Inanna (Sumerian) Inanna began her journey in the Sumerian city of Uruk, one of the oldest cities in Mesopotamia, sometime around 4000 BCE. Her original name, “Inanna,” is thought to come from the Sumerian phrase nin-an-ak, which roughly means “Lady of Heaven.” Later, as the Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians took cultural center stage, she became widely known as Ishtar. Scholars believe Inanna…