BAD-TIBIRA

   Ancient Sumerian city, so far only known from cuneiform sources as the archaeological site has not yet been identified with certainty (though Tell al-Medan has been proposed). The toponym translates as “wall of metalworkers,” perhaps a reference to the city’s specialization. In the Sumerian King List, Bad-Tibira is listed among the second of five legendary antediluvian cities and said to have been ruled by three kings, including Dumuzi, the Shepherd, for a total of 108,000 years. This can be taken as a reference to the ancient foundation of the place, which like Eridumay go back to the Chalcolithic period. The city is mentioned in some Early Dynastic royal inscriptions but seems to have been abandoned in subsequent periods.