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)
17852 (none) (none) (none) Beads. A mixed collection of carnelian, sard & agate lentoids & bugles, carnelian rings, lapis paste lentoids, glazed frit fluted ball, lapis ball, quartz lentoid, amethyst lentoid, pebble lentoid, 2 unshaped but pierced rock crystal lumps & a steatite cylinder seal completely defaced.
17865 (none) (none) (none) Head of Statue. White limestone. Female, very coarse and ugly work. The eyees are inlaid. The hair on top of the head was in a different material and was fixed on by a copper peg part of which remains in a hole in the crown : the ears are pierced to take earrings. The figure is broken away under the chin and just across the shoulders: enough of the latter is left to show that it was a draped figure. The statue had been broken in antiquity and mended with bitumen. Kassite.
17880 (none) 1932,1008.185 (none) Figurine. Of an animal, calf or dog (?) of soft white lime or frit. [drawing 1:1]
18326 (none) (none) (none) Clay figurine of running animal hand modelled: baked clay. [drawing 1:1]
18327 (none) (none) (none) Tablet.
19488B (none) (none) (none) Clay cone. Part of. Inscribed on the base and stem : about half of the text on the base preserved
19870 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Frit. A kneeling archer shooting at a star (?) x619
19871 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Steatite. Seated deity and 2 standing figures : 2 columns and inscription.
19872 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder Seal Steatite 3 standing figures (poor and worn)
19873 (none) 1935,0112.71 (none) Stamp seal. White calcite. Triangular with rounded corner. One corner missing : on the remaining surface, 2 animals.
19874 (none) (none) (none) Bird's head. Hard limestone (perhaps for a shell lamp?) [drawing 1:1] Style of Royal Tombs
19977 (none) (none) (none) Clay tablet. One corner chipped.
19978 (none) (none) (none) Clay tablet.
20051 (none) (none) (none) Cylinder seal. Dark steatite. Standing nude figure : a statue (?) : scorpion, kids, and a chariot drawn by birds (?)
20069 (none) (none) (none) Clay cone. Imperfect. Inscribed on base only : about half the text preserved.
19488A (none) (none) (none) Clay cone. Part of. Inscribed on the base and stem : about half of the text on the base preserved
19488C (none) (none) (none) Clay cone. Part of. Inscribed on the base and stem : about half of the text on the base preserved
941B (none) (none) (none) [A-J] 10 fragments of tablets from temenos wall SW. Placed in Packing Case F.
941C (none) (none) (none) [A-J] 10 fragments of tablets from temenos wall SW. Placed in Packing Case F.
941D (none) (none) (none) [A-J] 10 fragments of tablets from temenos wall SW. Placed in Packing Case F.
941E (none) (none) (none) [A-J] 10 fragments of tablets from temenos wall SW. Placed in Packing Case F.
941F (none) (none) (none) [A-J] 10 fragments of tablets from temenos wall SW. Placed in Packing Case F.
941G (none) (none) (none) [A-J] 10 fragments of tablets from temenos wall SW. Placed in Packing Case F.
941H (none) (none) (none) [A-J] 10 fragments of tablets from temenos wall SW. Placed in Packing Case F.
941I (none) (none) (none) [A-J] 10 fragments of tablets from temenos wall SW. Placed in Packing Case F.

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