This is one of Pu-abi's cylinder seals (left) and the impression it makes when rolled across soft clay. Cylinder seals were used to identify the owner.
Sumerian queens wore their cylinder seals on jeweled
pendants pinned to their robes.
Leonard Woolley’s drawing of Pu-abi’s grave. The inset shows
one of Pu-abi’s seals, a garment pin, and two of her pendants.
Although Pu-abi lived and died in the Sumerian city of Ur, it's widely believed that she was an Akkadian by birth. It has been suggested that she was part of a marriage alliance between Sumerian and Akkadian kingdoms.
2) Pu-abi’s name.
Leonard Woolley originally named her Shub-ad. Later scholars revised her name to Pu-abi, which is an Akkadian name. Other
variations of her name include Pu-abu and Pu-abum.
The correct Sumerian pronunciation of Pu-abi’s name is “Pu-ad.”
Pu3-ad
Left: Pu-abi’s name is on her seal. Right: This is the way her name is usually written.
On cylinder seals, some cuneiform signs were
simplified to make them easier to engrave.
Pu-abi is an Akkadian name. It is usually interpreted to mean “word of the
father” (although I have my doubts about it, for grammatical reasons that will take too long to explain).
This would be an acceptable name if Pu-abi was the daughter of a Sumerian
king. However, it would be a very unfortunate name if Pu-abi was the daughter
of an Akkadian king. As a young bride, while Pu-abi was desperately trying to
assimilate into Sumerian society, she would be known as “Word of my father [the
foreign king]”.
3) Pu-abi, an Akkadian?
For some reason, Pu-abi is commonly assumed to be Akkadian. I
don’t know what evidence is used to support this conclusion, except for the
misguided attempt to re-interpret her name. Otherwise there is no
evidence to suggest that Pu-abi was an Akkadian. Presumably, she was part of a marriage alliance
between Sumerian and Akkadian kingdoms. Maybe so, but where is the evidence? All
available evidence shows that Pu-abi lived in a Sumerian city, she wore Sumerian
clothes, and she wore her hair in the Sumerian style. It could be argued that Pu-abi was an Akkadian who was trying to blend into the social circles of her adopted homeland by wearing the
latest Sumerian fashions. Perhaps... but the simplest explanation is that she was a Sumerian to begin with.
Without more evidence, I think it is unreasonable to assume that Pu-abi was an Akkadian.
4) The Death Pit.
The area outside a tomb where the attendants were sacrificed is called a “Death Pit.”
PG 800. The tomb of Pu-abi and the death pit. Enlarge.
Modern scholars think the Death Pit that Woolley associated
with Pu-abi’s tomb (PG 800B) may actually belong to a different tomb. That’s because the death pit and the tomb are
not on the same level, as shown in the drawing below. It’s now believed that the
death pit for Pu-abi’s tomb was in the area indicated by the dotted lines.
Unfortunately, Woolley did not excavate this area.
Two of Pu-abi's servants were buried in her burial chamber, so it is reasonable to assume that other servants were buried in an outside death pit, similar to the other Royal Tombs.
It is also possible that the original death pit may indeed belong to Pu-abi, despite the fact that it is not on the same level, because there aren't any other large Royal Tombs next to it (see a map of the area).
5) The King’s Grave. Leonard Woolley originally believed that Pu-abi’s husband died
and was buried in the King’s Grave (PG 789). Pu-abi later built her own tomb
next to his so the couple would be together for all eternity. It’s a romantic
story that may not be based on fact. Measurements show Pu-abi’s tomb is 40 cm (16
inches) lower than the king’s tomb, as shown above, suggesting it was built
earlier than PG 789.
Pu3-ad
