The Abzû or Apsû ( Sumerian : 𒀊𒍪 abzû ; Akkadian : 𒀊𒍪 apsû ), also called E ngar ( Cuneiform : 𒇉 , LAGAB×HAL ; Sumerian : engar ; Akkadian : engurru – lit. ab = 'water' zû = 'deep', recorded in Greek as Ἀπασών Apasṓn ), is the name for fresh water from underground aquifers which was given a religious fertilising quality in ancient near eastern cosmology , including Sumerian and Akkadian mythology. It was believed that all lakes, springs, rivers, fountains, rain, and even the Flood , as described in Atrahasis , originated from the Abzû. In Mesopotamian cosmogony , it is referred to as the freshwater primordial ocean below and above the earth; indeed our planet itself is regarded as a goddess Ninhursag that was conceived from the mating of male Abzu with female saltwater ocean Tiamat . Thus our divine Mother Earth – on her surface equipped with a bubble of breathable air – is surrounded by Abzû, and her interior harbours the realm of the dead ( Irkalla ).
60-578: In the city of Eridu , Enki 's temple was known as E 2 -abzû (house of the deep waters) and was located at the edge of a swamp – an abzû. Certain tanks of holy water in Babylonian and Assyrian temple courtyards were also called abzû ( apsû ). Typical in religious washing, these tanks were similar to Judaism 's mikvot , the washing pools of Islamic mosques , or the baptismal font in Christian churches . The Sumerian god Enki (Ea in
120-728: A semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, lāžward , lapis lazuli is a rock composed primarily of the minerals lazurite , pyrite and calcite . As early as the 7th millennium BC , lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines, in Shortugai , and in other mines in Badakhshan province in modern northeast Afghanistan . Lapis lazuli artifacts, dated to 7570 BC, have been found at Bhirrana , which
180-453: A blue feldspathoid silicate mineral of the sodalite family, with the formula (Na,Ca) 8 (AlSiO 4 ) 6 (S,SO 4 ,Cl) 1–2 . Most lapis lazuli also contains calcite (white), and pyrite (metallic yellow). Some samples of lapis lazuli contain augite , diopside , enstatite , mica , hauynite , hornblende , nosean , and sulfur-rich löllingite geyerite . Lapis lazuli usually occurs in crystalline marble as
240-704: A bowl inlaid with lapis, amulets, beads, and inlays representing eyebrows and beards, were found in the Royal Tombs of the Sumerian city-state of Ur from the 3rd millennium BC. Lapis was also used in ancient Persia, Mesopotamia by the Akkadians , Assyrians , and Babylonians for seals and jewelry. It is mentioned several times in the Mesopotamian poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh (17th–18th century BC), one of
300-516: A dispute and consequently created the first humans as labour slaves, to peacefully resolve the conflict. The humans multiplied en masse and disturbed the gods around Enlil and Anu with their noise, so that they wanted to use the cosmic freshwater ocean to trigger the great flood and destroy the humans (cf. Athrahasis epic ). Enraged by the devastation of earth, Tiamat gave birth to monsters whose bodies she filled with "poison instead of blood" and waged war against her traitorous children. Only Marduk ,
360-410: A flying bird, left her city. The mother of E-maḫ , holy Damgalnuna , left her city. The divine powers of the city of holiest divine powers were overturned. The divine powers of the rites of the greatest divine powers were altered. In Eridug everything was reduced to ruin, was wrought with confusion." The following list should not be considered complete: "After the kingship descended from heaven ,
420-590: A joint Italian, French, and Iraqi effort which included the University of Rome La Sapienza and the University of Strasbourg. Work has included producing new detail topographic and photogrammetric maps and is mainly focused on the Ubaid period cemetery and its associated Ubaid residential area. In March 2006, Giovanni Pettinato and S. Chiod from Rome's La Sapienza University claimed to have discovered 500 Early Dynastic historical and literary cuneiform tablets on
480-723: A major source of lapis lazuli. Important amounts are also produced from mines west of Lake Baikal in Russia, and in the Andes mountains in Chile which is the source that the Inca used to carve artifacts and jewelry. Smaller quantities are mined in Pakistan, Italy, Mongolia, the United States, and Canada. The most important mineral component of lapis lazuli is lazurite (25% to 40%),
540-673: A pair of basalt stone lion statues, columns several meters in diameter coated with cones and gypsum, and extensive Uruk period pottery. Occupation increased in the Early Dynastic period with a monumental 100 meter by 100 meter palace being constructed. An inscription of Elulu , a ruler of the First Dynasty of Ur ( c. 2600 BC ), was found at Eridu. On a statue of the Early Dynastic ruler of Lagash named Entemena ( c. 2400 BC ), it reads, "he built Ab-zupasira for Enki, king of Eridu ...", Eridu
600-418: A result of contact metamorphism . The intense blue color is due to the presence of the trisulfur radical anion ( S 3 ) in the crystal. The presence of disulfur ( S 2 ) and tetrasulfur ( S 4 ) radicals can shift the color towards yellow or red, respectively. These radical anions substitute for the chloride anions within the sodalite structure. The S 3 radical anion exhibits
660-480: A sounding under the Royal Cemetery of Ur. Soundings in the cemetery showed it to have about 1000 graves, all from the end of the Ubaid period (Temple levels VI and VII). They found a sequence of 17 Ubaid Period superseding temples and an Ubaid Period graveyard with 1000 graves of mud-brick boxes oriented to the southeast. The temple began as a 2 meter by 3 meter mud brick square with a niche. At Level XI it
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#1732766206912720-490: A visible absorption band in the range 595–620 nm with high molar absorptivity, leading to its bright blue color. Lapis lazuli is found in limestone in the Kokcha River valley of Badakhshan province in north-eastern Afghanistan, where the Sar-i Sang mine deposits have been worked for more than 6,000 years. Afghanistan was the source of lapis for the ancient Persian, Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations, as well as
780-671: Is "opaque and sprinkled with specks of gold". Because the stone combines the blue of the heavens and golden glitter of the sun, it was emblematic of success in the old Jewish tradition. In the early Christian tradition lapis lazuli was regarded as the stone of Virgin Mary . In late classical times and as late as the Middle Ages, lapis lazuli was often called sapphire ( sapphirus in Latin, sappir in Hebrew), though it had little to do with
840-520: Is described in more detail. The following is the English translation of the tablet: (Obverse) 1 They (the chief deities) created humanity 2 After the [animals/vermin?] were proliferating below/from the earth in unison 3 They made livestock and quadrupeds as fitting things in the steppe(eden-na) 4 In the high steppe ... joyous plants broadly 5 At that time, the canal was not dug ... 6 The dike and ditch [were not dredged(?) ...] 7 The ox ...
900-606: Is located in Dhi Qar Governorate , Iraq , near the modern city of Basra . Eridu is traditionally considered the earliest city in southern Mesopotamia based on the Sumerian King List . Located 24 kilometers south-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,
960-674: Is located on a natural hill in a basin approximately 15 miles long and 20 feet deep, which is separated from the Euphrates by a sandstone ridge called the Hazem . This basin, the As Sulaybiyat Depression (formerly: Khor en-Nejeif ), becomes a seasonal lake (Arabic: Sebkha) during the rainy season from November to April. During this period, it is filled by the discharge of the Wadi Khanega. Adjacent to eastern edge of
1020-531: Is the etymological source of both the English word azure (via Old French azur ) and Medieval Latin lazulum , which came to mean 'heaven' or 'sky'. To disambiguate, lapis lazulī ("stone of lazulum ") was used to refer to the stone itself, and is the term ultimately imported into Middle English . Lazulum is etymologically related to the color blue, and used as a root for the word for blue in several languages, including Spanish and Portuguese azul . Mines in northeast Afghanistan continue to be
1080-414: Is the most famous. These laments had a number of sections (kirugu) of which only fragments have been recovered. The Lament for Eridu describes the fall of that city. "Its king stayed outside his city as if it were an alien city. He wept bitter tears. Father Enki stayed outside his city as if it were an alien city. He wept bitter tears. For the sake of his harmed city, he wept bitter tears. Its lady, like
1140-683: Is the oldest site of Indus Valley civilisation . Lapis was highly valued by the Indus Valley Civilisation (3300–1900 BC). Lapis beads have been found at Neolithic burials in Mehrgarh , the Caucasus , and as far away as Mauritania . It was used in the funeral mask of Tutankhamun (1341–1323 BC). By the end of the Middle Ages , lapis lazuli began to be exported to Europe, where it was ground into powder and made into
1200-563: The Akkadian language ) was believed to have keen eyes and appeared out of the abzû since before human beings were created. His wife Damgalnuna , his mother Nammu , his advisor Isimud and a variety of subservient creatures, such as the gatekeeper Lahmu , also lived in the abzû. Abzû ( apsû ) is depicted as a deity only in the Babylonian creation epic , the Enūma Eliš , taken from
1260-489: The Old Babylonian period with Hammurabi stating in his 33rd Year Name "Year Hammu-rabi the king dug the canal (called) 'Hammu-rabi is abundance to the people', the beloved of An and Enlil, established the everlasting waters of plentifulness for Nippur, Eridu, Ur, Larsa, Uruk and Isin, restored Sumer and Akkad which had been scattered, overthrew in battle the army of Mari and Malgium and caused Mari and its territory and
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#17327662069121320-754: The Renaissance , lapis was ground and processed to make the pigment ultramarine for use in frescoes and oil painting . Its usage as a pigment in oil paint largely ended during the early 19th century, when a chemically identical synthetic variety became available. Lapis lazuli is commercially synthesized or simulated by the Gillson process, which is used to make artificial ultramarine and hydrous zinc phosphates . Spinel or sodalite , or dyed jasper or howlite , can be substituted for lapis. Lapis lazuli has been mined in Afghanistan and exported to
1380-405: The Sumerian King List , Eridu is the first of five cities where kingship was received before a flood came over the land. The list mentions two rulers of Eridu from the Early Dynastic period, Alulim and Alalngar . [nam]- lugal an - ta èd-dè-a-ba [eri]du nam-lugal-la eridug a₂-lu-lim lugal mu 28800 i₃-ak a₂-lal₃-ĝar mu 36000 i₃-ak When kingship from heaven was lowered,
1440-524: The e-abzu temple, including Elili of Ur; Ur-Nammu , Shulgi and Amar-Sin of Ur-III , and Nur-Adad of Larsa . Eridu is one of the earliest settlements in the region, founded c. 5400 BC during the early Ubaid period , at that time close to the Persian Gulf near the mouth of the Euphrates , although in modern times it is about 90 miles inland. Excavation has shown that
1500-524: The gifts of civilization . At first Enki, the god of Eridu, attempted to retrieve these sources of his power but later willingly accepted that Uruk now was the centre of the land. The fall of early Mesopotamia cities and empires was typically believed to be the result of falling out of favor with the gods. A genre called City Laments developed during the Isin-Larsa period , of which the Lament for Ur
1560-553: The British Vice-counsel at Basra, in 1855. Among the finds were inscribed bricks enabling the identification of the site as Eridu. Excavation on the main tell next occurred by R. Campbell Thompson from April 10 untill May 8 in 1918, and H. R. Hall from April 21 until May 8 in 1919, who also conducted a survey in the area around the tell. An interesting find by Hall was a piece of manufactured blue glass which he dated to c. 2000 BC . The blue color
1620-690: The God of Israel, and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone..." (KJV). The words used in the Latin Vulgate Bible in this citation are "quasi opus lapidis sapphirini", the terms for lapis lazuli. Modern translations of the Bible, such as the New Living Translation Second Edition, refer to lapis lazuli in most instances instead of sapphire. Johannes Vermeer used lapis lazuli paint, in
1680-708: The Mediterranean world and South Asia since the Neolithic age, along the ancient trade route between Afghanistan and the Indus Valley dating to the 7th millennium BC. Quantities of these beads have also been found at 4th millennium BC settlements in Northern Mesopotamia , and at the Bronze Age site of Shahr-e Sukhteh in southeast Iran (3rd millennium BC). A dagger with a lapis handle,
1740-636: The city of Eridu". From most southern city of Mesopotamia, Eridu, there is a good view to the south, so that about 6000 years ago due to the precession of the Earth's axis the first rising of the star Canopus in Mesopotamia could be observed only from there at the southern meridian at midnight. In the city of Ur this was the case only 60 years later. In the flood myth tablet found in Ur, how Eridu and Alulim were chosen by gods as first city and first priest-king
1800-399: The city was abandoned in 600 BC. In 1990 the site was visited by A. M. T. Moore who found two areas of surface pottery kilns not noted by the earlier excavators. In October 2014 Franco D’Agostino visited the site in preparation for the coming resumption of excavation, noting a number of inscribed Amar-Sin brick fragments on the surface. In 2019, excavations at Eridu were resumed by
1860-553: The city was founded on a virgin sand dune site with no previous habitation. According to the excavators, construction of the Ur III ziggurat and associated buildings was preceded by the destruction of preceding construction and its use as leveling fill so no remains from that time were found. At a small mound 1 kilometer north of Eridu two Early Dynastic III palaces were found, with an enclosure wall. The palaces measured 45 meters by 65 meters with 2.6 meter wide walls and were constructed in
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1920-460: The father(s) of the gods(?) 11 They chose Alulim/the "seed of the red deer" for the shepherdship of the entirety of the many people 12 They named him(!) Alulim/named the "seed of the red deer" ... 13 After they served according to the command to check thusly/forever after(?) 14 [So that?] humanity, whoever possessed a name, were grasping his feet (in submission)/following his path(?) 15 They put both (capital) offense and sin(?) in his hand 16
1980-572: The founder of Babylon, was able to kill Tiamat and mould the final constitution of heaven and earth from her corpse. Abzû is a 2016 adventure game that was influenced by Sumerian mythology of Abzû. Eridu Eridu ( Sumerian : 𒉣 𒆠 , romanized: NUN.KI ; Sumerian : eridug ; 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 Lower Mesopotamia . It
2040-579: The highest religious office in the land at that time. In each the first two cases it was also used as the succeeding Year Name. After the fall of Ur III the site was occupied and active during the Isin-Larsa period (early 2nd Millennium BC) as evidenced by a Year Name of Nur-Adad , ruler of Larsa "Year the temple of Enki in Eridu was built" and texts of Larsa rulers Ishbi-Erra and Ishme-Dagan showing control over Eridu. Inscribed construction bricks of Nur-Adad have also been found at Eridu. This continued in
2100-658: The kingship was in Eridu In Eridug, Alulim became king; he ruled for 28800 years. Alaljar ruled for 36000 years The bright star Canopus was known to the ancient Mesopotamians and represented the city of Eridu in the Three Stars Each Babylonian star catalogues and later around 1100 BC on the MUL.APIN tablets. Canopus was called MUL.NUN by the Babylonians, which translates as "star of
2160-409: The kingship was in Eridu." "2 kings; they ruled for 64800 years. Then Eridu fell and the kingship was taken to Bad-tibira ." Lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli ( UK : / ˌ l æ p ɪ s ˈ l æ z ( j ) ʊ l i , ˈ l æ ʒ ʊ -, - ˌ l i / ; US : / ˈ l æ z ( j ) ə l i , ˈ l æ ʒ ə -, - ˌ l i / ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as
2220-526: The later Greeks and Romans. Ancient Egyptians obtained the material through trade with Mesopotamians, as part of Egypt–Mesopotamia relations . During the height of the Indus Valley civilisation , approximately 2000 BC, the Harappan colony, now known as Shortugai , was established near the lapis mines. In addition to the Afghan deposits, lapis is also extracted in the Andes (near Ovalle , Chile ); and to
2280-532: The library of Assurbanipal ( c. 630 BCE ) but which is about 500 years older. In this story, he was a primal being made of fresh water and a lover to another primal deity, Tiamat , a creature of salt water. The Enūma Eliš begins: The act of procreation led to the birth of the younger gods: Enki , Enlil , and Anu . Anchored in the Tablet of Destinies , they founded an organisation to make Mesopotamia fertile through agriculture, but got into
2340-580: The modern Eridu dig-house. The dig-house had been built using bricks from the demolished Leonard Woolley’s expedition house at Ur (clearly spelled out in the 1981 Iraqi excavation report to avoid confusion to future archaeologists. Most of the bricks in question were returned to Ur in 1962 fur use in restoration efforts. The urban nucleus of Eridu was Enki 's temple, called House of the Aquifer ( Cuneiform : 𒂍𒍪𒀊 , E₂.ZU.AB ; Sumerian : e₂ -abzu ; Akkadian : bītu apsû ), which in later history
2400-422: The nugig midwife?], 3 Third ... were giving [Larak[ to Pabilsaĝ, 4 Fourth ... were giving [Sippar to Utu?] 5 Fifth ... were giving Š[uruppak?] to [Sud?]. 6 Those cities .. their settlements ... 7 An, Enlil, [Enki?] and Ninhursaĝ 8 Among(?) those cities, Eridu .. they established at the front/as the leader(?) 9 They led(?) a man who was lying(?) among its vast and many people ... 10 An, Enlil, and Enki,
2460-570: The oldest known works of literature. The Statue of Ebih-Il , a 3rd millennium BC statue found in the ancient city-state of Mari in modern-day Syria , now in the Louvre , uses lapis lazuli inlays for the irises of the eyes. In ancient Egypt, lapis lazuli was a favorite stone for amulets and ornaments such as scarabs . Lapis jewellery has been found at excavations of the Predynastic Egyptian site Naqada (3300–3100 BC). At Karnak ,
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2520-598: The pigment ultramarine . Ultramarine was used by some of the most important artists of the Renaissance and Baroque , including Masaccio , Perugino , Titian and Vermeer , and was often reserved for the clothing of the central figures of their paintings, especially the Virgin Mary . Ultramarine has also been found in dental tartar of medieval nuns and scribes , perhaps as a result of licking their painting brushes while producing medieval texts and manuscripts . Excavations from Tepe Gawra show that Lapis lazuli
2580-651: The plow/farmer/furrow(?) ... 8 The lands ... a single track ... 9 Humanity ... their eyes/faces ... [rain?] 10 Šakkan/Šumugan [did not go out(?)] in the desert ... 11 Weaving the cap/headcloth(?) ... 12 Humanity ... 13 At that time, the snake was not present, [the scorpion was not present ...] 14 The lion was not present, [the hyena was not present ...] 15 The dog and wolf were not present ... 16 Humanity [had no opponent ...] 17 Fear and [gooseflesh(?) were not present ...] 18 ... 19 The king ... 20 ... (Reverse) 1 First ... were giving [Eridu or Ku’ara?] to Asalluhi, 2 Second ... were giving [Bad-tibira to
2640-605: The precursor to Proto-cuneiform , were found in the Ubaid levels of the site. Eighteen superimposed mudbrick temples at the site underlie the unfinished ziggurat of Amar-Sin (c. 2047–2039 BC). Levels XIX to VI were from the Ubaid period and Levels V to I were dated to the Uruk period . Significant habitation was found from the Uruk period with "non-secular" buildings being found in soundings. Uruk finds included decorative terracotta cones topped with copper, copper nails topped with gold,
2700-567: The relief carvings of Thutmose III (1479–1429 BC) show fragments and barrel-shaped pieces of lapis lazuli being delivered to him as tribute. Powdered lapis was used as eyeshadow by Cleopatra . Jewelry made of lapis lazuli has also been found at Mycenae attesting to relations between the Myceneans and the developed civilizations of Egypt and the East. Pliny the Elder wrote that lapis lazuli
2760-528: The seasonal lake are the Hammar Marshes . In the 3rd Millennium BC a canal, Id-edin-Eriduga (NUN) "the canal of the Eridug plain", connected Eridu to the Euphrates river, which later shifted its course. The path of the canal is marked by several low tells with 2nd Millennium BC surface pottery and later burials. The site contains 8 mounds: The site was initially excavated by John George Taylor ,
2820-625: The standard Early Dynastic period method of plano-convex bricks laid in a herringbone fashion. With possible breaks in occupation in the Early Dynastic III and Akkadian Empire periods, the city was inhabited until the Neo-Babylonian Empire , though in later times it was primarily a cultic site. During the Ubaid period the site extended out to an area of about 12 hectares (about 30 acres). Twelve neolithic clay tokens,
2880-635: The stone today known as the blue corundum variety sapphire. In his book on stones, the Greek scientist Theophrastus described "the sapphirus, which is speckled with gold," a description which matches lapis lazuli. There are many references to "sapphire" in the Old Testament , but most scholars agree that, since sapphire was not known before the Roman Empire, they most likely are references to lapis lazuli. For instance, Exodus 24:10: "And they saw
2940-520: The surface at Eridu "disturbed by an explosion". The tablets were said to be from 2600 to 2100 BC (rulers Eannatum to Amar-Sin) and be part of a library. A team was sent to the site by Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage which found no tablets, only stamped bricks from Eridu and surrounding sites such as Ur. Nor was there a permit to excavate at the site issued to anyone. At this point Pettinato stated that they had actually found 70 inscribed bricks. This turned out to be stamped bricks used to build
3000-927: The various cities of Subartu to dwell under his authority in friendship" In an inscription of Kurigalzu I ( c. 1375 BC ), a ruler of the Kassite dynasty one of his epitaphs is "[he one who ke]eps the sanctuary in Eridu in order". An inscription of the Second Sealand Dynastic ruler Simbar-shipak (c. 1021–1004 BCE) mentions a priest of Eridu. The Neo-Assyrian emperor Sargon II (722–705 BCE) awarded andurāru -status (described as "a periodic reinstatement of goods and persons, alienated because of want, to their original status") to Eridu. The Neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BC) built at Eridu as evidenced by inscribed bricks found there. In some, but not all, versions of
3060-655: The west of Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, at the Tultui lazurite deposit. It is mined in smaller amounts in Angola , Argentina, Burma , Pakistan, Canada, Italy, India, and in the United States in California and Colorado . Lapis takes an excellent polish and can be made into jewellery, carvings, boxes, mosaics , ornaments, small statues, and vases. Interior items and finishing buildings can be also made with lapis. During
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#17327662069123120-475: Was a temple of Ishtar of Eridu (built by Lagash 's 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 temple called the Esagila as well as the temple of Annunitum , among others, was also named Eridu. Eridu
3180-552: Was achieved with cobalt , long before this technique emerged in Egypt. Excavation there resumed from 1946 to 1949 under Fuad Safar and Seton Lloyd of the Iraqi Directorate General of Antiquities and Heritage. Among the finds were a Ubaid period terracotta boat model, complete with a socket amidship for a mast and hole for stays and rudder, bevel-rimmed bowls , and a "lizard type" figurine like those found in
3240-471: Was active during the Third Dynasty of Ur (22nd to 21st century BC) and royal building activity is known from inscribed bricks notably those of Ur-Nammu from his ziggurat marked "Ur-Nammu, king of Ur, the one who built the temple of the god Enki in Eridu." Three Third Dynasty rulers designated Year Names based on the appointment of an en(tu) -priestess (high priestess) of the temple of Enki in Eridu,
3300-487: Was called House of the Waters ( Cuneiform : 𒂍𒇉 , E₂.LAGAB×HAL ; Sumerian : e₂ -engur; Akkadian : bītu engurru ). The name refers to Enki's realm. His consort Ninhursag had a nearby temple at Ubaid . During the Ur III period Ur-Nammu had a ziggurat built over the remains of previous temples. Aside from Enmerkar of Uruk (as mentioned in the Aratta epics), several later historical Sumerian kings are said in inscriptions found here to have worked on or renewed
3360-525: 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 thought 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. ..." At nearby Ur there
3420-404: Was giving ... to him 17 ... 18 ... Adapa , a man of Eridu, is depicted as an early culture hero. Although earlier tradition, Me-Turan/Tell-Haddad tablet, describes Adapa as postdiluvian ruler of Eridu, in late tradition, Adapa came to be viewed as Alulim’s vizier, and he was considered to have brought civilization to the city as the sage of King Alulim . In Sumerian mythology, Eridu
3480-423: Was introduced to Mesopotamia approximately in the late Ubaid period , c. 4900–4000 BCE. A traditional understanding was that the lapis was mined some fifteen hundred miles to the east – in Badakhshan . Indeed, the Persian لاژورد lāžavard/lāževard , also written لاجورد lājevard , is commonly interpreted as having an origin in a local place name. From the Persian, the Arabic لازورد lāzaward
3540-455: Was rebuilt and eventually reached its final tripartite form in Level VI. In Ur III times a 300 square meter platform was constructed as a base for a ziggurat. These archaeological investigations showed that, according to A. Leo Oppenheim , "eventually the entire south lapsed into stagnation, abandoning the political initiative to the rulers of the northern cities", probably as a result of increasing salinity produced by continuous irrigation, and
3600-503: Was the home of the Abzu temple of the god Enki , the Sumerian counterpart of the Akkadian god Ea, god of deep waters, wisdom and magic. Like all the Sumerian and Babylonian gods, Enki/Ea began as a local god who, according to the later cosmology, came to share the rule of the cosmos with Anu and Enlil . His kingdom was the sweet waters that lay below earth (Sumerian ab =water; zu =far). The stories of Inanna , goddess of Uruk , describe how she had to go to Eridu in order to receive
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