Elite Mesopotamian burial ground dating to 2400 BC.
Dr. Alice C. Linsley
Nimrod is designated a son of Kush in Genesis 10:8. As a sent-away son, he became established in Mesopotamia by marrying a Sumerian princess. It is likely that she and Nimrod were cousins. The couple enjoyed a life of opulence and prestige. They were among the first lords and ladies. They exercised great influence and power in the ancient world.
In the Ubaid period (c. 5500-4000 BC) there was vigorous commerce between the local walled villages. By the time Nimrod married a daughter of Asshur (c.3600-3200 BC), long-distance trade had become a source of wealth for the Mesopotamian lords and ladies. Ships coming from the Island of Bahrain (ancient Dilmun) brought wool, gold, copper, lapis lazuli, and carnelian to the Sumerian cities of Ur, Nippur, and Uruk. With the precious materials that came into Mesopotamia, royal craftsmen fabricated jewelry for the royal wives, daughters, and concubines.
As early as 7000 BC, Dilmun (Bahrain) served as a major trade depot with its own commercial seal. The weights used there were of the same denominations as the system of weights used in the Indus Valley. Ancient documents speak of Dilmun’s trade in gold, silver, ivory, sesame oil, wool, carnelian beads, lapis lazuli, and copper. One document details a cargo of eighteen tons of refined copper purchased in Dilmun.
Sumerian ships brought cargo to Dilmun and to port cities in the Indus valley. Ships sailed southeast on the Tigris or Euphrates to the Persian Gulf, making stops at the port city of Dilmun, passing the Oman Peninsula, and entering the Arabian Sea. From there the ships sailed northeast on the Indus River to Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. Trade in lapis lazuli and carnelian beads ran between Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and Afghanistan as early as 4000 BC. Indus seals with Harappan inscriptions have been found in Mesopotamia. Indus pottery and seals have been found along the maritime routes between the Indian subcontinent and Mesopotamia.
Genesis 10:10 mentions the Sumerian city of Erech (Uruk) in connection with Nimrod. Another important Sumerian city was Eridu, a major trade center in the land of Shinar as early as 5000 BC. The Sumerian King List cites Eridu as the “city of the first kings,” stating, “After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridu.”
Nimrod was not the first city builder. In the Bible that is credited to Cain (Gen. 4). However, Nimrod's fame was such that he is remembered as one of the “mighty men of old” (Gen. 6:4). Some Bibles describe him as a “mighty hunter” or a maharba in Hausa or nahshirkan in the Targum. These terms appear to the be related to the Hausa sarkin maharba, meaning lead hunter or chief. Clearly, Nimrod was among the Nephilim, or powerful men who were considered "sons of God" in the ancient world because of their authority and grandeur. In Genesis 6, the phrase "sons of God" parallels the phrase "daughters of men." Such parallelism is typical of Semitic literature.
The cities in Mesopotamia were small settlements during the Ubaid Period (6500-4100 BC) when irrigation and other agricultural advancements were introduced. Between c.4000-3000 BC, Mesopotamia became a region of cultural advances in writing, animal husbandry, metal work, and boat building. Nimrod undertook his building projects during this period.
The cities in Mesopotamia were small settlements during the Ubaid Period (6500-4100 BC) when irrigation and other agricultural advancements were introduced. Between c.4000-3000 BC, Mesopotamia became a region of cultural advances in writing, animal husbandry, metal work, and boat building. Nimrod undertook his building projects during this period.
Archaeologists discovered a 4000-year-old boat at Uruk when the erosion of a riverbed at the edge of the city revealed the boat’s outline in 2018. The vessel measures 22 feet long and five feet wide. The boat was constructed of organic materials, probably bundles of marsh reeds, and covered in bitumen; a tar-like substance used for waterproofing. This technique was used in the construction of Noah’s ark (Gen. 6:14).
River trade generated great wealth for the rulers who controlled commerce on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Commerce led to the expansion of the major Sumerian cities during Nimrod's time, especially Uruk (Erech). Trade extended over land from Uruk to the resource-rich Zagros Mountains, Northern Syria, and Anatolia.
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