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Statuettes found at Tall al-Asmar, Early Dynastic II (c. 2775 – c. 2650 ); in … (credit: Courtesy of the Oriental Institute, the University of Chicago)

Ancient city ruins, eastern Iraq. Occupied before 3000 BC, it was, during the 3rd dynasty of Ur, the seat of an ensi (governor). After the collapse of Ur, it became independent but was later conquered by Hammurabi. Stone tablets found near Baghdad, called the "Laws of Eshnunna," predate the Code of Hammurabi by about two generations and help show the development of ancient law. After Hammurabi's time it fell into decline. Sumerian artifacts from the site include stone statuettes dating from the 3rd millennium BC.

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