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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Uruk

Perseus and Andromeda by Peter Paul Rubens (1622) Hermitage Museum (Public Domain)

Perseus, The Greek Variant Of Sumerian Gilgamesh

Perseus is one of the greatest heroes of Greek tradition, venerated as a demigod. But is Perseus really of Greek origin or was his legend brought from elsewhere to Greece? According to the Greek...
The Hanging Gardens of the Chaldean Dynasty of Mesopotamia. Source: Sarry/Adobe Stock

The Chaldean Dynasty and the Rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire

Empires are formed and fall, dynasties rise to prominence and crumble in poverty and ruin, ethnicities disappear from the fate of the Earth - these are the inevitable aspects of the histories of...
The mask of Warka, from Warka, ancient Uruk, Iraq. 3000-2900 BC. The Iraq Museum, Baghdad. Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP (Glasg)/CC BY-SA 4.0

Is the Mask of Warka the World’s Oldest Representation of a Human Face?

The once-fertile region of Mesopotamia, cited by many as the cradle of civilization, is a true treasure trove of ancient relics and archaeological wonders. A land where numerous prominent city states...
Archaeologist Dr Van Ess speculate a third of Uruk was covered in gardens and canals on stead of streets were used. AI generated ( Rick / Adobe Stock)

Uruk: Ancient Civilization Archaeological Superstar Status

Uruk, in southern Iraq, has reached superstar status in the realm of archaeological excavations of ancient civilizations by delivering the Sumerian King Lists among the 5,000 cuneiform tablets...
Sumerian City with ziggurat Water colour. (AlexaSokol83/ Adobe Stock)

Larsa: Cult City State Basking Under The Sumerian Sun

The fall of the Third Dynasty of Ur at end of the third millennium echoed over the land of Sumer, between the Tigris and Euphrates in ancient southern Mesopotamia and it opened the landscape for the...
One version of the Sumerian King List was previously interpreted as stating that King Dumuzid the Fisherman of Uruk captured Enmebaragesi, but a new translation exchanges Enmebaragesi as the one who captured Dumuzid. Source:  Paolo Gallo/Adobe Stock

Enmebaragesi, the Semi-Mythical King of Kish

Sumer is regarded by many scholars as the cradle of human civilization. Its history - although veiled in enigma - is so intriguing and offers a wealth of new discoveries. From the first writing...
Res Gestae Sargonis: Sargon The Great King Of Akkad

Res Gestae Sargonis: Sargon The Great King Of Akkad

The Akkadian Empire, founded by Sargon the Great, was the very first empire the world had seen, established in ancient Mesopotamia in about 2370 BC. This empire was remembered as having been...
Pieter Bruegel's The Tower of Babel depicts a traditional Nimrod inspecting stonemasons. (1563) (Public Domain)

Babelse Verwarring: The Confusion Around The Tower Of Babel Finally Solved

The Tower of Babel is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. Many proposals as to the historical or literary origins of this narrative have been made over the years. A remarkably good case...
Ancient Mesopotamian boat unearthed near Uruk. Source: Julia Nador - Deutsches Archäologisches Institut / CC-BY-NC-ND

4,000-Year-Old Mesopotamian Boat Near Uruk Rescued

4,000 years ago, a boat sank onto the bed of a channel of the Euphrates River, near the ancient city of Uruk. Now, archaeologists working in modern-day southern Iraq have been forced to conduct an...
The oldest known signed Sumerian tablet that was recently auctioned for a fortune in England.          Source: Bloomsbury Auctions

Ancient Sumerian Tablet with ‘First Signature’ Sells for a Fortune

A signed Sumerian tablet that is over 5000 years old, from ancient Mesopotamia , has been sold at auction. This extremely historic artifact is believed to have one of the first-ever signatures and...
The Nephilim Tradition From Ancient Sumer

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...

The House of Uruk, Greatest of Sumerian Heroes

The greatest of all Sumerian heroes were said to have belonged to the first House of Uruk. For the Sumerians, this House of Uruk was not just another royal house, for them it was one of the greatest...
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Source: Luca Oleastri / Adobe.

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...
Illustration of city in Mesopotamia.

The Great City of Uruk Became Sumerian Powerhouse of Technology, Architecture and Culture

Home to Gilgamesh, Uruk was the major force of urbanization and state formation during the 4th millennium BC. In Epic of Gilgamesh , the king is said to have built the city’s monumental walls. There...
The Man Who Wished to Own the World – Eannatum: The First Conqueror? Part II

The Man Who Wished to Own the World – Eannatum: The First Conqueror? Part II

Eannatum’s tour of Elam, Urua, and Umma paid off. He controlled provinces and regions rich with resources. He had metal to produce weapons and fertile fields to grow food—both of which were used to...
This is the oldest known pay stub in the world, dating back 5,000 years to the city of Uruk in Mesopotamia. The wages were beer.

5,000-Year-Old Mesopotamian Pay Stub Reveals Workers Were Paid with Beer

An ancient cuneiform tablet dating back to 3,000 BC, which was discovered in the Mesopotamian city of Uruk, in modern day Iraq, reveals that the workers of the ancient city were paid with beer...
The Immortals – A Continuation of Myths and Legends

The Immortals – A Continuation of Myths and Legends

Uruk from Mesopotamia was probably the first legendary immortal. He was believed to have been a “regular” individual who simply could not die. However, mythology suggests that immortals and observers...