Excavations at Ur

by C. Leonard Woolley

Now in present day Iraq, Ur was a city that rose from the "Mounds of Pitch" half way between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf, ten miles west of the Euphrates. Sir Leonard Woolley documents his experience as leader of the great expedition that carried on without interruption until 1934. Before its closure, this significant archaeological dig on the part of both museums established an image of Ur throughout its four thousand years in existence. Indeed, the excavators unearthed much more than they ever expected. This book follows this expedition, recording its every detail. These findings reveal the impressive history of Ur: its beginning, the flood, the Uruk and Jamdat Nasr periods, Al 'Ubaid and the first dynasty of Ur, the Dark Ages, the third dynasty of Ur, the Isin and Larsa periods, the Kassite and Assyrian periods, and finally Nebuchadnezzar and the last days of Ur. Although written earlier in the last century, this treatise is particularly relevant today, in an age when it becomes essential to remember the great treasures yielded from this cradle of civilization that is now modern-day Iraq.

Genres: History, Mythology

366 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Sir Charles Leonard Woolley was a British archaeologist best known for his excavations at Ur in Mesopotamia. He is considered to have been one of the first "modern" archaeologists, and was knighted in 1935 for his contributions to the discipline of archaeology.

He was married to Katharine Woolley who worked as the illustrator for his excavations.

Reviews

[Funky Kong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeha

[Kat Starwolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Excellent Basic Primer for Learning About Sumerian Civilization”

While quite a bit else has been discovered in regard to the Sumerian/Mesopotamian city-state of Ur since Wooley first published this work in 1927 (almost a hundred years ago!), it is still an excellent source from which to learn about the way the Sumerians lived...and died, since the majority of what Wooley determined in regard to Ur has changed little if any.

Wooley is very succinct, yet he makes his offerings quite palatable.

Great read.