URUK
![](uruk.jpg)
Uruk
![](640px-Uruk_Archaealogical_site_at_Warka.jpg)
Uruk
in 2008
Uruk |
Location |
Al-Warka,
Muthanna Governorate, Iraq |
Region |
Mesopotamia |
Coordinates |
31°19'27
N 45°38'14 E |
Type |
Settlement |
Area |
6
km2 (2.3 sq mi) |
History |
Founded |
4th
millennium BC |
Abandoned |
Approximately
700 AD |
Periods |
Uruk
period to Early Middle Ages |
Site
notes |
UNESCO
World Heritage Site |
Official
name |
Uruk
Archaeological City |
Part
of |
Ahwar
of Southern Iraq |
Criteria |
Mixed:
(iii) (v) (ix) (x) |
Reference
no. |
1481
- 005 |
Inscription |
2016
(40th session) |
Area |
541
ha (2.09 sq mi) |
Buffer
zone |
292
ha (1.13 sq mi) |
|
Uruk
(Cuneiform: unugki, Akkadian: Uruk (URUUNUG); Arabic: Warka' or
Auruk; Syriac: ‘Úruk; Hebrew: 'Érek; Romanized:
Orkhóe, Orékh, Orúgeia) was an ancient city
of Sumer (and later of Babylonia) situated east of the present
bed of the Euphrates River on the dried-up ancient channel of
the Euphrates 30 km (19 mi) east of modern Samawah, Al-Muthanna,
Iraq.
Uruk
is the type site for the Uruk period. Uruk played a leading role
in the early urbanization of Sumer in the mid-4th millennium BC.
By the final phase of the Uruk period around 3100 BC, the city
may have had 40,000 residents, with 80,000-90,000 people living
in its environs, making it the largest urban area in the world
at the time. The legendary king Gilgamesh, according to the chronology
presented in the Sumerian King List (henceforth SKL), ruled Uruk
in the 27th century BC. The city lost its prime importance around
2000 BC in the context of the struggle of Babylonia against Elam,
but it remained inhabited throughout the Seleucid (312–63
BC) and Parthian (227 BC to 224 AD) periods until it was finally
abandoned shortly before or after the Islamic conquest of 633–638.
William
Kennett Loftus visited the site of Uruk in 1849, identifying it
as "Erech", known as "the second city of Nimrod",
and led the first excavations from 1850 to 1854.
The
Arabic name of the present-day country, al-Iraq cannot derive
from the name Uruk, but is loaned via Middle Persian (Eraq) and
then Aramaic ’yrg transmission.
Prominence
:
![](640px-Uruk_expansion.svg.jpg)
Uruk
expansion and colonial outposts, c. 3600 - 3200 BC
In myth and literature, Uruk was famous as the capital city of
Gilgamesh, hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Scholars identify Uruk
as the biblical Erech (Genesis 10:10), the second city founded
by Nimrod in Shinar.
Uruk
period :
In addition to being one of the first cities, Uruk was the main
force of urbanization and state formation during the Uruk period,
or 'Uruk expansion' (4000–3200 BC). This period of 800 years
saw a shift from small, agricultural villages to a larger urban
center with a full-time bureaucracy, military, and stratified
society. Although other settlements coexisted with Uruk, they
were generally about 10 hectares while Uruk was significantly
larger and more complex. The Uruk period culture exported by Sumerian
traders and colonists had an effect on all surrounding peoples,
who gradually evolved their own comparable, competing economies
and cultures. Ultimately, Uruk could not maintain long-distance
control over colonies such as Tell Brak by military force.
Geographic
factors :
![](598px-Sumer_map.jpg)
Map
of Sumer
Geographic factors underpin Uruk's unprecedented growth. The city
was located in the southern part of Mesopotamia, an ancient site
of civilization, on the Euphrates river. Through the gradual and
eventual domestication of native grains from the Zagros foothills
and extensive irrigation techniques, the area supported a vast
variety of edible vegetation. This domestication of grain and
its proximity to rivers enabled Uruk's growth into the largest
Sumerian settlement, in both population and area, with relative
ease.
Uruk's
agricultural surplus and large population base facilitated processes
such as trade, specialization of crafts and the evolution of writing;
writing may have originated in Uruk around 3300 BC. Evidence from
excavations such as extensive pottery and the earliest known tablets
of writing support these events. Excavation of Uruk is highly
complex because older buildings were recycled into newer ones,
thus blurring the layers of different historic periods. The topmost
layer most likely originated in the Jemdet Nasr period (3100–2900
BC) and is built on structures from earlier periods dating back
to the Ubaid period.
History
:
![](255px-Warka_vase_(background_retouched).jpg)
Devotional
scene to Inanna, Warka Vase, c. 3200 – 3000 BC, Uruk. This
is one of the earliest surviving works of narrative relief sculpture
According to the SKL, Uruk was founded by the king Enmerkar. Though
the king-list mentions a king of Eanna before him, the epic Enmerkar
and the Lord of Aratta relates that Enmerkar constructed the House
of Heaven (Sumerian: e2-anna; Cuneiform: E2.AN) for the goddess
Inanna in the Eanna District of Uruk. In the Epic of Gilgamesh,
Gilgamesh builds the city wall around Uruk and is king of the
city.
Uruk
went through several phases of growth, from the Early Uruk period
(4000–3500 BC) to the Late Uruk period (3500–3100
BC). The city was formed when two smaller Ubaid settlements merged.
The temple complexes at their cores became the Eanna District
and the Anu District dedicated to Inanna and Anu, respectively.
The Anu District was originally called 'Kullaba' (Kulab or Unug-Kulaba)
prior to merging with the Eanna District. Kullaba dates to the
Eridu period when it was one of the oldest and most important
cities of Sumer. There are different interpretations about the
purposes of the temples. However, it is generally believed they
were a unifying feature of the city. It also seems clear that
temples served both an important religious function and state
function. The surviving temple archive of the Neo-Babylonian period
documents the social function of the temple as a redistribution
center.
The
Eanna District was composed of several buildings with spaces for
workshops, and it was walled off from the city. By contrast, the
Anu District was built on a terrace with a temple at the top.
It is clear Eanna was dedicated to Inanna from the earliest Uruk
period throughout the history of the city. The rest of the city
was composed of typical courtyard houses, grouped by profession
of the occupants, in districts around Eanna and Anu. Uruk was
extremely well penetrated by a canal system that has been described
as, "Venice in the desert." This canal system flowed
throughout the city connecting it with the maritime trade on the
ancient Euphrates River as well as the surrounding agricultural
belt.
The
original city of Uruk was situated southwest of the ancient Euphrates
River, now dry. Currently, the site of Warka is northeast of the
modern Euphrates river. The change in position was caused by a
shift in the Euphrates at some point in history, which, together
with salination due to irrigation, may have contributed to the
decline of Uruk.
Archaeological
levels of Uruk :
Archeologists have discovered multiple cities of Uruk built atop
each other in chronological order.
Particulars |
• |
Uruk
XVIII Eridu period (c 5000 BC); the founding of
Uruk |
• |
Uruk
XVIII-XVI Late Ubaid period (4800–4200 BC) |
• |
Uruk
XVI-X Early Uruk period (4000–3800 BC) |
• |
Uruk
IX-VI Middle Uruk period (3800–3400 BC) |
• |
Uruk
V-IV Late Uruk period (3400–3100 BC); The
earliest monumental temples of Eanna District are
built |
• |
Uruk
III Jemdet Nasr period (3100–2900 BC); The
9 km city wall is built |
• |
Uruk
II |
• |
Uruk
I |
|
Anu
district :
Anu/ White Temple ziggurat
![](640px-White_Temple_%27E_at_Uruk,_3500-3000_BCE.jpg)
![](640px-White_Temple_ziggurat_in_Uruk.jpg)
Anu/
White Temple ziggurat at Uruk. The original pyramidal structure,
the "Anu Ziggurat" dates to around 4000 BCE, and the
White Temple was built on top of it circa 3500 BCE
The great Anu district is older than the Eanna district; however,
few remains of writing have been found here. Unlike the Eanna
district, the Anu district consists of a single massive terrace,
the Anu Ziggurat, dedicated to the Sumerian sky god Anu. Sometime
in the Uruk III period the massive White Temple was built atop
of the ziggurat. Under the northwest edge of the ziggurat an Uruk
VI period structure, the Stone Temple, has been discovered.
The
Stone Temple was built of limestone and bitumen on a podium of
rammed earth and plastered with lime mortar. The podium itself
was built over a woven reed mat called gipar, which was ritually
as used a nuptial bed. The gipar was a source of generative power
which then radiated upward into the structure. The structure of
the Stone Temple further develops some mythological concepts from
Enuma Elish, perhaps involving libation rites as indicated from
the channels, tanks, and vessels found there. The structure was
ritually destroyed, covered with alternating layers of clay and
stone, then excavated and filled with mortar sometime later.
The
Anu Ziggurat began with a massive mound topped by a cella during
the Uruk period (ca. 4000 BC), and was expanded through 14 phases
of construction. These phases have been labeled L to A3 (L is
sometimes called X). The earliest phase used architectural features
similar to PPNA cultures in Anatolia: a single chamber cella with
a terazzo floor beneath which bucrania were found. In phase E,
corresponding to the Uruk III period (ca. 3000 BC), the White
Temple was built. The White Temple could be seen from a great
distance across the plain of Sumer, as it was elevated 21m and
covered in gypsum plaster which reflected sunlight like a mirror.
For this reason it is believed the White Temple is a symbol of
Uruk's political power at the time. [citation needed] In addition
to this temple the Anu Ziggurat had a monumental limestone-paved
staircase, which was used in religious processions. A trough running
parallel to the staircase was used to drain the ziggurat.
Eanna
district :
![](640px-Eanna4composite.svg.png)
Eanna
IVa (light brown) and IVb (dark brown)
The Eanna district is historically significant as both writing
and monumental public architecture emerged here during Uruk periods
VI-IV. The combination of these two developments places Eanna
as arguably the first true city and civilization in human history.
Eanna during period IVa contains the earliest examples of cuneiform
writing and possibly the earliest writing in history. Although
some of these cuneiform tablets have been deciphered, difficulty
with site excavations has obscured the purpose and sometimes even
the structure of many buildings.
The
first building of Eanna, Stone-Cone Temple (Mosaic Temple), was
built in period VI over a preexisting Ubaid temple and is enclosed
by a limestone wall with an elaborate system of buttresses. The
Stone-Cone Temple, named for the mosaic of colored stone cones
driven into the adobe brick façade, may be the earliest
water cult in Mesopotamia. It was ritually demolished in Uruk
IVb period and its contents interred in the Riemchen Building.
![](640px-Cylinder_seal_king_Louvre_AO6620.jpg)
An
Uruk period cylinder-seal and its impression, c. 3100 BC. Louvre
In the following period, Uruk V, about 100 m east of the Stone-Cone
Temple the Limestone Temple was built on a 2 m high rammed-earth
podium over a pre-existing Ubaid temple, which like the Stone-Cone
Temple represents a continuation of Ubaid culture. However, the
Limestone Temple was unprecedented for its size and use of stone,
a clear departure from traditional Ubaid architecture. The stone
was quarried from an outcrop at Umayyad about 60 km east of Uruk.
It is unclear if the entire temple or just the foundation was
built of this limestone. The Limestone temple is probably the
first Inanna temple, but it is impossible to know with certainty.
Like the Stone-Cone temple the Limestone temple was also covered
in cone mosaics. Both of these temples were rectangles with their
corners aligned to the cardinal directions, a central hall flanked
along the long axis flanked by two smaller halls, and buttressed
façades; the prototype of all future Mesopotamian temple
architectural typology.
![](554px-Pictographs_Recording_the_Allocation_of_Beer_(London,_England).jpg)
Tablet
from Uruk III (c. 3200 – 3000 BC) recording beer distributions
from the storerooms of an institution, British Museum
Between these two monumental structures a complex of buildings
(called A-C, E-K, Riemchen, Cone-Mosaic), courts, and walls was
built during Eanna IVb. These buildings were built during a time
of great expansion in Uruk as the city grew to 250 hectares and
established long-distance trade, and are a continuation of architecture
from the previous period. The Riemchen Building, named for the
16×16 cm brick shape called Riemchen by the Germans, is
a memorial with a ritual fire kept burning in the center for the
Stone-Cone Temple after it was destroyed. For this reason, Uruk
IV period represents a reorientation of belief and culture. The
facade of this memorial may have been covered in geometric and
figural murals. The Riemchen bricks first used in this temple
were used to construct all buildings of Uruk IV period Eanna.
The use of colored cones as a façade treatment was greatly
developed as well, perhaps used to greatest effect in the Cone-Mosaic
Temple. Composed of three parts: Temple N, the Round Pillar Hall,
and the Cone-Mosaic Courtyard, this temple was the most monumental
structure of Eanna at the time. They were all ritually destroyed
and the entire Eanna district was rebuilt in period IVa at an
even grander scale.
During
Eanna IVa, the Limestone Temple was demolished and the Red Temple
built on its foundations. The accumulated debris of the Uruk IVb
buildings were formed into a terrace, the L-Shaped Terrace, on
which Buildings C, D, M, Great Hall, and Pillar Hall were built.
Building E was initially thought to be a palace, but later proven
to be a communal building. Also in period IV, the Great Court,
a sunken courtyard surrounded by two tiers of benches covered
in cone mosaic, was built. A small aqueduct drains into the Great
Courtyard, which may have irrigated a garden at one time. The
impressive buildings of this period were built as Uruk reached
its zenith and expanded to 600 hectares. All the buildings of
Eanna IVa were destroyed sometime in Uruk III, for unclear reasons.
The
architecture of Eanna in period III was very different from what
had preceded it. The complex of monumental temples was replaced
with baths around the Great Courtyard and the labyrinthine Rammed-Earth
Building. This period corresponds to Early Dynastic Sumer c 2900
BC, a time of great social upheaval when the dominance of Uruk
was eclipsed by competing city-states. The fortress-like architecture
of this time is a reflection of that turmoil. The temple of Inanna
continued functioning during this time in a new form and under
a new name, 'The House of Inanna in Uruk' (Sumerian: e2-dinanna
unuki-ga). The location of this structure is currently unknown.
Uruk
into Late Antiquity :
Although it had been a thriving city in Early Dynastic Sumer,
especially Early Dynastic II, Uruk was ultimately annexed to the
Akkadian Empire and went into decline. Later, in the Neo-Sumerian
period, Uruk enjoyed revival as a major economic and cultural
center under the sovereignty of Ur. The Eanna District was restored
as part of an ambitious building program, which included a new
temple for Inanna. This temple included a ziggurat, the 'House
of the Universe' (Cuneiform: E2.SAR.A) to the northeast of the
Uruk period Eanna ruins.
![](640px-Ancient_ziggurat_at_Ali_Air_Base_Iraq_2005.jpg)
Partially
reconstructed facade and access staircase of the Ziggurat of Ur,
originally built by Ur-Nammu, Neo-Sumerian period, circa 2100
BCE
The ziggurat is also cited as Ur-Nammu Ziggurat for its builder
Ur-Nammu. Following the collapse of Ur (c 2000 BC), Uruk went
into a steep decline until about 850 BC when the Neo-Assyrian
Empire annexed it as a provincial capital. Under the Neo-Assyrians
and Neo-Babylonians, Uruk regained much of its former glory. By
250 BC, a new temple complex the 'Head Temple' (Akkadian: Bit
Reš) was added to northeast of the Uruk period Anu district.
The Bit Reš along with the Esagila was one of the two main
centers of Neo-Babylonian astronomy. All of the temples and canals
were restored again under Nabopolassar. During this era, Uruk
was divided into five main districts: the Adad Temple, Royal Orchard,
Ištar Gate, Lugalirra Temple, and Šamaš Gate districts.
Uruk,
known as Orcha to the Greeks, continued to thrive under the Seleucid
Empire. During this period, Uruk was a city of 300 hectares and
perhaps 40,000 inhabitants. In 200 BC, the 'Great Sanctuary' (Cuneiform:
E2.IRI12.GAL, Sumerian: eš-gal) of Ishtar was added between
the Anu and Eanna districts. The ziggurat of the temple of Anu,
which was rebuilt in this period, was the largest ever built in
Mesopotamia. When the Seleucids lost Mesopotamia to the Parthians
in 141 BC, Uruk again entered a period of decline from which it
never recovered. The decline of Uruk may have been in part caused
by a shift in the Euphrates River. By 300 AD, Uruk was mostly
abandoned, but a group of Mandaeans settled there, and by c 700
AD it was completely abandoned.
Political
history :
![](640px-Gebel_el-Arak_Knife_ivory_handle_(front_top_part_detail).jpg)
Uruk
King-Priest
Mesopotamian
king as Master of Animals on the Gebel el-Arak Knife (c. 3300-3200
BC, Abydos, Egypt), a work indicating Egypt-Mesopotamia relations
and showing the early influence of Mesopotamia on Egypt and the
state of Mesopotamian royal iconography in the Uruk period. Louvre.
![](427px-Uruk_King-Priest_3300_BCE_portrait_detail.jpg)
Probable
Uruk King-Priest with a beard and hat (c. 3300 BC, Uruk). Louvre
"In Uruk, in southern Mesopotamia, Sumerian civilization
seems to have reached its creative peak. This is pointed out repeatedly
in the references to this city in religious and, especially, in
literary texts, including those of mythological content; the historical
tradition as preserved in the Sumerian king-list confirms it.
From Uruk the center of political gravity seems to have moved
to Ur."
— Oppenheim
Uruk
played a very important part in the political history of Sumer.
Starting from the Early Uruk period, the city exercised hegemony
over nearby settlements. At this time (c 3800 BC), there were
two centers of 20 hectares, Uruk in the south and Nippur in the
north surrounded by much smaller 10 hectare settlements. Later,
in the Late Uruk period, its sphere of influence extended over
all Sumer and beyond to external colonies in upper Mesopotamia
and Syria. Uruk was prominent in the national struggles of the
Sumerians against the Elamites up to 2004 BC, in which it suffered
severely; recollections of some of these conflicts are embodied
in the Gilgamesh epic, in the literary and courtly form.
The
recorded chronology of rulers over Uruk includes both mythological
and historic figures in five dynasties. As in the rest of Sumer,
power moved progressively from the temple to the palace. Rulers
from the Early Dynastic period exercised control over Uruk and
at times over all Sumer. In myth, kingship was lowered from heaven
to Eridu then passed successively through five cities until the
deluge which ended the Uruk period. Afterwards, kingship passed
to Kish at the beginning of the Early Dynastic period, which corresponds
to the beginning of the Early Bronze Age in Sumer. In the Early
Dynastic I period (2900–2800 BC), Uruk was in theory under
the control of Kish. This period is sometimes called the Golden
Age. During the Early Dynastic II period (2800–2600 BC),
Uruk was again the dominant city exercising control of Sumer.
This period is the time of the First Dynasty of Uruk sometimes
called the Heroic Age. However, by the Early Dynastic IIIa period
(2600–2500 BC) Uruk had lost sovereignty, this time to Ur.
This period, corresponding to the Early Bronze Age III, is the
end of the First Dynasty of Uruk. In the Early Dynastic IIIb period
(2500–2334 BC), also called the Pre-Sargonic period (referring
to Sargon of Akkad), Uruk continued to be ruled by Ur.
Early
dynastic, Akkadian, and Neo-Sumerian rulers of Uruk :
![](640px-Uruk3000BCE.jpg)
Clay
impression of a cylinder seal with monstrous lions and lion-headed
eagles, Mesopotamia, Uruk Period (4100 BC – 3000 BC). Louvre
Museum
![](395px-Limestone_foundation_peg_of_Lugal-kisal-si,_from_Uruk,_Iraq._C._2380_BCE._Pergamon_Museum.jpg)
Foundation
peg of Lugal-kisal-si, king of Uruk, Ur and Kish, circa 2380 BCE.
The inscription reads "For (goddess) Namma, wife of (the
god) An, Lugalkisalsi, King of Uruk, King of Ur, erected this
temple of Namma". Pergamon Museum VA 4855.
![](626px-Tablet_of_Sin-Gamil_of_Uruk.jpg)
Dedication
tablet of Sîn-gamil, ruler of Uruk, 18th century BCE
Dynastic categorizations should be considered arbitrary, as they
are only known from the SKL, which is of dubious historical accuracy;
the organization might be analogous to Manetho's. The following
list should not be considered complete.
Pre-historical |
|
Notes
|
King-priests |
|
Reign
: c.4000–3400 BC
Various
pre-deluvian King-priests of Uruk are represented
in reliefs, statues or cylinders, but their
names are not known
|
1st
Dynasty of Uruk |
|
Notes
|
Mesh-ki-ang-gasher |
|
Reign
: c.3400–3100 BC (Late Uruk)
Son
of the god Utu and founder of Uruk who received
kingship from the 1st Dynasty of Kish
|
Enmerkar |
|
Reign
: c. 3400–3100 BC
Led
an assault on the city of Arrata
|
Lugalbanda |
|
Reign
: c. 3400–3100 BC
A
soldier in the army of Enmerkar
|
Dumuzid,
the Fisherman |
|
Reign
: c.2900–2700 BC (EDI)
Defeated
invading forces headed by Gudam
|
Gilgamesh |
|
Reign
: c.2900–2700 BC (EDI)
Built
the walls of Uruk and defeated Aga of Kish
|
Ur-Nungal
Udul-kalama
La-ba'shum
En-nun-tarah-ana
Mesh-he
Melem-ana
Lugal-kitun |
|
Reign
: c.2900–2700 BC
Little
is known of these rulers; the existence of most
is unconfirmed.
|
2nd
Dynasty of Uruk |
|
Notes
|
Lugalnamniršumma
|
|
Reign
: c.2500 BC
Assaulted
Girsu on ten separate occasions |
Lugalsilâsi |
|
Reign
: c.2450
BC |
Urzage
|
|
Reign
: c.2400
BC |
Lugal-kinishe-dudu |
|
Reign
: c.2400 BC
King
of Uruk and Ur |
Lugal-kisal-si |
|
Reign
: c.2400 BC
King
of Uruk and Ur |
Enshakushanna |
|
Reign
: c.2350 BC
Established
kingship over most of Sumer; his kingdom was
taken by Lugalzagesi
|
3rd
Dynasty of Uruk |
|
Notes
|
Lugalzagesi |
|
Reign
: c.2350 BC
Originally
of Umma, he made Uruk his new capital after
conquering all Sumer
|
4th
Dynasty of Uruk |
|
Notes
|
Ur-nigin
Ur-gigir
Kuda
Puzur-ili |
|
Reign
: 22nd century BC
Served
as ensi of Uruk under the Akkadian Empire
|
5th
Dynasty of Uruk |
|
Notes
|
Utu-hengal |
|
Chronology
: c.2119-2112 BC
An ensi of Uruk who overthrew the Gutians
and briefly ruled Sumer until he was succeeded
by Ur-Nammu of Ur, thus ending the final Sumerian
dynasty of Uruk.
|
|
In
2009, two different copies of an inscription were put forth as
evidence of a 19th-century BC ruler of Uruk named Naram-sin.
Uruk
continued as principality of Ur, Babylon, and later Achaemenid,
Seleucid, and Parthian Empires. It enjoyed brief periods of independence
during the Isin-Larsa period, under kings such as (possibly) Ikun-pî-Ištar
(c. 1800 BC), Sîn-kašid, his son Sîn-iribam,
his son Sîn-gamil, Ilum-gamil, brother of Sîn-gamil,
Eteia, Anam, ÌR-ne-ne, who was defeated by Rim-Sîn
I of Larsa in his year 14 (c. 1740 BC), Rim-Anum and Nabi-ilišu.
The city was finally destroyed by the Arab invasion of Mesopotamia
and abandoned c. 700 AD.
Architecture
:
![](618px-Part_of_front_of_Inanna_temple_of_Kara_Indasch_from_Uruk_Vorderasiatisches_Museum_Berlin.jpg)
Relief
on the front of the Inanna temple of Karaindash from Uruk. Mid
15th century BC. Pergamon Museum, Berlin
![](398px-Male_deity_pouring_a_life-giving_water_from_a_vessel._Facade_of_Inanna_Temple_at_Uruk,_Iraq._15th_century_BC._The_Pergamon_Museum.jpg)
Male
deity pouring a life-giving water from a vessel. Facade of Inanna
Temple at Uruk, Iraq. 15th century BC. The Pergamon Museum
![](640px-Uruk_Temple_of_Charyos_(2).jpg)
The
Parthian Temple of Charyios at Uruk
Eanna
district: 4000 – 2000 BC |
Structure
name |
German
name |
Particulars |
Stone-Cone
Temple |
Steinstifttempel |
Period
: Uruk VI
Typology
:
T-shaped
Material : Limestone and bitumen
Area
in m2 : x
|
Limestone
Temple |
Kalksteintempel |
Period
: Uruk V
Typology
:
T-shaped
Material : Limestone and bitumen
Area
in m2 : 2373
|
Riemchen
Building |
Riemchengebäude |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
:
Unique
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : x
|
Cone-Mosaic
Temple |
Stiftmosaikgebäude |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
:
unique
Material : x
Area
in m2 : x
|
Temple
A |
Gebäude
A |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: Tripartite
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 738 |
Temple
B |
Gebäude
B |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: Tripartite
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 338
|
Temple
C |
Gebäude
C |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: T-shaped
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 1314
|
Temple/Palace
E |
Gebäude
E |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: Unique
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 2905
|
Temple
F |
Gebäude
F |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: T-shaped
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 465
|
Temple
G |
Gebäude
G |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: T-shaped
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 734
|
Temple
H |
Gebäude
H |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: T-shaped
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 628
|
Temple
D |
Gebäude
D |
Period
: Uruk IVa
Typology
: T-shaped
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 2596
|
Room
I |
Gebäude
I |
Period
: Uruk V
Typology
: x
Material : x
Area
in m2 : x
|
Temple
J |
Gebäude
J |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: x
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : x
|
Temple
K |
Gebäude
K |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: x
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : x
|
Temple
L |
Gebäude
L |
Period
: Uruk V
Typology
: x
Material : x
Area
in m2 : x
|
Temple
M |
Gebäude
M |
Period
: Uruk IVa
Typology
: x
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : x
|
Temple
N |
Gebäude
N |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: Unique
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : x
|
Temple
O |
Gebäude
O |
Period
: ---
Typology
: x
Material : x
Area
in m2 : x
|
Hall
Building/Great Hall |
Hallenbau |
Period
: Uruk IVa
Typology
: Unique
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 821
|
Pillar
Hall |
Pfeilerhalle |
Period
: Uruk IVa
Typology
: Unique
Material : x
Area
in m2 : 219
|
Bath
Building |
Bäder |
Period
: Uruk III
Typology
: Unique
Material : x
Area
in m2 : x
|
Red
Temple |
Roter
Tempel |
Period
: Uruk IVa
Typology
: x
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : x
|
Great
Court |
Großer
Hof |
Period
: Uruk IVa
Typology
: Unique
Material : Burnt Brick
Area
in m2 : 2873
|
Rammed-Earth
Building |
Stampflehm |
Period
: Uruk III
Typology
: Unique
Material : x
Area
in m2 : x
|
Round
Pillar Hall |
Rundpeifeilerhalle |
Period
: Uruk IVb
Typology
: Unique
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : x
|
Anu
district: 4000 – 2000 BC |
Stone
Building |
Steingebäude |
Period
: Uruk VI
Typology
: Unique
Material : Limestone and bitumen
Area
in m2 : x |
White
Temple |
x
|
Period
: Uruk III
Typology
: Tripartite
Material : Adobe brick
Area
in m2 : 382
|
|
It
is clear Eanna was dedicated to Inanna symbolized by Venus from
the Uruk period. At that time, she was worshipped in four aspects
as Inanna of the netherworld (Sumerian: dinanna-kur), Inanna of
the morning (Sumerian: dinanna-hud2), Inanna of the evening (Sumerian:
dinanna-sig), and Inanna (Sumerian: dinanna-NUN). The names of
four temples in Uruk at this time are known, but it is impossible
to match them with either a specific structure and in some cases
a deity.
Particulars |
• |
Sanctuary
of Inanna (Sumerian: eš-dinanna) |
• |
Sanctuary
of Inanna of the evening (Sumerian: eš-dinanna-sig) |
• |
Temple
of heaven (Sumerian: e2-an) |
• |
Temple
of heaven and netherworld (Sumerian: e2-an-ki) |
|
Architecture of Uruk
![](640px-Eanna5.svg.png)
Plan
of Eanna VI-V
![](640px-Eanna4b.svg.png)
Plan
of Eanna IVb
![](640px-Eanna4a.svg.png)
Plan
of Eanna IVa
![](640px-Eanna3.svg.png)
Plan
of Eanna III
![](606px-Eanna_neosumerian.svg.png)
Plan
of Neo-Sumerian Eanna
![](640px-Anu_district.svg.png)
Plan
of Anu District Phase E
![](576px-Pergamonmuseum_Inanna_01.jpg)
Reconstruction
of a mosaic from the Eanna temple
![](640px-Pergamonmuseum_Inanna_02.jpg)
Detail
of Reconstruction of a mosaic from the Eanna temple
Archaeology
:
![](Meso2mil-English.jpg)
Mesopotamia
in the 2nd millennium BC. From north to south: Nineveh, Qattara
(or Karana), Dur-Katlimmu, Assur, Arrapha, Terqa, Nuzi, Mari,
Eshnunna, Dur-Kurigalzu, Der, Sippar, Babylon, Kish, Susa, Borsippa,
Nippur, Isin, Uruk, Larsa and Ur.
The site, which lies about 50 mi (80 km) northwest of ancient
Ur, is one of the largest in the region at around 5.5 km2 (2.1
sq mi) in area. The maximum extent is 3 km (1.9 mi) north/south,
and 2.5 km (1.6 mi) east/west. There are three major tells within
the site, the Eanna district: Bit Resh (Kullaba), and Irigal.
The
location of Uruk was first scouted by William Loftus in 1849.
He excavated there in 1850 and 1854. By Loftus' own account, he
admits that the first excavations were superficial at best, as
his financiers forced him to deliver large museum artifacts at
a minimal cost. Warka was also scouted by archaeologist Walter
Andrae in 1902.
From
1912 to 1913, Julius Jordan and his team from the German Oriental
Society discovered the temple of Ishtar, one of four known temples
located at the site. The temples at Uruk were quite remarkable
as they were constructed with brick and adorned with colorful
mosaics. Jordan also discovered part of the city wall. It was
later discovered that this 40-to-50-foot (12 to 15 m) high brick
wall, probably utilized as a defense mechanism, totally encompassed
the city at a length of 9 km (5.6 mi). Utilizing sedimentary strata
dating techniques, this wall is estimated to have been erected
around 3000 BC. The GOS returned to Uruk in 1928 and excavated
until 1939, when World War II intervened. The team was led by
Jordan until 1931, then by A. Nöldeke, Ernst Heinrich, and
H. J. Lenzen.
The
German excavations resumed after the war and were under the direction
of Heinrich Lenzen from 1953 to 1967. He was followed in 1968
by J. Schmidt, and in 1978 by R.M. Boehmer. In total, the German
archaeologists spent 39 seasons working at Uruk. The results are
documented in two series of reports :
Particulars |
• |
Ausgrabungen
der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft in Uruk (ADFU),
17 volumes, 1912–2001 (titles listed at
the German Archaeological Institute Index 38e378adbb1f14a174490017f0000011) |
• |
Ausgrabungen
in Uruk-Warka, Endberichte (AUWE), 25 volumes,
1987–2007 (titles listed at the German Archaeological
Institute Index 108) |
|
Most recently, from 2001 to 2002, the German Archaeological Institute
team led by Margarete van Ess, with Joerg Fassbinder and Helmut
Becker, conducted a partial magnetometer survey in Uruk. In addition
to the geophysical survey, core samples and aerial photographs
were taken. This was followed up with high-resolution satellite
imagery in 2005.
Clay
tablets have been found at Uruk with Sumerian and pictorial inscriptions
that are thought to be some of the earliest recorded writing,
dating to approximately 3300 BC. These tablets were deciphered
and include the famous SKL, a record of kings of the Sumerian
civilization. There was an even larger cache of legal and scholarly
tablets of the Neo-Babylonian, Late Babylonian, and Seleucid period,
that have been published by Adam Falkenstein and other Assyriological
members of the German Archaeological Institute in Baghdad as Jan
J. A. Djik, Hermann Hunger, Antoine Cavigneaux, Egbert von Weiher,
and Karlheinz Kessler, or others as Erlend Gehlken. Many of the
cuneiform tablets form acquisitions by museums and collections
as the British Museum, Yale Babylonian Collection, and the Louvre.
The later holds a unique cuneiform tablet in Aramaic known as
the Aramaic Uruk incantation.
![](Glockentopf.jpg)
Late
Uruk Period beveled rim bowls used for ration distribution
Beveled rim bowls were the most common type of container used
during the Uruk period. They are believed to be vessels for serving
rations of food or drink to dependent laborers. The introduction
of the fast wheel for throwing pottery was developed during the
later part of the Uruk period, and made the mass production of
pottery simpler and more standardized.
Artifacts
:
The Mask of Warka, also known as the 'Lady of Uruk' and the 'Sumerian
Mona Lisa', dating from 3100 BC, is one of the earliest representations
of the human face. The carved marble female face is probably a
depiction of Inanna. It is approximately 20 cm tall, and may have
been incorporated into a larger cult image. The mask was looted
from the Iraq Museum during the fall of Baghdad in April 2003.
It was recovered in September 2003 and returned to the museum.
![](600px-Male_bust_Louvre_AO10921.jpg)
Lugal-kisal-si,
king of Uruk
![](505px-Warka_mask_(cropped).jpg)
Mask
of Warka
![](640px-Bull_Warka_Louvre_AO8218.jpg)
Bull
sculpture, Jemdet Nasr period, c. 3000 BC
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Uruk