1. Introduction to the Ancient Near East
Brown University ~ Fall 2009
Cities and nomads: Syria and Mesopotamia in the Middle Bronze Age
October 27, 2009

2. E.kur (House, the Mountain) Sanctuary of Enlil
Archaeological Projects at Nippur: A frustrated Austin Henry Layard (1851) dug some holes.
University of Pennsylvania ( ), Oriental Institute, University of Chicago ( )
E.kur (House, the Mountain)
Sanctuary of Enlil
[Construction activity by Kings of Ur: Ur-Namma, Shulgi, Amar-Suen late 21st c. and early 20th BC]
E.bara.dur.gar.ra
Sanctuary of Inanna
Shulgi ( )
Fortification walls.
Begun by Ur-Nammu ( BC), repaired by Ibbi-Suen ( BC)
Euphrathes canals.

3. Ur: Tell al Mugayyar

4. Middle Bronze Age/Old Babylonian Period in Mesopotamia (2000-1600 BC)
Yamhad
Ebla
Assur
Mari
Babylon
Isin
Isin-Larsa
Middle Bronze Age/Old Babylonian Period in Mesopotamia ( BC)

5. scribal schools (é-dubba)
scribes (dub-sar)
Second dynasty of Lagaš (Late 22nd-early 21st c. BC)
Gudea (7th ruler, ca BC)
Third dynasty of Ur ( BC)
Šulgi (2nd ruler, BC)
Old Babylonian period ( BC)

6. Nippur: literary texts: collective imagination
Sumerian Literary Composition “Hymn to Enlil” Lines 65-73
den-líl á-dam-kù ki-a HAR-ra-za
Enlil when you mapped out the holy settlement on the earth
66 nibruki uru ní-za ši-im-mi-dù-dù-àm
You built the city Nippur by yourself
67 ki-ùr ki-sikil-zu a-bí-du10-ga
The kiur, your pure place
68 ub-da-limmú-ba murub4-ba dur-an-ki-ka ki ba-e-ni-tag-ge
In the dur-an-ki, in the middle of the four quarters of the earth, you founded it
sahar-bi zi-kalam-ma zi-kur-kur-ra-ka
Its soil is the life of the land (Sumer), the life of all the foreign lands.
70 sig4-bi kù-huš-a uru4-na4 za-gìn-na-ka
Its brickwork is gleaming gold, its foundation is lapis-lazuli.
71 am-gim ke-en-ge-ra si mul ba-ni-ib-bé
Like a steer, it raises up its horns in Sumer,
72 kur-kur-re sag im-ma-da-sìg-ge
All the lands bow their heads,
73 ezen-gal-gal-bi ukù-e nam-hé-a u4-bi mu-un-di-ni-ib-zal-e
At its great feasts, the people spend the day in abundance.
(Translation D. Reisman 1969)

7. cattle-pen : tùr
sheepfold : amaš
shepherd : sipa

8. 93 den-líl sipa-zi téš-ba lu-a
Enlil, faithful shepherd of everything that multiplies
94 na-gada mas-su-nì-zi-gál-la-ka
Shepherd, the leader of living creatures
...
109 kur-gal den-líl-da nu-me-a
Without the Great Mountain, Enlil
110 uru nu-dù á-dam ki li-bí-ib-gar
Cities would not be constructed, habitations would not be founded
111 tùr nu-dù amaš nu-gar-gar
Cattlepen would be not constructed, sheepfold would not be set up
112 lugal nu-íl-e en nu-ù-tu
Kings would not be raised up, rulers would not be born
Hymn to Enlil (D. Reisman 1969).

9. 1 tùr me nun-e ba-dù-a-bi
after the cattle-pen had been built for the foremost rituals —
Nippur Lament (S. Tinney 1996)

10. 2 líl-e a-gin7 íb-sìg ki-bi me-na gi4-gi4
how did it become haunted? when will it be restored
3 še-eb na-ám-tar-ra ba-mar-ra-ri
(where) once the brick of fate had been laid—
4 me-bi a-ba-a in-bir-re a-še-er ba-da-tab
who scattered its rituals (me)? the lamentation is reprised:
5 ŠID nibruki èš dur-an-ki-a
The storeroom of Nippur, shrine Duranki
6 líl-e a-gin7 íb-sìg ki-bi me-na gi4-gi4
how did it become haunted? when will it be restored?
...
12 úru zi šà-sù-ga a-gin7 ba-an-[dù]
how did the true city become empty
13 giš-hur kal-la-bi šu-pe-el-la ba-a[b-dug4]
its precious designs have been defiled!
Nippur Lament (S. Tinney 1996)

12. Marc van de Mieroop’s “political events” Mari
Yamhad
Ebla
Assur
Marc van de Mieroop’s “political events”
Mari
Babylon
Isin
Isin-Larsa

14. Traces of pastoralism?

15. Cultures of pastoralism in the North Mesopotamian steppe

17. North Syria and the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BC) major urban centers

18. Tell Mardikh/Ebla : aerial view and city plan (Matthiae et. al. 1995)

19. Tell Mardikh/Ebla,
South-West Gate
Axonometric and view

20. Orthostats
Plan
Section
Tell Mardikh/Ebla, South-West Gate
Plan and section (Davico et.al. 1967)

22. Temple D
Temple D
Tell Mardikh/Ebla, Temple D

23. Tell Mardikh/Ebla, Temple D, orthostat blocks.

24. Tell Mardikh/Ebla, Monument P3
Ishtar cult area.

29. Middle Bronze Age/Old Babylonian Period in Mesopotamia (2000-1600 BC)
Yamhad
Ebla
Assur
Mari
Babylon
Isin
Isin-Larsa
Middle Bronze Age/Old Babylonian Period in Mesopotamia ( BC)

34. Wall Painting from Zimri-Lim’s Palace at Mari (ca 1775 BC)
Wall Painting from Zimri-Lim’s Palace at Mari (ca 1775 BC). “Investiture of Zimri-Lim

35. Investiture of Zimri-Lim
Wall painting detail from the
Palace at Mari

37. Mari sculpture from Early Dynastic
Ishtar and Ninni-Zaza (INANNA-ZA.ZA)
temples
(ca BC). Mostly gypsum.

38. Mari, Ninni-Zazza temple
Dedicated by the singer
(“master musician”) Ur-Nanshe
(from the cuneiform inscr.)
ED III ( BC)

42. Middle Bronze Age/Old Babylonian Period in Mesopotamia (2000-1600 BC)
Yamhad
Ebla
Assur
Mari
Babylon
Isin
Isin-Larsa
Middle Bronze Age/Old Babylonian Period in Mesopotamia ( BC)

43. Stele of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC),
and his famous “law code”
Louvre Museum

44. From the text of Stele of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC),
his famous “law code”
228 If a builder build a house for some one (awilum) and complete it,
he shall give him a fee of two shekels in money for each sar of surface If a builder build a house for some one (awilum), and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death If it kill the son of the owner the son (dumu/mushkenum) of that builder shall be put to death If it kill a slave (wardum) of the owner, then he shall pay slave for slave to the owner of the house If it ruin goods, he shall make compensation for all that has been ruined, and inasmuch as he did not construct properly this house which he built and it fell, he shall re-erect the house from his own means If a builder build a house for some one, even though he has not yet completed it; if then the walls seem toppling, the builder must make the walls solid from his own means.