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161-634: The dynasty was situated within the ancient city of Isin (today known as the archaeological site of Ishan al-Bahriyat ). It is believed to have flourished c.  1953 –1717 BCE according to the short chronology timeline of the ancient Near East . It was preceded on the Sumerian King List by the Third Dynasty of Ur . The Dynasty of Isin is often associated with the nearby and contemporary dynasty of Larsa (1961–1674 BCE), and they are often regrouped for periodization purposes under

322-558: A belle letter used in scribal education during the subsequent Old Babylonian period. Ur-du-kuga ( fl. c. 1755—1751 BCE by the short chronology) was the 13th king of the Dynasty of Isin and reigned for 4 years according to the SKL , 3 years according to the Ur-Isin kinglist . He was the third in a sequence of short reigning monarchs whose filiation was unknown and whose power extended over

483-467: A legal code written in his name (preceding the famed Code of Hammurabi by about 100 years)—which were used for school instruction for hundreds of years after Lipit-Ištar's death. The annals of Lipit-Ištar's reign recorded that he also repulsed the Amorites . Ur-Ninurta ( fl. c. 1848—1820 BCE by the short chronology) was the 6th king of the Dynasty of Isin. A usurper, Ur-Ninurta seized the throne on

644-494: A Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and that will contain both locational information and a combination of various information. This tool is very helpful to archaeologists who want to explore in a different area and want to see if anyone else has done research. They can use this tool to see what has already been discovered. With this information available, archaeologists can expand their research and add more to what has already been found. Traditionally, sites are distinguished by

805-460: A bakery, possibly connected to the temple of Enlil in Nippur) includes an accounting record of expenditures of bread for the provision of the king and includes entries dated to his 2nd through 9th years which was used by Steele to determine the sequence of most of this king's year-names. Iddin-Dagan ( fl. c. 1900—1879 BCE by the short chronology) was the 3rd king of the Dynasty of Isin. Iddin-Dagān

966-435: A barge are known too, and presumably reflect the belief that he traversed the night sky in this vehicle, as documented in textual sources. Based on Old Babylonian sources is presumed that the lunar barge was considered a representation of a phase of the moon, specifically the gibbous moon . It could be metaphorically compared to a type bowl (Sumerian dilim 2 , Akkadian tilimtu ), apparently also regarded as an attribute of

1127-468: A chronicle. Another chronicle which might have shed further light on his origins is too broken to translate. Hegemony over Nippur was fleeting, with control of the city passing back and forth between Isin and Larsa several times. Uruk , too, seceded during his reign and, as his power crumbled, he may have had the Chronicle of Early Kings redacted to provide a more legendary tale of his accession than

1288-468: A connection between Sin, Nuska and hitherto unknown deities worshiped by this group. While assertions that Ishkur was regarded as a further son of Sin can be found in older literature, no primary sources confirm the existence of such a tradition. Sin's sukkal (attendant deity) was Alammuš . He and Ningublaga were often associated with each other and could be even referred to as twin brothers. Manfred Krebernik notes that this might indicate that he

1449-404: A craft workshop (or giš-kin-ti) from the city-state Isin has been uncovered with 920 texts dating from Išbi-Erra year 4 through to Šu-ilišu year 3 — a period of 33 years. The tablets are records of receipts and disbursements of the: leather goods, furniture, baskets, mats, and felt goods that were manufactured along with their raw materials. A 2nd archive (of receipt of cereal and issue of bread from

1610-462: A divine judge in the underworld , as attested for example in the so-called First Elegy of the Pushkin Museum , in which a man named Ludingira hopes that he will proclaim a good verdict for his deceased father. This role might have originally developed as a way to explain why the moon is not visible for a part of each month. The composition in mention states that his judgment took place on

1771-498: A dog figurine to the goddess Ninisina for the life of the king. There are around five extant seals and seal impressions of his servants and scribes, three of which were excavated in Ur suggesting a fleeting late reoccupancy of this city at the end of his reign and the beginning of his successor's as coincidentally no texts from Ur bear Sumu-El's years 19 to 22 which correspond with this period. Lipit-Enlil, written li-pí-it en.líl , where

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1932-493: A manifestation of Sin's wrath . The former are also mentioned in curse formulas as a punishment he could inflict upon oath breakers. A number of sources attest the existence of a tradition in which Sin was regarded as the sole head of the Mesopotamian pantheon or a deity equal in rank to the traditional kings of the gods , Anu and Enlil . According to Wilfred G. Lambert , most of the evidence for this view postdates

2093-575: A role in building and renovation activities. They are chiefly documented in sources from between the Sargonic and early Old Babylonian periods. They were typically daughters of kings. Enheduanna , the daughter of Sargon of Akkad , was a particularly famous en priestess. She is also the earliest attested holder of this office, with available evidence including the so-called "disc of Enheduanna", seals of her servants, and literary compositions copied in later periods traditionally attributed to her. It

2254-502: A seal inscription, although elsewhere unattested. Kindattu had been driven away from the city-state of Ur by Išbi-Erra (the founder of the First Dynasty of Isin), however; relations had apparently thawed sufficiently for Tan-Ruhurarter (the 8th king to wed the daughter of Bilalama , the énsí of Eshnunna .) There is only 1 contemporary monumental text extant for this king and another 2 known from later copies. A fragment of

2415-683: A sequence of natural geological or organic deposition, in the absence of human activity, to constitute a site worthy of study. Archaeological sites usually form through human-related processes but can be subject to natural, post-depositional factors. Cultural remnants which have been buried by sediments are, in many environments, more likely to be preserved than exposed cultural remnants. Natural actions resulting in sediment being deposited include alluvial (water-related) or aeolian (wind-related) natural processes. In jungles and other areas of lush plant growth, decomposed vegetative sediment can result in layers of soil deposited over remains. Colluviation ,

2576-412: A site as well. Development-led archaeology undertaken as cultural resources management has the disadvantage (or the benefit) of having its sites defined by the limits of the intended development. Even in this case, however, in describing and interpreting the site, the archaeologist will have to look outside the boundaries of the building site. According to Jess Beck in "How Do Archaeologists Find Sites?"

2737-453: A site worthy of study. Different archaeologists may see an ancient town, and its nearby cemetery as being two different sites, or as being part of the same wider site. The precepts of landscape archaeology attempt to see each discrete unit of human activity in the context of the wider environment, further distorting the concept of the site as a demarcated area. Furthermore, geoarchaeologists or environmental archaeologists would also consider

2898-462: A small region encompassing little more than the city of Isin and its neighbor Nippur . He was probably a contemporary of Warad-Sîn of Larsa and Apil-Sîn of Babylon . He credited Dāgan , a god from the middle Euphrates region who had possibly been introduced by the dynasty's founder, Išbi-Erra , with his creation, in cones commemorating the construction of the deity's temple, the Etuškigara, or

3059-406: A small site southeast of Tell Drehem, which gives his standard inscription describing him as an “ Išippum priest with clean hands for Eridu , favorite en priest of Uruk” and there is a copy of an inscription relating to the erection of a statue of the king with a votive goat. He was contemporary with Gungunum , c. 1868 – 1841 BCE (short), and his successor Abī-sarē , c. 1841 – 1830 BCE (short),

3220-405: A son of Enlil for political reasons. The compilers of the god list An = Anum apparently did not acknowledge this tradition directly, as in contrast with Ninurta Sin does not appear in the section focused on Enlil and his family. However, his status as his son is seemingly reflected in the epithets Dumununna, "son of the prince", and Dumugi, "noble son". Sin is also kept separate from Enlil in

3381-400: A specific phase of the moon. Lunar eclipses were believed to be the result of Sin being surrounded by seven evil utukku sent by Anu . Next to his astral aspect, Sin's other main role has been described as that of a pastoral deity. He was associated with cattle and with dairy products . This link is reflected in his secondary names Abkar, "shining cow", and Ablulu, "the one who makes

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3542-522: A stone statue has a votive inscription which invokes Ninisina and Damu to curse those who foster evil intent against it. 2 later clay tablet copies of an inscription recording an unspecified object fashioned for the god Nanna were found by the British archaeologist Sir Charles Leonard Woolley in a scribal school house in the city-state of Ur. A tablet from the Enunmaḫ at the city-state of Ur dated to

3703-647: A storehouse and palm grove, give a year-name elsewhere unattested, “year Suen-magir the king dug the Ninkarrak canal.” Another year-name marks "(Suen-magir) built on the bank of the Iturungal canal (the old wadi) a great fortification (called) Suen-magir-madana-dagal-dagal (Suen-magir broadens his country)." A province in the south and a town in eastern Babylonia near Tuplias are both called Bīt-Suen-magir and some historians have speculated one or other were named in his honor. Damiq-ilishu ( fl. c. 1740—1717 BCE by

3864-479: A temporary counter-offensive, recapturing Nippur and several other cities on the Kishkattum canal. His year-name “year (Ur-Ninurta) set for Enlil free (of forced labor) for ever the citizens of Nippur and released (the arrears of) the taxes which they were bearing on their necks” may mark this point. His offensive was stopped at Adab , modern Bismaya, where Abī-sarē “defeated the army of Isin with his weapon,” in

4025-429: Is AŠ -im 4 -babbar ( 𒀭𒀸𒁽𒌓 ). It was originally assumed that it should be read as Ašimbabbar, though it was subsequently proved that this depended on an erroneous collation. By 2016 the consensus view that Dilimbabbar is the correct reading was established based on the discovery of multiple passages providing phonetic syllabic spellings. The name can be translated as "the shining one who walks alone". This meaning

4186-500: Is a branch of survey becoming more and more popular in archaeology, because it uses different types of instruments to investigate features below the ground surface. It is not as reliable because although they can see what is under the surface of the ground, it does not produce the best picture. Archaeologists still have to dig up the area in order to uncover the truth. There are also two most common types of geophysical survey, which is, magnetometer and ground penetrating radar. Magnetometry

4347-426: Is a kettledrum used in temple rituals. He is perhaps best known for the literary work generally known as the letter from Nabi-Enlil to Iter-pisha formerly designated letter from Iter-pisha to a deity , when its contents were less well understood. It is extant in seven fragmentary manuscripts and seems to be a petition to the king from a subject who has fallen on hard times. It is a 24-line composition that had become

4508-412: Is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record . Sites may range from those with few or no remains visible above ground, to buildings and other structures still in use. Beyond this,

4669-485: Is agreed that the two primary names of the Mesopotamian moon god , Nanna and Sin (Suen), originated in two different languages, respectively Sumerian and Akkadian , it is not possible to differentiate between them as designations of separate deities, as they effectively fully merged at an early date. Gebhard J. Selz  [ de ] points out this phenomenon is already attested in sources from Lagash from

4830-433: Is also attested for Bau and Ningirsu . Enlil and Ninlil were usually regarded as Sin's parents. It has been argued that an Early Dynastic text from Abu Salabikh already refers to Enlil and Ninlil as his parents, though an alternate view is that he oldest certain evidence only goes back to the reign of Ur-Nammu of the Third Dynasty of Ur . It has been argued that in this period he might have started to be viewed as

4991-551: Is corroborated by the number of his extant year-names. While in many ways this dynasty emulated that of the preceding one, its language was Akkadian as the Sumerian language had become moribund in the latter stages of the Third Dynasty of Ur. At the outset of his career, Ishbi-Erra was an official working for Ibbi-Sin, the last king of the Third Dynasty of Ur. Ishbi-Erra was described as a man of Mari , either his origin or

Dynasty of Isin - Misplaced Pages Continue

5152-414: Is extant. Shu-Ilishu ( fl. c. 1920—1900 BCE by the short chronology) was the 2nd ruler of the Dynasty of Isin. He reigned for 10 years (according to his extant year-names and a single copy of the SKL , which differs from the 20 years recorded by others.) Šu-ilišu was preceded by Išbi-erra . Iddin-Dagān then succeeded Šu-ilišu. Šu-ilišu is best known for his retrieval of the cultic idol of Nanna from

5313-470: Is it not certain if the office of en was only established at this point in time as an innovation, or if it developed from an earlier Early Dynastic title tied to the cult of the moon god. Later en priestesses include Enmenanna  [ pl ] , daughter of Sargon's grandson Naram-Sin of Akkad (named as "zirru priestess of the god Nanna, spouse of the god N[anna], entu priestess of the god Sin at Ur"); Enannepada, daughter of Ur-Baba of Lagash and

5474-428: Is not a direct translation of Dilimbabbar, as it effectively leaves out the element dilim . Bendt Alster assumed that the equivalence was the result of late reinterpretation. Sin was understood both as an anthropomorphic deity representing the moon, and as the astral body itself. He was responsible for providing light during the night. His luminous character could be highlighted with epithets such as "the luminary of

5635-433: Is not certain if at this point in time it was understood as a title of Sin or as the name of a distinct deity of analogous character. Mark Glenn Hall notes that the absence of theophoric names invoking the moon god under this name from available sources might indicate that if Dilimbabbar was ever understood as a distinct deity this tradition disappeared very early on. However, Manfred Krebernik and Jan Lisman point out that in

5796-469: Is sometimes used to refer to this god in modern Assyriological publications too. The precise etymology of the name Nanna is unknown, though it is agreed that it is not a genitive construction . It is first attested in the Uruk period . In earliest cuneiform texts from Uruk and Ur it was written as LAK -32.NA, with NA possibly serving as a phonetic complement . The name of the city of Ur (Urim)

5957-629: Is the technique of measuring and mapping patterns of magnetism in the soil. It uses an instrument called a magnetometer, which is required to measure and map traces of soil magnetism. The ground penetrating radar is a method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. It uses electromagnetic radiation in the microwave band of the radio spectrum and detects the reflected signals from subsurface structures. There are many other tools that can be used to find artifacts, but along with finding artifacts, archaeologists have to make maps. They do so by taking data from surveys, or archival research and plugging it into

6118-446: Is uncertain and was a contemporary and rival of Sūmû-El and Nūr-Adad of the parallel dynasty of Larsa . He is best known for the legendary tale of his demise, Shaffer's “gastronomic mishap”. He seems to have recovered control of Nippur from Larsa early in his reign but perhaps lost it again, as its recovery is celebrated again by his successor. The later regnal year-names offer some glimmer of events, for example “the year following

6279-600: Is unknown, as the SKL omits this information from this point on. Both he and his successor were conspicuous in the absence of royal hymns or dedicatory prayers and Hallo speculates this may have been due to the distractions afforded by the commencement of conflict with Larsa . The archives of the temple of Ninurta , the é- šu -me-ša 4 , in Nippur , extended over more than seventy-five years, from year 1 of Lipit-Enlil of Isin (1810) to year 28 of Rim-Sin I (1730) and were inadvertently preserved when they were used as infill for

6440-552: The Temple Hymns (hymn 37) Dilimbabbar is addressed as a shepherd of Sin, which they argue might be a relic of an intermediate stage between the existence of two independent moon gods and their full conflation. For unknown reasons the name Dilimbabbar is absent from all the other known Early Dynastic sources, as well as these from the subsequent Sargonic and Ur III periods, with the next oldest attestation being identified in an inscription of Nur-Adad of Larsa from Ur from

6601-514: The Early Dynastic period , where the name Nanna does not appear, and Sin is the form used in both Sumerian and Akkadian context. The process of conflation presumably started prior to the invention of cuneiform . Sometimes the double name Nanna-Suen was used, as evidenced for example by a short theological text from the Ur III period listing the main deities of the official pantheon . It

Dynasty of Isin - Misplaced Pages Continue

6762-430: The Early Dynastic period . They were sometimes combined into the double name Nanna-Suen . A third well attested name is Dilimbabbar ( 𒀭𒀸𒁽𒌓 ). Additionally, the name of the moon god could be represented by logograms reflecting his lunar character, such as 30 ( 𒀭𒌍 ), referring to days in the lunar month or U 4 .SAKAR ( 𒀭𒌓𒊬 ), derived from a term referring to the crescent . In addition to his astral role, Sin

6923-519: The Elamites and its return to the city-state Ur . Šu-ilišu's inscriptions gave him the titles: “Mighty Man” — “King of Ur” — “God of His Nation” — “Beloved of the gods: Anu , Enlil , and Nanna” — “King of the Land of Sumer and Akkad ” — “Beloved of the god Enlil and the goddess Ninisina ” — “Lord of his Land”, but not “King of Isin” (a title which was not claimed by a ruler of this city-state until

7084-740: The Isin-Larsa period , Kurigalzu I of the Kassite dynasty of Babylon , Marduk-nadin-ahhe and Adad-apla-iddina of the Second Dynasty of Isin , and Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire . Other houses of worship dedicated to Sin existed in Ur too. For example, liturgical texts mention the ceremonial name Edimanna, "house, bond of heaven". Enamnunna, "house of princeliness", rebuilt by Sin-Iddinam , might have been located in Ur too. A ziggurat dedicated to Sin

7245-423: The Isin-Larsa period , which might reflect a rediscovery of the name by scribes under hitherto unknown circumstances. It remained in use through subsequent periods, down to the first millennium BCE. The Akkadian epithet Namraṣit was considered analogous to Dilimbabbar, as attested in the god list An = Anum (tablet III, line 26). It can be translated as "whose rise is luminous". Steinkeller points out that it

7406-486: The Neo-Assyrian period she was regarded as a daughter of Sin. A god list from Nineveh might indicate that she was viewed as a daughter of the moon god specifically when she was counted among deities belonging to the entourage of Enlil. A further goddess related to Inanna, Annunitum , could similarly be addressed as a daughter of Sin, though this tradition is only preserved in inscriptions of Nabonidus documenting

7567-475: The Old Babylonian forerunner of this text, which has been argued to be a reflection of an earlier tradition in which they were not viewed as son and father. While references to Anu being the father of Sin are also known, they are most likely metaphorical, and do not represent a distinct genealogical tradition. In the myth Enlil and Ninlil Sin's brothers are Nergal , Ninazu and Enbilulu , though

7728-403: The SKL and the Ur-Isin king list match on his name and reign, was the 8th king of the 1st dynasty of Isin and ruled for five years, ca. 1810 BCE – 1806 BCE (short chronology) or 1873–1869 BCE (middle chronology). He was the son of Būr-Sîn. There are no inscriptions known for this king. His brief reign ended a period of relative stability and he was succeeded by Erra-Imittī whose filiation

7889-656: The Ugaritic , Hurrian and Hittite pantheons. However, the old proposal that Hurrians, and by extension Hittites and inhabitants of Ugarit, received her from Harran is regarded as unproven, as she does not appear in association with this city in any sources from the second millennium BCE. She is also absent from Luwian sources pertaining to the worship of Sin of Harran in the first millennium BCE. The best attested children of Sin were Utu (Shamash) and Inanna (Ishtar). The connection between these three deities depended on their shared astral character, with Sin representing

8050-548: The theonym syn attested in a number of inscriptions from South Arabia should be interpreted as a variant of Sin's name too, and suggests vocalizing it similarly to the Eblaite form of the name. However, Manfred Krebernik  [ de ] concludes that no certain cognates of Sin's name have been identified in other Semitic languages, and syn (or sn ), who according to him is only known from Thamudic inscription from Hadhramaut , should instead be interpreted as Sayin,

8211-424: The "lord of the gods" who possessed "Enlilship", "Anuship" and "Eaship". However, Melanie Groß stresses that Nabonidus' devotion should for the most part not be treated as an unusual phenomenon, save for the fact that Harran was not the center of his empire. She notes that the elevation of city deities significant for specific rulers to the top of the pantheon of the respective states is well documented for example in

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8372-429: The 14th year of Gungunum ( fl. c. 1868 BCE — c. 1841 BCE) of Larsa , after his conquest of the city, bears the seal impression of a servant of his. A tablet described Iddin-Dagān's fashioning of two copper festival statues for Ninlil , which were not delivered to Nippur until 170 years later by Enlil-bāni . Belles-lettres preserve the correspondence from Iddin-Dagān to his general Sîn-illat about Kakkulātum and

8533-541: The 9th year-name of his reign. It may be that this battle was where he was killed, as a year A of Halium of the kingdom of Mananâ, reads “the year Ur-Ninurta was slain” and Manabalte’el of Kisurra ’s year G, “the year Ur-Ninurta was killed.” There is a year name “year following the year that king Ur-Ninurta made emerge large a.gàrs from the water.” Marten Stol suggests that it indicates he succeeded in converting swamp or similar into cultivatable land. A curious legal case arose came to his attention which he ordered by heard by

8694-512: The Amorites out of their land, and they will strike the Elamites and capture Ishbi-Erra.” Curiously, Puzur-Šulgi seems to have originally been one of Ishbi-Erra's own messengers and indicates the extent to which loyalties were in flux during the waning years of the Ur III regime. While there was no outright conflict, Ishbi-Erra continued to extend his influence as Ibbi-Sin's steadily declined over

8855-483: The Assembly of Nippur. Lu-Inanna, a nišakku priest was murdered by Nanna-sig, Ku-Enlilla (a barber) and Enlil-ennam (an orchard-keeper) who then confessed to his estranged wife, Nin-dada, who remained suspiciously silent on the matter. Nine persons, with occupations ranging from bird-catcher to potter, presented the prosecution's case. Two others sprang to the defense of the widow, as she had not actually participated in

9016-460: The Land of Sumer and Akkad ". The 1st year name recorded on a receipt for flour and dates reads: “Year Iddin-Dagān (was) king and (his) daughter Matum-Niatum (“the land which belongs to us”) was taken in marriage by the king of Anshan .” Vallat suggests it was to Imazu (son of Kindattu , who was the groom and possibly the king of the region of Shimashki ) as he was described as the King of Anshan in

9177-548: The Mesopotamian moon god. In Hittite and Luwian sources the logographic writings 30 and EN.ZU were used to render the name of the Anatolian moon god Arma . As noted by Piotr Taracha  [ de ] , while 30 was also used to represent the name of the Hattian moon god Kašku in the corresponding version of the myth The Moon that Fell from Heaven , it is improbable that it designates him in cultic texts, as he

9338-583: The area, and if they have the money and time for the site, they can start digging. There are many ways to find sites, one example can be through surveys. Surveys involve walking around analyzing the land and looking for artifacts. It can also involve digging, according to the Archaeological Institute of America, "archaeologists actively search areas that were likely to support human populations, or in places where old documents and records indicate people once lived." This helps archaeologists in

9499-573: The areas with numerous artifacts are good targets for future excavation, while areas with a small number of artifacts are thought to reflect a lack of past human activity. Many areas have been discovered by accident. The most common people who have found artifacts are farmers who are plowing their fields or just cleaning them up, and they often find archaeological artifacts. Many people who are out hiking and even pilots find artifacts, and they usually end up reporting them to archaeologists for further investigation. When they find sites, they have to first record

9660-406: The army of (the land of) Elam (and Zambiya, (the king of Isin,)) was/were defeated by arms,” suggesting a confederation between Isin and Elam against Larsa. The city of Nippur was hotly contested between the city-states. If Zambiya survived this battle, he may have possibly gone on to be contemporary with Sin-iqišam's successors, Ṣilli-Adad and Warad-Sin . Iter-pisha ( fl. c. 1759—1755 BCE by

9821-462: The association between these two goddesses and the moon god is unknown. While references to Ninegal as a daughter of Sin are known, in this context the name is treated as an epithet of Inanna , and there is no evidence Ninegal understood as a distinct goddess was associated with him in any way. Another deity associated with Ishtar who was sometimes described as daughter of Sin was the love goddess Nanaya . However, this tradition seems to stem from

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9982-484: The bank of the Eurphrates and a canal. A year-name of Sumu-El records “Year after the year Sumu-El has opened the palace (?) of Nippur,” whose place in this king's sequence is unknown. A red-brown agate statuette was dedicated to goddess Inanna and an agate plate was dedicated by the lukur priestess and his “traveling companion,” i.e. concubine, Nanāia Ibsa. A certain individual by the name of Enlil-ennam dedicated

10143-428: The burial of a site by sediments moved by gravity (called hillwash ) can also happen at sites on slopes. Human activities (both deliberate and incidental) also often bury sites. It is common in many cultures for newer structures to be built atop the remains of older ones. Urban archaeology has developed especially to deal with these sorts of site. Many sites are the subject of ongoing excavation or investigation. Note

10304-642: The case of Marduk and Ashur . Aino Hätinen points out that in Harran similar formulas were used to refer to Sin by Ashurbanipal , and are thus not unique to Nabonidus and do not necessarily indicate elevation of this god during his reign. She suggests both Nabonidus and Ashurbanipal relied on so-called "Theology of the Moon", a concept well attested in explanatory texts from the first millennium BCE according to which Sin possessed divine powers (Sumerian ĝarza , Akkadian parṣū ) equal to these of Anu, Enlil and Ea during

10465-589: The city for which he was assigned. His progress was witnessed in correspondence with the king and between Ibbi-Sin and the governor of Kazallu (Puzur-Numushda, latterly renamed Puzur-Šulgi.) These are literary letters, copied in antiquity as scribal exercises and whose authenticity is unknown. Charged with acquiring grain in Isin and Kazallu, Ishbi-Erra complained that he could not ship the 72,000 GUR he had bought for 20 talents of silver—apparently an exorbitant price—and now kept secure in Isin to other conurbations due to

10626-462: The city-state, but; whether he obtained it either through diplomacy or conflict is unknown. An inscription tells of the city-state's resettlement: “He established for him when he established in Ur the people scattered as far as Anšan in their abode.” The " Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur " was composed around this time to explain the catastrophe, to call for its reconstruction and to protect

10787-578: The close connection between Nanaya and Inanna, as for example the Hymn to the City of Arbela in a passage focused on Ishtar of Arbela refers to Nanaya as a daughter of Sin, but also syncretises her with the goddess being praised. Sources where Nanaya's father is instead either Anu or Urash (the male tutelary god of Dilbat , rather than the earth goddess of the same name) are known too. Only in Assyria in

10948-426: The coastal city via a Hurrian intermediary, and it is possible that the myth describing their marriage was based on a Mesopotamian or Hurrian original, focused on either Sin or Kušuḫ. However, Steve A. Wiggins states that despite the connection between Sin and Yarikh the latter shows a number of traits distinct from his counterpart, for example literary texts at times compare him to a dog, an animal not associated with

11109-449: The construction of a storehouse for the goddess Aktuppītum of Kiritab in his honor commissioned by Nupṭuptum, the lukur priestess or concubine, “his beloved traveling escort, mother of his first-born.” An inscription marks the construction of a defensive wall, called Dūr-Suen-magir , “Suen-magir makes the foundation of his land firm,” at Dunnum, a city northeast of Nippur . Control of Nippur itself however may have shifted to Larsa, under

11270-409: The counterpart of Sin was Ši-ḪU (reading of the second sign uncertain), well attested as an element of theophoric names , though he was more commonly equated with Marduk in similar sources. Sin was recognized as a major deity all across ancient Mesopotamia. His status was already high in the earliest periods to which the history of the Mesopotamian pantheon can be traced. It is presumed that Sin

11431-500: The cows abundant". He could be addressed as a herdsman in astral context, with stars being poetically described as his herd. In addition to cows, he could also be associated with sheep and with wild animals inhabiting steppes, especially ibexes and gazelles. Sin was perceived as a benign deity who could be petitioned for help. He was responsible for guaranteeing abundance and growth, especially in Ur and Harran , which most likely reflects

11592-440: The crescent either placed on his tiara or atop a standard he held. It was also used to represent him on kudurru , decorated boundary stones. It consistently occurs in the upper section of such objects, next to symbols of Shamash and Ishtar , though their exact arrangement can vary. A survey of 110 stones or their fragments indicated that this trio of deities is depicted on all known kudurru . Aniconic portrayals of Sin as

11753-513: The day of the disappearance of the moon (Sumerian u 4 -ná , Akkadian ūm bubbuli ). However, Dina Katz argues that in contrast with the frequent assignment of a similar role to Shamash , Sin was usually not associated with judgment of either the living or the dead. References to both of them acting as judges are nonetheless known from Old Babylonian inscriptions. In Mesopotamian medicine skin diseases , especially leprosy ( saḫaršubbû ), as well as epileptic symptoms, could be interpreted as

11914-428: The definition and geographical extent of a "site" can vary widely, depending on the period studied and the theoretical approach of the archaeologist. It is almost invariably difficult to delimit a site. It is sometimes taken to indicate a settlement of some sort, although the archaeologist must also define the limits of human activity around the settlement. Any episode of deposition, such as a hoard or burial, can form

12075-422: The demon Bennu, responsible for causing epilepsy , is described as his "deputy" ( šanê ) as well. In An = Anum Suzianna and Ninimma , both usually regarded as courtiers of Enlil, are also identified as Sin's nurses. The Hurrian moon god, variously known as Kušuḫ , Umbu or Ušu, was identified with Sin and his name was sometimes written logographically as EN.ZU or 30. It is possible that his character

12236-541: The designs for Eridu ” and “ en priest for the mes , for Uruk” were used by Bur-Suen in his standard brick inscriptions in Nippur and Isin, although it seems unlikely that his rule stretched to Ur or Eridu at this time as the only inscriptions with an archaeological provenance come from the two northerly cities. A solitary tablet from Ur is dated to his first year, but this is thought to correspond to Abē-sarē's year 11, for which several tablets attest to his reign over Ur. He

12397-461: The difference between archaeological sites and archaeological discoveries. Sin (mythology) Sin ( / ˈ s iː n / ) or Suen ( Akkadian : 𒀭𒂗𒍪 , EN.ZU ) also known as Nanna ( Sumerian : 𒀭𒋀𒆠 ŠEŠ.KI, NANNA ) is the Mesopotamian god representing the moon . While these two names originate in two different languages, respectively Akkadian and Sumerian , they were already used interchangeably to refer to one deity in

12558-504: The divine representation of the full moon, with texts instead describing him as a youthful god instead reflecting his role as the new moon. Another epithet commonly applied to him was lugal ("king"). Presumably it constituted an implicit reference to his status as the tutelary god of Ur. In the first millennium BCE, as the god of Harran he could be called Bēl-Ḫarrān ( EN.KASKAL), "lord of Harran". This title appears particularly commonly in theophoric names . Sin could also function as

12719-478: The event it marked has not been preserved. A cone shaft memorializes the building of a temple of Lulal of the cultic city of Dul-edena, northeast of Nippur on the Iturungal canal. The digging of the Imgur-Ninisin canal was celebrated in another year-name. Suen-magir ( fl. c. 1751—1740 BCE by the short chronology) was the 14th king of the Dynasty of Isin and he reigned for 11 years. His reign falls over

12880-500: The fall of Lipit-Ištar and held it until his violent death some 28 years later. He called himself “son of Iškur,” the southern storm-god synonymous with Adad , in his adab to Iškur . His name was wholly Sumerian , in marked contrast to the Amorite names of his five predecessors. There are only two extant inscriptions, one of which is stamped on bricks in 13 lines of Sumerian from the cities of Nippur , Isin, Uruk and Išān Ḥāfudh,

13041-420: The first sibilant was difficult to render in cuneiform. In early Akkadian, the sound /s/ was an affricate [ts], which would explain its initial representation with Z-signs and later with S-signs. A variant form of Sin's name, Suinu, is also attested in texts from Ebla . It has been pointed out that an Eblaite lexical list with the entry sú-i-nu is the oldest available attestation of a phonetic spelling of

13202-425: The first half of the lunar month. Despite Sin's popularity documented in textual sources, depictions of him are not common in Mesopotamian art . His most common attribute was the crescent . In accordance with the appearance of the new moon in the latitude of Mesopotamia, it was consistently represented as recumbent. It was frequently compared to bull horns and to a barge. On seals, Sin could be depicted with

13363-420: The future. In case there is no time or money during the site's discovery, archaeologists can come back and visit the site for further digging to find out the extent of the site. Archaeologist can also sample randomly within a given area of land as another form of conducting surveys. Surveys are very useful, according to Jess Beck, "it can tell you where people were living at different points in the past." Geophysics

13524-497: The goddess Ninlil had the god Enlil lengthen the life span of Enlil-Bāni.” There are perhaps two hymns addressed to this monarch. Zambiya ( fl. c. 1762—1759 BCE by the short chronology) was the 11th king of the Dynasty of Isin. He is best known for his defeat at the hands of Sin-iqišam , king of Larsa . According to the SKL , Zambiya reigned for 3 years. He was a contemporary of Sin-iqišam king of Larsa, whose fifth and final year-name celebrates his victory over Zambiya: “year

13685-482: The goddesses Amarazu and Amaraḫea, known from the god list An = Anum , Ningublaga (the city god of Kiabrig) and Numushda (the city god of Kazallu ). Ningublaga's connection with the moon god is well attested in god lists ( An = Anum , the Weidner god list , the Nippur god list) and other sources, one example being the formula "servant of Sin and Ningublaga," known from an Old Babylonian cylinder seal . While he

13846-401: The heavens and earth" ( nannār šamê u erṣeti ) or "the luminary of all creation" ( nannār kullati binīti ). The growth of the moon over the course of the month was reflected in comparing Sin to the growth of fruit (Akkadian inbu , Sumerian gurun ) as attested in Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian sources, especially hemerologies . However, it was not applied consistently as a designation for

14007-657: The house “well founded residence,” an event also celebrated in a year-name. The inscription describes him as the “shepherd who brings everything for Nippur, the supreme farmer of the gods An and Enlil , provider of the Ekur…” This heaps profuse declarations of his care for Nippur's sanctuaries, the Ekur for Enlil, the Ešumeša for Ninurta and the Egalmaḫ for Gula , Ninurta's divine wife. A piece of brick from Isin, bears his titulary but

14168-521: The husband of Nanshe in the state of Lagash in the Early Dynastic period . In An = Anum itself he and Sin are directly identified with each other (tablet III, line 65), and the lines following this statement list Nanshe and their children. However, there is no evidence that this equation was responsible for the lack of references to Nindara in the Sealand archives, as Nanshe was not worshiped in association with Sin in this context. Nin-MAR.KI , who

14329-458: The incantation Cow of Sîn , which states that he would send a pair of lamassu goddesses to help mothers with difficult births. The common epithet of Sin, "father" ( a-a ), underlined his ability to cause growth and bring abundance. However, it also reflected his role as a senior member of his pantheon, as well as his authority over deities regarded as his children or servants. It has also been suggested that it metaphorically referred to him as

14490-542: The incursions of the Amorites (“Martu”) and requested Ibbi-Sin supply 600 boats to transport it while also requesting governorship of Isin and Nippur . Although Ibbi-Sin baulked at promoting him, Ishbi-Erra had apparently succeeded in wrestling control over Isin by Ibbi-Sin's 8th year, when he began assigning his own regnal year-names, and thereafter an uneasy chill descended on their relationship. Ibbi-Sin bitterly lambasted Ishbi-Erra as “not of Sumerian seed” in his letter to Puzur-Šulgi and opined that: “ Enlil has stirred up

14651-501: The king would resume his throne. Enlil-bani ( fl. c. 1786—1762 BCE by the short chronology) was the 10th king of the Dynasty of Isin and reigned 24 years according to the Ur-Isin kinglist . He is best known for the legendary and perhaps apocryphal manner of his ascendancy. A certain Ikūn-pî-Ištar is recorded as having ruled for 6 months or a year, between the reigns of Erra-imittī and Enlil-bani according to two variant copies of

14812-474: The last six years of Warad-Sin and the first five of Rim-Sin I , the sons of Kudur-Mabuk and successive kings of Larsa , and wholly within the reign of the Babylonian monarch Apil-Sin . There are currently six extant royal inscriptions, including brick palace inscriptions, seals for his devoted servants, such as Iddin-damu, his “chief builder,” and Imgur-Sîn, his administrator, and a cone which records

14973-481: The later reign of Išme-Dagān .) Šu-ilišu did, however; rebuild the walls of his capital city: Isin. He was a great benefactor of the city-state Ur (beginning the restoration which was to continue through his successors: Iddin-Dagān and Išme-Dagan.) Šu-ilišu built a monumental gateway and recovered an idol representing Ur's patron deity (Nanna, god of the moon) which had been expropriated by the Elamites when they sacked

15134-416: The latter two gods were commonly regarded as sons of different parents instead. Enbilulu in particular is not attested as a son of Enlil and Ninlil in any other sources. Based on their shared status as sons of Enlil Sin and Nergal were sometimes referred to as the "big twins", and in this context were identified with Lugal-irra and Meslamta-ea . The connection between Lugal-Irra and Sin seemingly depended on

15295-502: The latter's occasional role as a judge in the underworld . An astronomical text equates the pair Sin and Nergal with Latarak and Lulal , but this attestation is unparalleled in other sources. Sin's wife was Ningal . They are already attested as a couple in Early Dynastic sources, and they were consistently paired with each other in all regions of Mesopotamia. Derivatives of Ningal were associated with local moon gods in

15456-473: The local sun god . From the Old Babylonian period onward Sin's name could be represented by the logogram 30 ( 𒀭𒌍 ), derived from the cuneiform numeral 30, symbolically associated with him due to the number of days in the lunar month. It was originally assumed that an even earlier example occurs in the writing of a personal name from the Ur III period, but subsequent research demonstrated that this

15617-406: The logogram EN.ZU designated Saggar in this city, but according to Alfonso Archi this is unlikely. Lunar character is sometimes also proposed for a further Eblaite deity, Hadabal ( NI- da -KUL), though Archi similarly disagrees with this view. However, he does accept the possibility that the theophoric name of a king of Ibubu mentioned in an Eblaite text, Li-im - EN.ZU, a different deity than Sin

15778-629: The lunar crescent also predominate in Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian art. Furthermore, the logogram U 4 .SAKAR ( 𒀭𒌓𒊬 ) which could be used to write his name was derived from a term referring to the crescent. Like other Mesopotamian gods Sin was depicted as a mature, bearded man dressed in a flounced robe. In some cases he holds a mace or a stick, with the latter occurring particularly often, though these attributes were not exclusively associated with him and cannot be used to identify depictions of him. A further object associated with him in art

15939-403: The lunar cult in Ur was the institution of the en priestess. In Akkadian its holders were referred to as entum . Their residence was known as Gipar, and while initially separate in the Old Babylonian period it was combined into a single complex with the temple of the moon god's wife, Ningal. Not much is known about the duties of the en in the sphere of cult, though they apparently played

16100-452: The major members of the pantheon, next to Enlil , Ninlil , Inanna , Enki , Nergal , Ninurta , Nuska , Ninshubur and the deified hero Gilgamesh , included in the enumeration due to importance due to his importance for the ruling house. Ibbi-Sin at one point dedicated the image of a "red dog of Meluhha " to Sin. According to the document describing this offering, the animal bore the evocative name "He bites!" An important aspect of

16261-458: The meaning of Dilimbabbar are correct, and that the scribes might have intentionally created puns depending on the well attested tradition of referring to the moon as a unique or solitary celestial body. Dilimbabbar is already attested in the Early Dynastic god list from Abu Salabikh. The Zame Hymns from the same period link this title with the worship of the moon god in Urum ( Tell Uqair ). It

16422-488: The measures taken by Bur-Suen to contain him. Only nine of Bur-Suen's own year-names are known and the sequence is uncertain. He seized control of Kisurra for a time as two year-names are found among tablets from this city, possibly following the departure of Sumu-abum the king of Babylon who “returned to his city.” The occupation was brief, however, as Sumu-El was to conquer it during his fourth year. Other year-names record Bur-Suen's construction of fortifications, walls on

16583-505: The moon and his children, who could be identified as twins - the sun and Venus . Numerous instances of Inanna being directly referred to as his oldest daughter are known. While alternate traditions about her parentage are attested, it is agreed they were less significant and ultimately she was most commonly recognized as a daughter of Sin and Ningal. It has been pointed out that apparent references to Anu being her father instead might only designate him as an ancestor. Similarly to how Sin

16744-464: The moon and to month as a measure of time in multiple Semitic languages , including both Amorite and Ugaritic. While neither the names Nanna nor Sin share such a linguistic affinity, the respective Sumerian ( itud ) and Akkadian ( warḫum ) words for moon and month are likewise the same. As noted by Nick Wyatt, Nikkal , the counterpart of Ningal regarded as the wife of Yarikh in Ugarit , likely reached

16905-449: The moon god, but also Ishtar and Girra . It is uncertain if the theonym Nanum attested in a theophoric name from Umma is a derivative of Nanna, while Nanni worshiped in Mari and in the kingdom of Khana was a female deity and might be related to Nanaya rather than the moon god. In Akkadian the moon god was called Sin (Sîn) or Suen (Su’en). The former is the standard reading of

17066-415: The moon god. Piotr Steinkeller suggests that the latter might have been considered a representation of the half moon . Ningal , the wife of Sin, could be depicted alongside him for example in banquet scenes. On the stele of Ur-Nammu she sits in his lap. This type of depictions was meant to display the intimate nature of a connection between the deities and highlight their ability to act in unison, and

17227-419: The murder, but the assembly concluded she must have been “involved” with one of the murders and consequently in cahoots with them. All four were condemned to execution in front of the victim's chair. The Instructions of Ur-Ninurta and Counsels of Wisdom is a Sumerian courtly composition which extols the virtues of the king, the reestablisher of order, justice and cultic practices after the flood in emulation of

17388-587: The name " Isin-Larsa period ". Both dynasties were succeeded by the First Babylonian Empire . Ishbi-Erra ( fl. c. 1953—1920 BCE by the short chronology ) was the founder of the Dynasty of Isin. Ishbi-Erra of the First Dynasty of Isin was preceded by Ibbi-Sin of the Third Dynasty of Ur in ancient Lower Mesopotamia , and then succeeded by Šu-ilišu . According to the Weld-Blundell Prism , Ishbi-Erra reigned for 33 years and this

17549-425: The name from the Old Babylonian period onward, while the latter was presumably the older uncontracted pronunciation. The etymology of this name remains uncertain. One of the inscriptions of Gudea from the third millennium BCE refers to Sin as a god "whose name nobody can explain", which might be an indication that his name was already unclear and a subject of scribal speculation during his reign. The name Sin

17710-656: The name. However, the logogram EN.ZU was also used in this city. Additionally, in a translation of an Akkadian text written in the Ugaritic alphabetic script the name is rendered as sn ( KTU 1.70, line 4), while in Aramaic the variants sn , syn and šn are attested. In the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible Sin's name is rendered as san in the theophoric names Sennacherib (Sîn-aḫḫe-erība) and Sanballat (Sîn-uballiṭ). Alfonso Archi argues that

17871-488: The next 12 years or so, until Ur was finally conquered by Kindattu of Elam. Ishbi-Erra went on to win decisive victories against: the Amorites in his 8th year and the Elamites in his 16th years. Some years later, Ishbi-Erra ousted the Elamite garrison from Ur , thereby asserting suzerainty over Sumer and Akkad , celebrated in one of his later 27th year-name, although this specific epithet was not used by this dynasty until

18032-454: The old sages from before the flood from Šuruppak, which Enlil-muballiṭ, sage (apkallu) of Nippur, left (to posterity) in the second year of Enlil-bāni.” Enlil-bani found it necessary to "build anew the wall of Isin which had become dilapidated," which he recorded on commemorative cones . He named the wall Enlil-bāni-išdam-kīn , “Enlil-bāni is firm as to foundation.” In practice, the walls of major cities were probably under continuous repair. He

18193-516: The older role models Gilgamesh and Ziusudra. The SKL gives his reign for 28 years. He was succeeded by his son, Būr-Sīn . Bur-Suen ( fl. c. 1820—1799 BCE by the short chronology) was the 7th king of the Dynasty of Isin and ruled for 21 years according to the SKL , 22 years according to the Ur-Isin king list . His reign was characterized by an ebb and flow in hegemony over the religious centers of Nippur and Ur . The titles “shepherd who makes Nippur content,” "mighty farmer of Ur," “who restores

18354-498: The only holder of this office from the Second Dynasty of Lagash ; Ennirgalana  [ pl ] , daughter of Ur-Nammu of Ur; Ennirzianna  [ hu ] , a contemporary and possibly daughter of Shulgi ; her successors Enuburzianna and Enmahgalana, the former also selected during the reign of Shulgi and the latter shortly after by Amar-Sin ; Enannatumma  [ pl ] , daughter of Ishme-Dagan of Isin who retained her position after his death and conquest of

18515-404: The period of the Neo-Assyrian governor Sîn-balāssu-iqbi 's reign. The moon god was in this case seemingly reinterpreted as a "local Enlil”, acting as the king of the gods in Ur. It has been argued that the view that Sin was the supreme god was later particularly enthusiastically supported by the last Neo-Babylonian ruler, Nabonidus . In one of his inscriptions from Harran Sin is described as

18676-471: The presence of both artifacts and features . Common features include the remains of hearths and houses. Ecofacts , biological materials (such as bones, scales, and even feces) that are the result of human activity but are not deliberately modified, are also common at many archaeological sites. In the cases of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras, a mere scatter of flint flakes will also constitute

18837-478: The procession of: male prostitutes, wise women, drummers, priestesses and priests bloodletting with swords, to the accompaniment of music, followed by offerings and sacrifices for the goddess Inanna , or Ninegala. Ishme-Dagan ( fl. c. 1879—1859 BCE by the short chronology) was the 4th king of the Dynasty of Isin, according to the SKL . Also according to the SKL : he was both the son and successor of Iddin-Dagān . Lipit-Ištar then succeeded Išme-Dagān. Išme-Dagān

18998-537: The rather mundane act of usurpation that it may well have been. It relates that Erra-Imittī selected his gardener, Enlil-bâni, enthroned him, and placed the royal tiara on his head. Erra-Imittī then died while eating hot porridge, and Enlil-bâni by virtue of his refusal to quit the throne, became king. The colophon of a medical text, “when a man's brain contains fire,” from the Library of Ashurbanipal reads: “Proven and tested salves and poultices, fit for use, according to

19159-454: The reign of Iddin-Dagan . He readily adopted the regal privileges of the former regime, commissioning royal praise poetry and hymns to deities, of which seven are extant, and proclaiming himself Dingir-kalam-ma-na, “a god in his own country.” He appointed his daughter, En-bara-zi, to succeed that of Ibbi-Sin's as Egisitu-priestess of An, celebrated in his 22nd year-name. He founded fortresses and installed city walls, but only one royal inscription

19320-628: The reign of Meli-Shipak II , and indicates it might have been particularly popular in Harran . An Old Babylonian literary composition written in Sumerian describes Sin as the head of the divine assembly (Ubšu’ ukkin ),with Anu, Enlil, Inanna , Utu, Enki and Ninhursag serving as his advisers. Two of his titles known from the god list An = Anum , Ukkin ("the assembly") and Ukkin-uru ("mighty assembly"), might reflect this portrayal. Some Old Babylonian theophoric names might also be connected to

19481-616: The repair of her temple in Sippar . Due to identification with Inanna, the Hurrian and Elamite goddess Pinikir is referred to as a daughter of Sin and Ningal in a text written in Akkadian but found in a corpus of Hurro-Hittite rituals. In a single Maqlû incantation, Manzat , the goddess of the rainbow, appears as the sister of Shamash, and by extension as daughter of his parents, Sin and Ningal. A tradition according to which Ninazu

19642-423: The restorers from the curses attached to the ruins of the é.dub.lá.maḫ. Šu-ilišu commemorated: the fashioning of a great emblem for Nanna, an exalted throne for An, a dais for Ninisin, a magur-boat for Ninurta , and a dais for Ningal in year names for Šu-ilišu's reign. An adab (or hymn) to Nergal was composed in honor of Šu-ilišu, together with an adab of An and perhaps a 3rd addressed to himself. The archive of

19803-600: The resurgent kings of Larsa . His reign marks the beginning of a decline in Isin's fortunes coinciding with a rise in those of Larsa. Gungunum had wrestled Ur from Isin's control by his 10th year and it is possible this was the cause of Lipit-Ištar's overthrow. Indeed, Ur-Ninurta made a dedicatory gift to the temple of Ningal in Ur during the 9th year of Gungunum. However, Ur-Ninurta continued to mention Ur in his titles ("herdsman of Ur") as did his successors in Isin. Gungunum went on to expand his kingdom, perhaps taking Nippur late in his reign. His death allowed Ur-Ninurta to launch

19964-571: The ruins of the temple of Ninurta , the é-ḫur-sag-tí-la , in Babylon, and is thought likely to have been an ancient museum piece. The city of Dunnum, the celebration of whose original foundation may have been the purpose of the Dynasty of Dunnum myth, was taken by Rim-Sin the year before he conquered Isin and so it is conjectured that the cone was taken from Larsa as booty by Ḫammu-rapī . Two legal tablets offered for private sale, recording sales of

20125-400: The rule of Warad-Sîn and his father, Kudur-Mabuk, the power behind the throne, as his sixth year-name celebrates that he “had (14 copper statues brought into Nippur and) 3 thrones adorned with gold brought into the temples of Nanna , Ningal and Utu .” Larsa was to retain Nippur until year nine of Rīm-Sîn when it was lost to Damiq-ilišu . One of the cones bearing this inscription was found in

20286-465: The short chronology) was the 12th king of the Dynasty of Isin. The SKL tells us that "the divine Iter-pisha ruled for 4 years." The Ur-Isin King List which was written in the 4th year of the reign of Damiq-ilišu gives a reign of just 3 years. His relationships with his predecessor and successor are uncertain and his reign falls during a period of general decline in the fortunes of the dynasty. He

20447-451: The short chronology) was the 15th and final king of the Dynasty of Isin. He succeeded his father Sîn-māgir and reigned for 23 years. Some variant king lists provide a shorter reign, but it is thought that these were under preparation during his rule. He was defeated first by Sîn-muballiṭ of Babylon (c. 1748 – 1729 BCE ) and then later by Rīm-Sîn I of Larsa , (c. 1758 – 1699 BCE). Archaeological site An archaeological site

20608-493: The state of his troops, and from his general describing an ambush by the Martu ( Amorites ). The continued fecundity of the land was ensured by the annual performance of the sacred marriage ritual in which the king impersonated Dumuzi - Ama -ušumgal-ana and a priestess substituted for the part of Inanna . According to the šir-namursaḡa , the hymn composed describing it in 10 sections ( Kiruḡu ), this ceremony seems to have entailed

20769-506: The temple of Inanna in the Parthian period. The 420 fragments show a thriving temple economy absorbing much of the available wealth. The year-names following his accession year all somewhat monotonously commemorate generous gifts to the temple of Enlil . Erra-imitti ( fl. c. 1794—1786 BCE) was king of Isin , modern Ishan al-Bahriyat, and according to the SKL ruled for eight years. He succeeded Lipit-Enlil , with whom his relationship

20930-406: The view that Sin was the head of the pantheon, namely Sîn-bēl-ili ("Sin is the lord of the gods"), Sîn-šar-ili ("Sin is the king of the gods") or Sîn-il-ili ("Sin is god of the gods"). Lambert notes that while similar names invoking other gods, for example Shamash and Adad , are also known, Sîn-bēl-ili is ultimately the most common. Examples of texts elevating Sin's rank are known from Ur from

21091-412: The well attested phenomenon of locally assigning such a role to tutelary deities of specific areas. It was also believed that he could provide people with offspring, as evidenced by prayer in which he is asked for that by childless worshipers, both men and women. He was also believed to aid pregnant women, both during the beginning of pregnancy and in labour. This aspect of his character is highlighted in

21252-547: The year Erra-imitti seized Kisurra " (the modern site of Abū-Ḥaṭab) for the date of a receipt for a bridal gift and “the year Erra-imitti destroyed the city wall of Kazallu,” a city allied with Larsa and antagonistic to Isin and its ally, Babylon . His conquest of Kisurra would have been a significant escalation of hostilities against Isin's rival Larsa. A haematite cylinder seal of his servant and scribe Iliška-uṭul, son of Sîn-ennam, has come to light from this city, suggesting prolonged occupation. The latest attested year-name gives

21413-412: The year he built the city wall of gan-x-Erra-Imittī , perhaps an eponymous new town. When the omens predicted impending doom for a monarch, it was customary to appoint a substitute as a "statue though animate", a scape-goat who stood in the place of the king but did not exercise power for a hundred days to deflect the disaster, at the end of which the proxy and his spouse would be ritually slaughtered and

21574-490: Was Ekišnugal, "house of the great light". Sanctuaries bearing this name also existed in other cities, which is presumed to reflect Ur's central importance in the sphere of religion. The first certain attestation of this ceremonial name has been dated to the reign of Utu-hegal , though it is possible it was already used in the times of Eannatum . Through history, it was rebuilt or patronized by multiple rulers, including Naram-Sin of Akkad , Ur-Nammu of Ur, various rulers from

21735-459: Was a contemporary of Warad-Sin (ca. 1770 BCE to 1758 BCE) the king of Larsa , whose brother and successor, Rim-Sin I would eventually come to overthrow the dynasty, ending the cities' bitter rivalry around 40 years later. He is only known from Kings lists and year-name date formulae in several contemporary legal and administrative texts. Two of his year-names refer to his provision of a copper Lilis for Utu and Inanna respectively, where Lilissu

21896-611: Was a deity of little relevance in Hattian and Hittite religion . In Emar , 30 might have been used as a logogram to represent the name of the local god Saggar , who in addition to fulfilling a lunar role was also the divine personification of the Sinjar Mountains . Both he and Sin (Suinu) were worshiped in Ebla in the third millennium BCE, possibly with each representing a different lunar phase . It has been suggested that

22057-675: Was a prodigious builder, responsible for the construction of the é-ur-gi 7 -ra , “the dog house,” temple of Ninisina, a palace, also the é-ní-dúb-bu , “house of relaxation,” for the goddess Nintinugga , “lady who revives the dead,” the é-dim-gal-an-na , “house - great mast of heaven,” for the tutelary deity of Šuruppak, the goddess Sud , and finally, the é-ki-ág-gá-ni for Ninibgal, the “lady with patient mercy who loves ex-votos, who heeds prayers and entreaties, his shining mother.” Two large copper statues were taken to Nippur for dedication to Ningal, which Iddin-Dagān had fashioned 117 years earlier but had been unable to deliver, “on account of this,

22218-432: Was a son of Sin is also known. Frans Wiggermann proposes that the occasional association between these two gods might have reflected the dependence of Enegi , Ninazu's cult center, on nearby Ur. In the first millennium BCE a tradition according to which Nuska was a son of Sin developed in Harran. Manfred Krebernik  [ de ] suggests that it might have reflected Aramaic influence and that it resulted from

22379-408: Was a son of the moon god is absent from sources from the third millennium BCE. Additionally, a single literary text calls Numushda a son of Enki , rather than Sin and Ningal. Amarazu and Amaraḫea are overall sparsely attested, and despite their status as Sin's daughters in god lists and the incantation series Udug Hul there is no evidence they were worshiped alongside him in Ur. The reason behind

22540-439: Was a tripod, possibly a candelabrum, sometimes with a lunar crescent on top and with an unidentified sandal-like object hanging from it. In some cases, Sin could be portrayed rising from between two mountains, similarly to Shamash, and Dominique Collon has suggests that in some cases reassessment of works of art often presumed to represent the latter in this situation might be necessary due to this similarity. Depictions of Sin in

22701-415: Was accordingly written as LAK-32.UNUG ( 𒋀𒀕𒆠 ), "residence of Nanna", per analogy with toponyms such as Zabalam , INANNA .UNUG . In later periods LAK-32 coalesced with ŠEŠ (the ideogram for "brother"), and Nanna's name came to be written as ŠEŠ+KI or ŠEŠ.KI, though phonetic spellings such as na-an-na are attested too, for example as glosses in lexical lists . In early Assyriological scholarship it

22862-525: Was actively worshiped in most of the major cities of the region, with remains of multiple temples dedicated to him identified during excavations both in Babylonia and in Assyria . Ur was already well established as the cult center of the moon god, initially under his Sumerian name Nanna, in Early Dynastic times, as attested in the Zame Hymns from Abu Salabikh . His primary temple this city

23023-437: Was also believed to have an attendant deity ( sukkal ), Alammuš , and various courtiers, such as Nineigara , Ninurima and Nimintabba . He was also associated with other lunar gods, such as Hurrian Kušuḫ or Ugaritic Yarikh . The main cult center of Sin was Ur . He was already associated with this city in the Early Dynastic period , and was recognized as its tutelary deity and divine ruler. His temple located there

23184-433: Was also closely associated with cattle herding. Furthermore, there is some evidence that he could serve as a judge of the dead in the underworld . A distinct tradition in which he was regarded either as a god of equal status as the usual heads of the Mesopotamian pantheon , Enlil and Anu , or as a king of the gods in his own right, is also attested, though it only had limited recognition. In Mesopotamian art , his symbol

23345-422: Was also viewed as a son of the moon god. However, no direct evidence supporting this notion has been identified, and therefore whether he was ever regarded as a child of Sin remains impossible to ascertain. Alammuš also possessed his own attendant, Urugal. In the Old Babylonian forerunner of An = Anum , Nindara is listed among the deities belonging to the entourage of Sin. This god was originally worshiped as

23506-741: Was also worshiped in many other cities in Mesopotamia. Temples dedicated to him existed for example in Tutub , which early on was considered another of his major cult centers, as well as in Urum , Babylon , Uruk , Nippur and Assur . The extent to which beliefs pertaining to him influenced the Sabians , a religious community who lived in Harran after the Muslim conquest of the Levant , is disputed. While it

23667-436: Was constructed during the reign of Ur-Nammu. It bore the name Elugalgalgasisa, "house of the king who lets counsel flourish". Kings from the Third Dynasty of Ur believed themselves to be appointed to their position by Sin. His cult flourished during their reigns, as evidenced both by structures uncensored during excavations and by the numerous dedicatory inscriptions. An inscription from this period refers to him as one of

23828-436: Was contemporary with the tail end of the reign of Abī-sarē , ca, 1841 to 1830 BCE (short) and that of Sūmú-El , c. 1830 to 1801 BCE (short), the kings of Larsa . This latter king's year-names record victories over Akusum, Kazallu , Uruk (which had seceded from Isin), Lugal-Sîn, Ka-ida, Sabum, Kiš , and village of Nanna-isa, relentlessly edging north and feverish activity digging canals or filling them in, possibly to counter

23989-444: Was influenced by exposure to Mesopotamian culture and the image of the moon god in it in particular. Equivalence between Sin and Yarikh is documented in an Akkadian - Amorite bilingual lexical list presumed to originate in lower Mesopotamia and dated to the Old Babylonian period . The two of them are also equated in an Ugaritic god list. The name of Yarikh (Yariḫ) and its variants are cognate with terms referring both to

24150-636: Was known under the ceremonial name Ekišnugal, and through its history it was rebuilt by multiple Mesopotamian rulers. Ur was also the residence of the en priestesses of Nanna, the most famous of whom was Enheduanna . Furthermore, from the Old Babylonian period onward he was also closely associated with Harran . The importance of this city as his cult center grew in the first millennium BCE, as reflected in Neo-Hittite , Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian sources. Sin's temple survived in later periods as well, under Achaemenid , Seleucid and Roman rule. Sin

24311-468: Was meant. The logogram 30 was also used to render the name of the Elamite moon deity, possibly to be identified with Napir , though Manfred Krebernik  [ de ] notes that in one case the name Nannar appears to be attested in Elamite contex, specifically in an inscription of Shilhak-Inshushinak . A bilingual Akkadian- Kassite lexical list indicates that the Kassite deity regarded as

24472-569: Was not always explicitly identified as his son, with such references lacking for example from An = Anum , direct statements confirming the existence of such a tradition have been identified in an inscription of Abisare of Larsa and in a hymn dedicated to Ningublaga's temple in Kiabrig. Designating Numushda as a son of Sin was likely meant to be a way to assimilate him into the pantheon of lower Mesopotamia , and might be based on perceived similarity to Ningublaga. The tradition according to which he

24633-471: Was often assumed that the variant form Nannar was the standard form of the name, but further research demonstrated that it does not predate the Old Babylonian period . The writing na-an-na-ar is attested in Akkadian and Elamite texts, and was the result of linguistic contamination between the theonym Nanna and the common Akkadian noun nannaru , "light". As an epithet, nannaru could be used to address

24794-516: Was one of the kings to restore the Ekur . Lipit-Ishtar ( fl. c. 1859—1848 BCE by the short chronology) was the 5th king of the Dynasty of Isin, according to the SKL . Also according to the SKL : he was the successor of Išme-Dagān . Ur-Ninurta then succeeded Lipit-Ištar. Some documents and royal inscriptions from his time have survived, however; Lipit-Ištar is mostly known due to the Sumerian language hymns that were written in his honor, as well as

24955-477: Was originally established based on the now abandoned reading of the name, but it is still considered a valid translation. An alternate proposal relying on homophony of the element dilim and the logogram dilim 2 (LIŠ) is to explain Dilimbabbar as "the shining bowl". The term dilim 2 was a loan from Akkadian tilimtu , "bowl". Piotr Steinkeller notes that it is not impossible both proposals regarding

25116-489: Was preceded by his father Šu-ilišu . Išme-Dagān (to be confused with neither Išme-Dagān I nor Išme-Dagān II of the Old Assyrian Empire ) then succeeded Iddin-Dagān. Iddin-Dagān reigned for 21 years (according to the SKL .) He is best known for his participation in the sacred marriage rite and the risqué hymn that described it. His titles included: "Mighty King", " King of Isin ", "King of Ur ", "King of

25277-473: Was referred as the "great boat of heaven" ( má-gul-la-an-na ), his son was the "small boat of heaven" ( má-bàn-da-an-na ), which reflected his subordinate status. These titles additionally reflected the Mesopotamian belief that the moon was larger than the sun. As an extension of her marriage to the sun god, the dawn goddess Aya was regarded as a daughter-in-law of Sin, as reflected by her common epithet kallatum . Further attested children of Sin include

25438-486: Was the crescent. When depicted anthropomorphically, he typically either wore headwear decorated with it or held a staff topped with it, though on kudurru the crescent alone serves as a representation of him. He was also associated with boats. The goddess Ningal was regarded as Sin's wife. Their best attested children are Inanna (Ishtar) and Utu (Shamash), though other deities, for example Ningublaga or Numushda , could be regarded as members of their family too. Sin

25599-411: Was the result of erroneous collation . In the first millennium BCE 30 became the most common writing. For example, in the text corpus from Neo-Babylonian Uruk only a single text, a kudurru inscription of Ibni-Ishtar, uses EN.ZU instead of 30. Uncommonly NANNA was used in Akkadian texts as a sumerogram meant to be read as Sin. Next to Sin and Nanna, the best attested name of the moon god

25760-553: Was traditionally regarded as Nanshe's daughter, is also placed in the section of An = Anum dedicated to Sin, though according to Walther Sallaberger her presence there might reflect her well attested association with cattle, which she shared with the moon god. Further members of his entourage include deities such as Nineigara , referred to his "lady of the treasury" ( nin-èrim , Akkadian bēlet išitti ) and "obedient housekeeper"( munus-agrig šu-dim 4 -ma , Akkadian abarakkatu saniqtu ), Nimintabba , and Ninurima . In medical texts,

25921-641: Was typically written in cuneiform as EN.ZU, as possibly already attested in a text from the Uruk period, though oldest certain examples, such as entries in the god lists from Fara and Abu Salabikh , only date back to the Early Dynastic period. Most likely it initially developed as a rebus meant to graphically resemble the names of gods whose names had Sumerian etymologies and contained the element EN , for example Enlil . Various phonetic spellings are also attested, for example sú-en , sí-in , si-in and se-en . The large variety of these variants might indicate that

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