Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum

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]

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
Coordinates30.961667°N 46.105278°E / 30.961667; 46.105278
TypeMesopotamian artifacts
CuratorPrincess Ennigaldi
A clay cylinder inscribed with a description in three languages, as used in Ennigaldi's museum to accompany an ancient artifact; these are the earliest known "museum labels".

Discovery

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 actually museum pieces, because they were accompanied by "museum labels" — clay drums with labels in three different languages, including Sumerian. [5][8][7][9]

History

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
  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. 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. 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. 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. León 1995, pp. 36–37: "...the first known museum..."
  6. McIntosh 1999, p. 4
  7. Woolley & Moorey 1982, pp. 252–259
  8. 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. Nash 2003, p. 12

Sources
  • Anzovin, Steven; Podell, Janet (2000). Famous First Facts, International Edition: A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in World History. H.W. Wilson. ISBN 978-0-8242-0958-2.
  • Encyclopaedia Britannica (1997). The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Vol. 2 (15 ed.). ISBN 978-0-85229-633-2.
  • Casey, Wilson (6 October 2009). Firsts: Origins of Everyday Things That Changed the World. DK Publishing. ISBN 978-1-101-15946-0.
  • HarperCollins (1997). HarperCollins atlas of archaeology. Borders Press in association with HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 978-0-7230-1005-0.
  • Dolezal, Robert J. (1987). Reader's Digest Book of Facts. Reader's Digest Association. ISBN 978-0-89577-256-5.
  • León, Vicki (1 January 1995). Uppity Women of Ancient Times. Conari Press. ISBN 978-1-57324-010-9.
  • McIntosh, Jane (1999). The Practical Archaeologist: How We Know what We Know about the Past. Facts On File. ISBN 978-0-8160-3950-0.
  • Nash, Stephen Edward, ed. (September 30, 2003). "Curators, collections, and contexts: anthropology at the Field Museum, 1893-2002". Fieldiana: Anthropology. Field Museum of Natural History. 1525 (36). JSTOR i29782661.
  • Woolley, Leonard; Moorey, Peter Roger Stuart (1982). Ur 'of the Chaldees'. Herbert Press. ISBN 978-0-906969-21-2.
  • Woolley, Leonard (1954). Excavations at Ur: A Record of Twelve Years' Work. Great Britain: Ernest Benn Limited. ISBN 978-0-8152-0110-6.

30°57′42″N 46°6′19″E

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