Talk:Tell Uqair

Probably not Urum

I didn't put this in the article because some might call it OR but really its just laying out the facts. Yes, Tell Uqair is in the right general area (between Sippar and Kutha, more toward Kutha) but a whole slew of mounds, most unexcavated meet that test. And the proto-cuneiform thing is clever but a) you always have to take proto-cuneiform translations with a grain of salt, especially toponyms, and b) the tablet could have COME from Urum to Tell Uqair.

Here's the real problem, Urum was significant in Akkadian times, actually getting a mention from Naram-Sin etc. And in Ur II times it was a provincial capital (possibly jointly with Tiwa). In the Ur III system you couldn't buy a burger for lunch without generating at least 6 tablets which is a way of saying it left a big footprint. At the site a few Akkadian bricks were found plus a few graves. NOTHING Ur III was found. If it were Urum you should be able to surf down the side of the tell on Ur III debris. The site is Ubaid/Uruk with a small Jemdat Nasr chapel. That's it.

Anyway, this is just MHO. YMMV. Ploversegg (talk) 15:11, 5 September 2024 (UTC)