Description : The site of Tell Zurghul was already identified as Nigin, one of the three main cities of the ancient Sumerian State of Lagash, corresponding to Tell el-Hiba (located just 7 kilometers to northwest), by the first excavations and surveys operated at the site in the past centuries. Several cuneiform sources of the First and Second dynasties of Lagash describe the ancient city of Nigin referring to the existence of many sanctuaries (the main one dedicated to the goddess Nanshe) and the canal of the Sumerian state, coming from Tello and reaching the sea to the South. The first excavations of the Italian Archaeological Expedition in 2015 showed that the history of site is more ancient and dates back to the V millennium BC, in the Ubaid Period, with an imposing and large settlement in the IV millennium BC in the Late Uruk Period.
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