Temenos Wall | TW

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)
19873 (none) 1935,0112.71 (none) Stamp seal. White calcite. Triangular with rounded corner. One corner missing : on the remaining surface, 2 animals.
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.
17880 (none) 1932,1008.185 (none) Figurine. Of an animal, calf or dog (?) of soft white lime or frit. [drawing 1:1]
13047 (none) 1929,1017.732 (none) Stone bowl. Steatite. Black. Decorated with incised concentric circles and zig zags. Not wanted.
13065 (none) 1929,1017.325 (none) Beads. Carnelian double conoids and decorations. Chalcedony double conoids giving a diamond shaped secition 1 glazed ball bead.
13042 (none) 1929,1017.324 (none) Necklace. Carnelian, quartzite and steatite double conoid beads.
7684 (none) 1928,1009.336 (none) Chain. Bronze. Circular links. Fragment. 3 portions.
678 (none) 1923,1110.93 (none) Incense bowl(?) Fragment. Clay. Shallow bowl: below, in relief, the fingers of a human hand, moulded and finished off with a tool. Compare the N.Syrian steatite examples.
636 (none) 1923,1110.77 (none) Clay tumbler. Red clay with drab engobbage. Wheel made. [below] Type LIV. =L
623 (none) 1923,1110.76 (none) Clay pot. Red clay with drab engobbage. Wheelmade. Broken. [below] Type XXIX. Not p.
634 (none) 1923,1110.73 (none) Clay jar. Green clay, wheelmade. Type LII = RC.220 [circled] not p.
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.
806 (none) 1923,1110.2 (none) Basalt hinge-stone. Inscribed with name, etc., of NABONIDUS. The fragments of the iron shoe of the door-post are still fixed in the stone.
603 (none) 1923,1110.113 (none) Terracotta relief. Fragment of head of bearded god wearing horned crown: behind, rough, with a hole for affixing it to a background. [drawing 1:1]
688 (none) 1923,1110.109 (none) Terracotta relief. Upper part only, moulded. Grotesque female figure with elaborate headdress. Hands clasped below breasts. [drawing 1:1]
216 (none) 1923,1110.102 (none) Terracotta relief. [drawing 1:1]
440 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of large account tablet of Sumerian period.
445 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of cone. Ends of 13 lines. Unidentified. Placed in IN/No. 7
506 (none) (none) (none) Clay saucer. Drab clay. Wheelmade. Kassite [Below]. Type LVI.
553 (none) (none) (none) Clay pot. Drab clay. Wheelmade, broken. Type VIII, but with hollow base and with traces of a spout.
554 (none) (none) (none) Clay cup. Drab clay, wheelmade, broken. Type XIII.
555 (none) (none) (none) Clay cup. Drab clay, wheel-made, broken. Type XIII.
556 (none) (none) (none) Clay saucer. Greenish clay, wheelmade, broken. Type XLIV.
561 (none) (none) (none) Clay saucer. Red clay with drab engobbage. Wheelmade, broken. (Below) Type XLV.
606 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Very much worn: defaced remains of 3 standing figures.
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Media: Temenos Wall | TW Export: JSON - XML - CSV

Media Media Title Title Label Author Omeka Label
Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings 1939 Woolley Leonard (none)
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)
  • 3 Media

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References

Woolley, L. and Mallowan, Max. (1962) Ur Excavations IX; The Neo-Babylonian and Persian Periods, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Woolley Leonard. (1939) Ur Excavations V: The Ziggurat and its Surroundings, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Woolley, Leonard. (1965 ) Ur Excavations VIII; The Kassite Period and the period of the Assyrian Kings, Oxford: Oxford University Press.