# Canonical recap data for Eridu Temple Complex Built (4500)
# Source: https://recap.at/4500/eridu-temple
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: eridu-temple
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/4500/eridu-temple"
title: Eridu Temple Complex Built
aliases:
- Eridu Temple
- Abu Shahrain
- Temple of Enki
subtitle: The world's earliest known monumental temple, marking the emergence of organized religion and the first institutional sacred architecture in Mesopotamia.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 4500-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 4500
decade: 4500
country:
name: Iraq
slug: iraq
summaryShort: Eric Temple Bell was a mathematician, educator and science fiction writer who lived in the United States for most of his life. He published non-fiction using his given name and fiction as John Taine.
summaryLong: Eric Temple Bell was a mathematician, educator and science fiction writer who lived in the United States for most of his life. He published non-fiction using his given name and fiction as John Taine.
lede: Around 4500 BCE, the people of Eridu in southern Mesopotamia built a temple complex that would become one of the world's earliest monumental religious structures. This wasn't just a building—it marked a shift toward organized religion, centralized authority, and the kind of permanent sacred architecture that defined civilizations for millennia. Eridu itself, situated in what's now Iraq near the Euphrates, functioned as one of humanity's first cities.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Eric_Temple_Bell_sketch_1931.png/1280px-Eric_Temple_Bell_sketch_1931.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Eric Temple Bell"
importance: 84
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Location
  value: Eridu (Abu Shahrain), southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq
- label: Construction period
  value: Approximately 4500 BCE
- label: Estimated age
  value: 6,500+ years old
- label: Dedicatory deity
  value: Enki (Sumerian water and wisdom god)
- label: Archaeological layers
  value: Multiple temple iterations built atop earlier structures over centuries
- label: Cultural significance
  value: Earliest known monumental religious architecture in Mesopotamia
timeline:
- date: "-4500-01-01"
  title: Eridu Temple Complex construction begins
  description: Initial temple structure built at Eridu, marking the earliest phase of organized religious architecture in Mesopotamia.
- date: "-4400-01-01"
  title: Early temple expansions
  description: Successive rebuilding phases indicate the temple remained a focal point for Eridu's growing population and religious practices.
- date: "-4000-01-01"
  title: Peak occupation period
  description: Eridu reaches its maximum population and religious importance as a major Sumerian settlement and ceremonial center.
- date: "-3000-01-01"
  title: Decline and abandonment
  description: Eridu's prominence wanes as other Mesopotamian city-states like Uruk gain power; the city is gradually abandoned.
- date: 1946-01-01
  title: Archaeological excavation begins
  description: Iraqi and international teams, led by excavations that would continue through the mid-20th century, uncover the temple complex layers.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Temple_Bell"
  title: Eric Temple Bell
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Eridu's temple complex demonstrated that human societies had moved beyond scattered settlements to organize around shared religious belief and centralized ritual spaces. The structure reflected technological capability—stone, mud brick, and planning—and social coordination at scales that would anchor Mesopotamian civilization for the next 3,000 years.
categories:
- festival
taxonomy:
domain: religious
eventTypes:
- pilgrimage
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- discovery
impactRadius: civilizational
velocity: gradual
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Eridu Temple Complex built around 4500 BCE—one of the world's earliest monumental religious structures in ancient Mesopotamia.
wikidataQid: Q548140
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260604103419/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Temple_Bell"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-04
  label: Eric Temple Bell
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Temple_Bell"
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Eric_Temple_Bell_sketch_1931.png/1280px-Eric_Temple_Bell_sketch_1931.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Eric_Temple_Bell_sketch_1931.png/800px-Eric_Temple_Bell_sketch_1931.png"
  caption: Eric Temple Bell
  credit: Wikipedia · "Eric Temple Bell"
  width: 330
  height: 418
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8054.jpg/1280px-Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8054.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8054.jpg/800px-Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8054.jpg"
  caption: Pergamon Museum Cone mosaics from temple district facade of Eanna in Uruk 8054
  credit: Dosseman
  width: 3259
  height: 5925
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8057.jpg/1280px-Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8057.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8057.jpg/800px-Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8057.jpg"
  caption: Pergamon Museum Cone mosaics from temple district facade of Eanna in Uruk 8057
  credit: Dosseman
  width: 8256
  height: 5504
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8056.jpg/1280px-Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8056.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8056.jpg/800px-Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8056.jpg"
  caption: Pergamon Museum Cone mosaics from temple district facade of Eanna in Uruk 8056
  credit: Dosseman
  width: 5504
  height: 8256
