Context Title: Temenos Wall | TW     
Context Name (Excavation): TW     
Context Name (Publication): Temenos Wall     
Context Description: The excavation area abbreviation TW stands for Temenos Wall, a wall that surrounded the ziggurat terrace and its extended sacred space in the northern central portion of the city of Ur through much of its history. The wall may have begun in the Early Dynastic period, as Woolley found some indication of what he believed to be its earliest foundation. There was clearly an Ur III period version that ran south of the giparu and then further southeast to encompass the ehursag. This was the general line of the wall through the Isin-Larsa/Old Babylonian and into the Kassite period, though the Kassites made some changes in the northern portion. Finally, the Neo-Babylonians changed the wall greatly, expanding the area encompassed to the north and south and adding several gateways. The foundations of this later, quite massive, wall often destroyed earlier remains. Woolley explored parts of the temenos wall in many seasons and frequently used the TW abbreviation for the wall in any of its building periods. Other excavation area abbreviations include parts of the temenos, particularly NCF, PDW and BC. The temenos wall built by Urnamma was 6 meters thick and built of mud brick with a baked brick facing. Most of the baked brick had been removed, probably for later building. The Nebuchadnezzar and Nabonidus temenos wall had chambers within it and sported six gates into the temenos area. This area was known as e-gish-nu-gal (Woolley read this e-gish-shir-gal). At least one later interpretation conflates TW with the phrase Town Wall, but the wall surrounding Ur was always referred to as the city wall, (CLW).     
Season Number: 01: 1922-1923      
Season Number: 03: 1924-1925      
Season Number: 05: 1926-1927      
Season Number: 11: 1932-1933      
Season Number: 12: 1933-1934      

Objects: Temenos Wall | TW 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)
13047 (none) 1929,1017.732 (none) Stone bowl. Steatite. Black. Decorated with incised concentric circles and zig zags. Not wanted.
17829 (none) (none) (none) Stela of black, white and red granite ? Oval-hipped = in section a rectangle with convex sides. On the face, a figure of a seated deity left with attendant standing behind and holding a staff. On the back, inscription in large coarse characters. On each narrow side a standing human figure. Figures and inscription have been done by rubbing not cutting the stone and are very summary and crude: the surface of the stone is damaged and much of the work is very hard to make out and part of the inscription seems to be deliberately effaced. Drawing HC.
17832 (none) 1932,1008.32 (none) Statuette of seated bull. White calcite. With square hole through the back to take an upright - The muzzle damaged by decay.
19873 (none) 1935,0112.71 (none) Stamp seal. White calcite. Triangular with rounded corner. One corner missing : on the remaining surface, 2 animals.
668 (none) (none) (none) spindle whorl pebble.
943 (none) (none) (none) Small fragments. Placed in one cigarette tin. See U942
749 (none) (none) (none) Small fragment of obsidian, with parts of signs from 2 lines. Illegible.
879 (none) (none) (none) Small fragment from base of cone. Ends of 7 lines. Unintelligible.
13044 (none) (none) (none) Silver diadem. Elliptical. Bent to rest flat on forehead. Broken in 2 pieces.
667 (none) (none) (none) Seal. Flattened roundel slightly domed on top, of yellowish white pebble with roughly engraved design on face. Pierced horizontally. [below] See No.'s 665,6 [drawing 1:1]
689 (none) (none) (none) Pot. Or bottle. Coarse reddish clay, small-necked, globular body, badly rotted with salt. Type LX= New(P)184
677 (none) (none) (none) Pot. Drab clay. Wheelmade. Top broken. Type LXV =RC.67 =P.201
657 (none) (none) (none) Pot. Covered with greenish-white glaze. [below] Type XCI. =p.183
665 (none) (none) (none) Pot, fragments of: Handmade, of black ware. Ornamented, in imitation of metal work, with wreath, etc., + bold fluting in relief. Very remarkable stuff. See No.'s See for U.666, U.667 [drawing]
658 (none) (none) (none) Pot of coarse drab clay, black inside, rim chipped. [below] Type LXVIII but has a flat bottom like U.767. [circled] not p.
7685 (none) (none) (none) Pin. Bone. Yellowish. Cock's head? [drawing 1:1]
946 (none) (none) (none) Persian period tablet. Edges and corners broken. Date broken. 12 + 11 lines.
945 (none) (none) (none) Persian period tablet. Corners broken. 12 + 12 lines. Dated in 8th year of Dar-mus-Darius.
13042 (none) 1929,1017.324 (none) Necklace. Carnelian, quartzite and steatite double conoid beads.
13028 (none) (none) (none) Necklace. Carnelian beads. Rings and 1 lentoid.
17873B 32-40-61 (none) (none) Model bricks. Miniatures in baked clay of plano-convex bricks. Two have crescent incised on the side some have marks. Some of the bricks are not plano-convex but flat-topped with a long curved frog. L. 50mm, W. 30mm, H. 12mm [unclear what these measurements reference]. Others are not brick-shaped but oval and round on top with long frog. Others are straight on one side and curved on the other and rise on the top with a double curve frog with these are what maybe mixing bowls, square or circular, hollow and containing a lump of bitumen mixed with earth. [drawing]
17873C 32-40-62 (none) (none) Model bricks. Miniatures in baked clay of plano-convex bricks. Two have crescent incised on the side some have marks. Some of the bricks are not plano-convex but flat-topped with a long curved frog. L. 50mm, W. 30mm, H. 12mm [unclear what these measurements reference]. Others are not brick-shaped but oval and round on top with long frog. Others are straight on one side and curved on the other and rise on the top with a double curve frog with these are what maybe mixing bowls, square or circular, hollow and containing a lump of bitumen mixed with earth. [drawing]
17873D 32-40-63 (none) (none) Model bricks. Miniatures in baked clay of plano-convex bricks. Two have crescent incised on the side some have marks. Some of the bricks are not plano-convex but flat-topped with a long curved frog. L. 50mm, W. 30mm, H. 12mm [unclear what these measurements reference]. Others are not brick-shaped but oval and round on top with long frog. Others are straight on one side and curved on the other and rise on the top with a double curve frog with these are what maybe mixing bowls, square or circular, hollow and containing a lump of bitumen mixed with earth. [drawing]
17873E 32-40-64 (none) (none) Model bricks. Miniatures in baked clay of plano-convex bricks. Two have crescent incised on the side some have marks. Some of the bricks are not plano-convex but flat-topped with a long curved frog. L. 50mm, W. 30mm, H. 12mm [unclear what these measurements reference]. Others are not brick-shaped but oval and round on top with long frog. Others are straight on one side and curved on the other and rise on the top with a double curve frog with these are what maybe mixing bowls, square or circular, hollow and containing a lump of bitumen mixed with earth. [drawing]
17873F 32-40-65 (none) (none) Model bricks. Miniatures in baked clay of plano-convex bricks. Two have crescent incised on the side some have marks. Some of the bricks are not plano-convex but flat-topped with a long curved frog. L. 50mm, W. 30mm, H. 12mm [unclear what these measurements reference]. Others are not brick-shaped but oval and round on top with long frog. Others are straight on one side and curved on the other and rise on the top with a double curve frog with these are what maybe mixing bowls, square or circular, hollow and containing a lump of bitumen mixed with earth. [drawing]

Media: Temenos Wall | TW Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
Ur Excavations VIII; The Kassite Period and the period of the Assyrian Kings Ur Excavations VIII; The Kassite Period and the period of the Assyrian Kings 1965 Woolley, Leonard (none)
Ur Excavations IX; The Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods Ur Excavations IX; The Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods 1962 Woolley, L. and Mallowan, Max (none)
Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings 1939 Woolley Leonard (none)
  • 3 Media