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Morphodynamic Foundations of Sumer
Liviu Giosan1,2,3, Reed Goodman4,5,6
1Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Plos One
|August 20, 2025
Summary
Ancient Sumer
Area of Science:
- Environmental History
- Archaeology
- Geomorphology
Background:
- Sumerian economic origins and social complexity during the Uruk period are debated.
- Traditional explanations for agricultural surpluses pre-irrigation are insufficient.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reconstruct the morphodynamic evolution of coastal Sumer.
- To propose tidal irrigation as a mechanism for early agricultural surplus and urbanization.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution satellite-based topography.
- Paleoenvironmental proxies from a new drill core at Lagash/Tell Al Hiba.
- Integration of existing geological and archaeological data.
Main Results:
- Reconstructed the morphodynamic evolution of coastal Sumer.
- Identified tidal irrigation as a plausible driver for early agriculture and urbanization.
- Showcased the shift from tidal to fluvial irrigation systems with deltaic changes.
Conclusions:
- Coastal morphodynamics played a pivotal role in Sumerian urbanization and political ecology.
- Early Sumerian development was intricately linked to natural environmental systems and human adaptation.
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