Kuara (Sumer)

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Kuara (also known as Kisiga, Ku'ara, modern Tell al-Lahm site, Iraq) was an ancient Sumerian city located on the western bank of the mouth of the Euphrates River, about 30 km southeast of Ur. ^[1]

The city's patron deity was Meslamtea. ^[2] Kuara was also believed by the Sumerians to be the birthplace of the god Marduk (Asarluhi), Enki's son. The cults of Marduk and Ninehama were centered in Kuara. ^[3] Kuara was named Kisiga by the Kaldees of Ur.

Kuara was also the city of the Divine Dumuzi, the fishermen.^[4] The Assyrian King Sargon II was trying to capture Marduk-apal-iddina II who fled to Kuara where upon Sargon's army laid siege and destroyed the city in 709 BCE. ^[5]

1 History
2 Archaeology
3 Notes
4 References

[edit] History

Kuara was established ca. 2700 BC, during Sumerian Early Dynastic II period. It was a seaport to the Persian Gulf and traded with the port of Dilmun. ^[6]

[edit] Archaeology

Alluvial soil carried by the Euphrates continually extend the land further into the Persian gulf, thus the modern site is far from the sea even though it was a sea port 4700 years ago.

[edit] Notes

^ Frame, p.162
^ Sumerian City-States
^ Black, p.134, 365
^ Beaulieu, p.114
^ Boederman, p.99; Potts, p.191
^ Sumerian Cities with 27th Century BCE Population Estimates

[edit] References

Beaulieu, Paul-Alain (2003) The Pantheon of Uruk During the Neo-Babylonian Period. BRILL. 424p ISBN 9004130241
Black, Jeremy A (2004) The Literature of Ancient Sumer . Oxford University Press. 436p ISBN 0199263116
Boederman, John (2002) The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521227178
Frame, Grant (1992) Babylonia 689-627 B.C.: A Political History. Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Istanbul. Istanbul, Turkey. 396p. ISBN 9062580696
Potts, Daniel T. (1997) Mesopotamian Civilization: The Material Foundations. Cornell University Press. 366p ISBN 0801433398