- Ur was an ancient Sumerian city, in Mesopotamia (Iraq).
- Originally, it was built on the mouth of the Euphrates in the Persian Gulf, but due to the silting of the river, it became located well inland.
History
- The city dates from around 3,800 BCE and ceased activity some time after 500 BCE.
- It was named after the Sumerian Moon God ‘Urim’.
- Ur is thought to be Ur Kasdim or Ur of the Chaldees, mentioned in Genesis of The Bible.
Ziggurat
- The Ziggurat of Ur (c.2,000 BCE) has been restored, and its Temple to the Moon God Nanna, excavated.
The Ruins of Ur
- Between 1922-1934, Sir Leonard Woolley, funded by the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania, excavated Ur, and found the Royal Tombs dating to 2,600 BCE, and the ‘Standard of Ur’.
Artefacts
- Many of the artefacts that were excavated are now in the British Museum and the Penn Museum, Pennsylvania, USA.
The Royal Game of Ur
- First discovered by Sir Leonard Woolley whilst excavating Ur between 1922-1934.
- The Royal Game of Ur is also called ‘the Game of Twenty Squares’. The game originated in Sumer during the 3rd millenium BCE, and was played in locations from the Mediterranean to India during Antiquity.
Ur, Iraq