Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum
Earliest known museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Archeological excavations at the palace grounds | |
  Location within Iraq | |
| Established | Circa 530 BCE |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 5th century-BCE |
| Location | Ancient Ur |
| Coordinates | 30.961667°N 46.105278°E |
| Type | Mesopotamian artifacts |
| Curator | Princess Ennigaldi |
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 museum pieces, because they were accompanied by "museum labels"; clay drums written 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: