Ur
Sumerian city-state
Ur was an ancient Sumerian city in what is now southern Iraq, one of the earliest urban centers in human history.
It appears in biblical references as the birthplace of Abraham: Ur of the Chaldees.
In casual usage, Ur- serves as a prefix meaning original or primordial: the ur-text, the ur-example of the genre. (Lowercase ur is texting shorthand for "your.")
Ancient southern Mesopotamia
- BabylonAncient Mesopotamian capital
- AssyriaAncient Mesopotamian empire
- EuphratesMajor Iraqi river
- TigrisWestern Asian river
cuneiform · city-state · ziggurat · alluvium · Mesopotamia · Akkadian · Babylonian · Assyrian
Stepped ancient temple mound
- NannaCrescent deity of Sumer
- templeSacred worship structure
- priestessFemale religious officiant
- offeringsThings presented or given
high priestess · cult · worship · festivals · lunar
First Hebrew patriarch
- GenesisFirst biblical book
- patriarchMale head of family
- migrationMovement to new territory
- CanaanAncient Palestinian region
Sarah · birthplace · departure · calling · promised land · Hebrew Bible · Lot · monotheism
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- potsherdsFragments of broken ceramics
- lyreSmall plucked string instrument
grave goods · British Museum · soundbox · headdress · mosaic · tombs · treasures · gold
Domain under unified control
- administrationOrganizational oversight and control
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- tabletsFlat portable computing devices
- centralizationUnifying control in one place
Sumer
Ancient southern Mesopotamia
Tigris · cuneiform · city-state · ziggurat · alluvium · Mesopotamia · Akkadian · Babylonian · Assyrian · ancient
ziggurat
Stepped ancient temple mound
offerings · high priestess · cult · worship · festivals · lunar
Abraham
First Hebrew patriarch
Canaan · Sarah · birthplace · departure · calling · promised land · Hebrew Bible · Lot · monotheism · covenant
excavation
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- potsherdsFragments of broken ceramics
lyre · grave goods · British Museum · soundbox · headdress · mosaic · tombs · treasures · gold · lapis lazuli
empire
Domain under unified control
- administrationOrganizational oversight and control
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- tabletsFlat portable computing devices
Gilgamesh
Mesopotamian epic protagonist
deities · creation · flood · epic · cosmogony · divine · temples · priests · rituals
UrDubai
Persian Gulf emirate
Shenzhen · Brasília · modern metropolis · modern city · futuristic city
- urban legendsWidely circulated false stories
- urban lifeMetropolitan way of living
- urban mythFalse story believed widely
- urban migrationPopulation movement toward cities
- urban sprawlUncontrolled peripheral development
- urban decayCity infrastructure deterioration