Girsu

   In the third millennium b.c., one of the more important Sumerian cities, located on the plain stretching between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southern Mesopotamia. Initially, modern scholars thought that Girsu (modern Tello) and Lagash were one and the same. However, it soon became clear that Girsu was situated several miles south of Lagash. It is possible that at first Girsu may have served as an administrative center for Lagash, but later Girsu became mainly a religious center, with a major temple of Ningirsu ("Lord of Girsu"), a god associated with farming and the plow. Principal excavation of Girsu was undertaken by French archaeologists between 1877 and 1897. They found numerous important artifacts, including some forty thousand cuneiform tablets; the famous Stele of the Vultures, depicting a Sumerian battle formation; and a statue of Gudea, a noted king of Lagash.

   See also: Lagash; Ningirsu; Stele of the Vultures