The Lost Ziggurat.

A mystery i've been trying to figure out recently is why the ziggurat of Ningirsu has not been located, as it was the best documented on the cylinder seals recovered from a drain in excavations at modern Tello the site of ancient Girsu and the Temple.



The site was pretty much the first Sumerian site excavated in 1877 and done very badly, nobody knew anything about Sumerians and ziggurats and brick built architecture, it was excavated on and off until 1931 but the ziggurat never located.



This is unfortunate that the site has not been properly excavated as the ziggurat also incorporated at it's base megalithic stone slabs, unusual for the Sumerians, so they would be interesting to uncover.

It took one year to bring the great stones in slabs and it took another year to fashion them, although not even two or three days did he let pass idly. Then it needed a day's work to set up each one but by the seventh day he had set them all up around the house. He laid down the trimmings from the slabs as stairs, or fashioned basins from them, and had them stand in the house.

The seven stones surrounding the house are there to take counsel with its owner. Its chapel for funerary offerings is as pure as the clean Abzu. The stone basins set up in the house are like the holy room of the lustration priest where water never ceases to flow

The scale of these was probably impressive, because as noted basins were carved from the trimmings and one of those was discovered. The ziggurat had as it's basis seven squares each rising above the other.

Gudea, in charge of building the house, placed on his head the carrying-basket for the house, as if it were a holy crown. He laid the foundation, set the walls on the ground. He marked out a square, aligned the bricks with a string. He marked out a second square on the site of the temple, saying, ´It is the line-mark for a topped-off jar of 1 ban capacity (?)´. He marked out a third square on the site of the temple, saying, ´It is the Anzud bird enveloping its fledgling with its wings´. He marked out a fourth square on the site of the temple, saying, ´It is a panther embracing a fierce lion´. He marked out a fifth square on the site of the temple, saying, ´It is the blue sky in all its splendour´. He marked out a sixth square on the site of the temple, saying, ´It is the day of supply, full of luxuriance´. He marked out a seventh square on the site of the temple, saying, ´It is the E-ninnu bathing the country with moonlight at dawn´.

Due to the scale and importance of the Temple there was a huge archive of Temple administration tablets, some 40,000 or so of these are thought to have come from Girsu, with only a relatively small percentage having been discovered by official digs, most by illegal tunneling into the mounds, so the opportunity to excavate the archive complete was not taken, it's unclear what was exactly excavated at Girsu, several important buildings certainly but not identified.



The site was complicated by a Palace having been built upon it during the Hellenistic period which seemed to have incorporated many statues of Gudea and other trimmings from the earlier period, the site seemed to have been completely abandoned after being sacked several generations after completion with much remaining untouched hence the large quantity of significant finds from Tello.



Presently the site is infrequently visited and there is much archaeological debris from the Sumerian period simply lying around, though there was some brief interest in a 2012 survey.

The ruler built the house, he made it high, high as a great mountain. Its Abzu foundation pegs, big mooring stakes, he drove into the ground so deep they could take counsel with Enki in the E-engur. He had heavenly foundations pegs surround the house like warriors, so that each one was drinking water at the libation place of the gods. He fixed the E-ninnu, the big mooring stake, he drove in its pegs shaped like praying wizards. He planted the pleasant poplars of his city so that they cast their shadow. He embedded its Car-ur weapon beside Lagac like a big standard, placed it in its dreadful place, the Cu-galam, and made it emanate fearsome radiance. On the dais of Jirnun, on the place of making judgments, the provider of Lagac lifted his horns like a mighty bull.

He built his master´s house exactly as he had been told to. The true shepherd Gudea made it grow so high as to fill the space between heaven and earth, had it wear a tiara shaped like the new moon, and had its fame spread as far as the heart of the highlands. Gudea made Nin-jirsu´s house come out like the sun from the clouds, had it grow to be like hills of lapis lazuli and had it stand to be marvelled at like hills of white alabaster.

They installed the great dining hall for the evening meals: it was as if An himself were setting out golden bowls filled with honey and wine. They built the bedchamber: it is the Abzu´s fruit-bearing holy mes tree among innumerable mountains. He finished with the building, which made the hearts of the gods overflow with joy.

At the Kasura gate, at its lookout post, he had the Lion, the terror of the gods, take its stand. In the Tar-sirsir, where the orders are issued, he had the Fish-man and the Copper take their stand. In Bau´s inner room , where the heart can be soothed, he had the Magilum boat and the Bison take their stand. Because these were warriors slain by Nin-jirsu, he set their mouths towards libation places. Gudea, the ruler of Lagac, made their names appear among those of the gods.

There are many features then known to have been at the complex that have simply not been excavated and identified, which is unfortunate, but perhaps during the Hellenistic period the greater extent of the complex was demolished to construct the palace, certainly many foundation cones and deposit boxes were recovered from that site indicating they perhaps had fully removed structures down to the foundations, but i would find it surprising they had dismantled an entire ziggurat, and without evidence for the seven great paving slabs that surrounded the Temple there must be a case for a significant part of that remaining buried.

Building of Ningirsu's Temple

a reply to: Kantzveldt

The beauty of this is the like's of ISIS will not have destroyed the site and of course many more cylinder seal's may be found there.

It was a fascinating period of human history and many of there legacy's are still with us today, many people don't understand just how important Cuneiform was as perhaps the world's first known true phonetic alphabet.

Let us hope that this site's is properly excavated when it is right to do so and the site can be protected for the benefit of the entire human race (And many other site's that are overlooked like those in China that must have there role to play in our shared history).

a reply to: LABTECH767

I think it's a little to Southerly to be in the area of ISIS, but as you note the site does still hold a great deal of potential, the photographs i took largely from here by i think a rare French tourist to the place recently, i'd expect all the mounds there to have important archaeology beneath, so it's a site i'd like to see more done at.

Talk and pic of 'Basins' and…

…where water never ceases to flow…

…makes this 'holy place' sound more like a well spring, imo.

a reply to: intrptr

Yes there was probably a local water suppy and there was an Abzu shrine incorporated into the complex, which is probably were the Gudea basin was situated.

The "cradle of civilization" has suffered under the oppressive regimes of the modern era, that have made it largely inaccessible to historians and archeologists. Extensive systematic digs like those in the Levant would likely uncover a lot of lost history, even to just find more cuneiform texts of ancient literature, we might discover more of how the earliest religions began that shaped the Abrahamic faiths. Until the region is stabilized and opened to researchers, the ziggurat will remain lost.

The one slim positive note, is that the region is so undeveloped and not likely to improve owing to it's instability, that the ruins beneath the sand are at least semi-preserved and not buried beneath a modern city, even if the region does suffer from looting.

S+F for the topic, too little attention is given to some of these Mesopotamian gems.

a reply to: Kantzveldt

This pic is telling. You didn't include a description of this object ?



I see the basin (bath tub) shape (to hold water) and the figures in relief on the side, pouring water and handling jars of water, even what, "angels" or something coming down from above?

They must have marveled at fresh water springing from the ground, a precious resource after all. Literally, the water of life.

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

Yes as i mentioned there was some renewed interest in 2012, i know they dug a little and surveyed then, the site does date back to the 5th millenium so much more to come i'm sure, probably still ongoing as i find no completed paper.

Located on the left bank of the Shatt al-Gharraf river of southern Iraq, the site of Tello, or ancient Girsu, spans at least 400 ha of mounded area and rises to a height of 25m above plain level. Known from texts and supplemented by some excavation, occupation at the site may span the fifth-first millennia B.C. A combination of tunneling-for-texts by early excavators and outright looting at the site produced some of the iconic artistic material of Early Bronze Age and provided historical information on the political, economic and social organization of Early Bronze Age or Early Dynastic Mesopotamia. This long and rich occupation may be in part a result of the site’s geographical location at the juncture of two potential subsistence zones; the ancient agricultural plains and the ecologically diverse southern marshes. These circumstances--advantageous environmental conditions, its presence in the historical record, and its relative lack of visible looting compared to other known Sumerian cities,--make Girsu a unique location for investigating long-standing anthropological and historical questions such as the processes that underlie the transition from farming villages to urban cities in southern Mesopotamia as well as the social, economic, political and physical layout of a Sumerian city-state.

Investigation of Sumerian Girsu

a reply to: intrptr

Yes the waters from above supplementing the waters upon the Earth, there are seven Goddess figures around the basin and some consideration that they may represent the daughters of Bau and Ningirsu, the beloved Lukur maidens...

Zazaru, Ickur-pa-ed, Ur-agrunta-ea, He-girnuna, He-caga, Zurju and Zarju, who are Bau´s septuplets, the offspring of lord Nin-jirsu, his beloved lukur maidens, who create plenty for the myriads, stepped forward to lord Nin-jirsu with friendly entreaties on behalf of Gudea.

But also Gudea himself liked to be represented holding the life giving waters, which of course had association with the Tigris and Euphrates as well as the constellation Aquarius and the waters of the Abzu.

a reply to: intrptr

Quantum astral connections using water as a medium for bilocation between earth and cosmos? The seven could relate to points in Pleiades, Orion, or steps/rungs on a ladder that correspond with planetary spheres and harmonic frequencies, energy centres, ect.

In other words, earthly ceremonies/rituals with material objects, that correspond with spiritual, religious or universal truth. Heaven on earth so to speak.

a reply to: Wifibrains


That's probably it...

a reply to: Kantzveldt

Yes the waters from above supplementing the waters upon the Earth, there are seven Goddess figures around the basin and some consideration that they may represent the daughters of Bau and Ningirsu, the beloved Lukur maidens...


Zazaru, Ickur-pa-ed, Ur-agrunta-ea, He-girnuna, He-caga, Zurju and Zarju, who are Bau´s septuplets, the offspring of lord Nin-jirsu, his beloved lukur maidens, who create plenty for the myriads, stepped forward to lord Nin-jirsu with friendly entreaties on behalf of Gudea.


But also Gudea himself liked to be represented holding the life giving waters, which of course had association with the Tigris and Euphrates as well as the constellation Aquarius and the waters of the Abzu.

Intresting Maybe the Glastonbury zodiac thread can shed some light or confirmation. Remember the tor, seven flows bowls form and the chalice well we discussed in a previous thread of yours?

www.abovetopsecret.com...


Well, apparently in the Glastonbury zodiac, they are in the constellation area of Aquarius.

Temple of the stars

a reply to: Wifibrains

Yes it's something they were always consistent with, that any extra-terrestrial visitation with regards to the Apkallu involved them emerging from the waters of the abyss, that often carp can be seen illustrated swimming in the stream of waters relating to the Aquarius symbol and those same carp were the Apkallu.

The Japanese were the same with their Dogu creatures of the watery abyss, in that it was not chance that they were so often represented on water pouring jars emerging from little portals as it were, that was understood as their method of emergence.

originally posted by: Kantzveldt
a reply to: Wifibrains

That's probably it...

Or a simple distribution system, the King owning and controlling the right of access to water. As usual, control freak of some sort, hungry for more power to lord it over people under his "dominion".

His daughters were probably the Kardashians of their day sans cell phones.

Technology changes (we have faucets), people don't change.

I consider ancients belief system to be limited to some extent. After all, the Romans believed in Vulcan and his Forge, that which we understand toady as volcanos.

Limited scientific knowledge tended to end in some religious proclamation, right? We look back and try to decipher what they meant, attributing ordinary activity and objects to temples and ritual practice (which it was).

a reply to: intrptr

Hey you can't say that about Gudea he was the best King EVER!!!

He had everything function as it should in his city. Gudea had built the E-ninnu, made its powers perfect. He brought fat and cream into its dairy and provided its ...... with bread. He had debts remitted and made all hands clear. When his master entered the house, for seven days the slave woman was allowed to became equal to her mistress and the slave was allowed to walk side by side with his master. But the ritually unclean ones could sleep only at the border of his city. He silenced the evil-speaking tongue and locked up evil.

He paid attention to the justice of Nance and Nin-jirsu. He provided protection for the orphan against the rich, and provided protection for the widow against the powerful. He had the daughter become the heir in the families without a son. A day of justice dawned for him. He set his foot on the neck of evil ones and malcontents.

The mighty steward of Nance, the accomplished shepherd of Nin-jirsu, is wise, and able too to realize things; the man in charge of building the house, Gudea the ruler of Lagac, was to make presents for the house.

He is wise, and able too to realize things. The ruler gave instructions to his city as to one man. The land of Lagac became of one accord for him, like children of one mother. He opened manacles, removed fetters; established justice, rejected legal complaints, and locked up those guilty of capital offences instead of executing them.

He undid the tongue of the goad and the whip, replacing them with wool from lamb-bearing sheep. No mother shouted at her child. No child answered its mother back. No slave was hit on the head by his master, no misbehaving slave girl was slapped on the face by her mistress.

Gudea was very observant to Nanse the Goddess of social justice and established a Utopian city state, he was Deified after his death and became a figure of worship.

a reply to: Kantzveldt

If only the world had such wise rulers in this day and age!

Traditionally in movies like Stargate the portal has a distorted appearance like looking through moving water... I know its just Hollywood, but is that what you all are getting at with the water/portal connection?

originally posted by: Kantzveldt
a reply to: Wifibrains


That's probably it...

That animal at the top has the top half missing but... dinosaur? Or kangaroo? Were there ever kangaroos outside Australia? Maybe they shipped them in like we do with our zoos. Or maybe some mythological creature... Reminds me of a dinosaur though. I guess it could also be a lion or some such 4 legged creature with its front 2 feet in the air or leaning on something we cannot see.

a reply to: 3n19m470

It does look like the bottom half of a kamgeroo there, the more normal context for that arrangement would have involved seated Enki, here we see an example of Gudea led before Enki by his personal God Ningizhidra.





a reply to: lostgirl

Yes he recognized the importance of the Goddess Nazi or Nanse...

He stepped aboard his boat, directed it towards her city Nijin, mooring it at the quay of Nijin. The ruler raised his head high in the courtyard of the goddess from Sirara. He offered bread, poured cold water and went to Nance to pray to her: ´Nance, mighty lady, lady of most precious powers, lady who like Enlil determine fates, my Nance, what you say is trustworthy and takes precedence. You are the interpreter of dreams among the gods, you are the lady of all the lands. Mother, my matter today is a dream:

i agree with interpretation of others here that the wells of 'holy water ' symbolizes cosmic connections --PHYSICAL connections between the earth AND heavens(harrapan,akkadian,sumerian,celtic) .In fact i believe the wells and water flows are representation of wormholes n the the HOLY WATERS are indeed (pure energy/anti matter--simply that which can be changed into other forms of energy[that which can createre-create]) .

Now the numerology of SEVEN in many of the 'water beings legends' comes in-thru the seven colors of the rainbow .See matter=>energy=>light(electromagnetic theory).Now there are many myths(Norse->bifrost,chenai indians e.t.c) that tell of gods coming from the heavens/stars?other realms? via RAINBOW bridges.

I think in the future not too distant man will RE-learn how to INTERFERE light beams such as to create a PURE ENERGY beam(holy water) n maybe even use it to cut short the time 4 interstellar travel.

It is possible that there exists/existed NATURAL WORMHOLES as has been postulated by big bang theorist et.al .

Such holes cud have been used by gods (sumerian ->shamash,thor->norse,shiva->indian) to travel in the "heavens/abzu/ne~fer/un~fer".
It is also likely that the natural wormholes cud only be at specific places on the earth relative to each other.I suggest watching a documentary--secrets of the pyramids by ekwanim prod.There u will see that various ancient civ sprout along specific energy- lines and the distances btwn them can be expressed thru the GOLDEN RATIO or vice versa.

secrets of the pyramids

a reply to: fr33coll3ct1v3
The Sumerians did not have 'wormholes', and no sane person would believe that they did....