Der (Sumerian: 𒌷𒂦𒀭𒆠^uruBAD₃.AN^ki;^[1]Akkadian: 𒌷𒂦𒀭𒆠^uruBAD₃.AN^ki or𒌷𒁲𒂊𒊒(𒆠)^urude-e-ru^(ki)) was aSumeriancity-state at the site of modernTell Aqar nearal-Badra inIraq'sWasit Governorate. It was east of theTigris River on the border between Sumer andElam. At one time it was thought that it might have been ancient Durum (Sumerian:^uruBAD₃^ki) but more recent scholarship has rebutted that.^[2][3][4]

Der

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Shown within Iraq
Alternative name	Tell Aqar
Location	Iraq
Coordinates	33°7′25″N45°55′53″E / 33.12361°N 45.93139°E /33.12361; 45.93139
Type	settlement
History
Periods	Early Dynastic thru Neo-Assyrian
Site notes
Condition	Ruined
Ownership	Public
Public access	Yes

The principal god of Der wasIštaran. In the 1st millennium BC, he was also referred to asAnu rabû ("GreatAnu") in Akkadian. The name of his temple at Der was Edimgalkalama.^[5]

Der was occupied from theEarly Dynastic period throughNeo-Assyrian times. The local deity of the city was namedIshtaran, represented on Earth by his minister, the snake god Nirah.

In the late 3rd millennium, during the reign ofSulgi of theThird Dynasty of Ur, Der was mentioned twice. The Sulgi year name 11 was named "Year Ishtaran of Der was brought into his temple", and year 21 was named "Year Der was destroyed". During the time ofAmar-Sin, when the king launched a long military campaign against Huhnuri, princeShu-Sin, crown prince, left his post in Der to return and hold Ur.^[7]

In the second millennium, Der was mentioned in a tablet discovered atMari sent byYarim-Lim I ofYamhad; the tablet includes a reminder to Yasub-Yahad king of Der about the military help given to him for fifteen years by Yarim-Lim, followed by a declaration of war against the city in retaliation for what Yarim-Lim described as evil deeds committed by Yasub-Yahad.^[8]Rim-Sin I ofLarsa reported destroying Der in his 20th year.Ammi-Ditana ofBabylon also recorded destroying the city wall of Der in his 37th year, that he said had been built earlier byDamqi-ilishu of theSealand Dynasty.

In an inscription little known early Old Babylonian period ruler of Der, Ilum-muttabbil, claimed defeating the armies ofAnshan, Elam, and Simaski, in alliance withMarhaši.^[9]

In 720 BC theAssyrian kingSargon II moved against Elam, but the Assyrian host was defeated near Der by the combined army of king Humban-Nikash I of Elam and kingMarduk-apla-iddina II ofBabylon.^[10] Following the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, theCyrus Cylinder mentions repatriating the people and restoring the sanctuary of the god of Der, among other cities.

While it appears that no excavation has occurred at Der, several notable objects have been discovered nearby, including akudurru (discovered in Sippar) which confirmed the name of the site.^[11] The site itself has been heavily damaged by water over the centuries and was considered not worth excavating.^[12]

The following list should not be considered complete:

• List of cities of the ancient Near East
• Tell

• P. Michalowski, Durum and Uruk during the Ur III Period, Mesopotamia, vol. 12, pp. 83 –96, 1977

• Stela at British Museum mentioning Der