Peer-reviewed article · Open access
Giosan, Liviu, and Reed Goodman. 2025. “Morphodynamic Foundations of Sumer.” PLOS ONE 20(8): e0329084.
This paper reconstructs the changing delta and coastline of early Sumer. It examines how tides, rivers, sedimentation, and delta advance created changing opportunities for agriculture and settlement, and proposes that the loss of earlier estuarine advantages helped drive greater dependence on engineered canals and hydraulic institutions.