City-states



In the late 4th millennium BCE, Sumer was divided into many independent city-states, which were divided by canals and boundary stones. Each were centered on a temple dedicated to the particular patron god or goddess of the city and ruled over by a priestly governor (ensi) or by a king (LU.GAL) who was intimately tied to the city's religious rites.

Apart from Mari, which lies full 330 kilometres (205 miles) north-west of Agade, but which is credited in the king list as having "exercised kingship" in the Early Dynastic II period, and Nagar, an outpost, these cities are all in the Euphrates-Tigris alluvial plain, south of Baghdad in what are now the Babil Governorate|Bābil, Diyala Governorate|Diyala, Wasit Governorate|Wāsit, Dhi Qar Governorate|Dhi Qar, Basra Governorate|Basra, Al Muthanna Governorate|Al-Muthannā and Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate|Al-Qādisiyyah governorates of Iraq.

Antediluvian city-states
The five "first" cities are said to have exercised pre-dynastic kingship "before the flood":
 * 1) Eridu (Tell Abu Shahrain)
 * 2) Bad-tibira (probably Tell al-Madain)
 * 3) Larsa (Tell as-Senkereh)
 * 4) Sippar (Tell Abu Habbah)
 * 5) Shuruppak (Tell Fara)

Earliest per archaeology

 * Eridu, E-Abzu, Enki
 * Ur, E-kishnugal, Nanna (moon)
 * Larsa, E-babbar, Utu (sun)
 * Uruk, E-anna, Inana and An
 * Bad-tibira, E-mush, Dumuzi and Inana
 * Girsu, E-ninnu, Ningirsu
 * Umma, E-mah, Shara (son of Inana)
 * Nippur, E-kur, Enlil
 * Shuruppak, E-dimgalanna, Sud (variant of Ninlil, wife of Enlil)
 * Marad, E-igikalamma, Lugal-Marada (variant of Ninurta)
 * Kish, ?, Ninhursag
 * Sippar, E-babbar, Utu (sun)
 * Kutha, E-meslam, Nergal

Other principal cities
1. Uruk (Warka)

2. Kish (Tell Uheimir and Ingharra)

3. Ur (Tell al-Muqayyar)

4. Nippur (Afak)

5. Lagash (Tell al-Hiba)

6. Girsu (Tello or Telloh)

7. Umma (Tell Jokha)

8. Hamazi $1$

9. Adab (Tell Bismaya)

10. Mari (Tell Hariri) $2$

11. Akshak $1$

12. Akkad $1$

13. Isin (Ishan al-Bahriyat) ($1$location uncertain)

($2$an outlying city in northern Mesopotamia)

Minor cities (from south to north)

 * 1) Kuara (Tell al-Lahm)
 * 2) Zabala (Tell Ibzeikh)
 * 3) Kisurra (Tell Abu Hatab)
 * 4) Marad (Tell Wannat es-Sadum)
 * 5) Dilbat (Tell ed-Duleim)
 * 6) Borsippa (Birs Nimrud)
 * 7) Kutha (Tell Ibrahim)
 * 8) Der (al-Badra)
 * 9) Eshnunna (Tell Asmar)
 * 10) Nagar (Tell Brak), an outlying city in northern Mesopotamia