Standard of Ur
The Standard of Ur is a Sumerian artifact of the 3rd millennium BC that is now in the collection of the British Museum. It comprises a hollow wooden box measuring 21.59 centimetres (8.50 in) wide by 49.53 centimetres (19.50 in) long, inlaid with a mosaic of shell, red limestone and lapis lazuli. It comes from the ancient city of Ur (located in modern-day Iraq west of Nasiriyah). It dates to the First Dynasty of Ur during the Early Dynastic period and is around 4,600 years old. The standard was probably constructed in the form of a hollow wooden box with scenes of war and peace represented on each side through elaborately inlaid mosaics. Although interpreted as a standard by its discoverer, its original purpose remains enigmatic. It was found in a royal tomb in Ur in the 1920s next to the skeleton of a ritually sacrificed man who may have been its bearer.
| The Standard of Ur | |
|---|---|
The Standard of Ur in the British Museum | |
| Material | Shell, limestone, lapis lazuli, bitumen |
| Long | 49.53 centimetres (19.50 in) |
| Width | 21.59 centimetres (8.50 in) |
| Writing | Cuneiform |
| Created | 2600 BC |
| Discovered | 1927–28 Royal Cemetery at Ur 30°57′41″N 46°06′22″E |
| Discovered by | Leonard Woolley |
| Present location | British Museum, London |
| Identification | 121201 Reg number:1928,1010.3 |
| Culture | Sumerian |