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)
631 (none) (none) (none) Stone mace head(?). [insert] White pebble. Fr. of on the side a roughly engraved hollow, apparently part of a human figure out intaglio. [drawing 1:1]
632 (none) (none) (none) Terracotta figurine fr. of. [drawing 1:1]
633 (none) (none) (none) Clay jar. Drab clay, wheelmade. [Below] Type LIII = RC.40 = L [circled] not p.
634 (none) 1923,1110.73 (none) Clay jar. Green clay, wheelmade. Type LII = RC.220 [circled] not p.
636 (none) 1923,1110.77 (none) Clay tumbler. Red clay with drab engobbage. Wheel made. [below] Type LIV. =L
637 (none) (none) (none) Clay vase. Reddish-drab clay with drab engobbage, wheelmade. Top broken. [below] Type ?L
638 (none) (none) (none) Clay bowl. Drab clay, wheelmade. [beloq] Type [crossed out] LV, XVI =RC.73 =L, Vol. VII.
639 (none) (none) B15392 Clay jar. Reddish clay with drab engobbage. Wheelmade. Broken. [below] Type LII. RC.227. [circled] not p.
644 (none) (none) (none) Clay figurine. Snow-man technique. Male figure with long beard + pointed tall cap inclined forwards: arms and + missing. [drawing 1:2]
645 (none) (none) B15191 Terracotta figurine (fr. of) moulded. Seated on a chair, a female figure wearing a dress from neck to ankles + with full sleeves. The bodice treated in narrow pleats, the skirt in 5 flounces of close pleating, border of smocking (?) round neck. Hands clasped in front of body, head missing. The chair +drapery make a solid front: behind project two stumps to make the relief stand up. [drawing]
646 (none) (none) B14996 Terracotta figurine. moulded. fr. of. Complete from waist upwards, female figure, nude, hands clasped below breasts. 2 broad necklaces, hair waved heavily over ears but above covered with linen(?) headdress forming broad band over brow and bow-like loops behind. unusually fine +detailed work.
647 (none) (none) (none) Toy clay vase. Roughly handmade of whitish clay. [drawing] [below] Cf. RC.83
648 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. White steatite. 2 standing figures of a man being introduced by a god the latter with Sumerian flounced dress, then 2 columns of inscription, then (indistinct), a palm with drooping symmetrical date-clusters. Good engraving of 3rd dyn. style.
649 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Black steatite. Subject, adorant being introduced to a seated goddess (?) = 2 columns of inscription. Poor scratchy engraving.
650 (none) (none) (none) Bronze tool. Rather thick metal, square hafted. [drawing 1:1]
651 (none) (none) (none) Clay figurine fr. of. Bull, roughly modeled and painted with details in black on greenish-drab clay. [drawing]
652 (none) 1923,1110.35 (none) Stone vase, fragment of. Black steatite vase. Inscribed. Probably a votive dedication for the life of Dungi. Placed in IN/No. 1.
653 (none) (none) (none) Amulet(?). Fragment. (lower part missing) of a seated lion(?) carved in brown pebble. [drawing]
656 (none) (none) B15196 Terracotta relief of a lion probably only the core, moulded and intended to be covered over with a slip in which the finer detail was rendered. [drawing]
657 (none) (none) (none) Pot. Covered with greenish-white glaze. [below] Type XCI. =p.183
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.
659 (none) (none) (none) 2 Bronze anklets. Plain, corroded together: one - broken.
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]
666 (none) (none) (none) Beads of carnelian, amethystine, quartz, agate, etc.
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]

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 V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings 1939 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)
  • 3 Media