Ur: The City of the Moon God (Archaeological Histories)

The ancient Mesoptamian city of Ur was a Sumerian city state which flourished as a centre of trade and civilisation between 2800–2000 BCE. However, in the recent past it suffered from the disastrous Gulf war and from neglect. It still remains a potent symbol for people of all faiths and will have an important role to play in the future. This account of Ur's past looks at both the ancient city and its evolution over centuries, and its archaeological interpretation in more recent times. From the 19th century explorers and their identification of the site of Mukayyar as the Biblical city of Ur, the study proceeds to look in detail at the archaeologist Leonard Woolley and his key discoveries during the 1920s and 30s. Using the findings as a framework and utilising the latest evidence from environmental, historical and archaeological studies, the volume explores the site's past in chronological order from the Ubaid period in the 5th millennium to the death of Alexander. It looks in detail at the architectural remains: the sacred buildings, royal graves and also the private housing which provides a unique record of life 4000 years ago. The volume also describes the part played by Ur in the Gulf war and discusses the problems raised for archaeologists in the war's aftermath. The ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur flourished as a centre of trade and civilisation between 2800 and 2000 BCE. It has suffered from the disastrous Gulf war and from neglect but still remains a potent symbol for people of all faiths. This account of Ur's past looks at the ancient city's evolution over centuries and its archaeological interpretation in more recent times since 19th-century explorers identified the site. Detailing the archaeologist Leonard Woolley's key discoveries during the 1920s and 30s, and utilising the evidence from environmental, historical and archaeological studies, the volume explores the site's past from the 5th millennium to the death of Alexander. It looks in detail at the sacred buildings, royal graves, and also the private housing that provides a unique record of life 4,000 years ago. The volume also describes the part played by Ur in the Gulf war and discusses the problems raised for archaeologists in the war's aftermath. -- from back cover The rediscovery of Ur -- The earliest levels at Ur -- Uruk and Jemdat Nasr -- The rise of the city state -- Art and technology: objects from the royal cemetery -- The defeat of the city state by the rulers of Akkad -- Imperial Ur: the public face -- Ur beyond the sacred precinct: Ur III to Isin/Larsa (early old Babylonian) periods -- Post-imperial Ur: Kassites to Neo-Babylonians -- Death and rebirth