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Exhibition Overview
Historical Background of Ur,
The Cradle of Civilization in Mesopotamia
Map of Mesopotamia | Ur was one of the most powerful city-states in ancient Mesopotamia, which lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in present-day Iraq and Syria. It is here that the world's first cities, first writing system and first global economy emerged—laying the groundwork for Western civilization.
One of the most vibrant regions of Mesopotamia, known as Sumer, is about 250 miles south of Baghdad. It has been settled since at least the seventh millennium BC. Sumer is often referred to as the "cradle of civilization" and is the traditional home of the biblical Garden of Eden. By 2600 BC, this area was divided into 20 or 30 city-states that controlled the surrounding countryside.
Ur, strategically located on the banks of the Euphrates, was among the most prosperous of the city-states of southern Mesopotamia. By 2600 BC, the city may have had 40,000 residents and was a political and economic power. Its merchants and kings established the city as the hub of an international trade network that constituted the first global economy. Mesopotamia traded its surplus grain, wool and manufactured textiles with Egypt, Anatolia (present-day Turkey), Iran, the Persian Gulf region and South and Central Asia—then the entire known world. It was during this period of prosperity that the kings and queens of Ur were laid to rest in the magnificent tombs Sir Leonard Woolley would later uncover.
The 1922 Excavation of Ur by Sir Charles Leonard Woolley
Excavation of Ur | In 1922, British archaeologist Charles Leonard Woolley was chosen by The British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania to lead the famous excavation at Ur. The excavations of the temple complex and the ziggurat in the city complex were impressive, but it was the Royal Cemetery of Ur which proved to be the most amazing archeological find of the period. His most important discovery was the tomb of Queen Puabi. Miraculously untouched by looters, her tomb was filled with beads and gold jewelry. She was buried with her attendants, guards and musicians who had participated in the funerary ceremony.
Woolley was adept in conserving objects while they were still in the ground. Filling the lost wooden elements with wax, dowels and plaster, he was able to reconstruct the form of many objects. His work at Ur, which ended in 1934, added tremendous amounts of information to our knowledge of this early period.
Charles Leonard Woolley became famous for the artifacts and information he uncovered during his magnificent excavations at Ur. Woolley is noted as one of the first modern archaeologists, and was knighted in 1935 for his services to archaeology. Unwilling to rest on the laurels brought by the work at Ur, he also excavated at the sites of Tell Atchana and al-Mina in Syria. In addition to being a talented archaeologist, Woolley wrote more than 25 books including Excavations at Ur: A Record of 12 Years' Work, published in 1954, and Spadework: Adventures in Archaeology, published in 1953.
The Treasures from the Royal Tombs
Lady Puabi's Headdress | A spectacular find, the royal cemetery excavations remain one of the most remarkable achievements of Near Eastern archaeology. The royal tomb of Lady Puabi was an extraordinary find for being intact, escaping looting through the millennia. The tomb featured a vaulted chamber set at the bottom of a deep "death pit," where Lady Puabi was buried lying on a wooden bier. She was identified by a seal bearing her name that was found on her body. The seal is carved in cuneiform and written in Sumerian, the world's first written language.
Lady Puabi wore an elaborate headdress of gold leaves, gold ribbons, a tall comb of gold and elaborate jewelry. Her upper body was covered in strings of beads made of precious metals and semi-precious stones stretching from her shoulders to her belt, while rings decorated all her fingers. An ornate diadem made of thousands of small lapis lazuli beads with gold pendants of animals and plants was on a table near her head.
Many more artifacts, now world-famous in the fields of art, history and archaeology, were found in the larger cemetery, including extravagant jewelry of gold, lapis lazuli and carnelian; cups of gold and silver; bowls of alabaster; extraordinary objects of art and culture; and several of the world's earliest known musical instruments, such as a gold and lapis bull-headed lyre.
Photo credit: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
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