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)
8840A 52-30-45 (none) (none) Tablet. In a box, not marked, and not fully examined, the following leftover unbaked, at end of season. (A)[A and H] 2 considerable fragments. (B)[B and I-L] 5 small tablets. (C) seal impression (interesting). (D) Contract with many fragments of its envelope, with seal impressions. also baked. (E) Fragment containing some proper names. (F) Half a business note also. (G) corner of archaic tablet.
13506 33-35-44 (none) (none) Terracotta figurine. Bearded male figure carrying a monkey on his shoulders. Monkey, head and arms of man in profile, torso of man full face. Arms bent at elbow, forearm parallel with ground. In his left hand the man holds a rope which is attached to the monkey's neck. Figure missing below waist but probably the man was leading a second monkey. Example is of importance chronologically for it was found in the Larsa filling and against the inner face of the SE wall of the Nebuchadnezzar Temenos. The rubbish stratum is well dated to the _Larsa_ Period. It seems therefore that this figure is also represented on the Asshur-Nasir-Pal reliefs was already in the Assyrian period a cult object of a considerable antiquity and was not simply (as formerly supposed) a man leading in tribute to the king. Common type.
17873I 32-40-68 (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]
17873H 32-40-67 (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]
17873G 32-40-66 (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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
17873A 32-40-60 (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]
17881 32-40-444 (none) (none) Gold bar. Plain strip of fairly heavy gold plate with rounded ends.
17861 32-40-307 (none) (none) Head of Puzuzu type Lapis lazuli roughly carved pierced for threading [drawing 1:1]
17882.2 32-40-244 (none) (none) [.1-.2] Beads a small mixed collection of agate, carnelian, shell, marble, green quartzite (?), hematite and steatite and lapis . Paste = lentoids, rings, balls, barrels, bugles and one chisel shaped head.
17882.1 32-40-243 (none) (none) [.1-.2] Beads a small mixed collection of agate, carnelian, shell, marble, green quartzite (?), hematite and steatite and lapis . Paste = lentoids, rings, balls, barrels, bugles and one chisel shaped head.
13055 30-12-602 (none) (none) Bead. Carnelian double conoids and diamonds and flat carnelian beads. Agate square. 1 cat's eye (?) Chalcedony facetted barrels. Diamonds.
13059 30-12-524 (none) (none) Hematite weight. Flat on one side, convex on the other. Type ? XIV.
13043 30-12-503 (none) (none) 6 ring beads. Bone.
12799 30-12-277 (none) (none) [A-B] 2 copper bangles. With double hammer headed ends.
13061 30-12-120 (none) (none) Cowrie shell.
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.
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Media: Temenos Wall | TW Export: JSON - XML - CSV

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