DOCSLIB.ORG

Elam and Babylonia: the Evidence of the Calendars*

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

BASELLO E LAM AND BABYLONIA : THE EVIDENCE OF THE CALENDARS GIAN PIETRO BASELLO Napoli Elam and Babylonia: the Evidence of the Calendars * Pochi sanno estimare al giusto l’immenso benefizio, che ogni momento godiamo, dell’aria respirabile, e dell’acqua, non meno necessaria alla vita; così pure pochi si fanno un’idea adeguata delle agevolezze e dei vantaggi che all’odierno vivere procura il computo uniforme e la divisione regolare dei tempi. Giovanni V. Schiaparelli, 1892 1 Babylonians and Elamites in Venice very historical research starts from Dome 2 just above your head. Would you a certain point in the present in be surprised at the sight of two polished Eorder to reach a far-away past. But figures representing the residents of a journey has some intermediate stages. Mesopotamia among other ancient peo- In order to go eastward, which place is ples? better to start than Venice, the ancient In order to understand this symbolic Seafaring Republic? If you went to Ven- representation, we must go back to the ice, you would surely take a look at San end of the 1st century AD, perhaps in Marco. After entering the church, you Rome, when the evangelist described this would probably raise your eyes, struck by scene in the Acts of the Apostles and the golden light floating all around: you compiled a list of the attending peoples. 3 would see the Holy Spirit descending If you had an edition of Paulus Alexan- upon peoples through the preaching drinus’ Sã ! Ğ'ã'Ğ'·R ğ apostles. You would be looking at the (an “Introduction to Astrology” dated at 12th century mosaic of the Pentecost 378 AD) 4 within your reach, you should * I would like to thank Prof. Antonio Panaino (Uni- Napoli) and Franco Morisi for many reasons. Thanks versity of Bologna, branch of Ravenna) for his sup- to Federica Sarti for having kindly checked my Eng- port and for giving me the opportunity to speak about lish, and to Mons. Antonio Meneguolo (Procuratoria di Elamites in Chicago, a city which has a strong tradi- San Marco, Venezia) for iconographical researches. tion in Elamite studies. For this reason, I would also 1 Schiaparelli 1926: 237-238. like to thank the Assyrian Community of Chicago: I 2 Demus 1984: 148-159 ; Niero 1986: 30; Bertoli shall not forget the enthusiasm for those who, as Dr. 1986: 203-207 ; Vio 1991: 145. Norman Solhkhah said, “discovering, cleaning and 3 Acts 2:9-11. GNT: “(9) ^ě' Ġ' ZŬ ' Ġ reading – as we read English or speak Aramaic [i.e. Í ź ' Ġ' ä' Ɖ' Ğ' ZR ġ A modern Assyrian] – dusty tablets, study our history.” ë ġ ' ' Ġ' X RR ġ A' ^ģ' Ġ' Ğ I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. François de ¿ġ A' (10) ' c ġ ' ' Ġ' ^ ġ A' Oç R Blois (School of Oriental and African Studies, Lon- Ġ' Ě' ĝ' Ŭ' Y ĥ' Ŭ' Ě' XğA' Ġ' ä don) for the draft of his essay on Iranian calendars, ÇR Ɖ' Ə! źA' (11) ' ë źġ' ' Ġ and to Dr. Grazia Giovinazzo (Istituto Universitario RğA' XŬ' Ġ' Ã A' ·ĥ Orientale, Napoli) for the researches on ra-hal . A ĥ!' ÿƖ' ź' Ôĝ ' ħ ' Ě special thank goes to Dr. Maria Cristina Casaburi, Dr. ź 'Ɖ'Ɖ .” Giancarlo Lacerenza (Istituto Universitario Orientale, 4 Boer 1958. Italian translation in Bezza 2000. A. Panaino & G. Pettinato (eds.) MELAMMU SYMPOSIA III (Milano 2002) ISBN 88-8483-107-5 13 BASELLO E LAM AND BABYLONIA : THE EVIDENCE OF THE CALENDARS open it near the end of chapter !’ entitled ple: the writing “ELAMIT” at the top of ^Ġ'Ɩ' ħ 'Ɣ ġ! “On the twelve the figures helps us in recognizing two zodiacal signs,” and you would find a gray-dressed Elamites. similar list 5 which attests a common If there were Babylonian Jews in Jeru- background originating from Babylonian- salem at Pentecost, there could be Jews Hellenistic astral geography. Concluding from Elam as well 8: in the book of this vein of conjectures, if the scholars 6 prophet Isaiah 9 we find mention of some who say that Luke copied the list from an Jews scattered in Elam, as it is suggested astral geography were wrong, 7 we might also from Esther’s story set at the Persian imagine that some Babylonian Jews were court in Susa. 10 On the other hand, the in Jerusalem to accomplish the pilgrim- usage of the ethnonym Elamites is not age on the Feast of Weeks ( Švu ‘0t) near anachronistic: although Elam as a politi- 30 AD. Anyway, more than 2500 years cal organization disappeared in the 6th after the end of the Babylonian kingdom, century BC, it survived as a geographic one can go to Venice and see two Baby- denomination (perhaps also with an eth- lonians! nic connotation) till the 14th century AD, Babylonia, Jerusalem, Rome, Venice, when the name Elam identified the eccle- Chicago: the authors of the famous He- siastical province of the Nestorian church brew captivity ended up in a book, then located in Kh <zist n (the ancient Su- in a mosaic, and now we are talking siana). 11 It is noteworthy that Elamites about them. But our journey has to go together with Parthians and Medes re- further in space and in time to see a place Paulus Alexandrinus’ Persis in the Babylonian heritage in the East. Going Acts, which should attest a more recent back to the mosaic, to the left of the form of the tradition. 12 Mesopotamians one can see another peo- Introduction The proximity of the Elamite and the ward at the incoming Persians. The same Mesopotamian peoples hides a deeper might be said about the Elamite calendar. significance. One might say that Elamite Here I shall briefly discuss the develop- culture can not be known without looking ment of the Elamite calendar during the both westward at the ancient Mesopota- 2nd millennium and the first half of the mian civilizations at first and then east- 1st millennium BC on the grounds of the 5 Boer 1958: 8, lines 1-8. This is a summary (with 6 Weinstock 1948; Brinkman 1963. See also Cumont some omissions here restored in square brackets) of 1909. the preceding sign by sign treatment: ^R ź' Ĝ 7 Metzger 1970. Further references in Bossuyt/ ź'ħ 'Ě'ƕ G'ô'Ĝ'XĢ'ŭ'^ġ A'ô' Ĝ Radermakers 1996: 227, footnote 115. a Ɖ'ŭ'P ƖA'ä' Ĝ'Rġ 'ŭ'X RR ġśA 8 See also Gutmann 1930: 383-384 and Neusner ô' Ĝ'X ġ'ŭ'¿ġśA'ô' Ĝ'Yĝ!'ŭ'¿ġśA'Ô' Ĝ 1965-1970, I: 14. ^ ĝ' ŭ' Îě ' f Ġ' ë!ġś gA' ô' Ĝ' T Ģ' ŭ 9 Isaiah 11:11. Y ĥŪ'f Ġ' XğŪ gA' ô' Ĝ'`Rġ'ŭ'ë ġśA'ô' Ĝ 10 Esther 2:5-7. aģ'ŭ'fXġś' Ġg'XğŪA'Ɖ'Oã ĝ!'ŭ 11 Potts 1999, chapter 11. About the uninterrupted `ġś'·RĝA'Ɖ'Ć ģ'Ğ'Oç R use of the name Elam to identify different entities see ģA'Ɩ'ëĥ!'Ğ'fÍĚ'ě ' Ġg Vallat 1998: 302 and Potts 1999, chapter 1. ë Ğ'ħ 'RƔ!ĝ!m 12 Also Weinstock 1948: 44, Brinkman 1963: 423-424. 14 BASELLO E LAM AND BABYLONIA : THE EVIDENCE OF THE CALENDARS occurrences of both Elamite and Babylo- time is generally associated with the Old nian month-names. At the end of this Persian calendar, which is in turn su- time span, the Old Persian calendar made perimposable to the Babylonian calen- its appearance abruptly, interposing be- dar. 16 The lunar fashion of the Old Per- tween the other two. sian calendar can be inferred from Dar- I must take the assumption that Ela- ius’ B sot <n inscription where day num- mites used a luni-solar calendar for bers in the Old Persian version coincide granted. 13 Unfortunately there is no direct with those in the Babylonian one. After evidence for this and we must be careful more than 20 years, the Aramaic glosses not to take the Elamite calendar as a in some Persepolis Fortification tablets 17 whole, without internal subdivisions by attest correspondences between Old Per- periods and areas. sian and Babylonian month-names which Because of a strong Mesopotamian in- are coherent with the B sot <n ones. So fluence starting from the second half of the intercalation system should be quite the 3rd millennium BC, Elamites should similar, if not the same. 18 have adopted a luni-solar calendar like I shall outline the Elamite calendar in a Sumerians and Babylonians. 14 On the wider perspective because the study of a other hand, Mesopotamian menologies 15 local calendar is not a local matter: reck- of the 1st millennium BC and the inter- oning time involves politics, cultic needs, calary scheme K. 3923 make sense only cultural influences and social dynamics from this point of view. (in Elam also sociolinguistics 19 ). The Elamite calendar in Achaemenid Time, Gods and Power Our time flows meekly within the em- owe this to a relatively unknown as- bankments of days, months and years, tronomer from Naples, Aloysius Lilius according to a regular rhythm in which (1510-1576). Nevertheless, if we want to the only foreseeable variation is repre- name our calendar, we will use the name sented by the added day in leap years. We of Pope Gregory XIII, who supported the 13 For an introduction to luni-solar and Babylonian 2-um-me-na ), Hinz/Koch 1987: 181-182, “be-ip-ti-qa” calendars, see Neugebauer 1969: 106-109, Hunger (however they consider as scribal errors 6 on 7 occur- 1976-1980: 297-299 and Rochberg 1995: 1931-1932.
Recommended publications
  • On Writing the History of Southern Mesopotamia* by Eva Von

    On Writing the History of Southern Mesopotamia* by Eva Von

    On Writing the History of Southern Mesopotamia* by Eva von Dassow — Colorado State University In his book Babylonia 689-627 B.C., G. Frame provides a maximally detailed his- tory of a specific region during a closely delimited time period, based on all available sources produced during that period or bearing on it. This review article critiques the methods used to derive the history from the sources and the conceptual framework used to apprehend the subject of the history. Babylonia 689-627 B. C , the revised version of Grant Frame's doc- toral dissertation, covers one of the most turbulent and exciting periods of Babylonian history, a time during which Babylon succes- sively experienced destruction and revival at Assyria's hands, then suf- fered rebellion and siege, and lastly awaited the opportunity to over- throw Assyria and inherit most of Assyria's empire. Although, as usual, the preserved textual sources cover these years unevenly, and often are insufficiently varied in type and origin (e.g., royal or non- royal, Babylonian or Assyrian), the years from Sennacherib's destruc- tion of Babylon in 689 to the eve of Nabopolassar's accession in 626 are also a richly documented period. Frame's work is an attempt to digest all of the available sources, including archaeological evidence as well as texts, in order to produce a maximally detailed history. Sur- rounding the book's core, chapters 5-9, which proceed reign by reign through this history, are chapters focussing on the sources (ch. 2), chronology (ch. 3), the composition of Babylonia's population (ch.
  • Download PDF Version of Article

    Download PDF Version of Article

    STUDIA ORIENTALIA PUBLISHED BY THE FINNISH ORIENTAL SOCIETY 106 OF GOD(S), TREES, KINGS, AND SCHOLARS Neo-Assyrian and Related Studies in Honour of Simo Parpola Edited by Mikko Luukko, Saana Svärd and Raija Mattila HELSINKI 2009 OF GOD(S), TREES, KINGS AND SCHOLARS clay or on a writing board and the other probably in Aramaic onleather in andtheotherprobably clay oronawritingboard ME FRONTISPIECE 118882. Assyrian officialandtwoscribes;oneiswritingincuneiformo . n COURTESY TRUSTEES OF T H E BRITIS H MUSEUM STUDIA ORIENTALIA PUBLISHED BY THE FINNISH ORIENTAL SOCIETY Vol. 106 OF GOD(S), TREES, KINGS, AND SCHOLARS Neo-Assyrian and Related Studies in Honour of Simo Parpola Edited by Mikko Luukko, Saana Svärd and Raija Mattila Helsinki 2009 Of God(s), Trees, Kings, and Scholars: Neo-Assyrian and Related Studies in Honour of Simo Parpola Studia Orientalia, Vol. 106. 2009. Copyright © 2009 by the Finnish Oriental Society, Societas Orientalis Fennica, c/o Institute for Asian and African Studies P.O.Box 59 (Unioninkatu 38 B) FIN-00014 University of Helsinki F i n l a n d Editorial Board Lotta Aunio (African Studies) Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila (Arabic and Islamic Studies) Tapani Harviainen (Semitic Studies) Arvi Hurskainen (African Studies) Juha Janhunen (Altaic and East Asian Studies) Hannu Juusola (Semitic Studies) Klaus Karttunen (South Asian Studies) Kaj Öhrnberg (Librarian of the Society) Heikki Palva (Arabic Linguistics) Asko Parpola (South Asian Studies) Simo Parpola (Assyriology) Rein Raud (Japanese Studies) Saana Svärd (Secretary of the Society)
  • History of Babylonia

    History of Babylonia

    K- A -AHI BLACK STONE CONTRACT TABLET O F MARU DU N DIN , 6 page 9 . ANCIENT HISTORY FROM THE MONUMENTS. THE F BABYL I HISTORY O ONA, BY TH E LATE I GEO RGE S M TH, ES Q. , F T E EPA TM EN EN N I U IT ES B T S M E M O H T O F O I T T I I I H US U . D R R AL A Q , R ED ITED BY R EV. A . H . SAY CE, SSIST O E OR F C MP T VE P Y O O D NT P R F S S O O I HI O OG XF R . A A ARA L L , PU BLISHED U NDER THE DIRECTION O F THE COMM ITTEE O F GENERAL LITERATURE AND ED UCATION APPOINTED BY THE SOCIETY FO R PROMOTING CH ISTI N K NOW E G R A L D E. LO NDON S O IETY F R P ROMOTING C H RI TI N NO C O S A K WLEDGE . SOLD A T THE DEPOSITORIES ’ G E T U EEN ST EET LINCO LN s-INN ExE 77, R A Q R , LDs ; OY EXCH N G E 8 PICC I Y 4, R AL A ; 4 , AD LL ; A ND B OO KSE E S ALL LL R . k t New Y or : P o t, Y oung, Co. LONDON WY M N A ND S ONS rm NTERs G E T UEEN ST EET A , , R A Q R , ' LrNCOLN s - xNN FIE DS w L .
  • Iranian Languages in the Persian Achamenid

    Iranian Languages in the Persian Achamenid

    ANALYZING INTER-VOLATILITY STRUCTURE TO DETERMINE OPTIMUM HEDGING RATIO FOR THE JET PJAEE, 18 (4) (2021) FUEL The Function of Non- Iranian Languages in the Persian Achamenid Empire Hassan Kohansal Vajargah Assistant professor of the University of Guilan-Rasht -Iran Email: hkohansal7 @ yahoo.com Hassan Kohansal Vajargah: The Function of Non- Iranian Languages in the Persian Achamenid Empire -- Palarch’s Journal Of Archaeology Of Egypt/Egyptology 18(4). ISSN 1567-214x Keywords: The Achamenid Empire, Non-Iranian languages, Aramaic language, Elamite language, Akkedi language, Egyptian language. ABSTRACT In the Achaemenid Empire( 331-559 B.C.)there were different tribes with various cultures. Each of these tribes spoke their own language(s). They mainly included Iranian and non- Iranian languages. The process of changes in the Persian language can be divided into three periods, namely , Ancient , Middle, and Modern Persian. The Iranian languages in ancient times ( from the beginning of of the Achaemenids to the end of the Empire) included :Median,Sekaee,Avestan,and Ancient Persian. At the time of the Achaemenids ,Ancient Persian was the language spoken in Pars state and the South Western part of Iran.Documents show that this language was not used in political and state affairs. The only remnants of this language are the slates and inscriptions of the Achaemenid Kings. These works are carved on stone, mud,silver and golden slates. They can also be found on coins,seals,rings,weights and plates.The written form of this language is exclusively found in inscriptions. In fact ,this language was used to record the great and glorious achivements of the Achaemenid kings.
  • Republic of Iraq

    Republic of Iraq

    Republic of Iraq Babylon Nomination Dossier for Inscription of the Property on the World Heritage List January 2018 stnel oC fobalbaT Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 1 State Party .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Province ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Name of property ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Geographical coordinates to the nearest second ................................................................................................. 1 Center ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 N 32° 32’ 31.09”, E 44° 25’ 15.00” ..................................................................................................................... 1 Textural description of the boundary .................................................................................................................. 1 Criteria under which the property is nominated .................................................................................................. 4 Draft statement
  • Download Download

    Download Download

    Nisan / The Levantine Review Volume 4 Number 2 (Winter 2015) Identity and Peoples in History Speculating on Ancient Mediterranean Mysteries Mordechai Nisan* We are familiar with a philo-Semitic disposition characterizing a number of communities, including Phoenicians/Lebanese, Kabyles/Berbers, and Ismailis/Druze, raising the question of a historical foundation binding them all together. The ethnic threads began in the Galilee and Mount Lebanon and later conceivably wound themselves back there in the persona of Al-Muwahiddun [Unitarian] Druze. While DNA testing is a fascinating methodology to verify the similarity or identity of a shared gene pool among ostensibly disparate peoples, we will primarily pursue our inquiry using conventional historical materials, without however—at the end—avoiding the clues offered by modern science. Our thesis seeks to substantiate an intuition, a reading of the contours of tales emanating from the eastern Mediterranean basin, the Levantine area, to Africa and Egypt, and returning to Israel and Lebanon. The story unfolds with ancient biblical tribes of Israel in the north of their country mixing with, or becoming Lebanese Phoenicians, travelling to North Africa—Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya in particular— assimilating among Kabyle Berbers, later fusing with Shi’a Ismailis in the Maghreb, who would then migrate to Egypt, and during the Fatimid period evolve as the Druze. The latter would later flee Egypt and return to Lebanon—the place where their (biological) ancestors had once dwelt. The original core group was composed of Hebrews/Jews, toward whom various communities evince affinity and identity today with the Jewish people and the state of Israel.
  • Babylonian Populations, Servility, and Cuneiform Records

    Babylonian Populations, Servility, and Cuneiform Records

    Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 60 (2017) 715-787 brill.com/jesh Babylonian Populations, Servility, and Cuneiform Records Jonathan S. Tenney Cornell University [email protected] Abstract To date, servility and servile systems in Babylonia have been explored with the tradi- tional lexical approach of Assyriology. If one examines servility as an aggregate phe- nomenon, these subjects can be investigated on a much larger scale with quantitative approaches. Using servile populations as a point of departure, this paper applies both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore Babylonian population dynamics in general; especially morbidity, mortality, and ages at which Babylonians experienced important life events. As such, it can be added to the handful of publications that have sought basic demographic data in the cuneiform record, and therefore has value to those scholars who are also interested in migration and settlement. It suggests that the origins of servile systems in Babylonia can be explained with the Nieboer-Domar hy- pothesis, which proposes that large-scale systems of bondage will arise in regions with * This was written in honor, thanks, and recognition of McGuire Gibson’s efforts to impart a sense of the influence of aggregate population behavior on Mesopotamian development, notably in his 1973 article “Population Shift and the Rise of Mesopotamian Civilization”. As an Assyriology student who was searching texts for answers to similar questions, I have occasionally found myself in uncharted waters. Mac’s encouragement helped me get past my discomfort, find the data, and put words on the page. The necessity of assembling Mesopotamian “demographic” measures was something made clear to me by the M.A.S.S.
  • The Ancient Greek Trireme: a Staple of Ancient Maritime Tradition

    The Ancient Greek Trireme: a Staple of Ancient Maritime Tradition

    Wright State University CORE Scholar Classics Ancient Science Fair Religion, Philosophy, and Classics 2020 The Ancient Greek Trireme: A staple of Ancient Maritime Tradition Joseph York Wright State University - Main Campus, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/ancient_science_fair Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, and the Military History Commons Repository Citation York , J. (2020). The Ancient Greek Trireme: A staple of Ancient Maritime Tradition. Dayton, Ohio. This Poster is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion, Philosophy, and Classics at CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Classics Ancient Science Fair by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Origin of the Trireme: The Ancient Greek Trireme: A staple of Ancient Maritime Tradition The Trireme likely evolved out of the earlier Greek ships such as the earlier two decked biremes often depicted in a number of Greek pieces of pottery, according to John Warry. These ships depicted in Greek pottery2 were sometimes show with or without History of the Trireme: parexeiresia, or outriggers. The invention of the Trireme is attributed The Ancient Greek Trireme was a to the Sidonians according to Clement staple ship of Greek naval warfare, of Alexandria in the Stromata. and played a key role in the Persian However, Thucydides claims that the Wars, the creation of the Athenian Trireme was invented by the maritime empire, and the Corinthians in the late 8th century BC.
  • The Transforma Ion of Neolithic Socie

    The Transforma Ion of Neolithic Socie

    The Transformation of Neolithic Societies An Eastern Danish Perspective on the 3rd Millennium BC Iversen, Rune Publication date: 2015 Document version Other version Citation for published version (APA): Iversen, R. (2015). The Transformation of Neolithic Societies: An Eastern Danish Perspective on the 3rd Millennium BC. Jysk Arkaeologisk Selskab. Jysk Arkæologisk Selskabs Skrifter Vol. 88 Download date: 27. sep.. 2021 The Transformaion of Neolithic Socieies An Eastern Danish Perspecive on the 3rd Millennium BC Rune Iversen The Transformaion of Neolithic Socieies 1 The Transformaion of Neolithic Socieies An Eastern Danish Perspecive on the 3rd Millennium BC Rune Iversen Jutland Archaeological Society 3 The Transformaion of Neolithic Socieies An Eastern Danish Perspecive on the 3rd Millennium BC Rune Iversen © The author and Jutland Archaeological Society 2015 ISBN 978-87-88415-99-5 ISSN 0107-2854 Jutland Archaeological Society Publicaions vol. 88 Layout and cover: Louise Hilmar English revision: Anne Bloch and David Earle Robinson Printed by Narayana Press Paper: BVS mat, 130 g Published by: Jutland Archaeological Society Moesgaard DK-8270 Højbjerg Distributed by: Aarhus University Press Langelandsgade 177 DK-8200 Aarhus N Published with inancial support from: Dronning Margrethe II’s Arkæologiske Fond Farumgaard-Fonden and Lillian og Dan Finks Fond Cover: The Stuehøj (Harpagers Høj) passage grave, Ølstykke, Zealand Photo by: Jesper Donnis 4 Contents Preface ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  • The Limits of Middle Babylonian Archives1

    The Limits of Middle Babylonian Archives1

    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OpenstarTs The Limits of Middle Babylonian Archives1 susanne paulus Middle Babylonian Archives Archives and archival records are one of the most important sources for the un- derstanding of the Babylonian culture.2 The definition of “archive” used for this article is the one proposed by Pedersén: «The term “archive” here, as in some other studies, refers to a collection of texts, each text documenting a message or a statement, for example, letters, legal, economic, and administrative documents. In an archive there is usually just one copy of each text, although occasionally a few copies may exist.»3 The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the archives of the Middle Babylonian Period (ca. 1500-1000 BC),4 which are often 1 All kudurrus are quoted according to Paulus 2012a. For a quick reference on the texts see the list of kudurrus in table 1. 2 For an introduction into Babylonian archives see Veenhof 1986b; for an overview of differ- ent archives of different periods see Veenhof 1986a and Brosius 2003a. 3 Pedersén 1998; problems connected to this definition are shown by Brosius 2003b, 4-13. 4 This includes the time of the Kassite dynasty (ca. 1499-1150) and the following Isin-II-pe- riod (ca. 1157-1026). All following dates are BC, the chronology follows – willingly ignoring all linked problems – Gasche et. al. 1998. the limits of middle babylonian archives 87 left out in general studies,5 highlighting changes in respect to the preceding Old Babylonian period and problems linked with the material.
  • Anthropoid Coffins ⁄Eran Arie

    Anthropoid Coffins ⁄Eran Arie

    Canaanites employed at both sites seem to have been inspired 11 lids in the Israel Museum Collection (most originally in the by the cultic activities there. Canaanite tombs of this period Dayan Collection and presumably from Deir el-Balah) have include a large number of Egyptian scarabs bearing images and been published (fig. 20). A coffin in the collection of the Hecht names of gods, but there is no evidence for the actual worship Museum, Haifa, and lids in the Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem, of these gods by Canaanites, nor is there clear evidence for the all probably originating in Deir el-Balah, are still unpublished. existence in Canaan of temples dedicated to Egyptian gods. In addition, an anthropoid coffin made from chalk was found in Rather, the evidence suggests that, as in the Hyksos Period (but the course of salvage excavations at the site (Tomb 111), the only on an even larger scale), the Canaanites incorporated Egyptian stone anthropoid coffin to have come to light in the country thus prestige symbols into their cultural sphere but did not adopt far. Unfortunately, robbers had already destroyed its lid where Egyptian religious beliefs. the face had been in order to reach the treasures inside (and the coffin itself was robbed at a subsequent date). Finally, in the References: Egyptian fortress excavated at Deir el-Balah, northeast of the Albright 1941; Cornelius 1994; Cornelius 2004; Dothan 1979; Dothan cemetery, twenty additional fragments of coffins were found. 2008; Oren 1973; Tazawa 2009. Tests performed on the coffins from Deir el-Balah revealed that some had been discovered near the kilns in which they had been produced.
  • The Architecture and Pottery of a Late 3Rd Millennium BC Residential Quarter at Tell Hamoukar, Northeastern Syria

    The Architecture and Pottery of a Late 3Rd Millennium BC Residential Quarter at Tell Hamoukar, Northeastern Syria

    The Architecture and Pottery of a Late 3rd Millennium BC Residential Quarter at Tell Hamoukar, Northeastern Syria The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Colantoni, C., and J. A. Ur. 2011. The Architecture and Pottery of a Late 3rd Millennium BC Residential Quarter at Tell Hamoukar, Northeastern Syria. Iraq 73:21-69 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:5342153 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA VOLUME LXXIII • 2011 CONTENTS Editorial iii Obituaries: Dr Donny George Youkhanna, Mrs Rachel Maxwell-Hyslop v Jason Ur, Philip Karsgaard and Joan Oates: The spatial dimensions of early Mesopotamian urbanism: The Tell Brak suburban survey, 2003–2006 1 Carlo Colantoni and Jason Ur: The architecture and pottery of a late third-millennium residential quarter at Tell Hamoukar, north-eastern Syria 21 David Kertai: Kalæu’s palaces of war and peace: Palace architecture at Nimrud in the ninth century bc 71 Joshua Jeffers: Fifth-campaign reliefs in Sennacherib’s “Palace Without Rival” at Nineveh 87 M. P. Streck and N. Wasserman: Dialogues and riddles: Three Old Babylonian wisdom texts 117 Grégory Chambon and Eleanor Robson: Untouchable or unrepeatable? The upper end of the Old Babylonian metrological systems for capacity