Marad


Marad was an ancient Sumerian tell . Marad was situated on the west bank of the then western branch of the Upper Euphrates River west of Nippur in modern day Iraq and roughly 50 km southeast of Kish, on the Arahtu River.
The city's ziggurat E-igi-kalama was dedicated to Ninurta the god of earth and the plow, built by one of Naram-Sin's sons, as well as the tutelary deity Lugalmarada. The city fell into the bounds of the Akkadian empire after the conquest of Sargon of Akkad.

History

Marad was established ca. 2700 BC, during the Sumerian Early Dynastic II period.

Archaeology

The site of Marad covers an area of less than 124 hectares.
Marad was excavated by a team from Qādisiyyah University in 1990 led by Na'el Hannoon, and in 2005 and 2007 led by Abbas Al-Hussainy.