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'Peace' panel
'War' panel
Height: 21.590 cm
Length: 49.530 cm
Excavated by C.L. Woolley
ME 121201
Room 56: Mesopotamia
Agatha Christie and archaeology
The Standard of Ur
This object was found in one of the largest graves (PG 779) in the Royal Cemetery, lying in the corner of a chamber above the right shoulder of a man. Leonard Woolley 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 two 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.