Sumerian palace and temple complex unearthed in the ancient city of Girsu

Sumerian palace © British Museum

Archaeologists from the Girsu Project have discovered the remains of a Sumerian royal palace and temple complex in the ancient city of Girsu, located in the province of Dhi Qar, Iraq.

Girsu was the city of Sumer, one of the oldest known civilizations in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia. The settlement of Girsu dates back to the early dynasty (2900-2335 BC), when the city became the capital of the kingdom of Lagash and a major administrative center during the Third Dynasty of Ur (2112-2004 BC), according to Heritage Daily.

Girsu was discovered in the 19th century, and the first excavations were carried out in the 1880s by the French archaeologist Ernest de Sargek.

These early excavations unearthed the famous Kite Stella (the oldest known war monument) dating from the Early Dynasty period (2600-2350 BC) and commemorating the victory of King Eanatum of Lagash over Ush, king of Umma.

The attraction consists of two large tell (mounds), one rising 15 meters above the plain and the other - 17 meters. Over the centuries, Girsu has been damaged by the failure to meet excavation standards in the 19th and 20th centuries and illegal excavations that sought artifacts to sell on the black market.

A 2021 study by the Girsa Project, a joint initiative between the British Museum and the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) of Iraq, applied remote sensing in the Girsa area at an area designated as Tablet Hill.

Archaeologists have discovered a vast complex of undisturbed architectural ruins. They have now been excavated to find a mud-brick palace and more than 200 ancient cuneiform tablets containing administrative records.

Archaeologists have also discovered the main sanctuary of