In 2000 BC. AD, there was a prosperous port with about 60,000 inhabitants enjoying a level of wealth unmatched in Mesopotamia. Its markets attracted traders from all over the vast ancient world; people came from the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf and even from India. In Sumer, the invaders had their ups and downs, but in the heyday of Ur, the center of the empire, powerful rulers and priests operated. Although it eventually declined over the centuries, the city is remembered as the birthplace of Abraham, the main biblical patriarch.
At 19e century, British archaeologist Leonard Woolley discovered hundreds of graves buried near a ziggurat filled with spectacular artifacts: a golden dagger with a lapis lazuli handle, a game board, a gold helmet that had been hit by a blunt object …He also discovered the last residences of members of the royal family such as former queen named Puabi. Others had been buried with him, neatly arranged with their musical instruments, chariots, and weapons. These were servants, soldiers, and other people who were sacrificed and buried there with their masters. In a large pit were six armed guards and 68 servants, one of whom carefully tied a silver ribbon to his hair before the deadly potion he had consumed took him to the afterlife.
