Uruk
/ˈʊr.ʊk/noun
An ancient Sumerian city in southern Mesopotamia, one of the world’s earliest major urban centers.
Did you know?Uruk was closely associated with Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love, war, and political power, whose temple complex helped make the city a center of ritual and kingship.
Etymological Timeline
4th millennium BCE
Sumerian
Unug
“The Sumerian name of the city; its deeper meaning is uncertain.”
3rd millennium BCE
Sumerian
Unug
“A major urban and religious center associated especially with Inanna and Anu.”
2nd millennium BCE
Akkadian
Uruk
“The Akkadian form of the city’s name.”
1st millennium BCE
Hebrew
אֶרֶךְ (Erech)
“The biblical name for Uruk, listed among the cities of Nimrod in Genesis.”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
Οὔρουκ (Ourouk)
“A Greek-transcribed form of the ancient city’s name.”
Modern English
English
Uruk
“The conventional archaeological and historical name for the ancient Mesopotamian city.”