The Standard of Ur
From Ur, southern Iraq, about 2600-2400 BC
This object was found in one of the largest
graves in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, lying in the corner of a
chamber above the right shoulder of a man. Its original function is
not yet understood.
Leonard Woolley, the excavator at Ur, imagined that it was
carried on a pole as a standard, hence its common name. Another
theory suggests that it formed the soundbox of a musical
instrument.
When found, the original wooden frame for the mosaic of shell,
red limestone and lapis lazuli had decayed, and the two main panels
had been crushed together by the weight of the soil. The bitumen
acting as glue had disintegrated and the end panels were broken. As
a result, the present restoration is only a best guess as to how it
originally appeared.
The main panels are known as 'War' and 'Peace'. 'War' shows one
of the earliest representations of a Sumerian army. Chariots, each
pulled by four donkeys, trample enemies; infantry with cloaks carry
spears; enemy soldiers are killed with axes, others are paraded
naked and presented to the king who holds a spear.
The 'Peace' panel depicts animals, fish and other goods brought
in procession to a banquet. Seated figures, wearing woollen fleeces
or fringed skirts, drink to the accompaniment of a musician playing
a lyre. Banquet scenes such as this are common on cylinder seals of
the period, such as on the seal of the 'Queen' Pu-abi, also in the
British Museum.
The city of Ur
Known today as Tell el-Muqayyar, the city of Ur was
occupied from around 5,000 BC to 300 BC and was once
the capital of an empire stretching across southern
Mesopotamia. More about the city of
Ur
