Puabi

Puabi was a Sumerian queen buried in the Royal Cemetery at Ur in southern Mesopotamia, dating to the Early Dynastic III period (circa 2600–2500 BCE). The name Puabi, also written Pu-abi, is primarily known from the tomb attributed to her, discovered by archaeologist Leonard Woolley in the 1920s. Her grave, part of the Royal Cemetery at Ur, contained an extensive assemblage of grave goods and the remains of numerous attendants, suggesting elaborate funerary rites and a display of elite status. The burial goods included gold jewelry and headdresses, shell and lapis lazuli inlays, and other luxury items, illustrating links to distant trade networks. The attendants’ bodies arranged around the queen indicate possible ritual sacrifices or a sacrificial funerary practice, though interpretations vary; the remains have provided insight into social structure and mortuary customs of Early Dynastic Sumer. Puabi's identity beyond her royal status is not fully established; the name appears on inscriptions and in association with the tomb’s artifacts. The discovery, along with other burials at Ur, has been influential in understanding ancient Mesopotamian urbanism, economy, and art.