Kish

Kish is a spread of a dozen or more mounds across several kilometres, and in the Sumerian King List it is the city where kingship was restored after the flood, which made king of Kish a title that later rulers claimed for its prestige even when they ruled elsewhere. Excavation by Anglo-American teams in the 1920s and 1930s found palaces, temples, chariot burials and a large cemetery, along with some of the earliest evidence for wheeled vehicles. The most visible feature now is the ziggurat mound of Tell Ingharra and the eroded remains of a Neo-Babylonian temple with standing brickwork. The site sits in farmland close to Babylon and is usually visited alongside it, taking a couple of hours.

History

Kish was occupied from the Ubaid period, about 5300-4300 BC, and in the Early Dynastic periods it reached its greatest extent of 230 hectares as one of the leading powers of the region. The Sumerian King List names it the first city to have kings after the flood, its first dynasty beginning with Gushur (Wikipedia, Kish (Sumer)).

Highlights

• The ziggurat mound - the stepped platform at Tell Ingharra.
• Neo-Babylonian brickwork - standing walls of the later temple.
• The spread of mounds - the extent of the city across the fields.
• Excavation trenches - cuts from the 1920s and 1930s campaigns.

When to go

November to March; the mounds are exposed and summer is severe. Mornings are best. The site is often combined with Babylon on the same day out from Hillah or Baghdad.

Good to know

There is very little standing and no interpretation. The site is unfenced farmland in places and finding the significant mounds needs a guide. Finds from the excavations are in Oxford, Chicago and Baghdad. Permission arrangements vary.

Nearby

Babylon lies west; Borsippa is southwest.

Key facts