Ur Illustrated Trivia Quiz

Answer: Persian Gulf

Originally on the Euphrates River, close to the Persian Gulf, the original site of Ur has not moved, but the river has changed course and the delta has built up over several millennia so that Nasiriyah, the closest modern city, is now around 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Kuwait City, Kuwait, which is on the shores of today's Persian Gulf.

The map shows the coastline as it is thought to have been when Ur and nearby cities like Uruk and Eridu were thriving centers of population, around 3500 B.C.E.

Answer: Abraham

The caption of the photograph, like many newspaper reports and other writings throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, states unequivocally that the ruins pictured are of "the house of Abraham" in Ur. When international archaeological activity resumed in 2013, findings again were reported in the popular press as near the home of Abraham.

However, scholars and historians are far from agreement that the Sumerian city of Ur in southern Iraq was the "Ur of the Chaldees" (Hebrew "Ur Kasdim") mentioned in Genesis 11:28, 11:31 and 15:7 as the homeland of Abraham, with many arguing for sites much farther north, in or near Syria. United States forces used Imam Ali Air Base near Nasiriyah, Iraq, as a center of operations from 2003 through December, 2011, when the base was returned to Iraqi control.

The great Ziggurat of Ur is visible from all places within the 30 square kilometer (18 square mile) facility.

Answer: Mound of Pitch

The great Ziggurat of Ur can be seen clearly in the photograph as a projection in the middle of the image. In the 1920s, Tell al-Muqayyar had not undergone the reconstruction later done by order of Sadaam Hussein, and it looked like a huge mound of dirt, characterized by the pitch (tar) used by the ancient Sumerian builders to hold together the bricks.

In "The History and Monuments of Ur" C.J. Gadd explains that "the dark mass of the ziggurat, and the principal buildings uncovered are clearly shewn [sic].

The long or fan-shaped banks are dumps of excavated earth." It does look a bit like a moonscape, though, doesn't it?

Answer: 2003 A.D.

Over 15,000 irreplaceable historical treasures are believed to have been stolen from museums and archaeological sites in Iraq during the chaos that accompanied the invasion of 2003. Ten years later, perhaps one quarter of the artifacts had been recovered and returned to the national museum in Baghdad, but many labels had been lost, and it is difficult to pinpoint where an item was originally found and what date might be assigned to it.

Answer: lapis lazuli

Woolley's expedition (1922-34) was sponsored by the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, and most of the artifacts recovered from the site of Ur can be found in their respective museums. Many artifacts from Ur include the bright blue stone lapis lazuli, made up primarily of the mineral lazurite, which occurs naturally in limestone in areas of Afghanistan. Gold and shell were also frequently used materials in the "royal tomb" treasures, which include jewelry, musical instruments, and personal items buried with the honored dead and their (presumably) sacrificed servants.

Answer: reeds

The small homes of most Marsh Arabs of historical times were made of reeds, with arched entrances on either end, very similar to reed houses depicted on cylinder seals found on the sites of ancient Mesopotamian cities, including Ur. The houses were built on the shore very close to the water or on islands constructed of reeds alone or of reeds and mud. Domestic animals were also kept in reed shelters.

The ancient way of life represented by the Marsh Arabs was virtually destroyed by the actions of Saddam Hussein, both indirectly, through diversion of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, and directly, as reprisal for opposition from the primarily Shi'ite inhabitants of the marshes and political enemies of Saddam Hussein that they sheltered.

Answer: cuneiform

It would not be wrong to conclude that writing was invented by accountants and tradespeople in Sumerian cities like Ur. The earliest known writings, marks pressed with a cut reed into wet clay and dried to conserve a permanent record, list sales, allotments, or inventories of grain, livestock, oil, beer, clothing, and other practical goods important in the daily lives of the people of early Mesopotamia. Writing developed into other uses over time, including works of literature and worship, as well as inscriptions on bricks like these, preserving the names of kings for the gods or future generations to see for thousands of years.

Answer: date palm

Date palm cultivation is known to have taken place in the Persian Gulf region from as early as 3000 B.C. and has continued to be of economic importance for millennia. Date harvests take place over a period of time, since not all fruit matures at the same time. Wine, syrup, and sugar can be made from the fruit or the sap of the palm tree, and some Biblical scholars maintain that the "honey" mentioned in the Bible often refers to sweet syrup made from dates, rather than honey from beehives. All parts of the date palm tree have been used in Middle Eastern cultures.

In addition to their intrinsic value, date palms also provide shade and protection from the elements for other crops, which can be planted underneath.

Answer: Ram in a Thicket

"The Ram in a Thicket" was created and placed in a tomb in Ur around 2600-2400 B.C. Because there are two identical figures, and a post seems to have been fitted into each, they are thought to have been supports for a wooden table that disintegrated long ago. One of the figures is now in the British Museum and the other is in the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia, both museums being sponsors of Woolley's expedition. Woolley, immersed in Bible scholarship and aware of the publicity value of Biblical connections with archaeology, was quick to name the images for the substituted sacrifice God provided for Abraham (Genesis 22:13), after stopping the patriarch in the act of the human sacrifice of his promised son. Woolly worried a bit about the image, since the dates of this level of Ur were earlier than the dates for Abraham, and he was looking for Biblical parallels.

More likely, the goat is just a goat, reaching for tasty leaves.

Answer: playing a game

This board game is called the "Royal Game of Ur" from its discovery in the tombs thought to be the internments of kings and queens, because of the richness of their grave goods and because of the apparent evidence of human sacrifice of servants and animals in their honor or for their uses. Everything seems to have been provided for these honored dead people, including this game for their leisure hours.

The long popularity of the game is evidenced by a similar game board scratched into the stone of a gate at the palace of Sargon II in Khorsabad around 721-705 B.C. and a tablet from the second century B.C. detailing how a game like this one is to be played. Current reconstructions of the game can be found, including one endorsed by the British Museum, where the original game board from Ur is exhibited.