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Uruk
Uruk might be the first major city in the world, and was founded before 5000 BCE, during the Ubaid period. Around 3000 BCE it was probably the largest city in the world, with 50,000 - 80,000 people living in an area of 450 hectares or 4.5 km2. This is the equivalent of about 1/10 of Manhattan in New York, with about 1/3 of the population density.
Uruk might be the city of Erech, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Uruk's name in Aramaic, Erech, is likely to have given name to the country Iraq.
Uruk was the first city in the world in a number of areas, such as
- First known use of a pottery wheel
- First known success at growing wheat to the extent necessary to cause a mini-population explosion
- First documented example of ecological devastation caused by over-cultivation and rapid human population growth
- First division of time into units of 60
- first example of writing found at Uru
Objects
A number of important objects have been found at Uruk. The most famous are the Warka Vase and the Mask of Warka/Lady of Uruk.
Gods
Uruk was home to the sky god Anu/An and his granddaughter Inanna (later Ishtar), the Queen of the Sky. It was said that at one point Inanna stole a ME (𒈨; Sumerian: me; Akkadian: paršu), a decree of the gods or representation of skills, from her father Enki at Eridu. The transfer of ME from Eridu to Uruk explains why Eridu declined and Uruk rose in importance.
Read about An/Anu, a sky god and one of the primordial gods in Sumeria. Read more about Inanna/Ishtar, a sky god.
Kings
There are a number of famous kings of Uruk. The most famous is probably Gilgamesh, the mythical hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh, who was probably a real king at some point.
See a complete list of Uruk kings.
Architecture
Uruk was a very impressive city, located south-west of the Euphrates river. It had 9.5 km long wallss, enclosing an area of 450 hectares or 4.5 km2. The middle of Uruk had two mounds, the ziggurat to An/Anu with the White Temple on top, and the Eanna precinct, dedicated to Inanna.
See a 3D model of the white temple on the Anu ziggurat.
Ur today
The ancient city of Ur is today located in Iraq, at Tall al-Warka. The site was initially excavated by William Loftus for the British Museum in 1850-1854, and newer excavations started in 1928.
The current site of Uruk is Tall al-Warka in south Iraq, north-east of the present bed of the Euphrates River. The current site is about 4.5 square kilometre.
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The Lion Hunt
If you have visited the Sumerian section of the British Museum, chances are you have seen the Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal. It is a series of very impressive wall coverings illustrating the King Ashurbanipal's prowess.
The game of Ur
Possibly the oldest board game in existence, and surely the oldest we have rules for, the Game of Ur is a fascinating predecessor to Backgammon. Watch a video on how to play it, and see the original at British Museum.