One of the earliest inscriptions mentioning Dilmun is that of king Ur-Nanshe of Lagash about 2300 BCE:
"Boats from the land of Dilmun carried the wood"
Dilmun
Dilmun (𒉌𒌇𒆠) is the Sumerian name for an area to the south of Mesopotamia, most likely the island of Bahrain. Dilmun grew into a trading centre before 3000 BCE, and was an important power until about 1500 BCE, when it came under the power of other kingdoms.
In some inscriptions, it looks like Sumerians came from the island of Dilmun, and Dilmun appears as a paradise where no-one is sick and people do not get old. It might be that these stories inspired the stories of paradise in the Hebrew Bible.
Trade
Dilmun was a very important source of trade for Sumeria, partly from what they produced but mostly because of Dilmun's location on trade routes to Magan (present day Oman) and the Harappa civilisation located in present day India (around the Indus valley). Sumeria imported copper, wood, ivory, gold, precious stones (carnelian, lapis lazuli), pearls and shells from Dilmun.
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See a complete list of Mari kings.
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Dilmun today
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The game of Ur
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