Eridu
Eridu (Cuneiform: NUN.KI 𒉣𒆠; Sumerian: eridugki; Akkadian: irîtu) was a Sumerian city located at Tell Abu Shahrain (Arabic: تل أبو شهرين), also Abu Shahrein or Tell Abu Shahrayn, an archaeological site in southern Mesopotamia. It is located in Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq near the modern city of Basra. Eridu is traditionally believed to be the earliest city in southern Mesopotamia based on the Sumerian King List. Located 12 kilometers southwest of the ancient site of Ur, Eridu was the southernmost of a conglomeration of Sumerian cities that grew around temples, almost in sight of one another. The city gods of Eridu were Enki and his consort Damkina. Enki, later known as Ea, was considered to have founded the city. His temple was called E-Abzu, as Enki was believed to live in Abzu, an aquifer from which all life was believed to stem. According to Sumerian temple hymns another name for the temple of Ea/Enki was called Esira (Esirra).
"... The temple is constructed with gold and lapis lazuli, Its foundation on the nether-sea (apsu) is filled in. By the river of Sippar (Euphrates) it stands. O Apsu pure place of propriety, Esira, may thy king stand within thee. ..."
Shown within Iraq | |
| Location | Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq |
|---|---|
| Region | Mesopotamia |
| Coordinates | 30°48′57″N 45°59′46″E |
| Type | Settlement |
| Area | At most 10 ha (25 acres) |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 5400 BC |
| Abandoned | c. 600 BC |
| Periods | Ubaid, Early Dynastic, Ur III, Old Babylonian, Kassite, Neo-Babylonian |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1855, 1918-1919, 1946-1949, 2018 |
| Archaeologists | John George Taylor, R. Campbell Thompson, H. R. Hall, Fuad Safar, Seton Lloyd, Franco D’Agostino |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Tell Eridu Archaeological Site |
| Part of | Ahwar of Southern Iraq |
| Criteria | Mixed: (iii)(v)(ix)(x) |
| Reference | 1481-007 |
| Inscription | 2016 (40th Session) |
| Area | 33 ha (0.13 sq mi) |
| Buffer zone | 1,069 ha (4.13 sq mi) |
| Coordinates | 30°49′1″N 45°59′45″E |
At nearby Ur there was a temple of Ishtar of Eridu (built by Lagash ruler Ur-Baba) and a sanctuary of Inanna of Eridu (built by Ur III ruler Ur-Nammu). Ur-Nammu also recorded building a temple of Ishtar of Eridu at Ur which is assumed to have been a rebuild.
One of the religious quarters of Babylon, containing the Esagil temple and the temple of Annunitum among others, was also named Eridu.