2025 · Peer-reviewed article · Open access
Morphodynamic Foundations of Sumer
How changes in rivers, tides, and the coastline shaped the possibilities for agriculture and settlement in early Sumer.
The study
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.
It proposes that the loss of earlier estuarine advantages helped drive greater dependence on engineered canals and institutions for managing water.
Read the open-access articleCitation
Giosan, Liviu, and Reed Goodman. 2025. “Morphodynamic Foundations of Sumer.” PLOS ONE 20(8): e0329084.