Eridu: The History and Legacy of the Oldest City in Ancient Mesopotamia

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts and legends about Eridu *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents “After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridu.” – Excerpt from the opening paragraph of the Sumerian King List Emerging from the desert flats of southern Iraq can be seen the remains of a large mound, approximately 1750 feet x 1750 feet in size, surrounded by several smaller mounds. Known today as Tell Abu Shahrain or in the ancient world as Eridu, this site contains some of best examples of the Ubaid culture, and it was one of the first urban centers of civilization in southern Mesopotamia, if not the first itself. Many famous stories came from the mythical landscapes of Iraq’s deep south. In the literature of ancient Sumer, Eridu was regarded as the primordial city, the first urban center, believed to have existed long before the great mythical Flood that wiped out human culture in the Book of Genesis and other earlier traditions. It was to places like this that Western explorers first came in the 19th century, searching for the origins of the lands which the Bible described as the cradle of the human race. In doing so, they discovered that Eridu was also a real place. The astonishing site is located about 8 miles southwest of the Sumerian city of Ur, and when it was first excavated in the mid-19th century, Western archaeologists were confused as to how a city as large as this could have existed in such a vast and waterless desert. But Eridu is positioned on the edge of the great alluvial plain of Sumer, a wild and beautiful marshland where the Tigris and the Euphrates meet. This was the Biblical “Garden of Eden”, an ancient landscape that was renowned for its fertility in the past. To many Westerners, Iraq’s history and culture were a blank before 1991, but ironically, as war engulfed the region, it helped underscore the importance and influence of the area on Western civilization. It was here, in the ferocious landscape of south Iraq, old Sumer, that the first laws, science, and cities came into being. Eridu is a place of extraordinary significance for the study of the earliest stages of civilization in history, and it is one of the best examples of cultural continuity in Mesopotamia, from the earliest prehistoric stages in which settlements emerged to the later historic periods. Eridu had a special status, not as the residence of a ruling dynasty of kings but for its religious significance; a series of temples were built there, devoted to the patron god of the city, Enki. Each one was built upon the ruins of its predecessor, and each one represents the architectural, religious, and social changes that occurred at the site throughout its history. The History and Legacy of the Oldest City in Ancient Mesopotamia examines the tumultuous history of one of the most important cities of antiquity. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Eridu like never before.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History

52 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2017

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Gordon Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for those who felt like their Sumerian books didn't focus ENOUGH on Eridu

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical view

Gives a great understanding of the time period as well as the culture and life style of an important place. Shows that concept's like this city can live threw time and can be a significant part of more then one history.

[Ruth Harwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, yet... I'm not sure what the issue I have is, tbh, but this seemed a little less interesting than the previous books from this set.
The pictures included are interesting. The information, however, that I gleaned from this short book was minimal. I found it easy to read, but at the same time, there wasn't anything to get my teeth into. A biblical historical site with plenty of interesting information that could have been included, yet I found it dry, none of the in depth analysis here that I found in other books about the other sites of the area. Perhaps that's just me not reading deeply enough, though, Ican't be sure. I just found it a little light.
I guess all the information about the civilization of the time has been diseminated in the other books, hence the lack of new information here.
I guess this is well-written and there's plenty here to enjoy. I'm thinking that, although the books on Ur and Uruk and Ninevah gave most of the information I needed and that given here was too repetative considering those. It would take a fresh reader to let me know what they think is missing, I think.
Give these books a try, though, they're all full of pictures of sites and artefacts, there's plenty of information about the origins of religion as well as civilization, so we could all learn a little from them. History is, technically, in my view, simply the future in reverse, and we could become a community similar to this so easily. If the bomb dropped, beginning at the beginning will be life. Learning something about it would likely help with that.
Not that I'm advocating mass murder or suggesting that's going to happen!
Give this an hour or two of your life, see whether I'm being a cynic or not!!

[Lantern of Diogenes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise Chronicle of Events that Put Light on the Bull’s-Eye for the Ascent of Urbanization

Eridu marks a transition phase when humans effectively may have used competitive advantage to gain command and control over their fellow men. This radical change transformed the Ubaid Civilization into the social framework we know as Sumer Civilization. The text discloses sufficient of the Mesopotamian story for a reader to deduce that the leadership style of a primordial Sumerian King bears resemblance to modern tyrants that misused deception and perception management during crises to bring into play their rhetorical and propaganda skills presenting the “Self” as one requiring inhumane obedience from the labor force. While the book doesn’t explore this thesis, facts are laid out logically for anyone to decide for themselves.

[Liam Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like other books on Sumerian urban centers this one points out the influence this most ancient of cities had well into Babylonian & Assyrian eras. As a religious center more so than a political one, Eridu started as a temple area that served people for communal worship & feasts. It's Ubaid - very early - pottery spread around Sumeria and to the North.

This is a decent account.

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice little book. It is good for anyone who has very little information about Eridu, and provides a very decent platform to allow you to explore further.

Eridu represents a fascinating bit of history that is fast disappearing, and this book does good justice to it

[Ευθυμία Δεσποτάκη · Rating 3 out of 5]

Όλα όσα λέει, τα οποία είναι ενδιαφέροντα, θα μπορούσα ίσως να τα βρω και στη βικιπέδια.

[Carol Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating history of a new/old world


Very interesting book about a city that I had never heard of. Well written,too!. Includes gods, kings, and the oldest city so far

[Erin Kymes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like something is missing...although, I get it - that was a long time ago, so the history is patchy at best.

[Nikki Wotherspoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Up-to-Date

There is interesting information, but I guess I expected it to be more up-to-date. It basically stops with archeology from the early 1990s.

[Felipe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad

Poorly written and shallow material. It looks like the author put a bunch of information together without much thought. Don’t recommend.

[Dan Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as informative as Charles River's, Uruk but fine.

[CRG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eridu is an enjoyable book with a brief historical descriptions. I would have gave a five stars, except that there were only a few lines about the Annunaki.

Moreover, the Author talked about another civilization... that lived in the Pre-Mesopotamia... before the great flood...

* Where did he got that information?
* Written in Sumerian tablets or from a personal POV?

Overall, a well-written book.

[Connie Moon]

I found this book to be interesting because it covered presumerian period before the advent of writing and the ongoing religious importance of this site over time.