Mesopotamia – Egypt

Royal Tombs of Ur

References:

Zettler, R.L., and Horne, L., eds.

1998  Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur. Philadelphia:

 University of Pennsylvania Museum.

BBC Standard of Ur

The podcast presented by the British Broadcasting Corporation covers the foundation of how Mesopotamian cities were created. Ur is one of the earliest and most famous of these ancient cities. Leonard Woolley in the 1920s uncovered royal tombs at Ur. Objects such as, golden headdresses and the earliest known board game were found in these tombs, amongst other treasures. A mysterious 'plaque' was the highlight of Woolley's discovering, which was a very detailed piece of art demonstrating power in these ancient Mesopotamian cities. Woolley named this object the "Standard of Ur" assuming that this plaque was an ancient battle standard. Nowadays, archaeologists have considered that the object is not a battle standard as a result of the object's inscriptions needing close examination to be read. The true use for this marvel is unknown. The podcast examines how only the bitumen used to hold the Standard together would have been found locally. All other material used to construct the piece of art would have been imported from around several regions. This fact points to the idea that only a wealthy/powerful society could have created such an object. The Standard depicts two different scenes. One side demonstrating how an ideal tax system would work. The other side highlighting an army being led by the mighty king. The BBC highlights how the Mesopotamian past is a key unifying piece for Iraq's future.

In 1994, the University of Pennsylvania Museum created an exhibition that would evolve around the discoveries that Woolley made at Ur. The american article describes the early civilization of Ur and the period where Ur would have been at its climax of power. Nanna, the moon God who was primarily worshipped at Ur is mentioned briefly. Also, the article mentions how the region at the time would have been divided into several small regions/towns. Ur's importance is evident in the high amounts of foreign goods located inside the city. The article explains how the University of Pennsylvania and the British Museum to Ur worked together and decided to have Woolley head the expedition. During the excavation Woolley had two "trial trenches". One trench revealed a cemetery area, which led to the discovering of the royal tombs. The other trench unearthed spectacular architectural pieces. Woolley during the first season of excavation focused on trial trench B that had revealed architectural remains. He felt that his workforce was inadequately prepared for the challenge of excavating burial sites. Woolley only began to give trial trench A (cemetery site) his attention in his fifth season of excavation. Hundreds of burials were discovered in less than three months, amongst these tombs were sixteen royal tombs. Woolley closed his excavations after twelve seasons on February 25th, 1934.