Kuara (Sumer)

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. [ Frame, p.162 ]

The city's patron deity was Meslamtea. [ [http://www.sarissa.org/sumer/sumer_c.php Sumerian City-States ] ] 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. [ Black, p.134, 365] Kuara was named Kisiga by the "Kaldees" of Ur.

Kuara was also the city of the Divine Dumuzi, the fishermen. [Beaulieu, p.114] 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. [ Boederman, p.99; Potts, p.191 ]

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. [ [http://www.jameswbell.com/geog004sumeriancities Sumerian Cities with 27th Century BCE Population Estimates ] ]

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.

Notes

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

ee also

*Cities of the Ancient Near East