Nippur at the Center of the Map

Ever-widening Circles

The map shows Nippur in a central location between Kish (or Akkad) in the north and Kengi (or Sumer) in the south. Prof. Fisher indicates by the circles what is within 50 km. (about 31 miles) of Nippur, what is within 100 km. (about 62 miles), what is within 150 km. (about 93 miles), and what is within 200 km. (about 124 miles).

Nippur was not a royal capital. Throughout its history, its religious and political leaders recognized the authority, demands and gifts of various royal administrations located in the following cities.

• The kings of Agade ruled over the whole region of Sumer and Akkad during the twenty-fourth to twenty-second centuries B.C., but Agade is not on the map because we have not yet identified its ruins. Presumably, it was located north of Nippur near Kish over 50 km. away, if not even further north close to 150 km. distant.
• Ur-Nammu and his successors ruled over Sumer and Akkad in the twenty-first century B.C., from the opposite direction. Their capital was Ur, located far to the south down-river near the Persian Gulf about 150 km. away.
• Isin a nearby city, less than 50 km. away, emerged as one of the more successful power centers for a while, during the twentieth and nineteenth centuries B.C.
• Larsa challenged Isin more and more successfully, and finally King Rim-Sin conquered Isin and took over its domains in the early eigthteenth century B.C. Larsa is located down-river to the south about 100 km. away.
• Babylon eventually succeeded Larsa as the dominant political power under the ambitious and cunning leadership of Hammurapi around 1763 B.C. Babylon is another northern capital almost 100 km. away. The Babylonian dominance of Nippur lasted less than 50 years. In 1720 B.C., Nippur seems to have been totally or mostly abandoned due probably to failure of the water supply (movement of the Euphrates River flow away from the city).
• Baghdad is the modern capital of the lands of Sumer, Akkad and Assyria. As you can see on the map, it is a northern city, over 150 km. away from Nippur.

A River on the Move

Prof. Fisher also calls attention to the movements of the Euphrates River. Unlike the Tigris River, the Euphrates flows through the region in a rather shallow bed and is prone to meander and dramatically change course. You can see from the map that the Euphrates flowed by (and through) Nippur in ancient times, but eventually shifted westward well over 50 km. away from the city.

The Lands South and North

Prof. Fisher has designated the area north of Nippur as Kish. The title "King of Kish" was a very prestigious royal title in the earliest years. The dynasty originally located in the city of Kish left a major impact on the following generations and must have ruled a significant amount of territory. Later the significance of the name of Kish was eclipsed by the power of Agade or Akkad after the conquests of Sargon in the twenty-fourth century B.C. Sumer is designated by Prof. Fisher as Kengi. The Sumerian word for "Sumer" was ki-en-gi, perhaps representing "place/land of Sumerian speech."

Click on these links to navigate our site:

• You may return to the Map Room.
• To see Nippur through the eyes of explorer and excavator John Punnett Peters, first modern archaeologist at Nippur, visit our Earth-Moving Room.
• To learn more about ancient Nippur, discover the resources in the Reading Room, or study the bigger picture of cuneiform culture at the Reading Room's Cultural Annex.
• To get an overview of Nippur, go to the Broad Vista Room.
• To evaluate the specialization of labor and professionalism at ancient Nippur, take a look in the Professional Room.
• To find the most official point of view from the great king, enter the Royal Display Room.
• After you have wandered through the rooms of Dubsar's abode, try your hand at the Nippur Quiz. JavaScript required.
• Return to the home page of Dubsar, the Cuneiform Scribe.