Eanna

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Parts of a pen mosaic of an inner courtyard of the Eanna sanctuary

Eanna ( Sumerian E'ana ; house of heaven ) is the name of the main temple of Uruk . It served as the main shrine on the one hand to worship the city goddess Inanna / Ištar and her father An and on the other hand as a treasure house . The term treasure house not only refers to the rich furnishings of the temple, but also to the storage of treasures and large supplies that were brought to Eanna for safekeeping by the temple priesthood from the associated properties. Eanna achieved particular fame as a place of worship mentioned in the Gilgamesh epic .

In the old Mesopotamian city of Uruk, the formation of BC (in the Uruk IV a) an extensive complex with several large temples, courtyards and other buildings, all of which were located behind an enclosing wall, including the ziggurat of Eanna . The earliest evidence of cuneiform writing , the so-called proto-cuneiform writing, was found here. The Eanna existed as the dominant cult and economic center of this area until the Seleucid period, 4th to 2nd century BC. Chr., Inside. Parts of the temple are in the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin .

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