Kish (Sumer)

Kish Kish or (Arabic Tall al - Uhaymir, also el- Oheimir ) was a city in Mesopotamia in the floodplain of the Euphrates and the Tigris in the vicinity located in what is now central Iraq, 13 kilometers east of Babylon and about 80 kilometers south of Baghdad.

It existed from about 3000 BC with partial settlement to 650 AD and is mentioned both in the Bible in connection with determining the location of the Garden of Eden as well as in Sumerian cuneiform texts with the name Guan -Eden. Kisch was a city-state of Sumer starting point for the rule phase of the Akkadians.

Kish is the generic term for more than 40 settlements within a radius of about eight kilometers where the two main places Uhaimir and Ingharra should have been.

History

A French archaeological team under Henri de Genouillac conducted first excavations 1912-1914. Furthermore, an Anglo- American team (Oxford - Field Museum Expedition ) under Stephen Langdon has dug along with E.Mackay 1923-1933 in ten campaigns there. Through extensive pottery can create an almost complete history of ceramic art throughout the period. Specific findings include the so-called vessels with gods grips. These findings serve as a valuable reference source for the dating of finds from other places.

The archaeological finds prove a graveyard, a ziggurat, which was built in honor of the state of God Zababa around 2500 BC and a temple dating from the 6th century BC, the Sumerian goddess Inanna was probably dedicated. Construction of the temple is associated with Nebuchadnezzar II. The most outstanding monument to the early epoch is especially the Royal Palace, possibly the first historically secured Sumerian ruler Mesilim (ED II).

For the period from 2800 BC to 2230 BC, there is only partial information on the legendary kings of Kish. Etana is often assumed to be the first documented rulers of Sumer. The Agga mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh was according to medium chronology from 2601 BC to 2581 BC Sumerian king of the city of Kish. Sargon I was the first governor of Kish. He decided around 2340 to build his new capital, Akkad BC, but for the time being ruled from a distance until he moved permanently. For the 3rd millennium BC brisk trade is assumed to be the historic city of Ebla in northern Syria by the experts. Around 1800 BC the city of Babylon was subjected. 702 BC, the Chaldäerfürst Merodach - baladan of Jakin bit far from Kish was defeated by Sargon II.