Succeeding generations of Biblical historians must be grateful for the work of British archaeologist, Sir Charles Leonard Woolley and colleagues from Pennsylvania University for bringing Ur, this incredible place, to the world’s attention.
Ur of the Chaldees
Woolley’s discoveries at Ur of the Chaldees, between 1922 and 1934, allowed an enticing glimpse of a land with a unique place in history. Was Ur the home of Abraham and the starting point for his journey to Caanan? It’s a subject of much debate.
The Bible says “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, who was the son of Haran and his daughter in law Sarai, Abram’s wife and with them he left the city of Ur in Babylonia…”(Genesis 11:31)
Tallil Airbase
Today the massive Tallil coalition air base stands close to Ur, a stark juxtaposition of modern technology and ancient structure, a reminder, if one were needed, of the enforced changes in modern Iraq.
Political and security considerations ensure few non-military visitors have the opportunity to wander freely around this iconic site. The ghosts of ancient Sumerians are only disturbed by the hubbub of modern military life, the take off and landing of helicopters and the bark of the instructor as Iraqi recruits are put through their paces.
Ziggurat at Ur of the Chaldees
The ziggurat, the most majestic of structures found at Ur stands sentinel like against the flat Mesopotamian plains. It looks imperiously down on the Sumerian royal tombs, the oldest of which was dated to around 2800 BCE, the place where Wooley discovered the treasure of ancient kings.
British Museum
An inspection by J E Curtis of the British Museum in February 2007 found evidence of war damage to the ziggurat, some dating to Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Curtis found on the north east face of the structure and on the south east side of the ziggurat staircase: “Many holes and areas of damage that have been caused by bullets and shells of various calibre… There is damage to both original and reconstructed brickwork.”
He found at that time (2007) no obvious evidence of looting or illegal digging (by coalition forces) but commented on concerns about modern roads and a car park on the site.
Sadly Ur doesn’t stand in isolation, as far back as 2005, John Curtis talked of archaeological sites being destroyed by the building of helicopter landing sites and parking sites for heavy vehicles (BBC April 2005)
In the same report Lebanese archaeologist and journalist Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly wrote, in some desperation, that the picture was appalling: “More than 150 Sumerian cities dating back to the fourth millennium BCE – such as Umma, Umm al- Akkareb, Larsa and Tello – lie destroyed, turned into crater filled landscapes…”
In a catalogue of seemingly endless challenges for Iraq and its military visitors, one of the greatest is how to build a future without destroying the past?
Sources:
Samuel Noah Kramer, 1979, (1988) From the Poetry of Sumer and (History begins at Sumer,) University of Pennsylvania (cited in Encarta)
J E Curtis, Ur of the Chaldees 2007, Department of the Middle East, The British Museum
Richard L Zettler and Lee Horne (Eds), Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly, History Lost in the Dust of War Torn Iraq, BBC News Channel, 25 April 2005
Good News Bible Genesis 11:31
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