TTE

Context Title: TTE     
Context Name (Excavation): Trial trench E     
Context Name (Publication): Royal Cemetery Area     
Context Description: TTE is shorthand for Trial Trench E, one of two initial trenches dug in season 5 to extend TTA from season 1. Woolley dug TTE and TTD at right angles to each other in order to search for graves in what he believed was a potentially vast cemetery. These trenches were never mapped and no aerial photos show them, as by the time of the 1930 photograph the trial trenches had been so extended that most of the Royal Cemetery area was exposed. Fortunately, Woolley's field records allow us to reconstruct its direction and extents. He states that TTE extended southwest to the south gate of the Neo-Babylonian temenos wall. This would make it about 85 meters in length, and though he does not tell us its width it is likely that it was around 4 meters, the same as the measurable trial trenches A, B, and C. Although Woolley reports that he dug "two long trenches running diagonally across the site from the head of the old trench" only TTD can actually have begun at the northern end of TTA. TTE extends at a right angle to TTD, but it does so 8 meters from the northeast corner of TTA. In order to place TTE accurately, other information has been used from field notes and publications. These show that TTE struck PG580 but did not completely reveal it. In fact, Woolley began to dig part of PG580 from the side of the trial trench because he had cut through it without recognizing its full importance. He had to leave this particular grave at the end of the season and return to it in season 6. TTE also hit the stone roofing of PG777 but left it intact. PG580 and PG777 were mapped and show the direction and general placement of TTE. TTE almost immediately began revealing graves, some of them relatively rich in gold jewelry. It is probably for this reason that Woolley did not continue TTD to any great depth but chose instead to focus on TTE. In fact, he later began extending TTE into new trenches along the same line (TTF and TTG). He assigned numbers to each grave as it was uncovered, preceded by the abbreviation PG (Private Grave). The initial sequence, PG1-PG226 were all located within TTE. The sequence then began to share with TTF and eventually with TTG. Unfortunately, none of the first 579 graves were ever mapped within the length of their trial trenches.     
Season Number: 05: 1926-1927      

Objects: TTE 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)
7869 (none) (none) (none) Copper cullender. Flat rim, thin metal: the cup pierced with 6 rows of small holes: handle made in one piece with rim, fairly solid, rectangular section, bent over at end, clearly having been in a wooden handle. [drawing]
7870 (none) (none) (none) Copper bowl. Fairly heavy metal, very slight rim along edge. Cracked and distorted but intact. III
7871 (none) 1928,1009.290 (none) Copper axe. Fairly heavy metal with curved cutting edge, end bent over for fixing in handle. XI. [drawing]
7872 (none) (none) (none) Copper axe. Like 7871 but shorter and broader. Bent end broken and mended. XI.
7874 (none) (none) (none) Copper axe. Similar to 7872 but the bent-over haft end is missing. XI.
7878 (none) (none) (none) Copper dagger. Long leaf-shaped blade secured by 2 (or 3?) rivets.
7879 (none) (none) (none) Copper dagger. Long leaf-shaped blade, probably rivetted but rivets gone.
7880 (none) (none) (none) Copper pin. Mushroom-shaped head, round shaft, pointed. [drawing 1:1]
7884 (none) (none) (none) Copper needle with elongated slot eye. Broken.
7885 (none) (none) (none) Copper bowl. The base all smashed in. Sides nearly vertical; but it may have been hemispherical once.
7886 (none) 1928,1009.342 (none) Copper reticule. Usual cone with knob end: the case is broken, exposing the implements, viz: a tiny knife or spatula, a second apparently similar, a chisel-edged tool(?), a rod, possibly a kohl-stick [drawing]
7887 (none) (none) (none) Copper borer? Tanged at the thick end of gradually tapering : circular in section. Broken.
7889 (none) (none) (none) Copper pin. Blunt rounded head.
7892 (none) 1935,0113.399 (none) Copper bowl. Sides rather straight curving off sharply to the base, which is all broken away.
7898 (none) 1928,1010.243 (none) Cylinder seal. Steatite. Black. Presentation scene to seated Nannar. Minor deity leads votary by the hand. Criss-cross markings. IIIrd Ur Dynasty.
7919 (none) 1928,1009.428 (none) Statue base. Limestone. Rectangular in section. Two feet of statue alone remain. Left foot slightly advanced. [drawing 1:2]
7922 (none) (none) (none) Weight Lentoid. hematite. Type II.
7923 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Marble. Brownish, and black. Slightly concave. Gilgamesh fighting rampant lion. Behind the lion a gazelle which follows Enkidu who fights a rampant bull. Behind the rampant bull a star over a crescent moon. c. 2700BC.
7924 (none) (none) (none) Bead Crystal Cylindrical with truncated conical top. [drawing 1:1]
7925 (none) (none) (none) Spear butt end? Copper. Complete but broken at top and mended. Rectangluar in section tapering to a point at one end. The other end tapers to a flat rounded edge convenient for fixint into a wooden shaft. [drawing 1:10] [type] 1(new)
7926 (none) (none) (none) Lance head. Copper. Flat blade with slight rib in middle. Metal shaft at blade end is rounded and has a raised band 15mm from the end of the blade. Beyond the raised band the metal shaft is rectangular in section and tapers to a flat rounded edge for fixing into a wooden shaft. [drawing] Type VI (new)
7927 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Crystal. Slightly concave. Marble? core within roughly 8mm in diameter. Inscribed. Conical copper cap on one end. Bearded hero with protruding hair locks, mounted on dragon and clutching it by the tail. The dragon faces a bull rampant, head upraised, mounted by bearded hero similar to first also holding hismount by the tail. Between a couchant gazelle.
7928 (none) (none) (none) Axe head. Copper. Slinder type. [drawing] not to scale. [type] XIV
7929 (none) (none) (none) Dagger. Copper. Triangular blade. Metal shaft has 2 rivets on either side for wooden handle. Top missing, end broken. [drawing 1:5] [type] II
7930 (none) (none) (none) Spear. Copper. Rectangular in section. Pointed top. Blackened by fire. Burnt wood adhering. Same type as U.7925, VI.

Media: TTE Export: JSON - XML - CSV Woolley's Catalog Cards

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
— — 0 0 (none)
  • 1 Media

Share

Email | Edit

Context

Ur > Royal Cemetery | PG > TTE

References

[title missing], .