ERIDU. — An extremely ancient Sumerian city on the shore of the Persian Gulf, of little importance, however, in the politics of Babylonia, but of great significance in the religion of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, because it was the seat of the god EA, a deity of water among the most prominent in the ancient Mesopotamian pantheon. EA was worshipped there in a famous temple, equipped with a large apud, that is, a spacious basin containing holy water used for purifications and libations.
ERIDU
