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SITE ID - NAME :	U3	Ur
ANCIENT NAME :	-
OTHER NAME :	Al Muqayyar (Tell)
LOCATION :	South Iraq, Basra
CHRONOLOGY :	Chalcolithic; Protoliterate; Early Historic
PERIOD CODE :	5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
DESCRIPTION :	Occupation of this famous South Mesopotamian (Sumerian) site began in Ubaid times when the town expanded up to 10 ha. It further grew in size and importance in the 3rd millennium (the Sumerian period), reaching 50 ha by the Early Dynastic III period. In the last part of the 3rd millennium the city was the ceremonial centre of the Ur III empire which briefly controlled much of Mesopotamia and adjacent zones of the Zagros. After this period the city gradually lost its leading political, economic and ritual role. Many important discoveries have been made at this site, e.g. a royal cemetery, the huge ziggurat (= temple tower) of the moon god Nanna/Sin (the best preserved ziggurat in Mesopotamia), other 3rd millennium religious architecture in the great Temenos or sacred enclosure. Moreover, a rich assemblage of texts has been recovered. The Royal Cemetery and the nearby great Death Pit revealed world famous treasures made of precious materials such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli and shell, including a magnificently decorated 'standard' with a 'peace side', depicting a royal banquet and a 'war side' with Sumerian soldiers and prisoners. Other finds include a statue of a ram standing against a tree or shrub, helmets, daggers, beakers, etc.
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