In this region of Mesopotamia we find the important archaeological site of Nippur. Nippur was a major religious center focused on the God Enlil. The temple of Enlil is perhaps one of the most significant shrines of early Mesopotamia that has been found. Elsewhere you can find out more specific information about Nippur.

5. Shuruppak (Fara)

An important site of the Early Dynastic period (the classical Sumerian city-state period dating from 2900 to 2350 B.C.), it was excavated in 1902-03 by the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft and in 1931 by The University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. It is perhaps most significant for the large number of late Early Dynastic cuneiform tablets found at the site.

6. Adab (Bismya)

The remains here span at least the 3rd millennium and first quarter of the 2nd millennium B.C., the Early Dynastic-Old Babylonian periods. It was excavated in the early 19th century by the University of Chicago, under Edgar James Banks.

7. Isin (Bahriyat)

The city-states Isin and Larsa contested the rule of southern Mesopotamia in the early 2nd millennium B.C. Isin assumed control, under its king, Ishbi-Erra, when the Third Dynasty of Ur collapsed at the end of the 3rd millennium B.C. and continued as dominant power until the mid-19th century B.C. Isin has been excavated since early 1973 by a German expedition. Major finds include a temple dedicated to Isin's tutelary deity, Gula, a goddess associated with sickness and healing, as well as the underworld. The temple dates to the latter half of the 2nd millennium B.C.

8. Nippur (Niffar)

As the site of Ekur, the temple of Enlil, the pre- eminent deity of the Sumerian pantheon, Nippur was the major religious center of Mesopotamia in the 3rd and early 2nd millennia B.C. The site was occupied from the 5th millennium B.C. through A.D. 800. Nippur was the site of the first American excavations in Mesopotamia, undertaken by the University of Pennsylvania from 1889 to 1900. It was explored by the Oriental Institute during the 1950s and early 1960s in conjunction with The University Museum and, later, with the American Schools of Oriental Research. Excavations continue today. The ziggurat associated with Enlil's temple is visible on the eastern side of the site.