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224:. It lies about halfway between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The topography consists of two contiguous mounds, north (Mound B) and south (Mound A), separated by what is apparently the bed of an ancient canal. At maximum the hills are 6 meters above the terrain line (aside from a small 10 meter prominence on the west end of Mound A), with many levels having being eroded from the tops. The site has a total area of about 6 hectares. One mound contains a Protoliterate temple and 5 meter deep D-shaped platform (topped by a smaller 1.6 deep rectangular platform). and the other a Early Dynastic III cemetery. Two stairways, on opposite sides, ascended to the lower platform and another, halfway between, ascended to the upper platform. The temple mound (Mound A) has seven occupation levels. Buildings from the earlier Ubaid period levels are of
343:, with alternating buttresses and recesses. The temple was laid directly on the bitumen coated platform and was eventually fully cleaned and filled with mudbricks before a later temple. Like that temple it had stepped niches with half columns. Some of the original frescoes were still visible at the time of the excavation and were copied. Several frescoes were recovered intact and sent to the Baghdad Museum. The temple is believed to date to the Uruk or early Jemdet Nasr period. A small adjacent Jemdet Nasr temple was of somewhat later construction and contained large amounts of pottery from that period.
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409:(c.â2254â2218 BC), made up adjacent Ur III provinces. In a text of Naram-Sin, on the pivotal battle in crushing the revolt, he states "In between the cities of TiWA and Urum, in the field of the god Sin, he drew up (battle lines) and awaited battle.". It is known that Urum was the third most province from the north, after Sippar and then Tiwe, of the 19 provinces of Ur III.
412:
232:
785:
Steinkeller, Piotr, "Corvée Labor in Ur III Times", From the 21st
Century B.C. to the 21st Century A.D.: Proceedings of the International Conference on Neo-Sumerian Studies Held in Madrid, 22â24 July 2010, edited by Steven J. Garfinkle and Manuel Molina, University Park, USA: Penn State University
267:
tablets. An Early
Dynastic, with a few later inclusions, cemetery was also excavated. The graves contained a variety of grave goods, mostly pottery. In one grave three Gutium seals were found and in another an Akkadian period seal. One grave contained a pair of copper sandals. Five Neolithic clay
766:
Michalowski, Piotr, "Of Bears and Men: Thoughts on the End of Ć ulgiâs Reign and on the
Ensuing Succession", Literature as Politics, Politics as Literature: Essays on the Ancient Near East in Honor of Peter Machinist, edited by David S. Vanderhooft and Abraham Winitzer, University Park, USA: Penn
446:
It has been proposed that in Old
Babylonian times the name of Urum was Elip. Elip is known from the year names of Babylonian rulers, Sumu-abum year 2 "Year the city wall of Elip was seized", Apil-Sin year 9 "Year the temple of Inanna in Elip was built", and Hammu-rabi year 17 "Year in which
585:
Steinkeller, Piotr, "Archaic City Seals and the
Question of Early Babylonian Unity", Riches Hidden in Secret Places: Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Memory of Thorkild Jacobsen, edited by Tzvi Abusch, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 249-258,
738:
Frayne, Douglas R. and
Stuckey, Johanna H., "N", A Handbook of Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Near East: Three Thousand Deities of Anatolia, Syria, Israel, Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, and Elam, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 219-287,
640:
Balke, Thomas E., "The
Interplay of Material, Text, and Iconography in Some of the Oldest âLegalâ Documents", Materiality of Writing in Early Mesopotamia, edited by Thomas E. Balke and Christina Tsouparopoulou, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2016, pp. 73-94,
243:, characteristic of the Uruk period, were found in the temple precincts. The site of Tell Uqair was excavated, consisting of several soundings, during World War II, in 1941 and 1942, by an Iraqi Directorate General of Antiquities team led by
272:
directed by Dr. M. MĂŒller-Karpe in
October 1978. Work focused on Early Dynastic I/II houses which were cut by ED III graves. The sounding found occupation down to the water table at 3.5 meters below the surface level of the tell.
280:
tablets were found at Tell Uqair, another 27 from there have appeared on the antiquities market and been published. Some deal with loans of barley. A city seal on one of the tablets matched a seal on a tablet found at
503:
Beale, Thomas Wight, "Bevelled Rim Bowls and Their
Implications for Change and Economic Organization in the Later Fourth Millennium B. C.", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, vol. 37, no. 4, 1978, pp. 289â313,
604:
Abid, Ameer Najim, "The architecture of white temples in the cities of ancient central and southern
Mesopotamia (Uruk-Umm Al-Aqarib-Tal Al-Uqair) A comparative study", ISIN Journal 5, pp. 53-79, 2023
542:
Overmann, Karenleigh A., "The Neolithic Clay Tokens", in The Material Origin of Numbers: Insights from the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Piscataway, NJ, USA: Gorgias Press, pp. 157â178, 2019
513:
Seton Lloyd and F. Safar, "Tell Uqair: Excavations by the Iraq Government Directorate General of Antiquities in 1940 and 1941", Journal of Near Eastern Studies, v. 2, no. 2, April, pp 131-58, 1943
702:
Steinkeller, Piotr. "Two Sargonic Seals from Urusagrig and the Question of Urusagrigâs Location" Zeitschrift fĂŒr Assyriologie und vorderasiatische ArchĂ€ologie, vol. 112, no. 1, 2022, pp. 1-10
613:Ćawecka, Dorota, "Bent or Straight Axis? Temple Plans in Early Dynastic Southern Babylonia", Zeitschrift fĂŒr Assyriologie und vorderasiatische ArchĂ€ologie, vol. 104, no. 2, pp. 206-228, 2014
569:
Robert K. Englund and Roger J. Matthews, "proto-cuneiform Texts from Diverse Collections", Materialien zu den frĂŒhen Schriftzeugnissen des Vorderen Orients Bd. 4. Berlin: Gebr. Mann, 1996
288:
During the 1940s excavations a deep sounding into the Ubaid levels recovered shells. Radiocarbon dating in 1968 in produced a calibrated date of 4649 BC, midway through the Ubaid period.
693:
Sallaberger, W., "Ur III-Zeit", in Mesopotamien: Akkade-Zeit und Ur III-Zeit, OBO 160/3, edited by W. Sallaberger, and A. Westenholz, Freiburg: UniversitĂ€tsverlag, pp. 121â390, 1999
370:
found at the site and its areal location, Tell Uqair has been proposed as the ancient town of Urum. The toponym for Urum is written in cuneiform as ĂRĂĂ.KI (cuneiform: đ±đ ), URUM
813:
de Boer, Rients, "Two early Old Babylonian "MananĂą" archives dated to the last years of Sumu-la-El", Revue dâAssyriologie et dâarchĂ©ologie Orientale, vol. 111, pp. 25â64, 2017
435:(c. 2037â2028 BC), known from seals of two servants. She is also listed as en EN.ZU. A Niridagal was general in charge of the troops of Urum and Tiwa (A.HA) in the reign of
560:
Monaco, Salvatore F., "Loan and Interest in the Archaic Texts" Zeitschrift fĂŒr Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische ArchĂ€ologie, vol. 102, no. 2, pp. 165-178, 2013
650:
Robert K. Englund, "Proto-Cuneiform Texts from Diverse Collections", (Materialien Zu Den Fruhen Schriftzeugnissen Des Vorderen Ori), Gebr. Mann Verlag, 1996,
533:
Moorey, P. R. S., "The Archaeological Evidence for Metallurgy and Related Technologies in Mesopotamia, c. 5500-2100 B.C", Iraq, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 13â38, 1982
622:
Dermech, S., "The Tell'Uqair temple (4th mill. BC): colours and iconography", in BAF-Online: Proceedings of the Berner Altorientalisches Forum (Vol. 1), 2016
666:
Piotr Steinkeller, "On the Reading and Location of the Toponyms ĂRĂĂ.KI and A.ážȘA.KI", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 23â33, Jan. 1980
878:
863:
868:
447:
Hammu-rabi the king elevated a statue for Inanna of Elip". The city was the capitol of the still obscure Manana Dynasty which ruled the city of
748:
Helle, Sophus, "The Temple Hymns", Enheduana: The Complete Poems of the World's First Author, New Haven: Yale University Press, pp. 53-94, 2023
873:
251:
and Fuad Safar. Work proceded for one month in 1940 and two months in 1941. The buildings and artifacts discovered were primarily from the
675:
Yuhong, Wu, and Stephanie Dalley, "The Origins of the Manana Dynasty at Kish, and the Assyrian King List", Iraq, vol. 52, pp. 159â65, 1990
228:
and the later Uruk period of rectangular mudbricks. After the Ubaid period only the temple and the southern half of Mound A was occupied.
475:
339:
The most prominent discovery at Tell Uquair was the "Painted Temple", a large complex similar in design to the "White Temple" found at
684:
Sharlach, Tonia. "Princely Employments in the Reign of Shulgi", Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-68, 2022
574:
832:
Seton Lloyd, "Ur-Al `Ubaid, Uquair and Eridu, in Ur in Retrospect: In Memory of Sir Leonard Woolley", Iraq, vol. 22, pp. 23â31, 1960
718:
655:
826:
Gilbert J. P. McEwan, "The Writing of Urum in Pre-Ur III Sources", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 56, Jan. 1981
494:
Lloyd, Seton, "UrâAl âUbaid,âUqair and Eridu: An Interpretation of Some Evidence from The Flood-Pit", Iraq 22.1-2, pp. 23-31, 1960
98:
631:
Lloyd, S, "Recent Discoveries of the Iraq Directorate of Antiquities", Palestine Exploration Quarterly 75(2), pp. 105-109, 1943
460:
331:
465:
470:
888:
804:
Charpin, D., "Recherches sur la âdynastie de MananĂąâ: Essai de localisation et de chronologie", RA 72, pp. 13â40, 1978
713:
Douglas R. Frayne, "Akkad", The Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2334â2113), University of Toronto Press, pp. 5-218, 1993
220:
Tell Uqair is a small mound just north of, and in sight of, Tell Ibrahim, the large mound marking the site of ancient
37:
405:). At that time Urum and TiWA/Tiwe, which was known as one of the polities that joined the great rebellion against
795:
Frayne, Douglas, "Ibbi-Sin", Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 361-392, 1997
524:
J. Moon, "The Distribution of Upright-handled Jars and Stemmed Dishes in the ED. Period", Iraq 44, pp. 39â69, 1982
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tokens were also found. A sounding was done on Mound B, adjacent to the 1940 excavations pit, by a team from the
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had a sanctuary at Urum. According to the Sumerian Temple Hymns, the temple of Nanna at Urum was named E-Ablua.
443:(c. 2028â2004 BC) mentions "when the en of Nanna of Urum was installed" (u4 en-dnanna ĂRxĂ.KI-ka ba-hun-gĂĄ).
757:
Frayne, Douglas, "Ć ulgi", Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 91-234, 1997
522:
847:
776:
Stol, Marten, "Priestesses", Women in the Ancient Near East, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 555-583, 2016
883:
269:
711:
285:. It has been proposed that this site was part of a group providing ritual products to Inana at Uruk.
893:
595:
Lawn, Barbara, "University of Pennsylvania radiocarbon dates XV", Radiocarbon 15.2, pp. 367-381, 1973
358:
843:
Legrain, Leon. "Tell âUqair âPainted Templeâ." Museum Bulletin X, no. 3-4 (June, 1944): pp. 39-39
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212:(c. 4000-3100 BC). It has been proposed as the site of the 3rd millennium BC city of Urum.
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Sharlach, Tonia, "Provincial Taxation and the Ur III State" CM 26. Leiden: Brill, 2004
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374:= ĂRĂážȘA (cuneiform: đŻ), besides ĂRĂA.ážȘA.KI (cuneiform: đŹđ ), from earlier (pre-
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artifacts indicate the location continued in limited use up through the time of
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It is known that during the 3rd millennium BC Urum was a cult site for the god
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M. W. Green, "Urum and Uqair", Acta Sumerologica, vol. 8, pp.77â83, 1986
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551:"Excavations in Iraq, 1977-78", Iraq, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 141â81, 1979
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Tell or settlement mound northeast of ancient Babylon in modern Iraq
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The site of Tell Uqair first had significant occupation during the
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Digitized tablets from (and thought to be from) Tell Uqair at CDLI
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It has been suggested, based on a toponym (ážȘA.ĂR.BAR), that the
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Tulid-Ć amĆĄi (Ć amaĆĄ-gave-(me-)birth) was an en-priestess of
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was one Ur-Sin/Ur-Suena (attested in years 43 and 44 of
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periods. Some Early Dynastic graves and a scattering of
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439:(c. 2046â2037BC). A text from the reign of
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767:State University Press, pp. 285-320, 2013
431:at Urum during the reign of Ur III ruler
180:or settlement mound northeast of ancient
416:Proto-cuneiform tablet, late Uruk period
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476:Chronology of the ancient Near East
335:Female figurine - Ubaid period - Ur
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879:Former populated places in Iraq
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461:Cities of the ancient Near East
362:Victory stele of Naram Sin 9068
869:History of Babylon Governorate
466:List of Mesopotamian dynasties
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300:Blau monuments plaque obverse
874:Archaeological sites in Iraq
471:List of Mesopotamian deities
163:, F. Safar, M. MĂŒller-Karpe
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350:originated at Tell Uqair.
208:(c.â5500â3700 BC) and the
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786:Press, pp. 347-424, 2013
174:Tell 'Uquair, Tell Aqair
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378:) ĂR.A.ážȘA.
366:Because of
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283:Jemdat Nasr
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245:Seton Lloyd
216:Archaeology
210:Uruk period
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93:Coordinates
87:Mesopotamia
858:Categories
482:References
322:Babylonian
259:, and the
249:Taha Baqir
196:in modern
170:Tell Uqair
161:Taha Baqir
140:Site notes
105:44°39âČ53âłE
102:32°46âČ54âłN
20:Tell Uqair
455:See also
441:Ibbi-Sin
437:Amar-Sin
318:Akkadian
157:S. Lloyd
69:Location
433:Shu-Sin
292:History
247:, with
194:Baghdad
182:Babylon
176:) is a
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422:Ningal
403:Shulgi
391:Sippar
376:Ur III
255:, the
83:Region
429:Nanna
395:Kutha
383:Nanna
222:Kutha
190:Kutha
739:2021
715:ISBN
652:ISBN
641:2016
586:2002
571:ISBN
504:1978
449:Kish
389:and
387:Kish
354:Urum
341:Uruk
320:and
314:Uruk
312:and
226:pisé
202:Iraq
186:Kish
178:tell
134:tell
130:Type
77:Iraq
26:Urum
860::
328:.
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