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Ur, Iraq expedition records
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]3260 South Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104-6324
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Sir Leonard Woolley directed the excavations at Ur in southern Iraq from 1922 to 1934 for the Joint Expedition of the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. As part of this involvement, the University of Pennsylvania Museum sent Leon Legrain, Curator of the Babylonian Section, as a cuneiformist during the 1924–1925 and 1925–1926 seasons. Most of the records of the Ur expedition are located at the British Museum. The Museum Archives hold only a few records.
The records consist of general correspondence, indexes and catalogs, publications, and Legrain research. Most of the correspondence appears to be letters and reports exchanged between the Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum (1922–1927, G. B. Gordon; 1928, J. McHugh, Secretary; and 1929–1933 H. H. F. Jayne) and F. Kenyon, the Director of the British Museum, and Woolley. Indexes include a field photograph catalog covering the twelve seasons of work as well as typewritten copy of the field object catalog (with Museum object numbers annotated in red ink). The publications series holds correspondence, notes, drafts, photographs, and manuscripts pertaining to the volumes of the publications of the Ur Excavations (Volumes III, IV, VI, VII, and X). The Archives holds other records relating to Ur which may be unpublished, these have been placed in a separate series: Legrain Research. The Near East Section curatorial records and the Directors' correspondence (Jayne to British Museum, 1925–1940) contain related material.
Where possible, a chronological order was imposed on the Near East records. Photographs were retained with the documents when they directly referred to content. Otherwise, the photographic collections hold material related to the excavations, artifacts, and travel photographs (see Standard Size Print collection). Oversize material is housed in the Map Cases and the Print Cabinet depending on size.
People
- Gordon, G. B. (George Byron), 1870-1927
- Jayne, Horace Howard Furness, 1898-1975
- Legrain, Leon, 1878-1962
Organization
Subject
Place
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by K. Moreau
- Finding Aid Date
- August 2009
- Use Restrictions
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Although many items from the archives are in the public domain, copyright may be retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. The user is fully responsible for compliance with relevant copyright law.
Collection Inventory
Letters, reports from the field, financial statements, cablegrams, press releases and expense notebook. Arranged by type and then chronologically.
Photo catalogue, field photo catalogue and index, register of inscribed materials, drawings of lyre, field object catalogue. Arranged by type and thereunder numerically.
Correspondence, notes, drafts, photographs, plans and drawings, catalogues, and manuscripts. Arranged by volume number and thereunder by type.
Object Cards, some with photographs and sketches, classification, catalogue, and manuscripts. Arranged by subject