Final answer:
Excavations at the royal cemetery of Ur have revealed evidence of human sacrifices, where servants were killed to accompany their rulers into the afterlife during elaborate funerary ceremonies. This practice was part of the burial rituals for the Sumerian elites and is believed to serve spiritual and political purposes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Royal Cemetery of Ur's Rituals
The royal cemetery of Ur, used between approximately 2600-2000 BCE, is a significant archaeological site that has provided insights into the burial practices of ancient Sumerian society. Many burial pits contained lavish materials, and excavations revealed that servants and possibly others were sacrificed to accompany their rulers into the afterlife. This practice aligns with the findings in the graves of the so-called First Dynasty of Ur's legal (kings), where precious goods and the bodies of servants and others were buried alongside the rulers.
One of the most famous burials is that of a royal personage named Pu-Abi, potentially a queen, who was interred with an opulent headdress and other valuable artifacts. The excavations led by Leonard Woolley uncovered that these ceremonies were elaborate, often including additional human burials and offerings as the pits were filled. Much like the Shang royalty later did in China, the rulers of Ur might have believed that these sacrifices would appease deities and ensure a favorable existence in the afterlife for themselves and their servants.
Through these findings, we understand the extent to which funerary rituals could serve not only spiritual purposes but also as a form of political theatre, showcasing the wealth and power of the rulers. The potentially intentional burials and the catastrophic number of human sacrifices indicate that this practice was ritually significant and perhaps a method to appease the divine, as suggested by the scale of rituals where kings like Wu Ding sacrificed thousands.