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)
609 (none) (none) (none) Clay wheel. Hub projects on both sides + has indented holes round it: edge of rim scallopped. [inserted] (N.B. scallops are bigger than drawn here) [drawing]
13025 (none) (none) (none) Clay. Greenish drab. Rim broken but complete. Type P.134.
960 (none) (none) (none) Complete tablet, one corner broken, 6 + 5 lines and seal impressions. Two dates 5th year of Bur-Sin I. See U.958.
17892B (none) (none) (none) Cone fragment. Unidentified. Mentions religion - their god.
12337 (none) (none) (none) Copper Bowl. Plain circular type with low side. [Type] III. =RC.4.
12338 (none) (none) (none) Copper Bracelet. Circular. Ends loose.
12347 (none) (none) (none) Copper Razor. T shaped. Wooden handle containing three copper rivets.
13061 30-12-120 (none) (none) Cowrie shell.
19872 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder Seal Steatite 3 standing figures (poor and worn)
649 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Black steatite. Subject, adorant being introduced to a seated goddess (?) = 2 columns of inscription. Poor scratchy engraving.
20051 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Standing nude figure : a statue (?) : scorpion, kids, and a chariot drawn by birds (?)
606 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Very much worn: defaced remains of 3 standing 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.
19870 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Frit. A kneeling archer shooting at a star (?) x619
628 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. grey steatite. Very roughly engraved in scratching line work with what probably meant for human figures.
11959 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder Seal. hematite (broken)
7680 (none) (none) B16893 Cylinder seal. Steatite. Black. Obliterated. Scene of worship. Votary led by the hands by minor deity towards seated presiding deity.
7679 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Steatite. Black. Very slightly concave. Two naked heroes attacking a rampant lion. One grasps lion by the tail.
19871 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Steatite. Seated deity and 2 standing figures : 2 columns and inscription.
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.
805 (none) (none) (none) Diorite statue. Of Entemena. Found in burnt layer on Nabonidus pavement before the inner doorway of the Ziggurat gate in the SW temenos wall. Headless. Long inscription on rt. upper arm and across back of shoulders. Wears usual fleece skirt: hands clasped below breasts.
630 (none) (none) (none) Faience figurine. Fragment of green-glazed frit: Osirid(?) figure. [drawing 1:1]
17880 (none) 1932,1008.185 (none) Figurine. Of an animal, calf or dog (?) of soft white lime or frit. [drawing 1:1]
12796 (none) (none) (none) Flat seal. Carnelian. Crescent moon and great bead (?). Persian period. [drawing 1:1]
877 (none) (none) (none) Fragment of clay cone, from shaft portions of 14 lines. Unidentified.

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