Context Title: Pit W     
Context Name (Publication): Pit W     
Context Name (Excavation): Pit W     
Context Description: Pit W was excavated from the bottom of area PG near Pits Y and Z in order to more fully explore the Seal Impression Strata discovered running across the cemetery. Since these strata contained so many early seals and tablets it was clear that they were essential for dating the graves and for learning more about the administration of the city of Ur. In order to observe the strata more clearly, Pit W was much larger than most exploratory pits in the cemetery region, laid out to be 15x7 meters. It was dug from the northeast side of PG/1631 but its horizontal extents were not mapped and Benati (2015) believes that PG/1631 was mistaken for PG/1648, placing Pit W somewhat farther SE. Its published stratigraphic profile shows that PG/1631 (possibly 1648) was actually somewhere near the middle of the long side of the trench and Woolley states that Pit W was placed so as to virtually fill the gap between Pits Y and Z, but was set a few meters northeast of them. This allows for a relatively accurate placement of the pit. Pit W quickly ran through the seal impression strata but Woolley continued it down much farther, as he had with Pits Y and Z, to reach about a meter below sea level. He thus uncovered many graves earlier than the main Royal Cemetery, and because he believed them to be from the Jemdet Nasr period, he began JNG numbers for them. This discovery, combined with early graves in Pit Y, spawned the conception of a Jemdet Nasr cemetery running beneath and south of the Royal Cemetery, and in season 12 Woolley would seek to expose it in Pit X.     

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Objects: Pit W 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)
18532 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Limestone. [Type] 20. [drawing]
18533 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Diorite. [Type] 25. [drawing 2:5]
18534 33-35-102 (none) (none) Stone bowl. Diorite. [Type] 11. [drawing 2:5]
18535 (none) (none) (none) Stone tumbler. Diorite. [Type] 30. [drawing]
18536 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Diorite. [Type] 25. [drawing]
18537 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Basic diorite. [Type] 23. [drawing]
18538 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Basic diorite. (loose and pitted stone) [Type] 7. [drawing]
18540 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Dark steatite. [Type] 19 new. [drawing]
18541 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Limestone. Cracked and in bad condition. [Type] 18. [drawing]
18542 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. White limestone. [Type] 18. [drawing]
18543 33-35-104 (none) (none) Stone bowl. Basic diorite. [Type] 16. [drawing]
18544 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Limestone. Pink and red. [Type] 16. [drawing]
18545 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Diorite. [Type] 17. [drawing]
18546 33-35-109 (none) (none) Stone tumbler. Basic diorite. [Type] 30. [drawing]
18547 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Limestone. Broken: uniquely made. [Type] 13. [drawing]
18548 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Limestone. [Type] 20. [drawing]
18549 33-35-103 (none) (none) Stone bowl. White limestone. [Type] 20. [drawing]
18554 33-35-145 (none) (none) Beads. Carnelian rings and shell cylindrical, the latter coarsely made.
18555 33-35-146 (none) (none) Beads. Long rings of cowrie and other shells, shell rings and tubular, large flat rings of black stone, lapis cylindrical and balls, carnelian cylindrical.
18556 (none) (none) (none) Lead tumbler. Much distorted. The sides are turned inwards at the base to secure the bottom, which seems to be a separatedisk of the metal. In section, thus: [reference to drawing]? Proper to Vol. IV. [drawing]
18557 (none) (none) (none) Beads. Carnelian: 100 unfinished beads, only roughly chipped into shape and unpierced (one has the piercing started but not finished): intended for rings and cylindrical
18558 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Diorite. With slight plate base. [drawing]
18559 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Dark diorite. [Type] 26. [drawing]
18560 33-35-100 (none) (none) Stone bowl. Translucent banded white calcite. [Type] 27. [drawing]
18561 (none) (none) (none) Stone bowl. Basic diorite. [Type] 11. [drawing]

Media: Pit W Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
Ur Excavations IV; The Early Periods Ur Excavations IV; The Early Periods 1955 Woolley, L. (none)
  • 1 Media