Eridu
𒉣𒆠 (NUN.KI) · Tell Abu Shahrain · Abu Shahrein · Eridug
Ubaid to Neo-Babylonian·Ubaid → Sumerian → Babylonian·🇮🇶 Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq
About
About Eridu
Sumerian sacred city traditionally first city in the world (Sumerian King List), center of god Enki/Ea cult (Abzu). Settlement from Ubaid c.5400 BCE to c.600 BCE, with 19 superimposed temples culminating in Ur III ziggurat. Hall & Woolley 1919, Fuad Safar & Seton Lloyd 1946–49 uncovered Eridu ziggurat on platform, Ubaid cemetery with elaborate grave goods, and a long environmental sequence from marsh to desert, informing Sumerian urban origins debate.
Why it mattersEarliest southern Mesopotamian city; Ubaid-Uruk transition template.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Environmental abandonment — marsh desiccation?
- 02Was Eridu truly 'first city' or ritual center?
Theories
- 01Abzu aquifer cult → city genesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.5400–3000 BCE (Ubaid to Early Dynastic)
- Period
- Ubaid to Neo-Babylonian
- Culture
- Ubaid → Sumerian → Babylonian
- Builders
- Sumerians (Enki temple)
- Purpose
- Cult center of Enki and early proto-urban settlement
- Abandoned
- c.600 BCE (Persians)
- Rediscovered
- 1855 Taylor; 1919 Hall; 1946 Safar/Lloyd
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1946
Safar-Lloyd temple sequence 19 levels
c.2900 BCE
ED ziggurat platform
On the ground
Structures & features
30.8158° N · 45.9961° E · 6 m · 3 mapped features
Ziggurat of Enki (Ur III)
zigguratMudbrick ziggurat on 19 temple platforms
30.8159° N · 45.9963° EUbaid temple sequence
temple19 superimposed temples (Level XIX–VI)
30.8157° N · 45.9960° EUbaid cemetery
cemeteryAl-Ubaid burial field with painted pottery
30.8155° N · 45.9958° E
Gallery