| Bad-tibira | |
|---|---|
| Native names | |
| Pantibiblos | |
  Location of Bad-tibira in Iraq | |
| Location | Iraq |
| Coordinates | 31°22′47″N 45°59′59″E / 31.37972°N 45.99972°E |
Bad-tibira[a] identified as modern Tell al-Madineh, between Ash Shatrah and Tell as-Senkereh (ancient Larsa) in southern Iraq, was an ancient Sumerian city, which appears among antediluvian cities in the Sumerian King List (SKL).[1]
Etymology
editBad-tibira (Sumerian: 𒂦𒁾𒉄𒆠, bad3-tibiraki), "Wall of the Copper Worker(s)".[2] Its Akkadian name was Dûr-gurgurri.[3] It was also called Παντιβίβλος (Pantibiblos) by Greek authors such as Berossus, transmitted by Abydenus and Apollodorus. This may reflect another version of the city's name, Patibira, "Canal of the Smiths".[4]
History
editEarly Dynastic period
editEarly Dynastic I period
editAccording to the SKL, Bad-tibira was the second city to "exercise kingship" in Sumer before the flood, following Eridu. These kings were said to be En-men-lu-ana, En-men-gal-ana and Dumuzid the Shepherd.
After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridu. In Eridu, Alulim became king;[b] he ruled for 28,800 years. Alalngar ruled for 36,000 years. 2 kings; they ruled for 64,800 years. Then Eridu fell and the kingship was taken to Bad-tibira. In Bad-tibira, En-men-lu-ana ruled for 43,200 years. En-men-gal-ana ruled for 28,800 years. Dumuzid, the Shepherd, ruled for 36,000 years. 3 kings; they ruled for 108,000 years. Then Bad-tibira fell and the kingship was taken to Larak. In Larak, En-sipad-zid-ana ruled for 28,800 years. 1 king; he ruled for 28,800 years. Then Larak fell and the kingship was taken to Sippar. In Sippar, En-men-dur-ana became king; he ruled for 21,000 years. 1 king; he ruled for 21,000 years. Then Sippar fell and the kingship was taken to Shuruppak. In Shuruppak, Ubara-Tutu became king; he ruled for 18,600 years. 1 king; he ruled for 18,600 years. In 5 cities 8 kings; they ruled for 241,209 years. Then the flood swept over.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
— Sumerian King List
As these kings were said on the SKL to have reigned implausibly lengthy reigns (8 kings ruled for up to 241,209 years), their reigns can be reduced (down to 67 years).[6][7][12] Assuming that they were not purely fictional kings, they may have ruled throughout the 30th and/or 29th centuries BCE.[11] Eridu, Bad-tibira, Larak, Sippar, and Shuruppak may have each had anywhere from 10,000—20,000 citizens by the EDI.[13]
The Uruk List of Kings and Sages (ULKS) pairs seven antediluvian kings each with his own apkallu.[10] An apkallu was a sage in Sumerian literature and/or religion. The ULKS lists another eight (postdivulian) kings also paired up with apkallu.
Dumuzid[c] is listed on the SKL twice as an antediluvian king of both Bad-tibira and Uruk. He may have been posthumously deified and has been identified with the god Ama-ušumgal-ana (who was originally the tutelary deity worshipped in the city Lagash).[14] The E-mush temple of Bad-tibira) was originally dedicated to Dumuzid when it was built before being re-dedicated to Lulal when the goddess Inanna appointed Lulal god of the city.[15] He was the protagonist in the Dream of Dumuzid and Dumuzid and Geshtinanna.[16][17] He was also mentioned in Inanna's Descent into the Underworld, Inanna Prefers the Farmer, and Inanna and Bilulu.[18][19][20]
The early Sumerian text Inanna's descent to the netherworld mentions the city's temple, E-mush-kalamma. In this tale, Inanna dissuades demons from the netherworld from taking Lulal, patron of Bad-tibira, who was living in squalor. They eventually take Dumuzid, who lived in palatial opulence at Uruk. This Dumuzid is called "the Shepherd",[21] who on the King List resides at Bad-Tibira in contrast to the post-diluvian Dumuzid, the Fisherman, who reigns in Uruk.
The name of En-men-dur-ana means "chief of the powers of Dur-an-ki", while Dur-an-ki, in turn, means: "the meeting-place of heaven and earth" (literally: "bond of above and below").[22] The ULKS pairs him up with the apkallu Utuabzu.[23] He has been compared with the Biblical patriarch Enoch.[24][25] A myth written in a Semitic language tells of En-men-dur-ana being taken to heaven by the gods Shamash and Adad, and taught the secrets of heaven and of earth.
Early Dynastic IIIb period
edit
The "brotherhood text" in cuneiform inscriptions on cones plundered from the site in the 1930s records the friendship pact of Entemena, governor of Lagash, and Lugal-kinishedudu, governor of Uruk. It identifies Entemena as the builder of the temple E-mush[26] to Inanna and Dumuzid, under his local epithet Lugal-E-mush.[27]
Ur III period
editSome badly effaced half-bricks on the surface of the mound bore the inscription of Amar-Sin, of the Third Dynasty of Ur. Pieces of vitrified brick scattered over the surface of the large mound bore witness to the city's destruction by fire.[28]
Isin-Larsa period
editPossession of the city passed between Larsa, whose king Sin-Iddinam claims to have built the great wall of Bad-tibira, and Isin, whose king Lipit-Ishtar, "the shepherd of Nippur", claimed to have built the "House of Righteousness" there.[29]
See also
editReferences
editNotes
edit- ^ Sumerian: 𒂦𒁾𒉄𒆠, romanized: Bad-tibira; transliterated: bad₃.tibiraki; lit. 'Wall of the Copper Worker(s)'; Ancient Greek: Παντιβίβλος, Pantibiblos
- ^ Sumerian: 𒈗, romanized: king; transliterated: [lu.gal] Error: [undefined] Error: {{Transliteration}}: missing language / script code (help): transliteration text not Latin script (pos 69) (help); lit. 'big man'
- ^ alternatively: Dumuzi, Ama-ušumgal-ana, or Tammuz; Sumerian: 𒌉𒍣𒉺𒇻, romanized: Dumuzid sipad; transliterated: [dumu.zi.sipa] Error: [undefined] Error: {{Transliteration}}: missing language / script code (help): transliteration text not Latin script (pos 148) (help): lit. 'faithful son'; Akkadian: Duʾzu, Dūzu; also, 𒀭𒂼𒃲𒁔𒀭𒈾; Syriac: ܬܡܘܙ; Hebrew: תַּמּוּז, transliterated Hebrew: Tammuz, Tiberian Hebrew: Tammûz; Arabic: تمّوز Tammūz
Citations
edit- ^ Crawford 1960.
- ^ Edwards, Gadd & Hammond 1970, p. 150.
- ^ Collection of taxes from Dûr-gurgurri features in correspondence of Hammurabi (first half of the 18th century BCE) noted in L. W. King and H. R. Hall, Egypt and Western Asia in the Light of Recent Discoveries (New York, 2005) p. 306f; it remained a city of metal-workers and the principal settlement of the guild of gugurrē, "metalworkers" (L. W. King, The Letters And Inscriptions Of Hammurabi, King Of Babylon About B.C. 2200 vol. III, p. 21, note 2.).
- ^ Hallo & Simpson 1971, p. 32.
- ^ Wang 2014, p. 36.
- ^ a b Jacobsen 1939a.
- ^ a b Jacobsen 1939b.
- ^ Lendering 2006a.
- ^ Langdon 1923b.
- ^ a b Sanders 2017, pp. 52–59.
- ^ a b Academia.edu 2021a.
- ^ Harrison 1993, p. 6.
- ^ Modelski 1997.
- ^ Black & Green 2009, p. 72—73.
- ^ Michalowski 1989, pp. 86—95.
- ^ Alster 1972.
- ^ Sladek 1974b.
- ^ Sladek 1974a.
- ^ Krecher 1996.
- ^ Jacobsen 1953.
- ^ Inanna's descent to the netherworld - ETCSL
- ^ George 1992, p. 261.
- ^ Sanders 2017, pp. 52—59.
- ^ Hamilton 1990, pp. 257—258.
- ^ de Vaux 1965, p. 188.
- ^ Presumably the same temple as E-mush-kalamma, according to Crawford.
- ^ Crawford 1960:197.
- ^ Crawford 1960:198.
- ^ Ferris J. Stephens, "A Newly Discovered Inscription of Libit-Ishtar" Journal of the American Oriental Society 52.2 (June 1932):182-185) p. 183.
Sources
editBibliography
edit- Crawford, Vaughn E. (1960). "The Location of Bad-Tibira". IRAQ. 22. British Institute for the Study of Iraq: 197–199. doi:10.2307/4199685. ISSN 0021-0889. JSTOR 4199685. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- Edwards, I.; Gadd, C.; Hammond, N. (1970). "II". Early history of the Middle East. The Cambridge Ancient History. Vol. I (revised ed.). London; New York: CUP (published 1902–2005). ISBN 9780521070515. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- Hallo, William Wolfgang; Simpson, William Kelly (1971). The Ancient Near East: A History. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. ISBN 9780155027756. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- Harrison, Roland Kenneth (March 1993). "Reinvestigating the Antediluvian Sumerian King List" (PDF). Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 36 (1). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
- Hayes, W.; Rowton, M.; Stubbings, F. (1964). "VII". Chronology. The Cambridge Ancient History. Vol. I (Revised ed.). Bureau of Military History: CUP (published 1961). Retrieved 2021-05-23.
- Jacobsen, Thorkild Peter Rudolph (1939-04-14) [1939]. Wilson, John Albert; Allen, Thomas George (eds.). THE SUMERIAN KING LIST (PDF). ASSYRIOLOGICAL STUDIES. Vol. 11 (4th ed.). University of Chicago, Illinois: Oriental Institute (published 1939–1973). p. 65. ISBN 0226622738. LCCN 39-19328. OCLC 397243. Archived from the original on 2015-04-20. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
When the kingship was lowered from heaven: (In) Eridu(g): A-lulim(ak), 28,800 years
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Langdon, Stephen Herbert (June 1923). "THE SUMERO-ACCADIAN SYSTEM OF LEGENDARY AND HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY". In Milford, Humphrey Sumner (ed.). Historical Inscriptions, Containing Principally the Chronological Prism, W-B. 444. Oxford Editions of Cuneiform Texts (OECT). Vol. II (revised ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 2–8. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
At Eridu Alulim was king. He ruled 28800 years.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Sanders, Seth L. (2017). From Adapa to Enoch Scribal Culture and Religious Vision in Judea and Babylon. Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 9783161544569.
- Stephens, Ferris J. (1932). "A Newly Discovered Inscription of Libit-Ishtar". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 52. British Institute for the Study of Iraq: 182–185. ISSN 0021-0889. JSTOR 593174. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- William King, Leonard (February 2006). Egypt and Western Asia in the Light of Recent Discoveries. United States: Cosimo, Incorporated. ISBN 9781596057630.
- Wang, Haicheng (2014-05-12). Writing and the Ancient State: Early China in Comparative Perspective. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107785878.
Further reading
edit- W.F. Leemans, Tablets from Bad-tibira and Samsuiluna's Reconquest of the South, JEOL, vol. 15, pp. 214–218, 1957/58
External links
edit- Black, Jeremy Allen; Baines, John Robert; Dahl, Jacob L.; Van De Mieroop, Marc (2006-12-19) [c. 1900–1600 BC]. Cunningham, Graham; Ebeling, Jarle; Flückiger-Hawker, Esther; Robson, Eleanor; Taylor, Jon; Zólyomi, Gábor (eds.). "The Sumerian king list". Faculty of Oriental Studies. Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL) (in Sumerian). Translated by Jacobsen, Thorkild Peter Rudolph; Glassner, Jean-Jacques; Römer, Willem H. Ph.; Zólyomi, Gábor (revised ed.). United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: University of Oxford (published 1997–2006). Retrieved 2021-07-31.
After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridug. In Eridug, Alulim became king; he ruled for 28800 years. Alaljar ruled for 36000 years. 2 kings; they ruled for 64800 years. Then Eridug fell and the kingship was taken to Bad-tibira.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Langdon, Stephen Herbert (2007-04-16) [c. 1900–1600 BC]. Joseph Weld Blundell, Herbert (ed.). "W-B 444". Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) (in Sumerian). Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (published 2007–2014). Retrieved 2021-07-31.
eridu{ki} a2-lu-lim lugal mu 8(szar2) i3-ak
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Lendering, Jona (2020-09-24) [2006]. "Sumerian King List". Livius.org. Netherlands: Livius Onderwijs (published 2006–2020). Retrieved 2021-07-31.
After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridu. In Eridu, Alulim became king; he ruled for 28,800 years. Alalgar ruled for 36,000 years. Two kings; they ruled for 64800 years.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Modelski, George (1997-07-10). "CITIES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD: AN INVENTORY (-3500 TO -1200)". Department of Political Science. University of Washington. Archived from the original on 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 2008-07-05 suggested (help) - Sjöberg, Åke Waldemar; Leichty, Erle; Tinney, Steve (2021) [2003]. "Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary Project". Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary Project (PSD) (published 2003–2021). Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- Sladek, W. (1974–2003). Zólyomi, G.; Robson, E.; Cunningham, G.; Ebeling, J. (eds.). "Inanna's Descent into the Underworld". ETCSL. Translated by Kramer, S.; Jacobsen, T.; Bottéro, J.; Römer, W.; Krecher, J.; Black, J. United Kingdom: Oxford (published 1974–1997).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Foundation Peg of Entemena found at presumed site of Bad-tibara - British Museum
Category:Sumerian cities Category:Archaeological sites in Iraq Category:Former populated places in Iraq Category:Dhi Qar Governorate Category:Former kingdoms