22: The Uruk period in Susiana, 3900-3200 BCE (Enmerkar vs Ensuhkeshdanna)

Guests: Kirra, Jojo

First, Ensuhkeshdanna, the haughty lord of faraway Aratta, demands the submission of our hero Enmerkar, the wise king of noble Unug. When Enmerkar refuses to so debase himself, the lord of Aratta plots a campaign of economic sabotage by means of dark sorcery.

We finish up our tour of the Uruk world in Susiana, in southwestern Iran, picking up right after the end of the Susa 1 period (in episode 18). A population explosion accompanies the introduction of Uruk-style material culture (that is, similar to the culture of southern Mesopotamia). We tour the eternal city of Susa, the small rural village of Shafarabad, and the revitalized town of Chogha Mish. What can we know about Susiana's relationship to the Mesopotamian alluvium during this period?

Finally: wizard fights are the continuation of diplomacy by other means!

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Works cited