Manishtushu Obelisk
Encyclopedia
The Manishtushu Obelisk is a diorite
, four-sided stele
. The stele is obelisk
-shaped, as well as it narrows upward to its (damaged) top, in a pyramid
al-form. The obelisk was made by Manishtushu
, son of Sargon the Great
, of the Akkadian Empire, who ruled circa 2270-2255 BC.
As a spoil of war, the stele was taken to Susa
by the Elam
ite king Shutruk-Nakhunte
in the 12th century BC.
cuneiform
in horizontal rows on all sides. The cuneiform is written within 1519 boxes, as lined register
s. The diorite is from Oman
, located to the south, and on clay tablet
s, Manishtusu recorded: "From mountains beyond the 'lower sea' (Persian Gulf
), he took black stones; he loaded [them] on boats and docked [them] on the quay at Akkad
. He fashioned his statue [and] dedicated [it] to Enlil
.
The obelisk text is a legal record
that records the distribution of four parcels of land, in large estates, and its allotment to his officers, for his control of Kish
.
Diorite
Diorite is a grey to dark grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar , biotite, hornblende, and/or pyroxene. It may contain small amounts of quartz, microcline and olivine. Zircon, apatite, sphene, magnetite, ilmenite and sulfides occur as accessory...
, four-sided stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
. The stele is obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
-shaped, as well as it narrows upward to its (damaged) top, in a pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
al-form. The obelisk was made by Manishtushu
Manishtushu
Manishtushu was a king of the Akkadian Empire from 2276 to 2261 BC. His name is also spelled as Maništušu.- Biography :Manishtushu was the son of Sargon of Akkad and Queen Tashlultum, brother of En-hedu-ana and the father of Naram-Sin...
, son of Sargon the Great
Sargon of Akkad
Sargon of Akkad, also known as Sargon the Great "the Great King" , was an Akkadian emperor famous for his conquest of the Sumerian city-states in the 23rd and 22nd centuries BC. The founder of the Dynasty of Akkad, Sargon reigned in the last quarter of the third millennium BC...
, of the Akkadian Empire, who ruled circa 2270-2255 BC.
As a spoil of war, the stele was taken to Susa
Susa
Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers....
by the Elam
Elam
Elam was an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. Elam was centered in the far west and the southwest of modern-day Iran, stretching from the lowlands of Khuzestan and Ilam Province, as well as a small part of southern Iraq...
ite king Shutruk-Nakhunte
Shutruk-Nakhunte
Shutruk-Nakhunte was king of Elam from about 1185 to 1155 BC , and the second king of the Shutrukid Dynasty.Elam amassed an empire that included most of Mesopotamia and western Iran....
in the 12th century BC.
Description and purpose
The Manishtusu Obelisk is 1.4 m tall, and 0.6 m wide on its four sides. It is made of deep black diorite, and incised in Akkadian languageAkkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
in horizontal rows on all sides. The cuneiform is written within 1519 boxes, as lined register
Register (sculpture)
In art and archaeology, a register is a vertical level in a work that consists of several levels, especially where the levels are clearly separated by lines; modern comic books typically use similar conventions...
s. The diorite is from Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, located to the south, and on clay tablet
Clay tablet
In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age....
s, Manishtusu recorded: "From mountains beyond the 'lower sea' (Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
), he took black stones; he loaded [them] on boats and docked [them] on the quay at Akkad
Akkad
The Akkadian Empire was an empire centered in the city of Akkad and its surrounding region in Mesopotamia....
. He fashioned his statue [and] dedicated [it] to Enlil
Enlil
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry was widely popular in both England and the United States during her lifetime. A collection of her last poems was published by her husband, Robert Browning, shortly after her death.-Early life:Members...
.
The obelisk text is a legal record
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
that records the distribution of four parcels of land, in large estates, and its allotment to his officers, for his control of Kish
Kish
-Geography:*Kish Island, an Iranian island and a city in the Persian Gulf*Kish, Iran, a city on Kish Island*Kish District, an administrative subdivision of Iran*Kish Rural District, an administrative subdivision of Iran...
.
