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The Ningišzida Temple Built by Marduk-Apala-Iddina II at Uruk (Warka)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2014

H. Lenzen
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Extract

In Iraq XV, Pt. 2 (1953), pp. 123–125, C. J. Gadd published the inscription of a barrel-cylinder which was found, broken in three pieces, during the excavations at Nimrud. This inscription is a foundation document composed by Marduk-apla-iddina II for a shrine which he consecrated to the god Ningiš-zi-da within the E-anna temple at Warka.

At the end of his article, C. J. Gadd sought to identify the temple mentioned in this inscription with one of the many known, but undefined, temples. At the time when this attempt was made, only the two temples proposed by Mr. Gadd were considered, but both of them cannot perfectly be brought into accord with the statement of the text. In the same year in which Mr. Gadd's article was published, a new temple was excavated in E-anna at Warka, and I have the impression that this is the temple to which the statement of the inscription may best be applied. In U.V.B. X (pp. 5 ff.) and U.V.B. XI (pp. 15 ff) it was pointed out that the extension of E-anna was far greater than we had hitherto supposed. In the eastern corner a very large court was added in which the Innin-temple of Karaindaš stood, and on the North-western side of the Zigurrat another court which—as we know from the results of excavations carried out during the last years—contained only large dwelling-houses. This new discovery of two very large courts belonging to the sanctuary entirely alters the situation. By means of the court extending to the north-west that part of the building of the enclosed court called by Jordan “Aussenzingel” (outer precinct) now becomes “Innenzingel“ (inner precinct) (Plate XXXV). The part in question is that group of rooms within the Zingel enclosure which includes the so-called north-western temple. The building, newly excavated, is situated in the court of Eanna farthest to the East (Qc-e XIV4-XV1).

Type
Research Article
Information
IRAQ , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , Autumn 1957 , pp. 146 - 150
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute for the Study of Iraq 1957

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References

page 146 note 1 This article has been translated from the German by Dr. H. H. Figulla.

page 146 note 2 U.V.B. XII, pp. 19 ffGoogle Scholar.

page 146 note 3 U.V.B. XIII, still being printed.

page 146 note 4 U.V.B. XII, pl. 1.

page 147 note 1 U.V.B. I, p. 51, 6; p. 52, 8, 9; p. 53, 10, 11, 12.

page 147 note 2 U.V.B. VI, 38Google Scholar.

page 147 note 3 U.V.B. IX, 15Google Scholar.

page 147 note 4 Jordan's opinion expressed in U.V.B. I that the Kassite Innin-temple was excluded from the sacred area of E-anna by the strange direction of the enclosing wall built by Sargon II has been proved to be a misconception. The court, in which the temple was erected, belonged even in the predynastic period to the temenos of E-anna, as one can gather from the plans U.V.B. X, pl. 5, 6, 7 and 8.

page 147 note 5 U.V.B. X, p. 13, pl. 5Google Scholar.

page 148 note 1 U.V.B. XII, p. 24, pl. 1, 2, 3Google Scholar.

page 148 note 2 U.V.B. I, p. 55, 19Google Scholar.

page 148 note 3 Clay, A.T., Y.O.S. I, No. 38Google Scholar.

page 148 note 4 The first great planning of the sanctuary with courts fenced off from each other by strong walls, and with a fortress-like strong outer wall originated in the Early Dynastic Period. Under the rulers of the Third Dynasty of Ur, the whole sanctuary, including the Zigurrat, was rebuilt from the bottom, i.e., down to the foundations. This sanctuary dedicated by King Urnammu and his successor Šulgi was renewed in the Old-Babylonian period, i.e., the sanctuary of the Third Dynasty of Ur was amply repaired and probably rebuilt in some places. The structures both of the Third Dynasty of Ur, and of the Old-Babylonian periods were cared for successively by the Kassite kings, particularly by Karaindaš II and Kurigalzu II. But even in this period, the whole building was not essentially altered, with the one exception that Karaindaš erected a temple in the lower court which, by its groundplan and by the fresco of deities holding vases, differs from all so far known in Babylonia. After Kurigalzu's time, the sanctuary can hardly have been cared for any longer, for at the main gate of E-anna, deep rain-made runnels had to be filled in by Sargon II when he rebuilt the enclosing wall.

page 149 note 1 U.V.B. I, p. 17 ff.Google Scholar; U.V.B. XII, p. 14Google Scholar.

page 149 note 2 U.V.B. X, p. 18 ff.Google Scholar; U.V.B. XII, p. 31Google Scholar.

page 150 note 1 C.T., XXXVI, pl. 2; Thureau-Dangin, S.A.K.I., 198e.

page 150 note 2 U.V.B., xii, p. 31Google Scholar.