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The Curse of Agade: Naram-Sin's Battle with the Gods
The Curse of Agade is a story dated to the Ur III Period of Mesopotamia (2047-1750 BCE) though thought to be somewhat older in origin. It tells the story of the Akkadian king Naram-Sin (r. 2261-2224 BCE) and his confrontation with the gods...
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Lost Treasures From Iraq: Revisited & Identified
For how long do we build a household? For how long do we seal a document? For how long do brothers share the inheritance? For how long is there to be jealousy in the land(?)? The Epic of Gilgamesh, chapter 10, Tablet X...
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Truths Wrapped in Fiction: Mesopotamian Naru Literature
Originality in literary compositions in the ancient world did not carry the same weight and value as it does today. In recent centuries, authors have been applauded for the creation of original works and have been derided for plagiarism or...
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Map of Sumer
The area which formed Sumer started at the Persian Gulf and reached north to the 'neck' of Mesopotamia where the two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates meander much closer to each other. To the east loomed the Zagros Mountains, where scattered...
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Law Code of King Ur-Nammu
This law code is considered the oldest known law code surviving today. Many terracotta tablets of this law code have been excavated at several archaeological sites in Mesopotamia. This tablet was found at Nippur (modern Nuffar, Al-Qadisiyah...
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Foundation Figurine of Ur-Nammu
This bronze statuette was found at the foundation deposits of the temple of Eanna at Nippur. The statue depicts Ur-Nammu, king of Ur, holding a basket on his head as the builder of the temple. Ur III (Neo-Sumerian) period, reign of Ur-Nammu...
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Enlil
Baked clay statue of the Mesopotamian god Enlil, from the Scribal Quarter at Nippur, Iraq, 1800-1600 BCE.
Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
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Inanna Prefers the Farmer
This terracotta cuneiform tablet is about the myth of "Inanna prefers the farmer." In this myth, Enkimdu (the god of farming) and Dumuzi (the god of food and vegetation) tried to win the hand of the goddess Inanna. From Nippur (modern Nuffar...
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Diorite Mortar
This mortar was an offering from Gudea (ruler of Lagash) to the god Enlil. Neo-Sumerian era, 2141-2122 BCE. From Nippur (modern Nuffar, Al-Qadisiyah Governorate, Iraq), southern Mesopotamia.(Istanbul Archaeological Museums/Ancient Orient...
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Ningishzida
Old-Babylonian fired clay plaque depicting Ningishzida, the Mesopotamian deity of vegetation and the underworld, flanked by 2 small human figures. Found during the 2nd excavation season of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago...