Tell Ishchali
Encyclopedia
modern Diyala Governorate in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
( on the Diyala River
Diyala River
The Diyala River after Darban-e Khan Dam:Kurdish: Sirwan, سيروان, , Persian: سیروان دیاله, is a river and tributary of the Tigris that runs mainly through Eastern Iraq but also Western Iran. It covers a total distance of ....
, a tributary of the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
), was the ancient town of Nerebtum or Kiti in the city-state of Eshnunna
Eshnunna
Eshnunna was an ancient Sumerian city and city-state in central Mesopotamia. Although situated in the Diyala Valley north-east of Sumer proper, the city nonetheless belonged securely within the Sumerian cultural milieu.The tutelary deity of the city was Tishpak .- History :Occupied from the Jemdet...
. The site lies about three miles south and seven
miles east of the modern city of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and 15 miles southeast of Eshnunna
Eshnunna
Eshnunna was an ancient Sumerian city and city-state in central Mesopotamia. Although situated in the Diyala Valley north-east of Sumer proper, the city nonetheless belonged securely within the Sumerian cultural milieu.The tutelary deity of the city was Tishpak .- History :Occupied from the Jemdet...
.
History
While surface finds indicate that Ishchali may have been occupied as far back as the Akkadian Empire, excavatedepigraphic evidence all dates entirely to the Old Babylonian Empire. While some tablets mention early local
rulers, for most of the known history of Ishchali kings from Eshnunna held sway there including
Ipiq-Adad and Ibal-pi-El.
The most notable feature of Ishchali is the main temple. It was that of Inanna-Kitium
Inanna
Inanna, also spelled Inana is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare....
i.e. Inanna
of Kiti. It is one of the largest temples ever found in the ancient Near East. Rebuilt several times, always
following the original plan, the monumental building consisted of one large upper temple and two smaller
areas which are thought to be shrines. The many tablets found there give an excellent picture of
temple life. A number of cylinder seals dating from the Early Dynastic to the Larsa
Larsa
Larsa was an important city of ancient Sumer, the center of the cult of the sun god Utu. It lies some 25 km southeast of Uruk in Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate, near the east bank of the Shatt-en-Nil canal at the site of the modern settlement Tell as-Senkereh or Sankarah.-History:According to...
period were also found there, assumed to be relic donations to the temple.
At first, the site of Ishchali was thought to be Khafajah
Khafajah
Khafajah or Khafaje was the ancient town of Tutub in the city-state of Eshnunna...
. Upon discovery there of a date formula that read
"year that king Ishme-Bali built the great wall of Nerebtum", that designation became popular. Currently,
scholarly opinion is split between Nerebtum and Kiti as the result of many tablets from the temple
of Inanna
Inanna
Inanna, also spelled Inana is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare....
of Kiti being analyzed. The name of Sadlas has also been proposed.
Archaeology
The main tell at Ishchali is roughly 600 meters long by 300 meters wide. There are also smallmounds to the north and south of it. The entire site covers around 23 hectares.
Items from illegal excavations at Ishchali began appearing on the open
market in the 1920s, including many tablets. To pre-empt this activity, the
Iraq expedition of the
Oriental Institute of Chicago conducted two seasons of excavations there in 1934 and
1935. The expedition was led by Henri Frankfort
Henri Frankfort
Henri 'Hans' Frankfort was a Dutch Egyptologist, archaeologist and orientalist.-Biography:Born in Amsterdam, Frankfort studied history at the University of Amsterdam and then moved to London, where in 1924, he took an MA under Sir Flinders Petrie at the University College. In 1927 he gained a...
and the work at Ishchali
was handled by Thorkild Jacobsen
Thorkild Jacobsen
Thorkild Jacobsen was a renowned historian specializing in Assyriology and Sumerian literature.He was one of the foremost scholars on the ancient Near East.-Biography:...
and Harold Hill all of the Oriental
Institute.
Of the 280 tablets excavated, 138 went to the Oriental Institute with the remaining 142 assigned to
the Iraq Museum. The tablets illegally excavated from Ishchali are in many locations including the
Lowie Museum of Anthropology at Berkeley, the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire (Geneva)
The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire is the largest art museum in Geneva, Switzerland.-The building:The museum is located in Les Tranchées, in the city centre, on the site of the former fortification ring. It was built by the architect Marc Camoletti between 1903 and 1910, and financed by a bequest from...
in Geneva, Iraq Museum, Oriental Institute,
and the Free Library of Philadelphia
Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:History of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Initiated by the efforts of Dr...
.
