Eridu

Eridu was an ancient settlement located near the mouth of the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates River (present day southern Iraq). It was first settled around 5400 BCE. The people of Eridu were fully agricultural, providing for themselves through animal husbandry (raising animals), principally of sheep, goat, pigs, and cattle, as well as crops like barley, wheat, and legumes. At the same time, they still hunted and relied heavily on fishing, with some of the earliest evidence of boats found at Eridu. These boats also became critical to trade along the river and in the Persian Gulf. The people of Eridu also relied on irrigation, constructing canals and channels to bring water from rivers to otherwise dry land. These projects would have required significant planning and coordination.

Eridu ultimately covered some 25 acres and was unusually large, with a population or 4,000 or so. The original inhabitants were actually a collection of people from different lifestyles: farmers who used irrigation, fisher-hunters, and nomadic sheep and goat herders. These three groups seem to have come to an agreement to share the access to fresh water.

The people of Eridu begane to build large stepped temples. At the temple, priests and administrators oversaw many aspects of daily life, including land and labor management, distribution of food, and, above all, the correct procedures for religious rites and rituals. Mudbrick homes were built around the temple as the population grew.

Excavation of a cemetery at Eridu recovered some 200 graves of individuals buried in brick-lined pits, many with grave goods in the form of pots, jewelry, and food offerings. Figurines with lizard-like heads were found in these graves and elsewhere on Ubaid-period sites, and probably had some kind of religious significance. The people likely originally worshipped an Earth Goddess, perhaps later marrying the god Enki, who became the chief deity of Eridu.