Eshnunna

Eshnunna is an ancient Mesopotamian city located on a tell in what is now Iraq’s Diyala Governorate, known from texts and archaeological remains as an important regional centre in the early 2nd millennium BCE. The site is a key source for study of Early and Old Babylonian period politics, religion and art.

The archaeological tell contains remains of temples, administrative structures and domestic areas; the site is primarily of interest to specialists and is not a developed tourist complex. The discovery of iconic votive statues and inscribed material has made the site important for museums and scholarship.

Eshnunna was a powerful city-state and later a kingdom in Mesopotamia during the late 3rd and early 2nd millennia BCE, participating in regional politics and trade. Large-scale archaeological excavations in the early 20th century recovered temple deposits and administrative archives that define much of what is known about the city.

The site lies in the Diyala Governorate of Iraq on the Diyala plain, within the broader Mesopotamian alluvial landscape east of the Tigris River.

• Tell Asmar Hoard: The Tell Asmar Hoard of votive statues recovered from the site is a seminal find for Early Dynastic Mesopotamian art and is widely published in archaeological literature.
• Excavations: Major excavations took place in the early 1930s led by teams associated with the Oriental Institute, which revealed temples, administrative buildings and temples' deposits.

What to See #

• Temple of Abu: Temple of Abu where a group of votive statues known as the Tell Asmar Hoard was discovered; the temple complex was an important cult centre in the city.