main stamp: To Nannar, king of the dEnlils, his king Sin-balatsu-iqbi, shakkanak of Ur, caretaker of Eridu, the E-gal En-nu-an-na (Palace heavenly fortress), the place where stands dNin-ka-si, he has built 8 lines. Side stamp: 7 lines. To Nannar, king of the Enlils... Omits mention of Nin-ka-si.
3202 (none) (none) (none) Kurigalzu Brick. Fragment. To Nin(- ). (his) lady, Ku-ri(gal-zu), minister, of En(-lil), (mighty) king, king of the (4 regions of the world?), (her?) temple, has built. H.C.
6901D (none) 1927,0527.251 (none) Model bricks. Burnt. C and D to E [Expedition, UPM and BM respectively]
12981 (none) 1935,0113.379 (none) Model clay brick?
3136 (none) (none) (none) Moulded Brick. Fragment. [drawing 1:4]
3137 (none) (none) (none) Moulded brick. [drawing 1:8]
3138 (none) (none) (none) Moulded brick. [drawing 1:8]
3144 (none) (none) (none) Moulded brick. [drawing 1:8]
17652 (none) (none) (none) Mudbrick. Fragment of bearing the stamp of (Warad-Sin?). The rest of the bricks in the wall are 390mm square.
16052 (none) (none) (none) Shaped brick. Moulded for building round buttresses of BC Bur-Sin. See SAKI 196(b) [CARD MISSING Typed Transcription from British Museum Card]
3299A (none) (none) B16488 Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11. 6-7: E As-an-bu the shrine of Enlil H.C.
3299B (none) 1927,1003.269 (none) Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11. 6-7: E As-an-bu the shrine of Enlil H.C.
3297A (none) (none) B16486 Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11. 6-7: E-dAsur (the place of his royalty) H.C.
3297B (none) (none) (none) Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11. 6-7: E-dAsur (the place of his royalty) H.C.
3298A (none) (none) B16487 Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11. 6-7: E-sag-dug-ga the shrine of his Enlil-ship (=Lordship) H.C.
3298B (none) (none) (none) Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11. 6-7: E-sag-dug-ga the shrine of his Enlil-ship (=Lordship) H.C.
3300 (none) (none) B16489, B16489 Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps: side and face. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11. 6-7: E Ad-gi-gu Shrine dNusku. H.C.
3296 (none) (none) B16485, B16485 Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps: side and face. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11. 6-7: E An-ki-azag-ga where stands dAzag-sud. H.C.
3301 (none) (none) B16490, B16490 Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps: side and face. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11. 6-7: E Kisib-gal E-kur-ra(?) the shrine of dNin-sig (=Ea) H.C.
3326 (none) (none) B16484, B16484 Sin-balatsu-iqbi 1/2 brick. Same text as U.3250. Variant 11.6-7: E-ab (sal?)-ban-da the shrine of dSu-zi-an-na he built. Side and face text. H.C.
3297D (none) (none) B16556A Sinbalalsuiqbi 1/2 brick 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U. 3250. Variant U. 6-7: E-ashur "The place of his royalty."
3297E (none) (none) (none) Sinbalalsuiqbi 1/2 brick 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U.3250 Variant U.6-7: "E-ashur the place of his royalty"
3297F (none) (none) B16556B Sinbalalsuiqbi 1/2 brick 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U.3250 Variant U.6-7: "E-ashur the place of his royalty"
3297C (none) 1927,1003.274 (none) Sinbalalsuiqbi 1/2 brick. 2 stamps, side and face. Same text as U. 3250. Variant 11. 6-7: "E-ashur the place of his royalty"

Related Terms

Cones - Door/Gate Sockets - Drain Pipes