DOCSLIB.ORG

Nippur Bibliography Linda B

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Nippur Bibliography Linda B Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CGU Faculty Publications and Research CGU Faculty Scholarship 1-1-1992 Nippur Bibliography Linda B. Bregstein Tammi J. Schneider Claremont Graduate University Recommended Citation The following appears in Bregstein, Linda B. and Tammi J. Schneider, comp. "Nippur Bibliography." Nippur at the Centennial: Papers Read at the 35th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Philadelphia 1988, ed. Maria de Jong Ellis, Occasional Publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund 14, pp. 337-365. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum, 1992. This Book Chapter is brought to you for free and open access by the CGU Faculty Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in CGU Faculty Publications and Research by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NIPPUR BIBLIOGRAPHY Linda B. Bregstein and Tammi J. Schneider University of Pennsylvania The Nippur Bibliography which follows is divided into two parts. The first part, "Text Publications and Interpretations," includes all primary publications of Nippur tablets and all studies that make significant use of tablets from Nippur. The secondary studies are included in order to highlight the contribution of the Nippur tablets to the reconstruction and interpretation of ancient Near Eastern literature, history, mythology, economy, law, and lexicography. The second part of the bibliography, "Excavation Reports and Secondary Archaeological Publications," in­ cludes all publications relating to the Nippur excavations, as well as studies of major archaeological finds. At the end of the section is a list of the Nippur field seasons, 1889-1990. TEXT PUBLICATIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS AI-Fouadi, A. "Enki's Journey to Nippur: The Journeys of the Gods," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1969. Ali, F. "Sumerian Letters: Two Collections from the Old Babylonian Schools ," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1964. Alster, B. Dumuzi's Dream. Mesopotamia 1. Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1972. Alster, B. The Instructions of Suruppak. Mesopotamia 2. Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1974. Alster, B. Studies in Sumerian Proverbs. Mesopotamia 3. Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1975. Alster, B. "A Sumerian Riddle Collection," Journal of Near Eastern Studies 35 (1976) 263-67. Barton, G. A. Sumerian Business and Administrative Documents from the Earliest Times to the Dynasty of Agade. Publications of the Babylonian Section 9/1. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1915. .Barton, G. A. Miscellaneous Babylonian Inscriptions. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1918. 337 Ni ppUTat the Centennial (Philadelphia, 1992) 338 NIPPUR BIBLIOGRAPHY Behrens, H. Enlil und Ninlil. Studia Pohl: Series Maior 8. Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1978. Behrens , H. "Eine Axt fur Nergal," in E. Leichty, M. deJ. Ellis, and P. Gerardi (eds.) , A Scientific Humanist: Studies in Memory of Abraham Sachs. Occasional Publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund 9. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1988. Pp. 27-32. Behrens, H. "CBS 6894: Ein Ersemma fur Dumuzi?" in H. Behrens, D. Loding, and M. T. Roth (eds.), DUMU-Ez-DUB-BA-A: Studies in Honor of Ake W. Sjoberg. Occasional Publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund 11. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1989. Pp.29-31. Benito, C. A. "'Enki and Ninmah' and 'Enki and the World Order'," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1969. Berger, P.-R. Die neubabylonischen Konigsinschriften. Alter Orient und Altes Testament 4/1. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Verlag Butzon & Bercker Kevelaer, 1973. Berlin, A. Enmerkar and Ensubke§danna: A Sumerian Narrative Poem . Occasional Publications of the Babylonian Fund 2. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1979. Bernhardt.L Socialokonomische Texte und Rechtsurkundenaus Nippur zur Kassitenzeit. Texte und Materialien der Frau Professor Hilprecht Collection of Babylonian Antiquities im Eigentum der Universitat Jena NF 5. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs, 1976. Bernhardt, 1. and S. N. Kramer. "Enki und die Weltordnung: Ein sumerischer Keilschrift- Text tiber die 'Lehre von der Welt' in der Hilprecht-Sammlung und im University Museum of Pennsylvania," Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Friedrich-Schiller-Universitiit, lena 9 (1960) 231-55. Bernhardt, 1. and S. N. Kramer. Sumerische Literarische Texte aus Nippur 1: My then , Epen, Weisheitsliteratur und andere Literatur­ gattungen. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1961. Bernhardt, I. and S. N. Kramer. Sumerische Literarische Texte aus Nippur 2: Hymnen, Klagelieder, Weisheitstexte und andere Literatur­ gattungen. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1967. Biggs, R. D. "A Chaldaean Inscription from Nippur,' Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 179 (1965) 36-38. Biggs, R. D. "A Letter from Kassite Nippur,' Journal of Cuneiform Studies 19 (1965) 95-102. NIPPUR BIBLIOGRAPHY 339 Brinkman, J.A. "Mu-us-sa Dates in the Kassite Period,"Welt des Orients 6/2 (1971) 153-56. Brinkman, J. A. Materials and Studies for Kassite History 1. Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 1976. Brinkman, J.A. "Middle Babylonian Chronology and the Statistics of the Nippur Archives," Zeitschrift far Assyriologie 73/1 (1983) 67-74. Brinkman, J. A. and M. E. Brinkman. "A Tenth Century Kudurru Fragment," Zeitschrift far Assyriologie 62 (1972) 91-98. Buccellati, G. and R. D. Biggs (eds.), Cuneiform Texts from Nippur: The Eighth and Ninth Seasons. Assyriological Studies 17. Chicago: Uni­ versity of Chicago Press, 1969. Butz, K. "Gerstenertrag und Pacht in Nippur (Ur III)," Oriens Antiquus 20 (1981) 57-65. Cardascia, G. Les archives des Murashu, une famille d'hommes d'af­ faires babyloniens a Tepoque perse (455-403 avo J.-C.). Paris: Im­ primerie Nationale, 1951. Castellino, G. R. "Incantation to Utu," Oriens Antiquus 8 (1969) 1-57. Castellino, G. R. Two Sulgi Hymns (BC) . Studi Semitici 42. Rome: Universita di Roma, 1972. Chiera, E. Legal and Administrative Documents from Nippur, Chiefly from the Dynasties of lsin and Larsa. Publications of the Babylonian Section 8/1. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1914. Chiera, E. Lists of Akkadian Personal Names from the Temple School of Nippur, Publications of the Babylonian Section 11/2. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1916. Chiera, E. A Syllabary of Personal Names from the Temple School of Nlppur. Publications of the Babylonian Section 11/1. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1916. Chiera, E. Lists of Sumerian Personal Names from the Temple School of Nippur. Publications of the Babylonian Section 11/3. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1919. Chiera, E. Old Babylonian Contracts. Publications of the Babylonian Section 8/2. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1922. Chiera, E. "A Sumerian Tablet Relating to the Fall of Man," American Journal of Semitic Languages 39 (1922-1923) 40-51. 340 NIPPUR BIBLIOGRAPHY Chiera, E. Sumerian Lexical Texts from the Temple School of Nippur. Oriental Institute Publications 11. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1929. Chiera, E. Sumerian Epics and Myths. Oriental Institute Publications 15. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1934. Chiera, E. Sumerian Texts of Varied Contents. Oriental Institute Publi­ cations 16. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1934. Gl~, M., H. Kizrlyay and F. R. Kraus. Eski Babil zamamna ait Nippur: Altbabylonische Rechtsurkunden aus Nippur. Hukuki Vesikalan. Istanbul: Milli Egitim Basimevi, 1952. Gl~, M. and H. Kizrlyay. Eski Babil zamamna ait Nippur menseli iki okul kitabi: Zwei altbabylonische Schulbucher aus Nippur. (Mit einem Beitrage von B. Landsberger). Tiirk Tarih Kurumu Yaymlarmdan 7/35. Ankara: Tiirk Tarih Kurumu Basimevi, 1959. Gl~ , M. and H. Kizilyay. "Additions to Series Band C of Personal Names from Old Babylonian Nippur," in H. G. Giiterbock and T . Jacobsen (eds .), Studies in Honor of Benno Landsberger on His Seventy-Fifth Birthday. Assyriological Studies 16. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965. Pp . 41-56. Gl~ , M. and H. Kizilyay, Neusumerische Rechts- und Verwaltungsur­ kunden aus Nippur 1. Ankara: Tiirk Tarih Kurumu Basimevi, 1965. Gl~, M. and H. Kizilyay (with Introduction and Catalogue by S. N. Kramer). Sumerian Literary Tablets and Fragments in the Archae­ ological Museum of Istanbul 1. Ankara: Tiirk Tarih Kurumu Basimevi, 1969. Civil, M. "Prescriptions Medicales sumeriennes," Revue d'Assyriologie 54 (1960) 57-72. Civil, M. "Texts and Fragments,"Journal of Cuneiform Studies 15 (1961) 79-80. Civil, M. "The Home of the Fish : A New Sumerian Literary Composi­ tion," Iraq 23 (1961) 154-75. Civil, M. "New Sumerian Law Fragments," in H. G. Giiterbock and T. Jacobsen (eds.), Studies in Honor of Benno Landsberger on His Seventy-Fifth Birthday. Assyriological Studies 16. Chicago: Univer­ sity of Chicago Press, 1965. Pp. 1-12. Civil , M. "Remarks on 'Sumerian and Bilingual Texts'," Journal of Near Eastern Studies 26 (1967) 200-11. NIPPUR BIBLIOGRAPHY 341 Civil, M. "Su-Sin's Historical Inscriptions: Collection B," Journal of Cuneiform Studies 21 (1967) 24-38. Civil, M. "Notes on Sumerian Lexicography II," Journal of Cuneiform Studies 25 (1973) 171-77. Civil, M. "Medical Commentaries from Nippur,' Journal of Near Eastern Studies 33 (1974) 329-38. Civil, M. "Note sur les inscriptions d'Asarhaddon a Nippur,' Revue d'Assyriologie 68 (1974) 4. Civil, M. "Enlil and Namzitarra," Archiv fiir Orientforschung 25 (1974­ 1977) 65-71. Civil, M. "Daily Chores in Nippur,' Journal of Cuneiform Studies 32 (1980) 229-32. Civil, M. "Enlil and Ninlil:
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ""B T6t @T66~Rtans. ·
    THE EXPOSITORY TIMES. (!totta: upon t6t ®tfitfs of t6t ®aB~fonians ""b t6t @t66~rtans. · BY T. G. PINCHES, LL.D., M.R.A.S;, LECTURER IN ASSYRIAN f>.T UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON. THE earliest beliefs of the Babylonians are gener­ ocean.I The worship of Merodach was the last ally regarded as having been an.imistic - the important form of the religion of Babylonia, As attribution of a soul to the various powers of to Assyria, the changes seem to have been . nature. Traces of this creed, in fact, are met fewer or non-existent - from first to last the. with in the statements of their beliefs which have people remained faithful to their national go(f come down to us. Thus the first creative power Assur. was the sea (Tiamat or Tiawath), teeming, as it Notwithstanding the homogeneity of the Baby~ does, with so many and such wonderful forms of Ionian religious system, there were many differ­ life ; and next to the sea, the rivers and streams, ences of belief in the various states of that couritry, represented by the god Ea or Enki, with his each of which-and, indeed, every important city daughter Nin-alJ.a-kuddu, The god of .the air, -worshipped its own special divinity, with his and. of thi1'nder, wind; and rain (Rammapu or consort and attendants. The list of 'these is Rimmon, also known as Addu, Adad, or Hadad), naturally very long, but_ as examples may be men­ is another example ; and the god of pestilence tioned Anu and !Star at Erech; Enlil and later (Nergal) may also be regarded as being of a on Ninip 2 at Nippur; Enki or Ea at Eridu; similar origin, and perhaps identical with Ugga, Merodach and Zer-pan!tum at Babylon; the the god of death.
    [Show full text]
  • SUMERIAN LITERATURE and SUMERIAN IDENTITY My Title Puts
    CNI Publicati ons 43 SUMERIAN LITERATURE AND SUMERIAN IDENTITY JERROLD S. COOPER PROBLEMS OF C..\NONlCl'TY AND IDENTITY FORMATION IN A NCIENT EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA There is evidence of a regional identity in early Babylonia, but it does not seem to be of the Sumerian ethno-lingusitic sort. Sumerian Edited by identity as such appears only as an artifact of the scribal literary KIM RYHOLT curriculum once the Sumerian language had to be acquired through GOJKO B AR .I AMOVIC educati on rather than as a mother tongue. By the late second millennium, it appears there was no notion that a separate Sumerian ethno-lingui stic population had ever existed. My title puts Sumerian literature before Sumerian identity, and in so doing anticipates my conclusion, which will be that there was little or no Sumerian identity as such - in the sense of "We are all Sumerians!" ­ outside of Sumerian literature and the scribal milieu that composed and transmitted it. By "Sumerian literature," I mean the corpus of compositions in Sumerian known from manuscripts that date primarily 1 to the first half of the 18 h century BC. With a few notable exceptions, the compositions themselves originated in the preceding three centuries, that is, in what Assyriologists call the Ur III and Isin-Larsa (or Early Old Babylonian) periods. I purposely eschew the too fraught and contested term "canon," preferring the very neutral "corpus" instead, while recognizing that because nearly all of our manuscripts were produced by students, the term "curriculum" is apt as well. 1 The geographic designation "Babylonia" is used here for the region to the south of present day Baghdad, the territory the ancients would have called "Sumer and Akkad." I will argue that there is indeed evidence for a 3rd millennium pan-Babylonian regional identity, but little or no evidence that it was bound to a Sumerian mother-tongue community.
    [Show full text]
  • Miscellaneous Babylonian Inscriptions
    MISCELLANEOUS BABYLONIAN INSCRIPTIONS BY GEORGE A. BARTON PROFESSOR IN BRYN MAWR COLLEGE ttCI.f~ -VIb NEW HAVEN YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON HUMPHREY MILFORD OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS MDCCCCXVIII COPYRIGHT 1918 BY YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS First published, August, 191 8. TO HAROLD PEIRCE GENEROUS AND EFFICIENT HELPER IN GOOD WORKS PART I SUMERIAN RELIGIOUS TEXTS INTRODUCTORY NOTE The texts in this volume have been copied from tablets in the University Museum, Philadelphia, and edited in moments snatched from many other exacting duties. They present considerable variety. No. i is an incantation copied from a foundation cylinder of the time of the dynasty of Agade. It is the oldest known religious text from Babylonia, and perhaps the oldest in the world. No. 8 contains a new account of the creation of man and the development of agriculture and city life. No. 9 is an oracle of Ishbiurra, founder of the dynasty of Nisin, and throws an interesting light upon his career. It need hardly be added that the first interpretation of any unilingual Sumerian text is necessarily, in the present state of our knowledge, largely tentative. Every one familiar with the language knows that every text presents many possi- bilities of translation and interpretation. The first interpreter cannot hope to have thought of all of these, or to have decided every delicate point in a way that will commend itself to all his colleagues. The writer is indebted to Professor Albert T. Clay, to Professor Morris Jastrow, Jr., and to Dr. Stephen Langdon for many helpful criticisms and suggestions. Their wide knowl- edge of the religious texts of Babylonia, generously placed at the writer's service, has been most helpful.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lost Book of Enki.Pdf
    L0ST BOOK °f6NK1 ZECHARIA SITCHIN author of The 12th Planet • . FICTION/MYTHOLOGY $24.00 TH6 LOST BOOK OF 6NK! Will the past become our future? Is humankind destined to repeat the events that occurred on another planet, far away from Earth? Zecharia Sitchin’s bestselling series, The Earth Chronicles, provided humanity’s side of the story—as recorded on ancient clay tablets and other Sumerian artifacts—concerning our origins at the hands of the Anunnaki, “those who from heaven to earth came.” In The Lost Book of Enki, we can view this saga from a dif- ferent perspective through this richly con- ceived autobiographical account of Lord Enki, an Anunnaki god, who tells the story of these extraterrestrials’ arrival on Earth from the 12th planet, Nibiru. The object of their colonization: gold to replenish the dying atmosphere of their home planet. Finding this precious metal results in the Anunnaki creation of homo sapiens—the human race—to mine this important resource. In his previous works, Sitchin com- piled the complete story of the Anunnaki ’s impact on human civilization in peacetime and in war from the frag- ments scattered throughout Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hebrew sources- —the “myths” of all ancient peoples in the old world as well as the new. Missing from these accounts, however, was the perspective of the Anunnaki themselves What was life like on their own planet? What motives propelled them to settle on Earth—and what drove them from their new home? Convinced of the existence of a now lost book that formed the basis of THE lost book of ENKI MFMOHCS XND PKjOPHeCieS OF XN eXTfCXUfCWJTWXL COD 2.6CHXPJA SITCHIN Bear & Company Rochester, Vermont — Bear & Company One Park Street Rochester, Vermont 05767 www.InnerTraditions.com Copyright © 2002 by Zecharia Sitchin All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • You Will Be Like the Gods”: the Conceptualization of Deity in the Hebrew Bible in Cognitive Perspective
    “YOU WILL BE LIKE THE GODS”: THE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF DEITY IN THE HEBREW BIBLE IN COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE by Daniel O. McClellan A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES Master of Arts in Biblical Studies We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard ............................................................................... Dr. Craig Broyles, PhD; Thesis Supervisor ................................................................................ Dr. Martin Abegg, PhD; Second Reader TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY December, 2013 © Daniel O. McClellan Table of Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction 1 1.1 Summary and Outline 1 1.2 Cognitive Linguistics 3 1.2.1 Profiles and Bases 8 1.2.2 Domains and Matrices 10 1.2.3 Prototype Theory 13 1.2.4 Metaphor 16 1.3 Cognitive Linguistics in Biblical Studies 19 1.3.1 Introduction 19 1.3.2 Conceptualizing Words for “God” within the Pentateuch 21 1.4 The Method and Goals of This Study 23 Chapter 2 – Cognitive Origins of Deity Concepts 30 2.1 Intuitive Conceptualizations of Deity 31 2.1.1 Anthropomorphism 32 2.1.2 Agency Detection 34 2.1.3 The Next Step 36 2.2. Universal Image-Schemas 38 2.2.1 The UP-DOWN Image-Schema 39 2.2.2 The CENTER-PERIPHERY Image-Schema 42 2.3 Lexical Considerations 48 48 אלהים 2.3.1 56 אל 2.3.2 60 אלוה 2.3.3 2.4 Summary 61 Chapter 3 – The Conceptualization of YHWH 62 3.1 The Portrayals of Deity in the Patriarchal and Exodus Traditions 64 3.1.1 The Portrayal of the God of the Patriarchs
    [Show full text]
  • STUDIA BIBLIJNE Słowa Kluczowe: Stary Testament, Druga Księga Królewska, Asyria, Samaria, Izrael, Nergal, Nergal Z Cuta
    2 STUDIA BIBLIJNE Słowa kluczowe: Stary Testament, Druga Księga Królewska, Asyria, Samaria, Izrael, Nergal, Nergal z Cuta 82 Keywords: The Old Testament, 2 Kings, Asyria, Samaria, Israel, Nergal, Nergal of Cuth Ks. Leszek Rasztawicki Warszawskie Studia Teologiczne DOI: 10.30439/WST.2019.4.5 XXXII/4/2019, 82-104 Ks. Leszek Rasztawicki PAPIESKI WYDZIAł TEOLOGICZNY W WARSZAWIE COLLEGIUM JOANNEUM ORCID: 0000-0002-5140-0819 „ THE PEOPLE OF CUTH MADE NERGAL” (2 KINGS 17:30). THE HISTORICITY AND CULT OF NERGAL IN THE ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST. The deity Nergal of Cuth appears only once in the Hebrew Bible (2 Kings 17:30). He is mentioned among a list of some Assyrian gods, which new repopulated settlers in Samaria “made” for themselves after the fall of the Northern Kingdom. In this brief paper, we would like to investigate the historicity of Nergal of Cuth in the context of Mesopotamian literature and religion. REPOPULATION OF SAMARIA The Assyrians after conquering a new territory relocated people from other regions of the empire to newly subjugated provinces (2 Kings 17:24). The people of 83 „ THE PEOPLE OF CUTH MADE NERGAL” (2 KINGS 17:30) Samaria were carried away into exile (2 Kings 17:6, 18:11). The repopulation policy of the Assyrians is well documented from their own records1. Sargon II (722-705 BC) took credit in Assyrian royal inscriptions for deporting 27,290 inhabitants of Sa- maria (Sargon II prism IV:31)2: ... he defeated and conquered Samaria, and carried away as slaves 27290 inhabitants ... he rebuilt the city better than before and settled in it people of other countries ..
    [Show full text]
  • The Twelfth Planet
    The Twelfth Planet The Earth Chronicles, #1 by Zecharia Sitchin, 1920-2010 Published: 1976 J J J J J I I I I I Table of Contents Author‘s Note Prologue Genesis. & Chapter 1 … The Endless Beginning. Chapter 2 … The Sudden Civilization. Chapter 3 … Gods of Heaven and Earth. Chapter 4 … Sumer: Land of the Gods. Chapter 5 … The Nefilim: People of the Fiery Rockets. Chapter 6 … The Twelfth Planet. Chapter 7 … The Epic of Creation. Chapter 8 … Kingship of Heaven. Chapter 9 … Landing on Planet Earth. Chapter 10 … Cities of the Gods. Chapter 11 … Mutiny of the Anunnaki. Chapter 12 … The Creation of Man. Chapter 13 … The End of All Flesh. Chapter 14 … When the Gods Fled from Earth. Chapter 15 … Kingship on Earth. Sources About the Series Acknowledgements * * * * * Illustrations 1-1 Flintstones 1-2 Man has been preserved [attached] 1-3 Wearing some kind of goggles 2-4 Alphabets 2-5 Winged Globe 2-6 Layout of City 2-7 Cuneiform 2-8 Storage of Grains 2-9 Measuring rod and rolled string 2-10 Tablet of Temple [attached] 2-11 Ziggurat (Stairway to Heaven) 2-12 Cylinder Seal 2-13 Mathematical System 2-14 Surgical Thongs 2-15 Medical Radiation Treatment 2-16 Toga-style Clothing 2-17 Headdress 2-18 Head Jewelry 2-19 Horse Power 2-20 Harp Playing 2 Ancient Cities [attached] 3-21 Battle between Zeus and Typhon 3-22 Aphrodite 3-23 Jupiter 3-24 Taurus, Celestial Bull 3-25 Hittite Warriors 3-26 Hittite Warriors and Deities 3-27 Hittite Male and Female Deities 3-28 Meeting of Great Gods 3-29 Deities Meeting, Beit-Zehir 3-30 Eye Goggles of Gods 3-31 Goggles
    [Show full text]
  • The Ubaid Period the Sumerian King List
    Sumer by Joshua J. Mark published on 28 April 2011 Sumer was the southernmost region of ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq Map of Sumer (by P L Kessler, Copyright) and Kuwait) which is generally considered the cradle of civilization. The name comes from Akkadian, the language of the north of Mesopotamia, and means “land of the civilized kings”. The Sumerians called themselves “the black headed people” and their land, in cuneiform script, was simply “the land” or “the land of the black headed people”and, in the biblical Book of Genesis, Sumer is known as Shinar. According to the Sumerian King List, when the gods first gave human beings the gifts necessary for cultivating society, they did so by establishing the city of Eridu in the region of Sumer. While the Sumerian city of Uruk is held to be the oldest city in the world, the ancient Mesopotamians believed that it was Eridu and that it was here that order was established and civilization began. The Ubaid Period The region of Sumer was long thought to have been first inhabited around 4500 BCE. This date has been contested in recent years, however, and it now thought that human activity in the area began much earlier. The first selers were not Sumerians but a people of unknown origin whom archaeologists have termed the Ubaid people - from the excavated mound of al- Ubaid where the artifacts were uncovered which first aested to their existence - or the Proto-Euphrateans which designates them as earlier inhabitants of the region of the Euphrates River. Whoever these people were, they had already moved from a hunter- gatherer society to an agrarian one prior to 5000 BCE.
    [Show full text]
  • TITLE: Mesopotamian City Plan for Nippur DATE: 1,500 B.C
    City Plan for Nippur #101 TITLE: Mesopotamian City Plan for Nippur DATE: 1,500 B.C. AUTHOR: unknown DESCRIPTION: This Babylonian clay tablet, drawn around 1,500 B.C. and measuring 18 x 21 cm, is incised with a plan of Nippur, the religious center of the Sumerians in Babylonia during this period. The tablet marks the principal temple of Enlil in its enclosure on the right edge, along with storehouses, a park and another enclosure, the river Euphrates, a canal to one side of the city, and another canal running through the center. A wall surrounds the city, pierced by seven gates which, like all the other features, have their names written beside them. As on some of the house plans, measurements are given for several of the structures, apparently in units of twelve cubits [about six meters]. Scrutiny of the map beside modern surveys of Nippur has led to the claim that it was drawn to scale. How much of the terrain around Nippur has been included cannot be known because of damage to the tablet, nor is there any statement of the plan’s purpose, although repair of the city’s defenses is suggested. As such, this tablet represents possibly the earliest known town plan drawn to scale. Nippur city map drawn to scale Examples of city maps, some quite fragmentary, are preserved for Gasur (later called Nuzi), Nippur, Babylon, Sippar, and Uruk. The ancient Mesopotamian city stands as the quintessential vehicle of self-identification in that fundamentally urban civilization. Our knowledge of a Meso- 1 City Plan for Nippur #101 potamian conception of “citizenship” is unfortunately quite poor, but a member of the community was identified as ”one of the city,” and so the equivalent expression of the term “citizen,” or something perhaps similar to it, is tied to the concept and word for the city.
    [Show full text]
  • ANE Deities Compared Genesis 1-11 the Babylonians and Akkadians Adopted the Sumerian Pantheon with Little Changes
    ANE Deities Compared Genesis 1-11 The Babylonians and Akkadians adopted the Sumerian pantheon with little changes. Gods were often renamed but their role and status in the pantheon generally remained the same. The dominance of Babylon, however, also led to the ascendancy of the god of Babylon: Marduk assumed power over An, Enlil, and Enki. Sumerian Aspect of Deity Babylonian/Akkadian An God of the heavens Anu Enlil God of the earth and air Enlil / Ellil Enki God of water; Ea god of wisdom and magic Ninhursag (Nimmah, Nintu, Ki) Mother-goddess Aruru Nanna-Sin Moon god Sin Utu Sun God; Shamash god of justice Ereshkigal Goddess of the underworld Nergal Ishkur Storm god Marduk (Adad, Ashur, Bel) Abzu Primordial sweet-water ocean Apsu (Enki’s abode) Nanshe The salt-water ocean Tiamat1 Dumuzi God of vegetation; god of the Tammuz underworld; shepherd god Inanna Fertility goddess; Ishtar goddess of love and war Ashnan God of grain Dagan Nidaba, Nisaba God of scribes, literacy, Nabu and wisdom Anunnaki2 Lesser gods, workers Anunnaki, Igigi2 Blue = the supreme gods (highest of the seven primary gods) Red = additional members of the seven primary gods Green = other important gods 1 Enuma Elish tells the story of Marduk’s victory over the sea monster Tiamat. 2 Anunnaki and Igigi are both collective terms for a group of otherwise nameless gods. It is uncertain whether or not they stand for the same group of gods. The Anunnaki seem to hold a higher position. Chart inspired by G. Herbert Livingston, The Pentateuch and Its Cultural Environment (pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Urnamma of Ur in Sumerian Literary Tradition
    Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 1999 Urnamma of Ur in Sumerian Literary Tradition Flückiger-Hawker, Esther Abstract: This book presents new standard editions of all the hitherto known hymns of Urnamma, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur (fl. 2100 B.C.), and adds new perspectives to the compositions and development of the genre of Sumerian royal hymns in general. The first chapter (I) is introductory in nature (historical background, the reading of the name Urnamma, Sumerian royal hymns). The second chapter (II) presents a general survey of Urnamma’s hymnic corpus, including arguments for a broader definition of Sumerian royal hymns and an attempt at classifying the non-standard orthography found in Urnamma’s hymns. The third chapter (III) deals with correlations of Urnamma’s hymns with other textual sources pertaining to him. A fourth chapter (IV) is devoted to aspects of continuity and change in royal hymnography by analyzing the Urnamma hymns in relation to other royal hymns and related genres. A discussion of topoi of legitimation and kingship and narrative materials in different text types during different periods of time and other findings concerning statues, stelas and royal hymns addnew perspectives to the ongoing discussion of the original setting of royal hymns. Also, reasons are given why a version of the Sumerian King List may well be dated to Urnamma and the thesis advanced that Išmēdagan of Isin was not only an imitator of Šulgi but also of Urnamma. The final of the chapter IV shows that Urnamma A, also known as Urnamma’s Death, uses the language of lamentation literature and Curse of Agade which describe the destruction of cities, and applies it to the death of a king.
    [Show full text]
  • Marduk's Return and Reconciliation in a Prophetic Letter from Arbela
    MARDUK'S RETURN AND RECONCILIATION IN A PROPHETIC LETTER FROM ARBELA Martti Nissinen & Simo Parpola The repatriation of the statue of Marduk from Assyria to Babylonia, seriously attempted by Esarhaddon and finally achieved by his son, Assurbanipal, in the year 668 BcE, is a major event in Neo-Assyrian history. The letter of A55ur- hamatu'a to Assurbanipal (ABL 1249 = SAA 13 139)l is seldom mentioned among the sources related to this event.2 In this study, dedicated with pleasure to our colleague and friend Tapani Harviainen, it is our purpose to demonstrate that this letter indeed provides a weighty insight into Marduk's retum, especially from the ideological and theological point of view. The letter has not attracted the atten- tion it deserves; save a few remarks in recent publications,3 it has not been studied Edition: Steven \4¡. Cole and Peter Machinisl, Lettersfrom Priests lo Kings Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal, SAA 13. Helsinki: Helsinki Univers¡ly Press, 1999, ll l; normalized transcrip- tion and translation also in Martti Nissinen, with contributions by Choon-Leong Seow and Robert K, Rilnet, Prophets and Propheq in the Ancient Near East. SBL Virritings from the Ancient World 12. Atlanta: Society of Biblic¡l Literature / l¿iden: Brill, 2003, 168. Earlier editions: Emst G. Klauber, 'Zur Politik und Kultur der Sargonidenzei¡," AJSL 30 (1914): 233-287 Leroy Waterman, Royal Correspondence of the ,4ssyrian Empire, Vol. 2. Univer- sity of Michigan Studies, Humanistic Series 18. Ann fubor: University of Michigan Press' 1930,370-37t. 2 For recenl discussion on Marduk's return, see Barbara Nevling Pofler, Images, Power, and Politics: FiguÌative Aspects of Etarhaddon's Babylonian Policy.
    [Show full text]