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September 6, 2016
from
AncientPages Website
Nippur (Sumerian: Nibru, "Enlil City" - Akkadian: Nibbur) was among
the most ancient of Sumerian cities and one of the most important
religious centers throughout Mesopotamia.
Some researchers date back the city's
creation to about 5000 BC.
Throughout history of Sumer, Nippur - located northeast of the town
of Ad-Diwaniyah, now in southeastern Iraq - had a special place
among the cities. Based on earliest existing records, it is known
that Nippur was not a capital but a sacred city, a central and
unique shrine of the region.
Its holy character helped Nippur to
survive several wars and the fall of dynasties that brought
destruction to other cities.
Based on
earliest existing records,
it is known that
Nippur was not a capital
but a sacred city, a
central and unique shrine of the region.
Its holy character
helped Nippur to survive several wars
and the fall of
dynasties that brought destruction
to other cities.
Not only was it lying halfway between the cities of Ur and Sippar -
that is, between Sumer and northern Babylon, but it also was the
seat of Enlil, the chief god of the Sumerian pantheon, the
"Lord Wind," ruler of the cosmos and one of the triad of gods
including Anu (Sumerian: An) and Ea (Sumerian: Enki).
The city also played a major role in
politics. Based on earliest existing records, it is known that
Nippur was not a capital but a sacred city, a central and unique
shrine of the region.
Its holy character helped Nippur to
survive several wars and the fall of dynasties that brought
destruction to other cities.
Ruins of a
temple platform in Nippur.
The
brick structure on top was constructed
by American
archaeologists around 1900.
Image via Wikipedia
Kings were involved in the city's restoration of temples,
construction of fortification walls, public administrative
buildings, and canals.
Even after 1800 BC., when the
Babylonians made Marduk the most important god in southern
Mesopotamia, Enlil was still worshiped and had his sanctuary.
Nippur still remained a holy and prestigious city, with more than a
hundred temples, regardless of which dynasty ruled Mesopotamia.
Probably because of its strategic location and sacred meaning, it
remained a neutral city.
The greatest growth of Nippur took place under the Ur III kings (c.
2100 BC), was almost matched in the time of the Kassites (c. 1250
BC.) and in the period when the Assyrians, from northern Iraq,
dominated Babylonia (c. 750-612 BC).
Nippur ruins
The first mention of Nippur is related to the construction of a
temple to Enlil.
It was erected during the reign of King
Enmebaragesi, a king of Kish, according to the Sumerian king
list. The list states that he subdued Elam and reigned 900 years.
Enmebaragesi dominated Sumer around the year 2700 BC and also
controlled Nippur. Little is known about the prehistoric city of
Nippur, but by 2500 BC the city expanded, was fortified and probably
reached the extent of the present remains.
In about 2450 BC the city became part of the empire of Eannatuma of
Lagash, and about the year 2430 BC, Nippur was conquered by
Enshakushanna, a king of Uruk in the later 3rd
millennium BC, who, according to
the Sumerian King List, reigned 60
years.
About 2300 BC, Sargon's Akkadian empire controls the city and
around the year 2230 BC Sargon's grandson -
Naram-Sin - under the influence
of the oracle of the temple attacked Enlil in Nippur.
As a result, there was a meeting of the
eight most important gods, who withdrew their support for the king;
the city's inhabitants began to suffer from hunger.
Map of Nippur
around 1500 BC
With the collapse of the Sumerian civilization and Ur about 2000 BC,
Nippur briefly was occupied by
the Elamites and later incorporated
into the Amorite kingdom of Isin.
The remains of the city of Nippur, which today are named Nuffar,
were excavated in 1851 and during different period of time, namely
in the years 1888-1900 and 1948-1990.
In the eastern part of the city, the so-called 'scribal quarter',
archaeologists unearthed several thousands of Sumerian tablets, with
economic texts, lexical and many examples of the Sumerian literary
texts.
Most of them were found in the archives
in two private homes.
Another part of the city was the 'sacred area' with the temple
complex and a ziggurat called E-kur (in its present form), where
construction works were performed by the first kings of the Third
Dynasty of Ur - Ur-Nammu and Shulgi (2094-2047).
Wall Plaque
Carved with Feasting Scene,
stone, Found in
Nippur.
The Early Dynastic -
Southern Mesopotamian Period,
2350 BCE - 2900 BCE
In one of the trenches, archaeologists discovered two large temples:
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one was the temple of
Inanna, goddess of love and
war, one of the most important deities in the Mesopotamian
pantheon
-
another, the Temple of the North
- the remains of the palace, the temple library, which
provided 20 thousand tablets and tombs, where the dead were
buried after partial burning
Excavation conducted in 1990 revealed an
Akkadian tomb and a large temple to Bau (Gula), the Mesopotamian
goddess of healing and medicine, whose special symbol was a dog.
Among various artifacts, there were several figurines of dogs found
on floors, and buried in the plaster on walls; fragmentary figurines
of human beings having pain; one with his hand to his throat,
another with one hand to his head and one to his stomach.
Sources
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