Site · Iraq
Ur
Sumerian, 3800–500 BCE
Ur is the Sumerian city on a former branch of the Euphrates in southern Iraq, occupied from the Ubaid period, capital of the Ur III dynasty around 2100 BCE and famous for Woolley's Royal Cemetery of about 2600 BCE. Its ziggurat was restored under Saddam Hussein.
| Country | Iraq |
|---|---|
| State / province | Dhi Qar |
| Dates | 3800–500 BCE |
| Status | Archaeological site and UNESCO World Heritage Site (Ahwar of Southern Iraq) |
| Managed by | Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage |
| Access | Open to visitors with the reconstructed ziggurat; access depends on security conditions |
| Coordinates | 30.963, 46.103 (public site) |
What was found
Woolley's Royal Cemetery yielded the Standard of Ur, the Ram in a Thicket, Puabi's headdress, lyres, gold vessels and the death pits with attendants. Thousands of cuneiform tablets and the ziggurat of Ur-Nammu were also excavated.
Rules
Nothing may be collected, dug, moved or removed at Ur; it is a protected archaeological site managed by Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, and taking artifacts, stones or samples is an offence. Iraqi law vests all antiquities in the state and US and international sanctions prohibit trade in Iraqi archaeological material. This article is for study and context only and is not a collecting locality.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Ur" (Site). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/sites/ur. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-ur,
title = {Ur},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/sites/ur}},
year = {2026},
note = {Site article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.