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Hymn to Nisaba
The Hymn to Nisaba (c. 3rd millennium BCE) is a poem praising Nisaba, the Sumerian goddess of writing and accounts who also served as scribe of the gods. The poem is officially dedicated to Enki, the god of wisdom (sometimes given as her...
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Mesopotamian Statue of Gudea - 3D VIew
Upper part of standing figure with head; carved and polished mottled green dolerite; but neck restored. Gudea was the ruler of the city-state of Lagash. One of a dynasty of rulers in southern Mesopotamia who expanded their authority following...
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Goddess Nisaba
A fragment of a vase with a depiction of the goddess Nisaba (also Ninibgal or Nidaba), goddess of writing, learning, and the harvest. The cuneiform inscription on the vase mentions the name of Entemena, ruler of Lagash. Chlorite. From Mesopotamia...
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Terracotta Tablet from Girsu
This reform text belongs to King Uru'inimgina (or URU-KA-GI-NA), king of Lagash. From Girsu (modern Tell Telloh, Dhi-Qar Governorate, Iraq), Southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. Early dynastic period, 2351-2342 BCE. (Istanbul Archaeological Museums/Ancient...
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King Enmetena's Foundation Stone
Pivot stone with inscription of the king Enmetena of Lagash. Circa 2340 BCE. (The Pergamon Museum, Berlin).
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Votive Mace Head of Ur-Ningirsu II from Girsu
This grey stone mace head was inscribed with a cuneiform text. The text says that this mace head was dedicated to the god Ningirsu by Ur-Ningirsu II (son of Gudea, ruler of Lagash). From Girsu, Sothern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Circa...
Definition
Mesopotamia - The Beginning of Beginnings
Mesopotamia (from the Greek, meaning "between two rivers") was an ancient region located in the Near East (Middle East) bounded in the northeast by the Zagros Mountains and in the southeast by the Arabian Plateau, corresponding to modern-day...
Definition
Babylon - The Gate of the Gods
Babylon is the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia, whose ruins lie in modern-day Hillah, Iraq, 59 miles (94 km) southwest of Baghdad. The name is derived from bav-il or bav-ilim, which in Akkadian meant "Gate of God" (or "Gate of the...
Definition
Ur - The Great Biblical City Abandoned by the Gods
Ur was a city in the region of Sumer, in southern Mesopotamia, and its ruins lie in what is modern-day Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq. According to biblical tradition, the city is named after the man who founded the first settlement there, Ur, though...
Definition
Uruk - The First Great City
Uruk was one of the most important cities (at one time, the most important) in ancient Mesopotamia. According to the Sumerian King List, it was founded by King Enmerkar circa 5000/4500 BCE. Uruk is best known as the birthplace of writing...