GIRSU
![](girsu.jpg)
Girsu
shown within Near East
![](640px-Kingdom_of_Lagash_(30658120300).jpg)
Archaeological
remains of constructions at Tello / Girsu
Location
: Tell Telloh, Dhi Qar Province, Iraq
Region
: Sumer
Coordinates
: 31°33'43.3 N 46°10'39.3 E
Type
: Settlement
Girsu
(Sumerian Girsu; cuneiform gir2-suki) was a city of ancient Sumer,
situated some 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Lagash, at the site of
modern Tell Telloh, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq.
History
:
![](640px-Stamp_seal_with_Master_of_Animals_motif,_Tello,_ancient_Girsu,_End_of_Ubaid_period,_Louvre_Museum_AO14165.jpg)
Terracotta
stamp seal with Master of Animals motif, Tell Telloh, ancient Girsu,
End of Ubaid period, circa 4000 BC. Louvre Museum AO15388
Girsu was possibly inhabited in the Ubaid period (5300-4800 BC),
but significant levels of activity began in the Early Dynastic period
(2900-2335 BC). At the time of Gudea, during the Second Dynasty
of Lagash, Girsu became the capital of the Lagash kingdom and continued
to be its religious center after political power had shifted to
city of Lagash. During the Ur III period, Girsu was a major administrative
center for the empire. After the fall of Ur, Girsu declined in importance,
but remained inhabited until approximately 200 BC.
Archaeology
:
The site consist of two main mounds, one rising 50 above the plain
and the other 56 feet. A number of small mounds dot the site. Telloh
was the first Sumerian site to be extensively excavated, at first
under the French vice-consul at Basra, Ernest de Sarzec, in eleven
campaigns between 1877 and 1900, followed by his successor Gaston
Cros from 1903–1909. Excavations continued under Abbé
Henri de Genouillac in 1929–1931 and under André Parrot
in 1931–1933. It was at Girsu that the fragments of the Stele
of the Vultures were found. The site has suffered from poor excavation
standards and also from illegal excavations. About 50,000 cuneiform
tablets have been recovered from the site. Excavations at Tello
have now resumed as part of a training program for Iraqi archaeologists
organized by the American Schools of Oriental Research. A foundation
tablet and a number of inscribed building cones have been found.
In March 2020, archaeologists announced the discovery of a 5,000-year-old
cultic area filled with more than 300 broken ceremonial ceramic
cups, bowls, jars animal sacrifices and ritual processions dedicated
to Ningirsu. One of the remains was a duck-shaped bronze figurine
with eyes made from bark which is thought to be dedicated to Nanshe.
An Indus Valley weight was also found.
Gallery
:
Ubaid IV artifacts (4700 – 4200 BC) in Girsu :
![](410px-Ubaid_IV_pottery_gobelet_4700-4200_BC_Tello,_ancient_Girsu._Louvre_Museum.jpg)
Ubaid
IV pottery gobelet, 4700 – 4200 BC Tello, ancient Girsu. Louvre
Museum
![](640px-Ubaid_IV_pottery_jars_4700-4200_BC_Tello,_ancient_Girsu,_Louvre_Museum.jpg)
Ubaid
IV pottery jars 4700 – 4200 BC Tello, ancient Girsu, Louvre
Museum
![](405px-Ubaid_IV_pottery_4700-4200_BC_Tello,_ancient_Girsu,_Louvre_Museum.jpg)
Ubaid
IV pottery 4700 – 4200 BC Tello, ancient Girsu, Louvre Museum
AO 15338
![](580px-Female_figurines_Ubaid_IV_Tello_ancient_Girsu_4700-4200_BC_Louvre_Museum.jpg)
Female
figurines Ubaid IV, Tello, ancient Girsu, 4700 – 4200 BC.
Louvre Museum AO15327
Uruk
Period artifacts (4000 – 3100) :
![](527px-Vase_Telloh_Louvre_AO14313.jpg)
Uruk period vase. Terracotta, ca. 3500 – 2900 BC.
From Telloh, ancient city of Girsu. Louvre Museum
![](565px-Vase_Telloh_Louvre_AO14302.jpg)
Vase.
Terracotta with red slip, ca. 3500 – 2900 BC. From Telloh,
ancient city of Girsu. Louvre Museum
![](640px-Vase_Telloh_Louvre_AO14342.jpg)
Vase.
Terracotta, ca. 3500 – 2900 BC. From Telloh, ancient city
of Girsu
![](Indus_seal_found_in_Telloh.jpg)
Indus
seal impression discovered in Telloh, a result of Indus-Mesopotamia
relations
Early
dynastic artifacts in Girsu (3rd millennium BC) :
![](640px-Ring_of_Gold,_Carnelian,_Lapis_Lazuli,_Tello,_ancient_Girsu,_mid-3rd_millenium_BC.jpg)
Ring
of Gold, Carnelian, Lapis Lazuli, Tello, ancient Girsu, mid-3rd
millennium BC. Louvre Museum
![](519px-Issue_of_barley_rations.jpg)
An
account of barley rations issued monthly to adults and children
written in Cuneiform on clay tablet, written in year 4 of King Urukagina
(circa 2350 BC). From Girsu, Iraq. British Museum, London
![](Telloh_doorway_erected_by_Gudea.jpg)
Telloh
doorway erected by Gudea (c. 2100 BC)
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Girsu