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Iraq

Eridu

Sumerian · Iraq

Field notes

civilizations: Sumerian
types: City
occupied: 5,400 BCE — 600 BCE
country: Iraq

The site

Eridu is a Sumerian city in Lower Mesopotamia, near modern Basra in Iraq, traditionally regarded as the earliest city in southern Mesopotamia according to the Sumerian King List. Occupied from around 5400 BCE, it was one of a cluster of Sumerian cities that grew up around temples almost within sight of one another. Its patron was the god Enki, whose temple E-Abzu was believed to stand over the aquifer from which all life sprang.

Nearby sites