Near the city of Ur (Iraq) there is a 5800 year old Sumerian burial ground. There are about 2000 tombs located in Ur located in southern Mesopotamia (southern modern Iraq). Sixteen of the tombs were described as "royal" due to the magnificent treasures found in the tombs, including gold beads, bronze artifacts, musical instruments and pottery.

The excavations were carried out by the British archaeologist Leonard Woolley between 1920 and 1930, which unfortunately resulted in many rare relics ending up in the British Museum in London, instead of leaving the treasure in the old homeland. Only a small number of cemetery artifacts can be found in the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, while the rest are scattered (we can say stolen) at the University of Pennsylvania, at the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, and in the private hands of collectors.

Discover tombs in Ur

Leonard Woolley began excavating the Royal Cemetery at Ur in 1922. The following year, Woolley completed his initial site survey, and began digging at the ruins of Ziggurat. Here, Woolley's workers discovered jewelry made of gold and precious stones buried in tombs, which led to the area being called the "golden moat." However, Woolley decided to stop the excavations because he was aware that neither he nor his men had enough experience digging burial grounds. For this reason, Woolley focused on excavating buildings and structures. He did not return to the Golden Moat until 1926.

Woolley managed to uncover a burial ground with almost 2000 graves. Most of these graves were simple pits in which the body was laid in a clay coffin or wrapped in reeds. They also buried ceramic vessels, a few pieces of personal belongings, and a small amount of jewelry.

However, Woolley also discovered 16 graves that differed from others. In these graves the dead were not buried in clay coffins, but in stone, which contained a large number of luxurious items. These rich tombs were probably the place of rest for the mighty rulers of Mesopotamia.

One of the most famous "royal" tombs belongs to a queen named Puabi, who was designated as PG 800. The name of the owner of the tomb is known for the clay roller bearing her name (written in cuneiform), which was buried with her. In addition, this grave is also extraordinary in that it was intact and escaped looting.
Queen Puabi lay on the wooden mara in the vaulted room. Among the artifacts found were a finely crafted headdress of gold leaves, gold ribbons, carnival beads, a pair of large crescent-shaped earrings, and rings. Five armed men, four grooms, a couple of oxen and twelve female nurses were buried next to the queen. Probably these people became part of the ritual sacrifice performed for the dead queen.

An unidentified object was found in one of the graves. The artifact is a wooden chest, which is provided with paintings with scenes depicting men transporting goods in wagons drawn by animals. Characters of high importance, accompanied by servants and musicians, probably sit on the cars. On the other side of the chest are depicted men in chariots, pulling the figures of prisoners behind them, leading as prisoners to another important figure. Others lie under the cars. It is not known what the chest was for or what its contents were known for.