Mention the ancient city of Ur and many wonderful things come to mind – the fabulous wealth generated from being one of the Bronze Age’s major trade hubs, its towering ziggurat, great works of Sumerian and Babylonian art, and for believers, the birthplace of the prophet Abraham. But in 1922, archaeologists led by Sir Leonard Woolley discovered findings in the oldest part of its great royal cemetery that shed light on a forgotten, dark chapter in the city's history, one that still puzzles us today. In this program we'll look at some of the dark secrets that were buried in the Royal Cemetery over 4500 years ago. Related Videos: Did the People of Ancient Mesopotamia Believe their Kings were Divine? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bovMkWsu0Ig The Complete and Concise History of the Sumerians and Early Bronze Age Mesopotamia (7000-2000 BC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szFjxmY7jQA Ancient Sumer and the Sumerians (Ancient Mesopotamia in Minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPSUlUrIDng Sources and Suggested Reading: A History of the Ancient Near East: ca. 3000-323 BC, Third Edition - Marc Van De Mieroop Excavations at Ur - Sir Leonard Woolley "Human sacrifice and intentional corpse preservation in the Royal Cemetery of Ur" in Antiquity, Vol. 85 (2011), pp. 27-42 - Aubrey Baadsgaard, Janet Monge, Samantha Cox and Richard L. Zettler Ur: City of the Moon God - Harriet Crawford Follow History with Cy: Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/historywithcy/ Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/historywithcy/ Twitter ► https://twitter.com/historywithcy Website ► http://www.historywithcy.com/ Merch ► null Podcast ► https://historywithcy.buzzsprout.com/ Patreon ► https://www.patreon.com/historywithcy #bronzeage #ancienthistory #history