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 |
Files
Object | U Number | Museum Number (UPM Date Reg Number) | Museum Number (BM Registration Number) | Museum Number (UPM B-number) | Description (Catalog Card) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 623 | (none) | 1923,1110.76 | (none) | Clay pot. Red clay with drab engobbage. Wheelmade. Broken. [below] Type XXIX. Not p. |
![]() | 624 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay cup. Drab clay, wheelmade, broken. [below] Type L = p.71 |
![]() | 625 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay saucer. Drab clay, wheelmade. [below] Type XC. but carelessly made. Rounder rim than in 938. [inserted] = P.37 |
![]() | 626 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay saucer - Miniature. Drab clay, wheelmade, broken. [Below] Type LI = RC.2?7 [circled] Not p. |
![]() | 628 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Cylinder seal. grey steatite. Very roughly engraved in scratching line work with what probably meant for human figures. |
![]() | 629 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Well engraved with standing figure of a suppliant l. facing a seated goddess(?) rt = the crescent moon between. Three columns of inscription. 3rd Dynasty style. |
![]() | 630 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Faience figurine. Fragment of green-glazed frit: Osirid(?) figure. [drawing 1:1] |
![]() | 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. |
![]() | 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] |
![]() | 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] |
![]() | 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. |
Media | Media Title | Title | Label | Author | Omeka Label |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 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) |
![]() | 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) |
- 3 Media
Sibling Locations
AH Site | AH - City Wall | CLW - DP - Dublalmah | LL - EH Site | EH - Ehursag | HT - EM Site | EM - Enunmah | TTB | ES - ESB - FH - Giparu | KP - Great Nanna Courtyard | PD - Harbor Temple - House 34/1 - House 34/2 - House Site - Kassite Fort - KPS Site | KPS - LT - LW - Mausoleum Site | BC - Neo-Babylonian Housing | NH - NNCF - NTB - P/103 - Palace of Bel-Shalti-Nannar | AD - Pit F - Royal Cemetery | PG - SM - TTC - XNCF - Ziggurat Terrace | ZT