Center for the Study of the Ancient World

Note concerning L-29-449 found 1895 in the courtyard of the Ekur of Nippur. It includes a transliteration, transcription and translation of L-29-449 with unpublished rubbing and description from the archive of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (NABU 2015-4/99, 166-167).

This paper examines the remains which can be dated to the Late Assyrian (Clayden and Schneider 2015: 349–382) and Post-Assyrian periods, with a focus on the latter. In order to do this, the paper will primarily
concentrate on the area toward the north-east of the ziggurat around the ‘Enlil Temple’ in relation to the eastern part of the ziggurat courtyard. Through newly accessible documentation, it is possible to add to the understanding of the sequence of construction, especially during a lesser-known period of time within the history of this Ancient Mesopotamian sanctuary.

An unpublished brick stamp of the Kassite king Šagarakti-Šuriaš coming from the excavations 1900 led by H. V. Hilprecht, including a squeeze of the inscription produced by himself, can be published for the first time. NABU 2020/1, 41-43 (No. 18).

Contact me via e-mail at [email protected] for the full PDF. ABSTRACT: The paper presents the different phases of construction of the Kassite dynasty Ekur (Nippur). The discussion is focused on the northeastern part of the ziggurat courtyard. In an appendix current research on some documented objects from the Ekur of the Kassite period is presented.

The archaeological evidence concerning the ziggurat of Nippur in the 1st Millennium BC Ekur temple is assembled and analyzed via unpublished documentation from the Penn Museum Nippur Archive, later photographic documentation as well as on-site study in 2021. The description of several construction phases elucidates the later history of this main Mesopotamian sanctuary. This publication revises earlier studies and because of additional evidence updates the archaeological documentation.
https://www.zaphon.de/ziqqurrat-von-nippur/en

American Journal of Archaeology, July 2021 (125.3)

AJA Book Review of:
Exemplars of Kingship: Art, Tradition, and the Legacy of the Akkadians
By Melissa Eppihimer. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2019

https://www.ajaonline.org/book-review/4308

It is generally assumed that the takeover of Babylonia by the Persian king Cyrus II in 539 BC went relatively smoothly. Th e current study suggests that at Nippur there might have been hitherto overlooked changes among the higher-ranking offi cials during the transition of 539 BC. A collection of Neo-Babylonian tablets from the 'Tablet Hill' at Nippur is analyzed and its original trench of excavation is pinpointed on the map of the site. Focusing on several dossiers of tablets at 'Tablet Hill' from the time of transition around 539 BC it can be shown that further insights can be gained from the unpublished archaeological documentation.

Please feel free to contact me via [email protected]

Unpublished documentation from the Nippur expedition of 1889 is used to re-contextualize a fragmented glass bowl and concerning its probable connection to the archive of the sons of Līšir found in the same trench V D.

It is generally assumed that the takeover of Babylonia by the Persian king Cyrus II in 539 BC went relatively smoothly. Th e current study suggests that at Nippur there might have been hitherto overlooked changes among the higher-ranking offi cials during the transition of 539 BC. A collection of Neo-Babylonian tablets from the 'Tablet Hill' at Nippur is analyzed and its original trench of excavation is pinpointed on the map of the site. Focusing on several dossiers of tablets at 'Tablet Hill' from the time of transition around 539 BC it can be shown that further insights can be gained from the unpublished archaeological documentation.

Nippur flourished for over five thousand years, well into the Early Islamic period (until about AD 1000), something documented by the establishment of Nippur/ Niffer as the seat of a bishop. In this way, it was a city of religious importance for nearly four thousand years. Also, the preservation of the name of the city, with only a slight shift of the middle consonants, attests to the longevity of this settlement. The importance of Nippur may be explained by its strategic position at the borders of North and South Babylonia or, earlier, between Akkad and Sumer. Additionally, the favourable conditions for agriculture facilitated by natural levees might have provided an early push for the settlement. 1 Furthermore, Nippur is also situated at the crossroads of the main trade routes from west to east in the direction of Susa (Persia) as well as north to south leading up via Assur to Anatolia and along the Euphrates down to Uruk and the Persian Gulf with Dilmun/Bahrain and Magan/ Oman as its next trade hubs. Trade could have been the reason for an early connection between Nippur and Dēr, BÀD.AN.KI (Sum.), "bolt of heaven and earth" on the border region towards Elam in the east, possibly already at the beginning of the 3 rd Millennium BC. The writing of the city name seems to be an allusion to DUR.AN.KI (Sum.), "bond of heaven and earth" in the eastern part of the city, known from the inscriptions of Šulgi at the Inana Temple (Mound VI). 2 The name Nippur was written logographically as EN.LÍL KI , meaning literally "place of Enlil". This could lead us to the conclusion that this "place of Enlil" existed before a venerable city surrounded it. Besides other questions, this hypothesis will be tested archaeologically in this paper. 3 A comparable case exists with the god Aššur in his city (akk.) Aš-šur KI (sum. AN-SÁR KI). First, there was the rock rising above the Tigris river as a sacred place, then the city followed. It even developed in such a way that Wilfred Lambert stated, ". . .

With the addition of the evidence provided by the dated tablet CBS 10059 buried together with a 'long-tub' coffin, I put into perspective the position of an early type of 'long-tub' coffin. Following this evidence, this type of burial belongs into the Late Achaemenid period, although, the so far published evidence shows that this type continues well into the Seleucid and probably also the early Parthian period. (submitted 2021/revised 2023/revised 2024)