Girsu

Girsu, also spelled Girsu, was a prominent ancient Sumerian city-state in southern Mesopotamia. It functioned as the religious and political center of the Lagash polity during the Early Dynastic period. The city occupied the site of Tell Telloh, in present-day Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq, near the Tigris-Euphrates plain. Girsu rose to prominence in the 3rd millennium BCE as the seat of Lagash rulers and a focal point of the Lagash-Umma interactions, with evidence of extensive administrative organization and temple economy.

The chief temple complex was dedicated to Ningirsu, a god of farming and war. The main temple, E-ninnu, is one of the best-known Sumerian religious buildings, and its remains, along with other urban structures, reveal a sizable and planned urban center. The city’s inscriptions and monuments document warfare, diplomacy, and temple endowments, shedding light on governance in Lagash.

Archaeological work began in the 19th century when French excavator Ernest de Sarzec opened the site at Tell Telloh, uncovering monumental architecture, inscriptions, and artifacts from the Early Dynastic period. These discoveries contributed to understanding the political history of Lagash and its interactions with neighbouring polities.

Girsu declined relative to rising powers in the late 3rd millennium and later centuries, but its material remains and textual records remain central to reconstructions of early Sumerian administration and religion. The site is now identified with Tell Telloh in modern Iraq and continues to yield insights into Sumerian urban life.