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Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum

Coordinates: 30°57′42″N 46°6′19″E / 30.96167°N 46.10528°E / 30.96167; 46.10528
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Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum
Archeological excavations at the palace grounds
Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum is located in Iraq
Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum
Location within Iraq
EstablishedCirca 530 BCE
Dissolved5th century-BCE
LocationAncient Ur
Coordinates30°57′42″N 46°06′19″E / 30.961667°N 46.105278°E / 30.961667; 46.105278
TypeMesopotamian artifacts
CuratorPrincess Ennigaldi

Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum is the earliest known public museum.[1] It dates to circa 530 BCE.[2][3][4][5] The curator was Ennigaldi, the daughter of Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.[6] It was in the state of Ur, in the modern-day Dhi Qar Governorate of Iraq, roughly 150 metres (490 ft) southeast of the famous Ziggurat of Ur.[7]

Discovery

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The museum was discovered in 1925, when archaeologist Leonard Woolley excavated portions of the palace and temple complex at Ur.[5] He found dozens of artifacts, neatly arranged side by side, whose ages varied by centuries. He determined that they were museum pieces, because they were accompanied by "museum labels"; clay drums written in three different languages, including Sumerian. [5][8][7][9]

History

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The palace grounds that included the museum were at the ancient building referred to as E-Gig-Par, which included Ennigaldi's living quarters[10] as well as subsidiary buildings.[5][11][12]

Ennigaldi's father Nabonidus, an antiquarian and antique restorer,[4] is known as the first serious archeologist.[2] He taught her to appreciate ancient artifacts[4] and influenced her to create her educational antiquity museum.[2]

The artifacts came from the southern regions of Mesopotamia.[4] Many had originally been excavated by Nabonidus and were from as early as the 20th century BCE. Some artifacts had been collected previously by Nebuchadnezzar.[12] Some are thought to have been excavated by Ennigaldi herself.[4]

Ennigaldi stored the artifacts in a temple next to the palace where she lived.[4] She used the museum pieces to explain the history of the area and to interpret material aspects of her dynasty's heritage.[8]

Some of these artifacts were:

  • A kudurru, Kassite boundary marker (carved with a snake and emblems of various gods).
  • Part of a statue of King Shulgi
  • A clay cone that had been part of a building at Larsa.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Quinn, Therese (2020). About Museums, Culture, and Justice to Explore in Your Classroom. Teachers College Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8077-6343-8.
  2. ^ a b c Anzovin & Podell 2000, p. 69, Item # 1824: "The first museum known to historians (circa 530 BCE) was that of Ennigaldi-Nanna, the daughter of Nabu-na'id (Nabonidus), the last king to Babylonia."
  3. ^ a b Casey 2009, "Public Museum": "Around 530 B.C.E. in Ur, an educational museum containing a collection of labeled antiquities was founded by Ennigaldi-Nanna the, daughter of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylonia."
  4. ^ a b c d e f Dolezal 1987, p. 20: "Princess Ennigaldi-Nanna, collected antiques from the southern regions of Mesopotamia, which she stored in a temple at Ur – the first known museum in the world.
  5. ^ a b c d León 1995, pp. 36–37: "...the first known museum..."
  6. ^ McIntosh 1999, p. 4
  7. ^ a b Woolley & Moorey 1982, pp. 252–259
  8. ^ a b Encyclopaedia Britannica 1997, p. 481
  9. ^ Budge, E. A. (1926). "The Excavations at Ur of the Chaldees". The Book of the Cave of Treasures. p. 275.
  10. ^ Woolley 1954, p. 235
  11. ^ HarperCollins 1997, p. 23
  12. ^ a b Nash 2003, p. 12

Sources

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30°57′42″N 46°6′19″E / 30.96167°N 46.10528°E / 30.96167; 46.10528