Leonard Woolley
Sir Charles Leonard Woolley (17 April, 1880–20 February, 1960) was a British archaeologist, best known for his excavations at Ur in Sumer, ancient Mesopotamia. He was knighted in 1935 for his services to archaeology.
Woolley was born in London, and educated at New College, Oxford. In 1905, he became assistant keeper of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Then, on the recommendation of Sir Arthur Evans, he became the first supervisor of the Corstopitum excavations at Corbridge in Northumberland, in 1906 and 1907, under the direction of Francis Haverfield. He carried out major excavations at Carchemish just before the First World War. His work at Ur began in 1922, and he made important discoveries in the course of excavating the royal cemeteries there. Woolley was one of the first "modern" archaeologists.
Woolley first started working as Assistant Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford from 1905 until 1907. He worked with T.E. Lawrence from 1912 to 1914 and later in 1919 clearing Carchemish, the Hittite city, and in the Sinai. Woolley also worked in Tell el Amarna with the Egypt Exploration Society. From 1922 through 1934 he was in charge of the joint venture between the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania excavating at Ur of the Chaldees where he made his greatest discovery.
Ur
The Ur of Chaldees, found in present-day Iraq, was the royal burial site of many Mesopotamian royalties. Woolley discovered tombs of great material wealth. Inside these tombs were large paintings of ancient Mesopotamian culture at its zenith, along with amazing pieces of gold and silver jewelry, cups and other furnishings. The most extravagant tomb was that of “Queen” Pu-Abi. Amazingly enough, Queen Pu-Abi’s tomb was untouched by the hands of looters through the millennia. Inside the tomb, many well-preserved items were found including a cylindrical seal bearing her name in Sumerian. Her body was found buried along with her attendants who had poisoned themselves in order to join her and continue to serve her. Woolley reconstructed her funeral ceremony from the findings in her tomb. Today her headdress, cylinder seal and her body are on display at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Standard of Ur
The Standard of Ur (also known as the "Battle Standard of Ur," or the "Royal Standard of Ur") is a Sumerian artifact excavated from what had been the Royal Cemetery in the ancient city of Ur (located in modern-day Iraq south of Baghdad). The Standard of Ur dates from around 2600 B.C.E., and was excavated by British archaeologist Leonard Woolley in the 1920s.
It is essentially a hollow wooden box measuring 8.5 inches high and 19.5 inch long, inlaid with a mosaic of shell, red limestone and lapis lazuli. It is currently in a reconstructed state, as the effects of time over the last several millennia had decayed the wooden frame and bitumen glue which had cemented the mosaic in place. Its original function is not conclusively understood. Leonard Wooley suggested that it had been carried on a pole, borne as a standard. It has also been speculated that it was the soundbox of a musical instrument.
The Standard of Ur has two main panels, which have been named "War" and "Peace." "War" is one of the earliest representations of a Sumerian army, engaged in what is believed to be a border skirmish and its aftermath. Battle scenes include four-wheeled chariots, drawn by teams of some sort of equine (possibly onagers) trampling enemies (although these solid-wheeled early chariots must have been rather unwieldy in battle, and it is likely that they were used primarily for transport and defense); spearmen clad in armored cloaks; and other infantrymen bearing sickle-like knives or axes. Panels also depict prisoners, wounded, naked, and humiliated, being presented to the king.
"Peace" portrays a banquet scene. Attendants parade animals, fish, and other goods (possibly war booty) before seated figures, while a lyrist entertains the throng.
The Standard of Ur is currently housed in London's British Museum.
The Tomb of Pu-Abi
Sir Leonard Woolley[1], the famed British Archaeologist is credited with the discovery of the tomb of Pu-Abi, which was excavate along with some 1800 other graves at the "Royal Cemetery of Ur" by Woolley and his team between 1926 and 1932. Pu-Abi's tomb was nearly unique among the other excavations not only because of the large amount of incredibly high quality and well preserved grave goods, but also because her tomb had been untouched by looters through the millenia. She was also buried with five soldiers and 23 "ladies in waiting", retainers who had apparently poisoned themselves (or been poisoned by others) to serve their mistress in the next world. The amount of grave goods that Woolley uncover in Pu-abi's tomb were staggering: A magnificent, if heavy, golden headdress made of golden leaves, rings, and plates, a superb lyre, complete with the golden and lapis-lazuli encrusted bearded bulls head, a profusion of gold table ware, golden, carnelian, and lapis lazuli cylindrical beads for extravagant necklaces and belts, a chariot adorned with lioness' heads in silver, and an abundance of silver, lapis lazuli, and golden rings and bracelets.
The excavated treasures from Woolley's expedition were divided between the British Museum in London, the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the National Museum in Baghdad. Several pieces were looted from the National Museum in the aftermath of the Second Gulf War in 2003. Recently, several of the more spectacular pieces from Pu-Abi's grave have been the feature of a highly successful Art and History Museum tour through the United Kingdom and America.
External links
Notes
- ↑ Wooley, Leonard (1934). Ur Excavations II, The Royal Cementery. Page 73 & ss: London-Philadelphia.
In 1936, after his discoveries at Ur, Woolley was interested in finding ties between the ancient Aegean and Mesopotamian civilizations. This led him to the Syrian city of al-Mina. From 1937 to 1939 and from 1946 to 1949 he was in Tell Atchana/Alalakh. Leonard Woolley was knighted in 1935. Agatha Christie wrote Murder in Mesopotamia because she was inspired by the discovery of the royal tombs. She later married his younger assistant, Max Mallowan.
Books
Woolley wrote over 25 books. Two of his more famous books are Spadework: Adventures in Archaeology, published in 1953 and Excavations at Ur: A Record of 12 Years’ Work, published in 1954.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Horne, Lee. “Ur and its Treasures: The Royal Tombs.” Expedition Magazine. Vol. 40, No. 2 1998. http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/specex/ur/ur-hist.htm. 27 Sept. 1999.
- Klein, Richard G. “Sir Leonard Woolley.” World Book Encyclopedia. Ed. A. Richard Harmet. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1990.
- Nelson Group. “Bowers Museum Hosts the Royal Tombs of Ur.” NCG Gazette. http://www.nelsongroup.com/sub-bowers.html. 26 Sept. 1999.
- University of Pennsylvania. “The Royal Tombs of Ur History of Art 101 Recitation Two: Week of September 16.” http://www.arth.upenn.edu/101/recitation/recitation02text.html. 26 Sept. 1999.
- University of Pennsylvania. “Tomb Chamber of RT 800.” http://www.arthistory.upenn.edu/522/puabi/chamber.html. 26 Sept. 1999.
- Woolley, Sir Leonard. Ur of the Chaldees: A Record of Seven Years of Excavation. Norton and Company, Inc., New York. 1965.http://www.cc.ukans.edu/~hoopes/standard.htm. 27 Sept. 1999.
External link
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