Assyriological Studies in Finland

Sa n n a Ar o & Ra i j a Ma t t i l a

Pr o c e e d i n g s o f t h e Fo u n d a t i o n o f t h e Fi n n i s h In s t i t u t e i n t h e Mi d d l e Ea s t 1 / 2007 Pr o c e e d i n g s o f t h e Fo u n d a t i o n o f t h e Fi n n i s h In s t i t u t e i n t h e Mi d d l e Ea s t 1 / 2007

Editor: Sanna Aro Layout: Maija Holappa Print: Picaset, Helsinki ISSN 1796-1521 ISBN 978-952-5393-09-5 Front cover: Simo Parpola contemplating fragments of cuneiform tablets at Ziyaret Tepe, Turkey. Photo: Courtesy of Simo Parpola Co n t e n t s

Pr e f a c e 5

Ka r l Fr e d r i k En e b e r g , Fi n n i s h Pi o n e e r 7

Kn u t Ta l l q v i s t 9

Di s c i p l e s o f Ta l l q v i s t : Ha r r i Ho l m a a n d Ar m a s Sa l o n e n 11

Se m i t i s t Ju ss i Ar o 14

Il m a r i Kä r k i a n d Er kk i Sa l o n e n 17

Si m o Pa r p o l a 17

Cu n e i f o r m a n d c o mp u t e r s 17

Th e St a t e Ar c h i v e s o f Ass y r i a 19

Me l a mm u 20

Ass y r i a n o w 20

Di s c i p l e s o f Pa r p o l a 21

Au t h o r s 22

Fu r t h e r r e a d i n g 22

Pr e f a c e

The purpose of this brief account of the history of Assyriological studies in Fin- land is to give a glimpse of the unbroken tradition of the discipline in this coun- try. This is not intended as a survey of the intellectual impact of Assyriology and Assyriologists on the research fields in Finland and abroad. The versatile spirit of the Assyrio­logists has influenced academic and cultural echelons of Finland and their interesting personalities certainly deserve a more profound study in the future.

Sanna Aro was responsible for describing the early Assyriologists including Jus- si Aro and Raija Mattila supplied the text for the contemporary scholars as well as the presentation of the State Archives of Assyria project.

Sanna Aro also compiled all the illustrations and the short bibliography.

We wish to thank Prof. Matti Klinge and the Helsinki University Museum for the photograph of Harri Holma as primus doctor and Prof. Simo Parpola for other photographic material and useful comments. We also wish to thank the staff of the National Library of Finland for all their help and assistance. Special thanks go to Risto Valjus, researcher at Biografical Centre of Finnish Literature Society, who provided us with much data and valuable details. Margot Whiting revised our English, but any possible errors remain entirely our own responsibility.

Ass yriological St u d i e s i n Fi n l a n d of the sons of the vicar Isak Reinhold Eneberg. Karl’s elder brother Waldemar The study of oriental languages has deep (1840-1904) studied law and later be- roots in the academic history of Finland. came an influential senator in the Impe- In the 17th century already, Hebrew, Ara- rial Finnish Senate. maic and Arabic were part of the cur- Like many Finns of the time, Eneberg riculum of those who studied theology. studied first at the Imperial Alexander Therefore, it is no wonder that Finnish University of Helsinki but also spent scholars very soon also turned to As- a few years abroad. Oriental and Clas- syriology, a new and exciting field in the sical languages were his main interest oriental studies. but Eneberg was also very engaged in Assyriology as a scholarly discipline student politics although student unions began in Europe only in the second half were illegal organizations during that of the 19th century. The decipherment period. During his leisure time he wrote of the cuneiform script happened more poetry. Swedish was Eneberg’s native or less simultaneously with the first language but he also learnt to speak and excavations of the mounds of northern write Finnish, a language then only in a Mesopotamia — starting on a larger developing stage as a literary language. scale from 1840’s — and they yielded After taking his degree in oriental lan- numerous cuneiform inscriptions that guages, Eneberg worked as a teacher – formed the bulk of information for phi- both as a private tutor in families as well lologists, historians and other fields to as in different schools – but also tried study for. Assyriology – here meaning hard to get grants and scholarships to go both archaeology and cuneiform studies abroad. His doctoral dissertation of 1872 – initiated with European scholars but with the title De pronominibus arabicis soon Americans also sent their expedi- dissertatio etymologica, still written and tions to Mesopotamia. The first teaching defended in Latin, was mostly the result positions in European universities for of scholarly visits to St. Petersburg, Ber- Assyriology were established in Paris, lin and Kiel. Eneberg benefited greatly London and Berlin. from the supervision of Daniel Chwol- son (1819-1911), Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer (1801-1888) and Theodor Ka r l Fr e d r i k En e b e r g , Nöldeke (1836-1930). Fi n n i s h Pi o n e e r How did Eneberg become involved in Assyriology? His dissertation on Arabic The first Finnish scholar trained as pronouns did not receive much recogni- an Assyriologist­ was Karl Fredrik tion in academic circles in Finland but Eneberg (1841-1876), born in the Os- Eneberg’s teachers and friends Wilhelm trobothnian village of Närpiö. During Lagus (1821-1909) and Otto Donner the 19th century, children of evangeli- (1835-1909), both in prominent posi- cal clergymen often pursued academic tions, encouraged him to get involved studies and this was the case of two in the new and extremely attractive field

Proceedings 1 / 2007 7 of languages written in cuneiform. Dur- and Sumerian but left behind substantial ing the 1870’s, there was already much notes on the subject. learned discussion about the linguistic Eneberg’s great wish was to join one affinity of what seemed to be the old- of the most famous Assyriologists of est language written with the cunei- the time, George Smith (1840-1876), at form writing system and which some Nineveh, to work with him on the ex- colleagues already called by its proper cavations and to find many cuneiform name, Sumerian. On a national and na- tablets. Certainly Eneberg was inspired tionalistic level, Finns were interested by the almost legendary discovery of in knowing if their own agglutinative the join to the famous tablet containing language might be related to Sumerian, the Epic of Gilgamesh, which Smith had as suggested by some scholars. With the been lucky to find at Nineveh in 1873. help of his friends, Eneberg succeeded He also intended to purchase some cu- in getting a grant for Assyriological neiform tablets to be taken to Helsinki studies in Paris and he left for France so that Finland would have its own col- in late 1874. In Paris, Eneberg’s super- lection of cuneiform documents. Again, visor was Julius Oppert (1836-1905), Otto Donner succeeded in obtaining a who was at the time one of the lead- travel grant for Eneberg, at least partly ing scholars not only in Akkadian but financed by the Finnish Science Soci- also in all cuneiform studies. By mod- ety, and so Eneberg was ready to make ern standards – students of Assyriology his dream come true and experience the usually need several years to master the Orient. Joining Smith’s archaeological principal grammar and a few different expedition was, however, not easy. His dialects of Akkadian – Eneberg learnt first formal application was turned down. the language extraordinarily quickly and In November 1875, Samuel Birch, the in a few recommendations, his teacher keeper of the Oriental Department of the Oppert praised Eneberg’s skills. In British Museum, wrote to Jules Mohl, 1875, Eneberg’s first and only Assyrio­ who had acted as Eneberg’s referee: logical article was published in Journal “Dr. Enebergs application comes too Asiatique under the title Inscription de late, Mr. Smith having started about a Tiglat-Pileser II: étude assyrienne. This fortnight ago for the East. He has gone seems to be the first attempt of a com- alone and I could not recommend that plete translation of the summary inscrip- Dr. Eneberg should accompany him tion of Tiglath-Pileser III, published as even on the termin proposed. There are a copy in Rawlinson’s The Cuneiform many difficulties in the way and such a Inscriptions of Western Asia II, although step would not diminish them, nor do I not acknowledged in the later editions see how it could be granted. Believe me of the same text. In order to fulfill the yours very truf.” expectations of the academic société in Eneberg, however, was determined to Finland, Eneberg was also busy study- make his first trip to Mesopotamia and ing Sumerian. He was not convinced did not feel discouraged. He spent the of the presumed relationship of Finnish end of 1875 and beginning of 1876 in

8 Proceedings 1 / 2007 London, studying cuneiform tablets in self, who had been held up in Baghdad, the British Museum and in January made arrived in Mosul when Eneberg was al- a personal acquaintance with Smith who ready buried and it was too late to begin unexpectedly returned from Constanti- any work at Nineveh. On his return in nople but intended to restart the expe- August, Smith was also taken ill with fe- dition within a few weeks. Smith ac- ver and died near Aleppo. cepted Eneberg’s request to participate There are many uncertainties about privately in the project and having only the details of the last journey of Smith two weeks to equip himself for the trip and Eneberg but at least in Eneberg’s and take care of additional fundraising, case, the main facts can be read in his Eneberg left for Mosul. In the light of Nachlass kept in the National Library present day careful research plans, such of Finland. He definitely parted from spontaneous, ill-prepared ventures seem Smith in Aleppo and travelled the very risky and quite hazardous. northern route to Mosul. It is thus obvi- Smith and Eneberg travelled more or ous that the description by E.A. Wallis less together until Aleppo. Smith want- Budge in his book The Rise & Progress ed to continue to Mosul via Baghdad, of Assyriology (1925) p. 116-117 about which could not be entered because of the progress of Eneberg’s illness and the plague, so he stayed in Aleppo. Anx- inability of Smith to give him even “first ious to get to Mosul, Eneberg decided to aid” strongly contradict the available leave alone, hired a Venetian dragoman evidence. to accompany him, travelled over three Eneberg, like many other pioneers weeks with a caravan through Birecik, of Assyriology, had a deep enthusi- Urfa and Salili and it was only at the end asm for his scholarly work but his life of April that he arrived in Mosul. With- was a struggle for daily bread and so out Smith and his firmân (= permission) full of trivial obstacles. The last years to excavate, there was not much to do before his premature death, he was en- in this little town, so Eneberg waited gaged to a young noble woman Minette impatiently for Smith, strolled through Munck (1848-1922), who later married the ruins around Mosul and also visited Eneberg’s mentor and friend Otto Don- Khorsabad (Dūr-Šarrukēn). From his ner. Their grandson, Jörn Donner, has letters home, it is clear that he suffered published a book about Eneberg’s and from homesickness. Minette’s relationship and correspon­ While waiting for Smith, Eneberg dence. suddenly died at the end of May. The circumstances around his death were not very clear and left an opening for all Kn u t Ta l l q v i s t sorts of speculation in Finnish academ- ic circles, but obviously Eneberg was After Eneberg, there is a break of two struck by an unexpected illness rather decades in Finnish Assyriological stud- than being poisoned by his dragoman, as ies. Eneberg never had the opportunity to suspected by some. George Smith him- teach Akkadian or other cuneiform lan-

Proceedings 1 / 2007 9 guages in Helsinki, so the basic know­ ledge of Assyriology had to be imported to Finland once more. Knut Leonard Tallqvist (1865-1949), born in Kirkkon- ummi near Helsinki, first studied semi­ tic languages under Prof. Ernst August Strandmann (1832-1900) but Strand- man’s teaching activities were greatly hindered by poor health. Thus, during his early years of study, Tallqvist main­ ly taught himself oriental languages.­ Eneberg and Tallqvist both shared a similar background being the young- est sons in clerical families, they both mastered Finnish in addition to Swedish but there are obvious differences in their approaches to Assyriology. Eneberg can be regarded as an activist with romantic views of travelling to the Orient and also with a desire to find cuneiform tablets himself. Tallqvist travelled extensively in Egypt, Palestine and Syria but he nev- er participated in archaeological excava- tions. He preferred to do his cuneiform research in libraries. Tallqvist spent university terms in Germany in 1888-1889 and felt a grow- ing interest in Akkadian and Sumerian. In Leipzig and Berlin, he enjoyed the scholarly teaching of Friedrich Delitzsch (1850-1922) and Eberhard Schrader (1836-1908). A fruit of this valuable time was his doctoral dissertation Die Sprache der Contracte Nabû-nâ’ids (555-538 V.Chr.) mit Berücksichtigung der Contracte Nebukadrezars und Cyrus, published in 1890. He started teaching

Top: The first doctoral dissertation in Assyriology was defended by Knut Tallqvist in 1890. Photo: S. Aro.

Bottom: Translation of the Epic of Gilgameš into Swedish by Knut Tallqvist in 1945. Photo: S. Aro. 10 Proceedings 1 / 2007 oriental languages in 1891 in Helsinki translated by him into Swedish, the latter and was appointed Professor of Oriental posthumously edited by Jussi Aro. Literatures in 1899, a chair held by him When the Finnish Oriental Society until his retirement in 1933. (Suomen Itämainen Seura) was founded In the following decades, Tallqvist in 1917, Tallqvist was its main initiator, proved to be a voluminous writer not having already acted as the founder and only on Assyriological subjects but also chairman of a student group called the in other fields of oriental studies. He had “Semitic Society”. During the first dec- a clear passion for listing, classifying ades of its existence, the society held and analysing inscriptions and he was monthly meetings in Helsinki where also able to use the extracted informa- papers on the latest news, especially tion effectively. Tallqvist did not copy in the field of Assyriology, were given many cuneiform texts himself since followed by vivid discussion. Tallqvist Finland lacked extensive tablet collec- held the chairmanship and was famous tions. However, in 1892 he spent time for his sharp and sagacious comments in the British Museum and collected, up to1948 when an illness tied him to copied and edited the first important home and bed. volume on the Maqlû-series of incanta- tions with a valuable commentary. Other contributions on Mesopotamian religion Di s c i p l e s o f Ta l l q v i s t : for exam­ple dealt with the nature of the Ha r r i Ho l m a a n d Ar m a s Sa l o n e n Assyrian god Ashur and epithets of dif- ferent gods. Knut Tallqvist, then, was the first To later generations of Assyriologists, Assyrio­logist to teach the discipline in Tallqvist is perhaps best known for his Finland. He did not have many students, onomastic research. He published a but those who he had were talented and study on Neo-Babylonian names (1906), carried on the traditions. Tallqvist also which was followed by Assyrian Person- started the tradition of Finnish Assyrio­ al Names (1914). The Assyrian Personal logists studying in Germany and schol- Names served for a long time as the only arly contacts with German colleagues handbook on the subject, its value only were often decisive in choosing subjects diminishing with the more extensive of specialization. The strong influence project of the State Archives of Assyria, of the German schools of Assyriology The Prosopography of the Neo-Assyrian is visible not only in the methodological Empire (1998-). orientation but also in the fact that Finn- Tallqvist wrote a series of general ish Assyriologists published their schol- works in Swedish and Finnish and thus arly works mainly in German, English started the important tradition of making becoming prevalent only later. the results of Assyriological studies ac- Harri Holma (1886-1954), son of a cessible for a wider audience in Finland. schoolmaster and a native of Hämeen- The Epic of Giglamesh and a collection linna, matriculated at the Imperial Al- of Babylonian hymns and prayers were exander University of Helsinki in 1903,

Proceedings 1 / 2007 11 Harri Holma as primus doctor during the promotion festivities of the University of Helsinki in 1914. Holma sits third from left among other doctors of philosophy who were later to become mostly university professors, and statesmen such as L.K. Relander (upper row, second from left), President of Finland 1925-1931. Photo: Courtesy of Matti Klinge and the Helsinki University Museum taking a degree in oriental languages in supervisor, Holma prepared his doctoral 1907, although the subject of his pro dissertation Die Namen der Körperteile gradu –thesis dealt not with Assyriology im Assyrisch-Babylonischen, published but with Arabic. Holma first planned an in 1911. In the degree ceremony of international scholarly career but the war the Imperial Alexander University of changed the situation and he entered the Helsinki in 1914, Holma had the great interesting and eventful life as one of the honour to act as Primus Doctor, which first diplomats of the independent State is given to the writer of the dissertation of Finland. However, he never lost his with the highest mark. These degree cer- affection for cuneiform or oriental stud- emonies with strict dress codes and para- ies: whenever in Paris, his leisure time phernalia (doctoral hats and swords) are was given to the tablet collection in the still a living tradition at the University Louvre.1 of Helsinki and form an important part When Holma was a student, Tallqvist of the academic festivities, especially in seems to have been quite impressed with the Faculty of Philosophy. his skills and encouraged him to con- The fact that Holma made one of the tinue his studies in Leipzig. With Hein- very first comments on Bedŕich Hro- rich Zimmern (1862-1931) as a second zný’s (1879-1952) discovery of the Indo-

1 See the newspaper article by Mika Waltari in Uusi Suomi 8.10. 1964.

12 Proceedings 1 / 2007 European nature of the Hittite language but a more extensive study appeared in has never been acknowledged among 1923 in the form of a collection of Baby- Hittitologists and therefore a mention lonian omen texts in the British Museum of it cannot be omitted here. In March copied and edited by him. 1916, Holma read a paper on Études sur To Armas Salonen (1915-1981), les vocabulaires sumériens-accadiens- Tallqvist donated his card file, a Zettel- hittites de Delitzsch. Sur le problème de kasten being the most valuable tool for l’origine indo-européenne de la langue an Assyriologist before the computer hittite before the Finno-Ugric Society. age. With the help of this collection of Even if scholarly correspondence was words from cuneiform literature, Salo- almost at a standstill during the years of nen became a voluminous writer upon war, Holma was informed of Hrozný’s Mesopotamian Realia, i.e. the different preliminary report by a Swedish col- aspects of the material culture. league Pontus Leander (1872-1935) and Salonen shared the common theologi- he took an obvious pleasure in present- cal background on his paternal side with ing his own ideas concerning this very Eneberg and Tallqvist but he was not born current and intriguing topic. Holma’s in the Finnish countryside but in Japan, starting-point was—as the title of his pa- where his father, vicar Kaarlo Salonen, per indicates – the trilingual (Akkadian- worked as missionary. Like Tallqvist Sumerian-Hittite) glossaries published and Holma, after completing his degree by Friedrich Delitzsch just before the 1936, Salonen headed for Germany for outbreak of the war. These texts, as cor- further study. He was fortunate to be able rectly interpreted by Delitzsch, were to to attend seminars of such outstanding serve the scribes doing the international professors as Erich Ebeling (1886-1955) correspondance at the imperial Hittite and Adam Falkenstein (1906-1966). In court, but he did not believe that Hittite 1937, he also wanted to study with Ben- could be an Indo-European language. no Landsberger (1890-1968) in Leipzig On basis of these word lists, Hrozný’s but that fall, Landsberger was not able to suggestions and other available material, return to his home and the sessions took Holma showed his conviction that there place in Ankara in 1938. actually were undeniable resemblances Salonen’s first publication was his doc- between Hittite and Latin and Greek. toral dissertation Die Wasserfahrzeuge in Among other grammatical and lexical Babylonien, published just before World details, Holma was, as already stressed War II in 1939. Before the war started by Pentti Aalto2, the first to observe the to affect scholarly work, he also collabo- Hittite –r –passive, which he compared rated with Holma and published a small with parallel structures in Latin, Oscian collection of Ur III cuneiform tablets. and Umbrian. Soon after World War II, Salonen re- After the war, Holma published sev- ceived the opportunity to work for two eral smaller Assyriological contributions years (1947-1949) as a visiting professor

2 Oriental Studies in Finland 1828-1918 (1971) 56.

Proceedings 1 / 2007 13 at the distinguished Oriental Institute of Apart from his lexical groundwork the University of Chicago. He was the in Assyriology, Salonen was also very first Finnish contributor to the famous keen to provide insights into the signifi- Chicago Assyrian Dictionary (CAD), cance of Mesopotamian civilisation for followed later by Jussi Aro, Simo Parpo- the general Finnish reader. He was a pro- la and Raija Mattila. When he returned digious writer for Finnish newspapers from the United States Salonen was ap- and an extensive handbook on cultures pointed as Extraordinary Professor of in Mesopotamia was published in 1945. Assyriology at the University of Hel- Later he also wrote a book dealing with sinki in 1949. Ancient Persia. He also translated into Salonen produced systematic works on Finnish the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Mesopotamian material culture, which Law Code of Hammurabi. are still ground works for lexical stud- ies. He had already started this series of contributions with his doctoral disserta- Se m i t i s t Ju ss i Ar o tion, which dealt with Wasserfahrzeuge (boats and other water vehicles) and Jussi Aro (1928-1983), born in a small later studied such topics as land vehi- village of the Ostrobothnian town of cles, horses and horsemanship, birds, Lapua, first studied theology, with the furniture, doors and domestic materi- aim of pursuing a career in the church. als. Archaeological evidence, mostly il- However, Aro turned out to be one of the lustrations of different objects on seals, most eminent linguistic talents of Finn- etc., was also used when available. This ish Oriental studies. Already as a small naturally required knowledge of vast boy, he had a genuine passion for old amounts of data, which can partly be ex- books and languages and at school he plained by the fact that Salonen was able mastered several languages. to use the material already collected and During his studies in Helsinki, Aapeli sorted by Tallqvist. Saarisalo (1896-1986), then professor of In addition to his work with Akkadian Oriental Literature at the University of terminology, Salonen also did a little Helsinki, and Armas Salonen noted the Assyriological groundwork with copy- young man’s polyglot aptitudes and it ing and collating cuneiform texts. In was partly with their encouragement that 1952, financed by a private “Maecenas”, Aro changed his plans and continued he worked in the tablet collection of the with Assyriology and other semitic lan- Istanbul Archaeological Museum with guages. Salonen used his connections in the aim of publishing a collection of the Chicago and in 1951-1952 Aro was for- cuneiform tablets found in Puzriš Dagan tunate to receive one-year ASLA schol- (mod. Drehem in Iraq). arship3 to study Assyriology and to work

3 ASLA = abbreviation of the Finnish name ”Amerikan Suomen Lainan Apurahat” (Grants from the American Loan to Finland), see Yrjö Blomstedt, Finnish-American Academic and Professional Exchang- es, A History, in: Finnish-American Academic and Professional Exchanges: Analyses and Reminiscences (1983) 14-22.

14 Proceedings 1 / 2007 Working copy by Jussi Aro (1963) of a fragmentary cuneiform tablet in the British Museum giving an idea of the methods and difficulties in reading and analysing a broken text. Photo: S. Aro. for the Assyrian Dictionary Project. This Soden (1908-1996) who certainly be- was the second time for Aro to travel out came the background figure in Aro’s of Finland and the first time of enjoy- dissertation work. Aro also made friends ing a circle of several experts, e.g., A. with Rykle Borger (1928-) and Karl- Leo Oppenheim (1904-1974), Benno heinz Deller (1927-2003) with whom Landsberger (1890-1968), Ignace J. a scholarly but also private correspon­ Gelb (1907-1985) and Hans Gustav dence was exchanged for a long period, Güterbock (1908-2000). In Chicago he until the late 1970’s. also made friends with the younger gen- Aro was interested in grammatical, eration of scholars such as William W. lexical and linguistic phenomena. He Hallo (1928-). The students read kudur- wrote the early surveys of Middle Baby- ru-inscriptions and Neo-Assyrian letters lonian grammar – Aro defended his dis- with Oppenheim and it is beyond doubt sertation in December 1955 with the title that the year spent in the Oriental Insti- Studien zur mittelbabylonischen Gram- tute was crucial for Aro in his formative matik followed by a glossary of the cor- years as Assyriologist. pus of Middle Babylonian letters (1957). A summer term spent in Göttingen in A few years later, he treated the Akka- 1954 also had a great influence on Aro’s dian infinive constructions in a separate orientation and progress as Assyrio­ study (1961). logis­t. In Göttingen, he benefited greatly In addition to linguistic interests, Aro from the teaching of Prof. Wolfram von had a wide-ranging curiosity for many

Proceedings 1 / 2007 15 Jussi Aro and Armas Salonen among the quests at the celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the Found- ing of the Iranian Monarchy in Persepolis in 1971. Aro and Salonen (middle row to the right) wear large white handkerchiefs (knotted at corners to fit their heads) -- an old-fashioned Finnish way of preventing sunstroke. The woman between Aro (left) and Salonen (right) is Eila Aro. Photo: Courtesy of Family archives of Jussi and Eila Aro. aspects of oriental cultures, especially Archives of Assyria Series. for religions. In the early 1960’s, Aro Even if the professorship of Oriental started working on the oracular queries Literature (later Semitic Languages) of the Neo-Assyrian kings Esarhaddon required teaching and research on the and Assurbanipal. For this reason, Aro modern semitic languages and Aro did spent time in London in 1963 and 1964 not have time for active Assyriological copying and collating relevant tablets research, he maintained his interest in but after obtaining the professorship of cuneiform studies and he tried to follow Oriental Literature at the University of the field as much as possible. He con- Helsinki in 1965, did not have time to tinued collaborating with colleagues in complete the monograph. His study ma- Jena by publishing a collection of Klei- terial, only partly published in a confer- dertexte. He also wrote many reviews ence paper in 1966, was given over to of new publications, mainly for Orien- students in Toronto to work with, but it talische Literaturzeitung and Zeitschrift was not finalised until 1990 when Ivan für Assyriologie. His role as teacher of Starr’s Queries to the Sun God was pub- the younger generation should not be lished as the fourth volume of the State underestimated because he gave courses

16 Proceedings 1 / 2007 in Assyriology as well, even if Salonen the personal chair of Extraordinary Pro- was primarily in charge of the field until fessor of Assyriology at the University 1978. Simo Parpola read his first Neo- of Helsinki in 1978, following Armas Assyrian letters with Aro and he thus Salonen. acted as a transmitter of the knowledge Parpola’s interest in the Neo-Assyrian and passion for Neo-Assyrian. period and its language already started with the teaching of Jussi Aro and during the years 1969-1972 Parpola worked at Il m a r i Kä r k i a n d Er kk i Sa l o n e n the University of Heidelberg as assistant (Wissenschaftlicher Assistent) to Profes- Ilmari Kärki (1925-1996) specialised sor Karlheinz Deller, who was a pioneer in Sumerian. After finishing a medical in Neo-Assyrian grammatical studies. decree, he studied Sumerology in Hel- With Deller, Parpola worked intensively sinki and also in Heidelberg under the in the British Museum, systematically guidance of the famous Sumerologist searching for joins among the fragments Adam Falkenstein. Kärki received his of Neo-Assyrian tablets housed in the Ph.D. in Assyriology from the Univer- Kuyunjik Collection of the museum. sity of Helsinki in 1967 and published The joined tablets were later published royal inscriptions of the Ur III dynasty by Parpola in hand copies. and of the early Old Babylonian period. In 1970, Parpola published an edition Erkki Salonen (1930-) received his of letters from Assyrian scholars to the Ph.D. in Assyriology from the Univer- kings Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal, and sity of Helsinki in 1962. He published his doctoral dissertation Letters from As- studies about Old Babylonian texts from syrian Scholars to the Kings Esarhad- Susa, Neo-Babylonian documents, greet- don and Assurbanipal, Part IIA: Intro- ing formulas in Babylonian texts and the duction and Appendices, published in economic life of Babylonia. 1971, was a study of these letters. Par- pola later published an extensive com- mentary on the material. Parpola’s deep Si m o Pa r p o l a insight into the thinking of the Assyrian scholars has formed the basis for his in- Simo Parpola was born in 1943 in Hel- terest in the ideology and religion of the sinki. He also comes from a theological Neo-­Assyrian Empire background, on his mother’s side, and his maternal uncle was the late Profes- sor Armas Salonen. Parpola studied Cu n e i f o r m a n d c o mp u t e r s Assyrio­logy, Classical Philology and Se- mitic Languages in Helsinki, Rome and The extensive prosopographical and lex- London, and received his Ph.D. in 1971 ical studies by Knut Tallqvist and Armas from the University of Helsinki. Parpola Salonen were based on data collected was Associate Professor of Assyriology and manually sorted on file cards. How- (with tenure) at the University of Chi- ever, in the 1960’s the era of computers cago (1977-1978) and was appointed to had begun and Simo Parpola was among

Proceedings 1 / 2007 17 the first to use the new computer science and Parpola bought his first PC, Nokia’s in linguistics. With his brother Asko Par- Mikromikko in 1982. pola (later Professor of Indology) and With the increased understanding of their friend Kimmo Koskenniemi (later the Neo-Assyrian dialect gained from Professor of Computer Linguistics), the work of Deller and Parpola, and Simo Parpola was involved in computer new published material, it had become aided research on the Indus script and clear that the old text editions of Neo- the first results of their research were Assyrian texts, often from the beginning published in 1969. of the 20th century, were badly in need of Parpola adopted the use of computers revision, and the possibilities created by for Assyriological research and had al- the computers made the compilation and ready computerized 500 Neo-Assyrian management of a large text corpus pos- letters using punch cards in the 1960’s. sible. Much of the material had already In 1970 Parpola’s Neo-Assyrian Topo- been computerized by Parpola over the nyms, a computer generated index of years, partly with the help of his stu- place names, was published. In the dents. With the arrival of personal com- 1960’s and 1970’s, all work on com- puters, the input of texts became much puters was still done at terminals of easier and it was feasible for Parpola to mainframe machines but in the 1980’s start a major project in Neo-Assyrian personal computers came on the market studies.

Simo Parpola’s first reading for a cuneiform tablet in Sippar

18 Proceedings 1 / 2007 Th e St a t e Ar c h i v e s o f Ass y r i a

In 1986 the Academy of Finland granted initial funding for the project, which commenced under the name The Neo- Assyrian Text Corpus Project directed by Simo Parpola. The first priority of the project was to publish the Assyrian royal archives of Nineveh in critical text editions. By 2007 eighteen volumes of the series State Archives of Assyria have appeared, published by the Helsinki Karlheinz Deller, Simo Parpola, F. Mario Fales University Press. Secondly, the project and J. Nicholas Postgate in Helsinki in 1986 when aimed to compile an electronic corpus launching the State Archives of Assyria –project. Photo: Courtesy of the State Archives of Assyria comprising all texts written in Neo-As- -project. syrian. The current size of the corpus is 300,000 lines equalling circa 2 million words. has made Helsinki a major research and The project has co-operation agree- training centre for Neo-Assyrian studies ments with other major projects in the in the world. During the years 1997-2001 field including the Royal Inscriptions the project was a Centre of Excellence of Mesopotamia Project of the Univer- of the University of Helsinki. In recogni- sity of Toronto, Deutsche Orient-Gesell­ tion of its status as an important centre schaft and the University of Akron Ex- for Assyriology, Helsinki was asked to cavations in Ziyaret Tepe, where Parpola host the yearly international meeting of is Senior Epigrapher. Assyriologists, the Rencontre Assyrio­ In 1995, in order to celebrate its tenth logique International in July 2001. The anniversary, the project organised an topic of the Helsinki conference was Sex international symposium Assyria 1995. and Gender in the Ancient Near East. The symposium gathered together ex- Over 250 scholars gathered in Helsinki perts on the Neo-Assyrian Empire and for five days and one day of the meeting for the wider audience, the exhibition was held in Tallinn in co-operation with Nineveh 612 BC was organised at the Estonian scholars. Finnish Science Centre, Heureka. The Underpinned by its corpus of Neo- exhibition displayed 60 Neo-Assyrian ­Assyrian texts, the project has produced cuneiform tablets and related objects by 2007 altogether 18 volumes of the from the collections of the British Mu- main series State Archives of Assyria, 18 seum, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, volumes of related studies State Archives the Israel Museum and the Vorderasia- of Assyria Studies, four volumes of State tisches Museum in Berlin. Archives of Assyria Cuneiform Texts, the Finnish Assyriology has always been first volume of State Archives of Assyria international in nature, but the project Literary Texts, 15 issues of the journal

Proceedings 1 / 2007 19 State Archives of Assyria Bulletin, the Chicago, Ravenna and Innsbruck, and conference volumes Assyria 1995 and their proceedings have been published Sex and Gender in the Ancient Near as Melammu Symposia 1-5. East, an exhibition catalogue Nineveh A major objective of the Melammu 612 BC, an atlas The Helsinki Atlas of project is the compilation of an elec- the Neo-Assyrian Empire and five fasci- tronic database bringing together the cles of the Prosopography of the Neo- primary data relevant to the study of the Assyrian Empire. Mesopotamian intellectual heritage and From the very beginning, the project its diffusion, transformation and conti- has been a truly international undertak- nuity in the ancient world and making ing. A dozen scholars have been em- it easily accessible on the Internet. The ployed in Helsinki, and twenty Assyrio­ compilation of this database has been logists from eight countries have co- supported from the research funds of the operated as editors. Over one hundred University of Helsinki and the database scholars have contributed to its publi- is accessible on the Internet at www. cations. However, it is clear that with- aakkl.helsinki/melammu/. out Parpola’s unparalleled knowledge of Neo-Assyrian, his computer skills, Ass y r i a n o w unselfish commitment and tenacity, the project would never have been realised. The work of the State Archives of Assyria and Melammu projects directed by Simo Parpola has fundamentally changed our Me l a mm u

The improved knowledge of the Neo- Assyrian Empire has created increasing interest in the heritage of this ancient em- pire and in its impact on later cultures. In October 1998, Parpola launched a new international project The Assyrian and Babylonian Intellectual Heritage Project (Melammu). The opening symposium was held at the biological research sta- tion of the University of Helsinki in Tvärminne in the Finnish archipelago. Later symposia have been held in Paris,

The volumes of all the series published by the State Archives of Assyria are books of high quality with moderate prices. Mikko Luukko continued the Finnish assyriological traditions in grammatical studies. Photo: Courtesy of the State Archives of Assyria –project

20 Proceedings 1 / 2007 view of the Assyrian Empire. The tradi- Parpola’s reputation in Neo-Assyrian tional Biblical view of Assyria, known has brought several foreign students to only for its cruelty, has given way to the Helsinki. Many of them have come from multifaceted perception of an ancient Italy, where he acted as visiting profes- empire. The modern text editions with sor at the University of Padua in 1995 their up to date translations in English and where he has since taught on sev- and the many research tools created by eral occasions. In Finland, Parpola’s in- the projects have made the Neo-Assyri- fluence as a teacher can also be seen in an texts readily accessible for other dis- neighbouring fields. Jaakko Hämeen- ciplines. Anttila, now Professor of Arabic and Is- Parpola’s research on the ideology lamic Studies, also studied Assyrio­logy and religion of the empire and the Meso- and has published the first modern gram- potamian roots of western civilisation mar of Neo-Assyrian. Martti Nissinen, has inspired scholarly discussion. His Professor of Old Testament Studies has groundbreaking article “The Assyrian studied Neo-Assyrian prophecy and Tree of Life: Tracing the Origins of Jew- literary texts, and made new Assyrio­ ish Monotheism and Greek Philosophy” logical research more widely known to (in Journal of Near Eastern Studies 52) Biblical scholars. appeared in 1993, and has changed our Parpola has supervised the following perception of the Neo-Assyrian Empire five doctoral dissertations in Assyrio­ and its role in human history logy in Helsinki, four of them by his Finnish students and one by an Esto- nian student, Amar Annus: Sanna Aro, Di s c i p l e s o f Pa r p o l a Tabal. Zur Geschichte und materiellen Kultur des zentral-anatolischen Hoch- Simo Parpola is one of the leading plateaus von 1200-600 v.Chr. (1998), Assyrio­logists of our time and he has Raija Mattila, The King´s Magnates, received many Finnish and international Highest Officials of the Neo-Assyrian academic honours including Finnish Empire (2000), Amar Annus, The God Professor of the Year 1992, J.V. Snell- Ninurta in the Mythology and Royal Ide- man Public Information Award of the ology of Ancient Mesopotamia (2002), University of Helsinki, Honorary Mem- Mikko Luukko, Grammatical Varia- bership of the Finnish Science Centre, tion in Neo-Assyrian (2004), and Pirjo Heureka, and Honorary Membership Lapinkivi, The Sumerian Sacred Mar- of the American Oriental Society. He is riage (2004). also Member of the Finnish Academy of Despite its long and lively tradition Sciences and Letters, the Finnish Soci- of outstanding international scholar- ety of Sciences and Letters, the Norwe- ship, there are no permanent positions in gian Academy of Sciences and Letters, Assyrio­logy and the future of the field in and the European Academy. Finland is uncertain.

Proceedings 1 / 2007 21 Au t h o r s Fu r t h e r Re a d i n g

Dr. Sanna Aro studied Classical Ar­chae­ P. Aalto, Oriental Studies in Finland o­logy, “Altorientalistik” and Pre­history 1828-1918 (1971). in Tübingen (Germany). After her MA, S. Aro, s.v. Eneberg, Karl Fredrik in: Suomen she specialised in Ancient Anatolia and Kansallisbiografia, vol 2 (2004) in 1998 received her Ph.D. in Assyrio­ S. Aro, s.v. Salonen, Armas in: Suomen logy from the University of Helsinki. Kansallisbiografia, vol 8 (2006) Between 2002-2006 she worked as Ex- ecutive of the Foundation of the Finnish S. Aro, s.v. Tallqvist, Knut Leonard in: Institute in the Middle East. She has giv- Suomen Kansallisbiografia, vol 9 (2007) en courses on Near Eastern Archaeo­logy E. Aspelin-Haapkylä, Karl Fredrik Eneberg. at the University of Helsinki and led Muoto ja Muistikuvia 3 (1914). ­academic excursions for students in Syr- J. Donner, Kärlekens ingemansland (2002). ia and Lebanon. She is a co-author of the Handbook of Oriental Studies volume H. Halén, Bibliography of Jussi Aro, Studia Orientalia 55, 1984, 21-36. “Luwians” edited by H. Graig Melchert (2003) and she is currently completing T. Harviainen, s.v. Aro, Jussi in: Suomen an Assyriological biography of the late Kansallisbiografia, vol 1 (2003). Professor Jussi Aro. H. Holma, Karl Fredrik Eneberg, Orientalisti ja assyriologi. Joukahainen 14, (1913). Dr. Raija Mattila is currently Director H. Holma, Études sur les vocabulaires of the Finnish Institute in Damascus and sumériens-accadiens-hittites de Delitzsch. adjunct professor (Finnish dosentti) of Sur le problème de l’origine indo-européenne Assyriology at the University of Hel- de la langue hittite. Journal de la Société Fin- sinki. She worked for the State Archives no-ougrienne 33/1 (1916). of Assyria Project since its initiation in H.S. Nyberg, Knut Leonard Tallqvist. Min- 1986 until 2001, first as research assis­ nestal hållet vid Finska Vetenskaps-Socie- tant, later as researcher and acting/depu- tetens sammanträde den 16 september 1957, ty director. Between 2001-2005 she held Societas Scientiarum Fennica Årsbok 36 C/2 posts first as a research doctor of the (1959), 1-14. Academy of Finland and later as fellow M. Klinge, s.v. Holma, Harri in: Suomen of the Collegium for Advanced Studies Kansallisbiografia, vol 4 (2004). at the University of Helsinki. Mattila specialises in the administration of the H. Palva, Jussi Aro 1928-1983, Studia Orien- Neo-Assyrian Empire and has published talia 55, 1984, 7-20. Neo-Assyrian private and administrative http://www.helsinki.fi/science/saa (The web documents. site of the State Archives of Assyria Project) http://www.yleradio1/tiede/id632.shtml (As- syria, a ten part radio programme in Finnish including many interviews of Parpola)

22 Proceedings 1 / 2007

Co n t a c t In f o r o m a t i o n :

The Foundation of the Finnish Institute in the Middle East Hallituskatu 2 B, 00170 Helsinki, Finland www.fime.fi