lobby antiquities fantastic dhabi word surprising iraq gilgamesh justice chinese university tourists collapse restitution reeds remains dream tablets epic protocuneiform look cities temple unicorns minister ziggurats river study used unprecedented

Articles for Sumerian

The pilgrimage sites of Iraq's timeless and holy cities
6 months, 2 weeks ago

The pilgrimage sites of Iraq's timeless and holy cities

BBC  

The pilgrimage sites of Iraq's timeless and holy cities Stuart Butler Travellers to what was once was the spiritual centre of the world can learn about the region's long and storied history – as well as see the biggest annual pilgrimage on Earth. Today, just more than 100km west of the archaeological site of Nippur are the shrine cities of …

Islam Pilgrimage Earth Iraq Site Shrine Ali
Wise, lucky, terrifying: The surprising 4,000-year history of dragons
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Wise, lucky, terrifying: The surprising 4,000-year history of dragons

BBC  

Wise, lucky, terrifying: The surprising 4,000-year history of dragons Getty Images An illuminated red-and-golden dragon at a festival in China From dragon-like animals to Chinese tornados and quaint English villages, here are the real-life traces of an ancient myth. And Chinese dragons are also different to the regal Sumerian "ušum-gal", a mythical, lion-jawed, snake-bodied creature from the ancient Middle East. …

English Middle East Ancient Chinese Getty Images Word Dragons
Enheduanna: The world's first named author
2 years, 2 months ago

Enheduanna: The world's first named author

BBC  

Enheduanna: The world's first named author The Penn Museum A little-known Mesopotamian poet and priestess, Enheduanna, is the subject of a new exhibition in New York. "When people ask who is the first author, they never guess anyone in Mesopotamia, and it's never a woman," says Sidney Babcock, curator of the recently opened exhibition at New York City's Morgan Library, …

Women Exhibition New York Female Goddess Author Babcock
The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
2 years, 4 months ago

The messages that survived civilisation's collapse

BBC  

The messages that survived civilisation's collapse Alamy A relief of scribes taking notes in ancient Nineveh The Sumerians, Maya and other ancient cultures created texts that have lasted hundreds and even thousands of years. "He's learning how to write, and learning these lists, alongside other things, and then dedicating his work to the god Nabu and the temple," says Jay …

Writing Iraq Greece Languages Ancient Messages Script
Ancient tablet acquired by Hobby Lobby going back to Iraq
3 years, 3 months ago

Ancient tablet acquired by Hobby Lobby going back to Iraq

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A 3,500-year-old clay tablet discovered in the ruins of the library of an ancient Mesopotamian king, then looted from an Iraqi museum 30 years ago, is finally headed back to Iraq. “By returning these illegally acquired objects, the authorities here in the United States and in Iraq are allowing the Iraqi people to reconnect with a page in …

Museum Iraq New York Tablet Iraqi Homeland Security Artifacts
United States to return 3,500-year-old looted historical artefact to Iraq: The Gilgamesh Tablet
3 years, 3 months ago

United States to return 3,500-year-old looted historical artefact to Iraq: The Gilgamesh Tablet

ABC  

The United States will formally return an illegally imported 3,500-year-old tablet recounting the epic of Gilgamesh to Iraq this week, the United Nations' cultural body UNESCO says. Key points: The tablet describes a dream sequence from The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known religious and literary texts During the Islamic State's reign, Iraqi archeological sites and museums were …

Syria Epic Washington State Tablet Unesco Sumerian