Girsu

Girsu
Girsu
Shown within Iraq
Alternative nameTell Telloh
LocationDhi Qar Province, Iraq
RegionSumer
Coordinates31°33′43.3″N 46°10′39.3″E / 31.562028°N 46.177583°E / 31.562028; 46.177583
TypeSettlement
History
PeriodsUbaid, Uruk, Early Dynastic, Akkadian Empire, Lagash II, Ur III, Isin-Larsa, Hellenistic
Site notes
Excavation dates1877-1900, 1903-1909, 1929–1933, 2016-Present
ArchaeologistsErnest de Sarzec, Gaston Cros, Henri de Genouillac, André Parrot, Sébastien Rey

Girsu (Sumerian Ĝirsu. cuneiform ĝir2-suki 𒄈𒋢𒆠) was a city of ancient Sumer, situated some 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Lagash, at the site of what is now Tell Telloh in Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq. Because of the initial nasal velar ŋ, the transcription of Ĝirsu is sometimes spelled as Ngirsu (also: G̃irsu, Girsu, Jirsu). As the religious center of the kingdom of Lagash, it contained significant temples to the god Ningirsu (E-ninnu) and his wife Bau and hosted multi-day festivals in their honor.