Ziggurat of Eridu (Tell Abu Shahrain)
Eridu Ziggurat · Enki Temple Platform · E-apsu Ziggurat
Ubaid to Ur III (5400–2112 BCE; ziggurat Ur III 2112–2000 BCE)·Sumerian (Eridu, Ubaid → Uruk → Ur III)·🇮🇶 Dhi Qar Governorate, Tell Abu Shahrain, Iraq
User:Cush · CC BY-SA 3.0
About
About Ziggurat of Eridu (Tell Abu Shahrain)
Tell at supposed first Sumerian city Eridu, sacred to water god Enki/Ea (Abzu). Eighteen superimposed mudbrick temples (Ubaid 5400–3800 BCE) culminating in Ur III ziggurat (~250 × 300 m enclosure, 3 stages, 35 m high). Excavated by Taylor 1853, Hall, Safar-Mustafa 1946. Earliest monumental architecture in Mesopotamia; mythic Paradise city in Sumerian King List.
Why it mattersType-site for Ubaid expansion; earliest continuous temple sequence illustrating urban genesis.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 0118-level temple continuity over 1,600 years on same spot
Theories
- 01Sacred spring (Abzu) fixed cult; repeated rebuilding expresses continuity of sacred geography
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Earliest temple Temple XI ~3800 BCE; ziggurat c. 2112 BCE (Amar-Sin)
- Period
- Ubaid to Ur III (5400–2112 BCE; ziggurat Ur III 2112–2000 BCE)
- Culture
- Sumerian (Eridu, Ubaid → Uruk → Ur III)
- Purpose
- Temple of Enki, lord of Abzu freshwater abyss
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
Earliest temple Temple XI ~3800 BCE; ziggurat c. 2112 BCE (Amar-Sin)
Initial construction
c. 1459 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
30.8158° N · 45.9961° E · 8 m · 3 mapped features
- Enki Temple platform – Level I (Ur III ziggurat)zigguratThird millennium ziggurat atop 18 temples30.8159° N · 45.9961° E
- sounding - Ubaid Temple XVIII deepest leveltempleFirst Ubaid shrine with altar ~5400 BCE30.8158° N · 45.9960° E
- Outer enclosure wall of Amar-SinwallUr III enclosure 250×300 m30.8155° N · 45.9955° E
Gallery