Uruk

Uruk, also traditionally identified with the biblical Erech, is an ancient Mesopotamian city-state in southern Mesopotamia, located in present-day Iraq near the town of Warka along the Euphrates. It was among the world's first major urban centers, attaining prominence in the Uruk Period (roughly 4000–3100 BCE) and remaining influential into the Early Dynastic period.

The city developed large monumental architecture and a sophisticated administration. The Eanna district housed the White Temple and other religious buildings dedicated to the goddess Inanna (Ishtar). Uruk is associated with early urbanization, centralized storage, and long-distance trade networks. It is credited with contributing to the development of writing; the earliest known cuneiform documents come from its precincts, reflecting administration, economics, and religious life.

In literature, Uruk is the setting of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the legendary king Gilgamesh is associated with the city. The city’s name survives in scholarly use for the late Uruk period, a phase of urban growth that influenced Mesopotamian culture.

Archaeological work at the site near Warka has yielded inscriptions, monuments, and artifacts spanning multiple periods. Excavations since the 19th century have furthered understanding of early urbanism, state formation, religion, and writing in Mesopotamia. Uruk declined in importance in the late 2nd millennium BCE, though its historical and cultural legacy remained influential in later Mesopotamian tradition and scholarship.