Assyriological Studies in Finland
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ASSYRIOLOGICAL STUDIES IN FINLAND SANNA ARO & RAIJA MATTILA PROCEEDING S OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE FINNI S H IN S TITUTE IN THE MIDDLE EA S T 1 / 2007 PROCEEDING S OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE FINNI S H IN S TITUTE IN THE MIDDLE 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 CONTENT S PREFACE 5 KARL FREDRI K ENEBERG , FINNI S H PIONEER 7 KNUT TALLQVI S T 9 DI S CI P LE S OF TALLQVI S T : HARRI HOL M A AND AR M A S SALONEN 11 SE M ITI S T JU ss I ARO 14 IL M ARI KÄR K I AND ER kk I SALONEN 17 SI M O PAR P OLA 17 CUNEIFOR M AND CO mp UTER S 17 THE STATE ARCHIVE S OF Ass YRIA 19 MELA mm U 20 Ass YRIA NOW 20 DI S CI P LE S OF PAR P OLA 21 AUTHOR S 22 FURTHER READING 22 PREFACE 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 Assyrio logists 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 STUDIE S IN FINLAND 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 KARL FREDRI K ENEBERG , Nöldeke (1836-1930). FINNI S H PIONEER How did Eneberg become involved in Assyriology? His dissertation on Arabic The first Finnish scholar trained as pronouns did not receive much recogni- an Assyrio logist 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.