The urban core revolved around the main temple of Enki, called E-Abzu or the “House of the Aquifer”, identifiable by its foundations of shells, corals, and gypsum. It was later reconstructed as a ...

Excavations on unpromising mounds in the Iraqi desert revealed Sumer’s earliest city. Surviving relics and a rebuilt temple have given experts more clues about the ancient metropolis of Eridu.