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Sumerian Figures

As the earliest known civilization in human history, Sumer flourished in the southern region of Mesopotamia, in what is present-day southern Iraq. It is here that the foundations of urban life, writing, law, and complex society were laid.

In this section of our website, we invite you to discover the fascinating world of Sumerian figures, whose contributions shaped the course of history and left an enduring impact on human civilization. From visionary rulers and revered gods to ingenious inventors and accomplished artisans, these individuals embody the spirit and ingenuity of the Sumerian people.

Eve tempted by the serpent in a paradise illustrated according to the texts of the Bible. An image showing good and evil in one scene.
3 March, 2024 - 21:54 Natalia Klimczak

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Lilith, an ancient mythological figure and one of the oldest known female spirits in the world, has embodied various roles across cultures. In some sources she has been described as a demon, while in...
Votive stele of Gudea, ruler of Lagash, to the temple of Ningirsu. Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul. Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP (Glasg)/CC BY-SA 4.0)
4 September, 2023 - 22:52 Aleksa Vučković

The Rule of Ensi Gudea and the Golden Age of Lagash

Ancient Mesopotamia, called by many the “cradle of civilization”, is in many ways enigmatic and mysterious. There is plenty about it that we are still to uncover, as it reaches so far back in time...
Sumerian chaos monster and sun god. Source: Public Domain
7 August, 2023 - 14:54 johnblack

The Origins of Human Beings According to Ancient Sumerian Texts

Sumer , or the ‘land of civilized kings’, flourished in Mesopotamia , now modern-day Iraq, around 4500 BC. Sumerians created an advanced civilization with its own system of elaborate language and...
Ur-Shulgi. King Shulgi is credited with the completion of the Great ziggurat of Ur.
11 March, 2019 - 14:00 Carly Silver

The Mighty Deeds of King Shulgi of Ur, Master of Mesopotamian Monarchs

In the early second millennium BC, the city-states of Mesopotamia thrived in the so-called “Ur III period.” Assuming political frameworks previously abandoned in times of chaos, the rulers of the...
Mighty Gilgamesh: Archetype Of The Nephilim
13 January, 2021 - 19:46 Willem McLoud

Mighty Gilgamesh: Archetype Of The Nephilim

Gilgamesh is one of the greatest heroes of the ancient Middle Eastern world. The epic named after him has become one of the greatest literary works of all ages. There is, however, one aspect of...
A modern representation of Humbaba
21 April, 2018 - 18:48 dhwty

Humbaba: A Monstrous Foe for Gilgamesh or a Misunderstood Guardian?

Humbaba (Huwawa) is a guardian creature found in the Epic of Gilgamesh , which is generally considered to be the earliest surviving great work of literature. Although Humbaba is traditionally...
Sumerian Etana Translated As Biblical Enoch
3 May, 2021 - 22:09 Willem McLoud

Sumerian Etana Translated As Biblical Enoch

The Biblical Enoch corresponds to a remarkable degree with the figure of Etana in Sumerian tradition. It seems reasonable to assume that they belong to the same original tradition handed down in the...
Queen Kubaba relief in the form of a goddess. Source: Left; Public Domain Right; CC BY-SA 2.0 FR
6 May, 2023 - 15:00 Sahir

The King List and Queen Kubaba: The First Recorded Queen of the Ancient World

From Cleopatra to Razia Sultan, history is filled with powerful women who defied the norms of their time. But have you ever heard of Queen Kubaba? Reigning over Sumer around 2,500 BC, she might just...
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Source: Luca Oleastri / Adobe.
19 May, 2019 - 14:09 Gordon Board

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Searching For a Way to the Home Planet

The Epic of Gilgamesh is regarded as one of mankind’s greatest literary and historical works. Many authors have studied the text in an effort to explain the nature of Gilgamesh’s tyranny and his...
The Nurturing Goddess Ninsun: Worshipped by Ancient Mesopotamians and the Mother of Gilgamesh
12 March, 2016 - 03:34 dhwty

The Nurturing Goddess Ninsun: Worshipped by Ancient Mesopotamians and the Mother of Gilgamesh

Ninsun is a female figure found in Sumerian mythology. She is a goddess whose parents are the deities Anu (the sky god) and Uras (a goddess of the earth). As a goddess, Ninsun was worshipped by the...
The Legend of Lugalbanda, The First Sumerian Shaman
19 October, 2020 - 18:53 Willem McLoud

The Legend of Lugalbanda, The First Sumerian Shaman

According to the Sumerian King List , Lugalbanda was one of the kings who belonged to the First Dynasty of Uruk in Sumer in ancient Mesopotamia. What is particularly striking about Lugalbanda is the...
The Nephilim Tradition From Ancient Sumer
3 June, 2020 - 18:46 Willem McLoud

The Nephilim Tradition From Ancient Sumer

The oldest literary tradition about great heroic kings claiming to have been scions of the gods dates back to the Sumerian King List in which the First Dynasty of Uruk is described as having been...
pper part of a gypsum statue of a Sumerian woman. The hands are folds in worship.
13 May, 2018 - 22:32 dhwty

Nammu: A Forgotten Tale of the Sumerian Mother of Gods

Nammu was the primeval Sumerian mother goddess who gave birth to the gods and created humanity. Despite her extremely important role, much of her story is wrapped in mystery. Some information can be...
Enthroned Sumerian king of Ur, with attendants. Standard of Ur, (c. 2600 BC) (Michel wal /CC BY-SA 3.0)
8 April, 2020 - 23:35 Willem McLoud

The Coveted Title of King of Kish in Ancient Sumer

According to ancient Mesopotamian tradition, Etana, founder of the first dynasty of Kish, was the very first ruler ever to have ruled as king. Not only did the kings of Kish stand tall in the history...
Roman bathhouse. Source: 4K_Heaven / Adobe Stock.
28 April, 2023 - 17:00 Robbie Mitchell

Keeping it Clean: A Look at Ancient Hygiene Practices (Video)

From the Sumerians and Egyptians to the Victorians and beyond, humans have been striving to keep their surroundings clean since they first settled down and built permanent homes. Before civilization...
Ancient Babylon. Source: Rick / Adobe Stock.
25 March, 2023 - 00:00 Robbie Mitchell

15 of History’s Most Advanced Ancient Civilizations (Video)

Over the course of our species' relatively short existence, a myriad of awe-inspiring civilizations have risen to great heights, only to crumble into the annals of history. From the Ancient Egyptians...
Mesoamerican warrior. Source: Art Gallery / Adobe Stock.
14 March, 2023 - 16:00 Joanna Gillan

Voices of Ancestors: Listen to the Sound of 14 Ancient Languages (Video)

Language is a powerful tool that allows us to communicate with one another across time and space. Through language , we are able to share our stories, our ideas, and our cultures with others. In this...
Sumerian Ziggurat. Source: Michael Rosskothen / Adobe Stock
12 March, 2023 - 19:52 Joanna Gillan

View the Majesty of a Sumerian Ziggurat in 3D Virtual Tour (Video)

A Sumerian ziggurat was a towering, stepped structures built in ancient Mesopotamia over 4,000 years ago. They were constructed by the Sumerians , who were one of the earliest civilizations in human...
The long-lost remains of a Sumerian palace and temple in the ancient city of Girsu on the southern plains of Iraq. Source: British Museum.
20 February, 2023 - 14:00 Nathan Falde

4,500-Year-Old Sumerian Palace Uncovered in Iraqi Desert

Reaching the culmination of a search that has been going on for the past several years, a team of archaeologists affiliated with the British Museum has finally unearthed the long-lost remains of a...
Weld-Blundell Prism, a clay cuneiform inscribed with the Sumerian Kings List. Source: Public domain
30 July, 2022 - 02:00 Joanna Gillan

The Sumerian King List Reveals the Origin of Mesopotamian Kingship

Out of the many incredible artifacts that have been recovered from sites in Iraq where flourishing Sumerian cities once stood, few have been more intriguing than the Sumerian King List. An ancient...
The ruins of the Enlil temple, or the Ekur, in Nippur, which was once the most important pilgrimage destination in Mesopotamia. The brick structure on top was constructed by American archaeologists around 1900. Source: David Stanley /CC BY 2.0
23 April, 2022 - 23:14 Lex Leigh

Nippur: The Great Mesopotamian Holy City That Gave Early Ideas Of God

The ancient city of Nippur is one of the most interesting holy cities in the Middle East. Now only known as a dilapidated, prehistoric town, Nippur was once recognized as an essential religious...
Planet X
18 February, 2022 - 00:48 Christos Djonis

Planet X – Is there Scientific Evidence?

In 1976, in his book “The 12th Planet”, the late author Zecharia Sitchin (1920-2010) introduced the controversial hypothesis that modern humans did not evolve naturally, but instead they were...
The so-called Sivatherium of Kish (Field Museum of Natural History/Edwin H. Colbert) compared to a modern representation of a Sivatherium in the Warsaw Museum of Evolution. (Shalom/CC BY-SA 3.0)
6 February, 2022 - 14:00 Aleksa Vučković

The Sivatherium of Kish: Did Sumerians Tame a Prehistoric Giraffe?

The world is big. Even in this modern day and age, we still don’t have a clue about what lurks in the remote corners of this planet. The oceans, vast and enigmatic, have only been partially explored...
A cylinder seal impression, ca. 2100 BC, sometimes interpreted as Ur-Nammu (seated) bestowing governorship on Ḫašḫamer, ensi of Iškun-Sin.
15 September, 2021 - 02:00 dhwty

The Code of Ur-Nammu: When Ancient Sumerians Laid Down the Law, Everyone Obeyed

The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest surviving law code. This text was written on clay tablets in the Sumerian language and is reckoned to have been produced towards the end of the 3rd millennium BC...

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