Bad-tibira (Badtibira)

According to the Sumerian account of the Flood, this is the second antediluvian city of Sumer. The King’s Lists show that there were three kings who ruled with Bad-tibira as their seat before the waters came tumbling down. They were: En-me-en-lu-an-na, En-me-en-gal-an-na and Dumuzi the Shepherd (the Goddess Inanna’s husband). Unfortunately, Bad-tibira seems to have lost importance after the Flood.

The name of the city translates to metal worker and was called Panti-Biblos by the Greeks. Its location is on the Iturungal Canal, below Umma. This ancient city has been located and is believed to be modern Tell al-Medain (Medina).

In ancient times, Bad-tibira was a city situated at the edge of marshlands. This was important, for it was known mostly for it’s reed-burning furnaces and smelteries. Raw ore was brought via the Euphrates and Iturungal Canal to the kilns. Mostly copper, but also gold and silver, were exported from Bad-tibira to artisan shops all over ancient Sumer. These urban centers included: Uruk, Ur, Umma and Adab.

Bad-tibira was also a cult-center for the god Lulal, the son of Inanna. Although Dumuzi was named as king of Badtibira, Lulal remained as the tutelary deity of the city.