Kisurra (original) (raw)
Kisurra
  Shown within Iraq |
|
|---|---|
| Alternative name | Abū Ḥaṭab |
| Location | Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq |
| Coordinates | 31°50′17″N 45°28′50″E / 31.83806°N 45.48056°E / 31.83806; 45.48056 |
| Type | settlement |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1902-1903 |
| Archaeologists | Robert Koldewey |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
Kisurra (modern Abū-Ḥaṭab, Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq) was an ancient Near East city situated on the west bank of the Euphrates, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of ancient Shuruppak and due east of ancient Kish. For most of its history it was subsidiary to the major nearby power centers of Uruk, Isin, and Larsa. The deities Inanna of Zabalam, Ningishzida, Ningal, Ninisina, and Annunitum were all worshiped at Kisurra, reflecting this influence. An obscure god Gal-ga-eri is mentioned in a tablet as coming from Kisurra.[1] The ancient name of the site was determined in 1902 based on an inscribed brick translation by Friedrich Delitzsch. The brick read "Itur-Samas, chief of the Rabbeans, son of Iddin-Ilum, governor of Kisurra beloved of the god Samas and the goddess Annunitum".[2][3]
Several rulers of Kisurra (almost always as governors for greater powers) are known from year names with their order being conjectural:[4]
- Itur-Šamaš (12 known year names) - built the temples of Annunitum, Enki, and Adad. Only known royal inscription.[2]
- Manabalti-el (10 YN) - built the temple of Ninurta and was a contemporary of Ur-Ninurta of Isin
- Szarrasyurrum (1 YN)
- Ubaya (4 YN)
- Zikrû (6 YN)
- Ibbi-Szamasz (1 YN)
- Sallum - built the city wall of Kakkulatum, a town known to be on the Tigris river near the mouth of the Diyalla river. Two tablets found at Kisurra had year names mentioning the death of Sallum.[5]
Another ruler, Ibni-šadûm, is known from texts. His wife was the daughter of Babylon ruler Sūmû-Ēl (c. 1895-1866 BC).[6]
Kisurra was established ca. 2700 BC, during the Sumerian Early Dynastic II period. The southern end of the Isinnitum Canal was joined back into the Euphrates at Kisurra.[7] The city lasted as a center for commerce and transport through the Akkadian, Ur III.
The Larsa ruler Rim-Sin (c.1822 to 1763 BC) reports capturing Kisurra in his 20th year of reign. Cuneiform texts and excavation show a decline during the time of the Babylonian ruler Hammurabi (c.1792-1750 BC).[8] The Samsu-iluna (c. 1749-1712 BC), successor to Hammurabi, reports destroying Kisurra in his 13th year "Year in which Samsu-iluna the king by the command of Enlil brought Kisurra and Sabum to praise".[9] Kisurra had joined the failed widespread revolt against the rule of Babylon, led by Rim-sin II of Larsa and including 26 cities, among them Uruk, Ur, and Isin as well as three "Elamite" governors (Tanene, Werriri, Kalumatum), against the First Dynasty of Babylon, at that time ruled by Samsu-iluna.[10]
Some Sumerian cities and towns
The site has an area of about 46 hectares which is primarily Ur III and a northern extension of about 17 hectares which is primarily Early Dynastic II-III. The south end of the mound is covered by a modern cemetery. After a test excavation at the site by Hermann Volrath Hilprecht in 1901 German archaeologist Robert Koldewey with the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft excavated at the site in 1902-1903 for 33 days, finding many cuneiform tablets from Abū Ḥaṭab. Finds included (findspots unknown) an Old Akkadian period cylinder seal and five Old Babylonian period cylinder seals.[11][12] A north-south trench was cut through the southern portion of the eastern edge of the mound and an east-west trench was dug at the north portion of the mound. A number of inscribed bricks of Bur-Sin (possibly the ruler of Isin) were found "dBur-Sin lugal Ur-(ki)-ma, Bur-Sin, in Nippur appointed by Bel of the Bel temple, the brave hero, King of Ur, King of the world divisions".[13][14][15][16] In 2016 the QADIS survey project, carried out an aerial and surface survey of the site (QD075a). The surface remains of Abū Ḥaṭab were Early Dynastic I-II and those of the Abū Ḥaṭab main mound were Ur III.[17][18] To date 260 cuneiform tablets from Kisurra have been published, mostly administrative (primarily loans, deeds, and deliveries) in nature but including one letter. The earliest tablets date to the reign of Larsa ruler Gungunum (c. 1932-1906 BC). The latest tablet is dated to the reign of Larsa ruler Rim-Sîn I (c. 1822-1763 BC).[19]
The following list should not be considered complete:
| Portrait or inscription | Ruler | Approx. date and length of reign (Middle Chronology) | Comments, notes, and references for mentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isin-Larsa period (c. 2025 – c. 1763 BC) | |||
| Itur-Šamaš | Uncertain; this ruler may have fl. c. 1923 – c. 1896 BC | Son of Idinilu Held the title of, "King" temp. of Ur-Ninurta | |
 |
Bur-Suen𒀭𒁓𒀭𒂗𒍪 | reigned c. 1895 – c. 1874 BC(21 years) | Son of Ur-Ninurta Originally from Isin Said on the Sumerian King List (SKL) to have held the title of, "King" of not just Isin; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer temp. of Sumuel |
| Erra-imitti𒀭𒀴𒊏𒄿𒈪𒋾 | r. c. 1868 – c. 1861 BC(7 years) | Originally from Isin Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Isin; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer temp. of Nur-Adad | |
| Manabaltiel | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" | |
| Szarrasyurrum | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" | |
| Zikrû | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" | |
| Ubaya | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" | |
| Ṣallum | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" | |
| Ibni-šadûm | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" | |
| Ibbi-Szamasz | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" |
- ^ Frayne, Douglas R. and Stuckey, Johanna H., "G", A Handbook of Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Near East: Three Thousand Deities of Anatolia, Syria, Israel, Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, and Elam, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 107-122, 2021
- ^ a b "Frayne, Douglas, "Kisurra", Old Babylonian Period (2003-1595 B.C.): Early Periods, Volume 4, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 650-652, 1990
- ^ [1]Kramer, Samuel N., "New tablets from Fara", Journal of the American Oriental Society 52.2, pp. 110-132, 1932
- ^ Kisurra ruler Year Names at CDLI
- ^ Mann, Oskar, "S", Band 11 Prinz, Prinzessin - Samug, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 472-648, 2008
- ^ Földi, Z, "On the Seal of Ayalatum and the Dynasty of Larsa", Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires, 2016/37, 2016
- ^ Sumerian Waterways Archived 2007-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rients de Boer, "Beginnings of Old Babylonian Babylon: Sumu-Abum and Sumu-La-El", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 70, pp. 53–86, 2018
- ^ Ebeling, E. and Meissner, B., "Reallexikon der Assyriologie (RIA-2), Berlin, 1938
- ^ [2] Lambert, Wilfred G., and Mark Weeden, "A statue inscription of Samsuiluna from the papers of WG Lambert", Revue d’assyriologie et d’archéologie orientale 114.1, pp. 15-62, 2020
- ^ Moortgat, Anton, "Vorderasiatische Rollsiegel, Ein Beitrag Zur Geschichte Der Steinschneidekunst", 1940
- ^ Amiet, Pierre, "Glyptique susienne archaïque", Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale 51.3, pp. 121-129, 1957
- ^ Walter Andrae, "Die Umgebung von Fara und Abu Hatab", Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient Gesellschaft, no. 16, pp. 24-30, 1903
- ^ [3]Walter Andrae, "Ausgrabungen in Fara und Abu Hatab. Bericht über die Zeit vom 15. August 1902 bis 10. Januar 1903", Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient Gesellschaft, no. 17, pp. 4-35, 1903
- ^ [4]E. Heinrich, "Fara: Ergebmisse der Ausgrabungen der Deustchen Orient Gesellschaft in Fara und Abu Hatab 1902/03", J.C. Hinrichs, 1931
- ^ Jabbar, Sattar A. "Excavations of German archaeological Expeditions In Al-Qadisiyah Governorate/Iraq (Isin, Tell Fara, Tell Abu Hatab)", Al-Qadisiyah Journal For Humanities Sciences 22.1, pp. 285-301, 2019
- ^ [5]Marchetti, Nicolò, Al-Hussainy, Abbas, Benati, Giacomo, Luglio, Giampaolo, Scazzosi, Giulia, Valeri, Marco and Zaina, Federico., "The Rise of Urbanized Landscapes in Mesopotamia: The QADIS Integrated Survey Results and the Interpretation of Multi-Layered Historical Landscapes", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 109, no. 2, pp. 214-237, 2019
- ^ [6] Marchetti, Nicolò, and Federico Zaina, "Rediscovering the Heartland of Cities", Near Eastern Archaeology 83, pp. 146-157, 2020
- ^ Witold Tyborowski, "New Tablets from Kisurra and the Chronology of Central Babylonia in the Early Old Babylonian Period", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 102, iss. 2, pp. 245–269, 2012, ISSN 0084-5299
- [7]E. J. Banks, "Impressions from the Excavations by the Germans at Fara and Abu Hatab", Biblical World, vol. 24, pp. 138–146, 1904
- Blocher, Felix, "Zur Glyptik Aus Kisurra", Forschungen Und Berichte, vol. 29, pp. 25–35, 1990
- Anne Goddeeris, "Tablets from Kisurra in the collections of The British Museum", Vol. 9, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-447-06064-6
- Anne Goddeeris, "The Economic Basis of the Local Palace of Kisurra", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 97, issue 1, pp. 47–85, 2007
- Goddeeris, Anne, "An Adoption Document from the Kisurra Collection in the British Museum", in Mining the Archives. Festschrift for Christopher Walker, edited by Cornelia Wunsch, Babylonische Archive 1, Dresden: ISLET, pp. 93–98, 2002
- Burkhart Kienast, "Die altbabylonischen Briefe und Urkunden aus Kisurra", Steiner, 1978, ISBN 3-515-02592-8
- Burkhart Kienast, "Die altbabylonischen Briefe und Urkunden aus Kisurra, Volumes 1-2", Steiner, 1978 ISBN 9783515025928
- Notizia, Palmiro, "A previously unidentified Old Babylonian loan document from Kisurra in the British Museum", AuOr 35, p.177-179, 2017
- Digital images of Kisurra epigraphic finds at CDLI
- Old Babylonian text Corpus at Freiburger Altorientalische studies - in german
- Kisurra related Year Names at CDLI
31°50′17″N 45°28′50″E / 31.83806°N 45.48056°E / 31.83806; 45.48056