Some Recent Results of the University of Pennsylvania Excavations at Nippur, Especially of the Templ

Nippur in modern-day Iraq was one of the most ancient and sacred of the cities of ancient Sumeria, though it never enjoyed the political prominence of Uruk and Ur. Home to the temple of Enlil, it was a spiritual center for the other settlements of Sumeria. The site report represents the first in-depth excavation of the site in an effort that went on for many seasons afterward and focuses on the ziggurat site, the Nippur arch, court of the columns, and temple district. The detailed excavation report includes photographs, diagrams, and topographical map. This site is key to the understanding of the Sumerian culture, which in turn is key to understanding both Biblical history and the Greek literature that preserves elements of Sumerian.