Sippar-Amnanum (also Sippar-Annunitum, Sippar-rabum, Sippar-durum, and Sippar-Anunit ), modern Tell ed-Der (also Teil ed-Der) in Baghdad Governorate , Iraq , was an ancient Near Eastern city about 70 kilometers north of Babylon , 6 kilometers northeast of Sippar and about 26 kilometers southwest of modern Baghdad. Occupation dates back to the days of the Akkadian Empire and later the Ur III period but most of the development was during the Old Babylonian period. Early archaeologists referred to the site as "Der" or Dair". In the late 1800s archaeologists proposed that this was the location of the city of Akkad , later disproved.
32-528: Sippar-Amnanum was the sister city (or suburb in some eyes) of Sippar . Though occupied from the Akkadian Period, little is known of its history before the Old Babylonian period . Soundings have shown that occupation extends to 4 meters below the surface with the current water table at 2 meters making excavation of earlier occupation difficult. The oldest excavated layer of Level IV, dating from
64-439: A curved staff (…). He raised(?) … He raised(?) … He raised the top of its walls like the mountains. He restored this temple to its place.” For Ištar-Annunītu, his lady, Kurigalzu, governor for Enlil, built Emaš, the old dwelling [place](?) / her beloved [temple] that had become dilapidated a long time ago. [Indeed] he restored it to [its place]. [According to the text of a fo]undation deposit of Emaš of Sippar-Annun[ītu]." Presumably
96-642: A king of the Kassite dynasty of Babylon (having earlier been rebuilt by Kassite ruler Kurigalzu I ), Nabonidus having found one of the original foundation Kassite foundation cylinders. "For Annunītu, lady of Emaš of Sippar-Annunītu, his lady, Šagarakti-Šuriaš, the shepherd, favorite of Šamaš, beloved of Annunītu, [(did building work on)] Emaš, her beloved temple, the temple that had become dilapidated long ago, which Kurigalzu, son of Kadašman-Ḫarbe, his forefather from bygone days, had made new and also consolidated (but) whose walls through aging had fallen and bowed like
128-700: A number of Egyptian and Assyrian prisoners were brought to Sippar as chattel. Records of Neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) and Nabonidos (556-539 BC) record that they repaired the Shamash temple E-babbara. After the Battle of Opis in September 539 BC Sippar surrendered to the Achaemenid Empire , followed soon after by the fall of the Neo-Babylonian empire. Xisuthros ,
160-704: Is often assumed that this name refers to Sippar (especially because the other two schools mentioned seem to be named after cities as well: the Orcheni after Uruk , and the Borsippeni after Borsippa ), but this is not universally accepted. Sippar has been suggested as the location of the Biblical Sepharvaim in the Old Testament , which alludes to the two parts of the city in its dual form. Tell Abu Habba, measuring over 1 square kilometer
192-503: The First Babylonian dynasty . A number of cuneiform tablets from "uncontrolled digging" at Sippar-Amnanum have appeared in various museums, beginning in the late 1800s. In the dromos of chamber tomb T. 272, four equid legs together with some pig and ox remains were found. Sippar Sippar ( Sumerian : 𒌓𒄒𒉣𒆠 , Zimbir ) (also Sippir or Sippara) was an ancient Near Eastern Sumerian and later Babylonian city on
224-487: The First Dynasty of Babylon , dating to around c. 1646–1626 BC ( Middle Chronology ) or c. 1638–1618 BC (Low Middle Chronology). Some twenty-one year-names survive for his reign, including the first seventeen. The names indicate that these years were fairly peaceful ones for the kingdom of Ammi-Saduqa, who was primarily engaged in enriching and enlarging the temples, and a few other building projects, such as building
256-485: The German Archaeological Institute . In total, the effort continued in 24 seasons until 2002. The following list should not be considered complete: "Then Larak fell and the kingship was taken to Sippar." "1 king; he ruled for 21,000 years. Then Sippar fell and the kingship was taken to Shuruppak ." Ammisaduqa Ammi-Saduqa (or Ammisaduqa , Ammizaduga ) was a king of
288-605: The Sumerian king list a king of Sippar, En-men-dur-ana , is listed as one of the early pre-dynastic rulers of the region but has not yet turned up in the epigraphic records. While pottery finds indicate that the site of Sippar was in use as early as the Uruk period , substantial occupation occurred only in the Early Dynastic and Akkadian Empire periods of the 3rd millennium BC, the Old Babylonian and Kassite periods of
320-611: The Ur III period , of which foundations are apparent. The chief deity of Sippar-Amnanum was Annunitum , a warlike aspect of Ishtar favored by the Akkadians . She is the daughter of Enlil . According to the Sippar Cylinder of Nabonidus the temple Eulmash of Anunitu (Amnanum) was rebuilt by that Neo-Babylonian king. The cylinder also reports that the temple had earlier been rebuilt by Shagarakti-Shuriash (c, 1245–1233 BC,
352-526: The "Chaldean Noah" in Sumerian mythology, is said by Berossus to have buried the records of the antediluvian world here—possibly because the name of Sippar was supposed to be connected with sipru , "a writing". And according to Abydenus , Nebuchadnezzar II excavated a great reservoir in the neighbourhood. Pliny ( Natural History 6.30.123) mentions a sect of Chaldeans called the Hippareni . It
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#1732776189915384-595: The 18th year of Samsu-iluna of Babylon, who reported restoring "Ebabbar, the temple of Szamasz in Sippar", along with the city's ziggurat . The tablets, which ended up in the British Museum , are being studied to this day. As was often the case in the early days of archaeology, excavation records were not made, particularly find spots. This makes it difficult to tell which tablets came from Sippar-Amnanum as opposed to Sippar. Other tablets from Sippar were bought on
416-599: The 2nd millennium BC, and the Neo-Babylonian times of the 1st millennium BC. Lesser levels of use continued into the time of the Achaemenid , Seleucid and Parthian Empires . Sippar was the cult site of the sun god (Sumerian Utu , Akkadian Shamash ), along with his consort Aya , and the home of his temple E -babbara ( 𒂍 𒌓𒌓𒊏, means "white house") where the Cruciform Monument of Manishtushu
448-680: The College of Arts at the University of Baghdad , led by Walid al-Jadir with Farouk al-Rawi, have excavated at Tell Abu Habbah starting in 1978. Work began with a new site contour map and excavation in the Old Babylonian area in the north where two buildings were uncovered. About 100 Old Babylonian period cuneiform tablets were found. Subsequently, the team worked in an Old Babylonian residential area where terracotta plaques and figurines, and cuneiform tablets were found. The tablets were from
480-688: The E-Babbar temple, a room was discovered which Rassam had not noticed. It contained a library with about 400 cuneiform tablets, which had been stored in 10 ranks of 17cm by 30cm niches in 4 rows. The tablets included copies of earlier inscriptions dating back to the Akkadian Empire and contemporary texts as late as the reign of Cambyses II . Few of the tablets were published at the time due to conditions in Iraq. With conditions improving, they are now being published. After 2000, they were joined by
512-651: The city here referred to as Sippar was Sippar-Yaḫrurum (Sippar-Jaḫrurum). The name comes from the Amorite Yaḫrurum tribe that lived in the area along with the Amorite Amnanum tribe. In Sippar was the site where the Babylonian Map of the World was found. Despite the fact that thousands of cuneiform clay tablets have been recovered at the site, relatively little is known about the history of Sippar. In
544-592: The control of the Kassite dynasty . In the final years of that dynasty the Elamite ruler Shutruk-Nakhunte (c. 1184 to 1155 BC) captured Sippar. It was held by the Elamites until it was taken by the Neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar I about 1120 BC. Shutruk-Nakhunte carried back statues from the Shamash temple to Susa adding his own inscription to a stele of the Akkadian Empire ruler Naram-Sin : "I am Shutruk-Nahhunte, son of Hallutush-Inshushinak, beloved servant of
576-525: The east bank of the Euphrates river. Its tell is located at the site of modern Tell Abu Habbah near Yusufiyah in Iraq 's Baghdad Governorate , some 69 km (43 mi) north of Babylon and 30 km (19 mi) southwest of Baghdad . The city's ancient name, Sippar, could also refer to its sister city, Sippar-Amnanum (located at the modern site of Tell ed-Der); a more specific designation for
608-543: The finest Old Babylonian cylinder seals. In his 29th year of reign, Sumu-la-El of Babylon reported building the city wall of Sippar. Some years later Hammurabi of Babylon reported laying the foundations of the city wall of Sippar in his 23rd year and worked on the wall again in his 43rd year. His successor in Babylon, Samsu-iluna worked on Sippar's wall in his 1st year. The city walls, being typically made of mud bricks, required much attention. The city then came under
640-399: The god Inshushinak , king of Anshan and Susa, who has enlarged the kingdom, who takes care of the lands of Elam, the lord of the land of Elam. When the god Inshushinak gave me the order, I defeated Sippar. I took the stele of Naram-Sin and carried it off, bringing it to the land of Elam. For Inshushinak, my god, I set it as an offering." In the succeeding Late Bronze Age collapse period, in
672-568: The open market during that time and ended up at places like the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania . Since the site is relatively close to Baghdad , it was a popular target for illegal excavations. In 1894, Sippar was worked briefly by Jean-Vincent Scheil . The tablets recovered, mainly Old Babylonian, went to the Istanbul Museum . In 1927 archaeologists Walter Andrae and Julius Jordan visited, and mapped,
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#1732776189915704-466: The reign of Immerum, Buntahun-ila, and Samsu-iluna. Focus then shifted to the Shamash temple area. In the northeast, Old Babylonian, part of the site, a 30 meter by 5 meter deep sounding was excavated. The sounding found 4 Old Babylonian levels, 2 Akkadian Empire levels, and 3 Early Dynastic levels ( with plano-convex mud brick construction). In 1986, while clearing spoil from the Rassam excavation in
736-529: The reign of Neo-Babylonian ruler Adad-apla-iddina (c. 1064–1043 BC) the Shamash cult center along with all the other temples in Sippar were destroyed by Suteans and cult symbol of Shamash was lost. In the early 1st millennium BC, Sippar came under Neo-Assyrian control. After the final defeat of the Neo-Assyrians by the Neo-Babylonians at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC text report that
768-445: The site. In modern times, the site was worked, mainly soundings, by a Belgian team led by H. Gasche from 1972 to 1973. They determined that Sippar was protected by a wall, partially for flood protection, extending 1200 meters by 800 meters, cutting a trench across it. A tablet of Samsu-iluna was found showing the wall dated back to at least Old Babylonian period though ground water prevented deeper excavation. Iraqi archaeologists from
800-608: The temple had been destroyed in the interim by Shutruk-Nakhkhunte of Elam when he destroyed Sippar . There was also a temple of Shamash in Sippar-Amnanum named Edikuda. Note that there is some confusion on the city's name since Sîn-kāšid , a king of Uruk , refers to himself in an inscription as "King of the Amnanum", where Amnanum is thought to be a tribal group. The site covers around 51 hectares with an east and west tell divided by an ancient canal bed. Sippar-Amnanum
832-576: The time of Bablonian rulers Sumu-abum and Sumu-la-El). Three hundred broken cuneiform tablets from the Old Babylonian period were found. Since the site is relatively close to Baghdad , it was a popular target for illegal excavations. More recently, Tell ed-Der was excavated in a number of seasons between 1968 and 1988 by the Belgian Archaeological Expedition to Iraq (Comite Belge de Recherches Historiques en Mesopotamie) led by L. De Meyer and M. H. Gasche. The "House of Ur-Utu"
864-436: Was excavated in the mid 1970s. This residence, of the kalamahhum-priest (lamentation priest) of Annunitum, held around 2500 cuneiform tablets and tablet fragments forming a household archive spanning several centuries. Of these 204 were of Ur-Utu (and his father Inanna-mansum). The destruction of the house by fire helped preserve the tablets. Most of the tablets were contemporary with the reigns of Ammisaduqa and Ammi-ditana of
896-570: Was first excavated by Hormuzd Rassam (referring to the site as Aboo-Habba) between 1880 and 1881 for the British Museum in a dig that lasted 18 months. Rassam excavated only down to the Old Babylonian levels and was focused mainly on the Neo-Babylonian remains. Tens of thousands of tablets were recovered including the Tablet of Shamash in the Temple of Shamash / Utu . Most of the tablets were Neo-Babylonian . The temple had been mentioned as early as
928-522: Was found. Mamu , the daughter of Shamash, also had a temple in Sippar as did the goddesses Nin-Isina, Ninḫegal, Ninkarrak , and Tašmētum. In the later part of the 3rd millennium BC, a large coalition of city-states led by Iphur-Kis of Kish (Sumer) and Amar-Girid of Uruk , joined by Enlil-nizu of Nippur , and including the city-states of " Kutha , TiWA, Sippar, Kazallu , Kiritab, [Api]ak and GN" as well as "Amorite [hi]ghlanders" revolted against Akkadian Empire ruler Naram-Sin of Akkad . The rebellion
960-604: Was in the region after brief attempts to dig there in 1891. In the 1930s the German archaeologists Walter Andrae and Julius Jordan visited the site and produced the first maps. A sounding was conducted there between 1940 and 1941 by the Directorate General of Antiquities of the Iraqi Government under the direction of Taha Baqir . Among their finds were the archives of Anum-pisha and Iku-pish (dating to
992-402: Was joined by the city of Borsippa , among others. The revolt was crushed. During early Babylonian dynasties, Sippar was the production center of wool. The Code of Hammurabi stele was probably erected at Sippar. Shamash was the god of justice, and he is depicted handing authority to the king in the image at the top of the stele. By the end of the 19th century BC, Sippar was producing some of
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1024-532: Was surrounded by a 3 kilometer large defensive wall much of which still remains. Tell ed-Der, along with Sippar , was excavated by Hormuzd Rassam between 1878 and 1880. Most of the tablets ended up in the British Museum . As was often the case in the early days of archaeology, excavation records were not made, particularly find spots. This makes it occasionally difficult to tell which tablets came from Sippar-Amnanum as opposed to Sippar. More Tell ed-Der tablets were purchased from locals by E. A. Wallis Budge while he
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