Course Readings: Web Gallery

Standard of Ur, Side 1 ("War Side"), 2600 BC

This design appears on a rectangular box with sloping sides. Discovered in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, one of the most important Mesopotamian cities on the Euphrates, the box became known as the "Standard of Ur" because Leonard Woolley, who originally excavated this piece, believed it served as a sort of flag or standard. Others believe the box served as a lyre case. The design reads from left to right, up to down. This side of the box, the "War Side," appears to depict some sort of military triumph.