Ancient Temples Explored at Sumerian City of Girsu

GIRSU, IRAQ—Two temples, one built on top of the other, have been unearthed at the site of the Sumerian city of Girsu, which is located in southeastern Iraq, according to a Live Science report. The more recent temple, dated to the fourth century B.C. and dedicated to Hercules and his Sumerian equivalent, Ningirsu or Ninurta, contained a brick bearing an inscription in Aramaic and Greek referencing the rare Babylonian ceremonial name Adadnadinakhe, “the giver of two brothers.” A Greek drachm found beneath an altar bears images of a lightning bolt and an eagle, both symbols of Zeus, the Greek sky god. The Greek coin, minted during the rule of Alexander the Great, also features an image of Hercules that strongly resembles conventional representations of Alexander on one side, with Zeus on the other, explained Sebastien Rey of the British Museum. Zeus was said to have claimed Alexander as his son through the Ammon oracle, making Alexander and Heracles brothers, and thus Zeus became “the giver of two brothers,” Rey explained. The Sumerian temple situated directly beneath the Hellenistic temple had been constructed 1,500 years earlier. “It shows that the inhabitants of Babylonia in the [fourth] century B.C. had a vast knowledge of their history,” Rey explained. “The legacy of the Sumerians was still very vibrant.” To read about the discovery of a palace at Girsu, go to “The Palace on Tablet Hill.”