One of the most important projects ever sponsored by the Penn Museum was the joint expedition to Ur, Iraq. Symbols of plants and animals were found among the many ornaments of gold, carnelian and lapis in the Royal Cemetery, especially in the tomb of Queen Puabi. Fertility and abundance, important themes of later ancient Mesopotamian texts, are clearly in evidence even before those narratives were written down. Close examination of this 70-year old museum display was key to new interpretations.