-1 101 Z The small city of Mashkan Shapir rapidly rose in importance after the fall of the Third Dynasty of Ur around 2000 BC, becoming a strategic northern outpost of the Kingdom of Larsa. The city grew in size and diplomatic significance, but declined with the rise of Hammurabi of Babylon and was abandoned around 1720 BC.
# City
10 101 x Mashkan Shapir was divided into five regions by life-sustaining canals. Copper slags concentrated along the main street indicates that coppersmiths plied their trade there. Generally, however, workshops for making stone, copper and ceramics were scattered around the city, indicating that different classes were not segregated within the city.
# Urban area
9 101 x The name of the ancient city at modern Tell Abu Duwari was unknown until 1989 when a chunk of baked clay was found near a gate in the city wall. On the clay was an inscription in cuneiform ('wedge-shaped) writing bearing the city's name - 'Mashkan Shapir'.
# City name
4 101 x All the gates of the city were located beside canals which served as important lines of communication. The canals also provided food: this copper harpoon found in the city would have been used to catch fish. When the city declined, the vital watercourses fell into disrepair, contributing to the city's abandonment.
# Canals
6 101 x A small area between the walls of the city and the settlement remained empty except for six storehouses on the south-east side of the city. It has been suggested that this area may have served as a market place, for ancient Mesopotamian texts record that goods were exchanged near city gates.
# Markets, Storehouses
11 101 x Mashkan Shapir controlled the trade route up the river Tigris. Broad harbours located at two of the main canal junctions were centres for commerce.
# Harbours
2 102 E The sanctuary and temple of Nergal, the god of war and pestilence who ruled the Mesopotamian Underworld, was situated in the south-west of the city. The temple, which was the focal point of the city, was raised up on a platform (ziggurat). Terracotta statues and plaques of lions, humans, dogs and horses were found in the temple precinct.
# Nergal, Religion, Terra-cotta lion plaque.
1 102 F The walled-off administrative enclosure contained a series of regularly built structures and housed the governor of the city and his officials. Model chariots with the gods Nergal and Shamash represented on them may have been used here in legal matters, such as oath-taking. Usually such objects are found in a domestic setting.
# Administrative area, Fragments of model chariots with Mesopotamian gods
5 101 x Evidence of small-scale 'smokestack' industry, such as copper smelting and pottery making, was found in the south-eastern section of the city.
