Introduction
In December 2013, two local people handed over two inscribed cylinders of baked clay to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. They had been found by chance on the surface of Tell Al-Uhaimir, which includes the ruins of the ziggurat of the ancient city of Kish. The two cylinders were registered in the Iraq Museum. The first cylinder was registered with the number IM.227410, and is the best in terms of the text preserved on it. We label it as Kz-1 (Figs. 1 and 2). The second cylinder was registered with the number IM.227488, and we label it as Kz-2 (Figs. 3 and 4). It is in good condition, except for the first three lines of the first column, which are damaged.
Hand copy of cylinder Kz-1 (IM.227410)
3D-Scan of cylinder Kz-1 (IM.227410)
Hand copy of cylinder Kz-2 (IM.227488)
3D-Scan of cylinder Kz-2 (IM.227488)
These two objects are made in the same common style of foundation-documents in the shape of cylinders, which is known from the Neo-Babylonian period and the time of Nebuchadnezzar II.Footnote 1 Both are solid barrel cylinders of baked clay written in contemporary Neo-Babylonian cuneiform. Dimensions of cylinder Kz-1: Length 15.1 cm; end diameter: 5.5 cm; middle diameter 6.9 cm. Dimensions of cylinder Kz-2: Length 14.5 cm; end diameter 5 cm; middle diameter 6.8 cm. The text on both cylinders is organized in two columns divided by a vertical line, and each column is divided into several lines. The first cylinder has 52 lines, and each column was divided into 26 lines. As for the second cylinder, it has 55 lines, the first column 29 lines and the second column 26 lines.
The content of the text on the two cylinders relates to the restoration of the ziggurat of the city of Kish, which is dedicated to the worship of the city’s god Zababa and the goddess Ishtar. The structure of the text consists of the following sections:
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1- name and titles of the king, with his religious works (lines 1-18)
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2- the main topic, beginning with the inūma-clause (lines 19)
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3- rebuilding work by former kings (lines 24-28)
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4- the rebuilding of the Ziggurat (lines 29-41)
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5- the concluding prayer to Zababa and Ishtar (lines 42-52)
There are no precise details about the reconstruction of the building, the text only refers to the solidity of the walls and the decoration of the Ziggurat’s external facade. As is the case with most royal inscriptions, the text is not dated, and the information it contains does not help to establish an approximate date for its composition.Footnote 2
In lines 25-27, Nebuchadnezzar II briefly mentions the construction works carried out by two kings before him, without referring to their names. The first king is described as having built the ziggurat, and the second king is described as restoring the damaged parts of the ziggurat. Two different terms were used to describe the ancient kings: The oldest one is described as šar pānim “past king”, and the other king is described šar maḫri “previous king”. These two phrases refer to the fact that Nebuchadnezzar II found foundation inscriptions from two previous kings, and this is supported by archaeological excavations in Tell Al-Uhaimir, which have revealed cuneiform inscriptions belonging to three kings, including Nebuchadnezzar II.
The excavations conducted by Ernest Mackay at the hill known locally as Tell Al-Uhaimir revealed the ruins of the Kish ziggurat, which is located on the western side of the city.Footnote 3 Excavation reports indicate that the ziggurat went through four major stages of construction and restoration, the last of which was the restoration work undertaken by Nebuchadnezzar II, and many stamped bricks with his name were found at the site.Footnote 4 The restoration works also included the temenos and the temple below the ziggurat é.me.te.ur.sag, which is a temple dedicated to the god Zababa.Footnote 5 The first attestation of this temple is found in a text by King Hammurabi written on a brick found at Tel Al-Uhaimir, mentioning that the temple was built during the time of Sumulael, Hammurabi’s third predecessor.Footnote 6
The name of the ziggurat of Kish was written in Sumerian, as is common in the naming of the temples of Mesopotamia. The name is attested in the formula é.u6.nir.ki.tuš.maḫ meaning “House, Temple-tower, Exalted abode”, which is the most common form, but the name is also attested in another form é.an.úr.ki.tuš.maḫ meaning “Temple of the horizon, exalted abode”.Footnote 7 The oldest reference to the ziggurat of Kish comes in a year-name of King Hammurabi, who dated the thirty-sixth year of his reign by the construction of the Eunirkitušmaḫ ziggurat for the god Zababa and the goddess Ishtar.Footnote 8 His successor Samsuiluna restored it, as recorded in the date of his twenty-second regnal year,Footnote 9 and also recorded his works on bricks of the ziggurat.Footnote 10
In an explanatory temple list from Sippar (BM 55476),Footnote 11 which dates to the Neo-Babylonian period, the name of the ziggurat is mentioned with an Akkadian translation of the name :
A Neo-Babylonian tablet (BM 51124+52640), likely from Sippar, Babylon, or Borsippa, contains a list of ziggurats, and mentions the name of the ziggurat é.u6.nir.ki.tuš.maḫ,Footnote 12 and this form is also attested in the Kuyunjik ziggurat list from Nineveh (K 2053A+4337).Footnote 13
The god Zababa, a god of war, stands at the head of the pantheon of Kish. His name was associated with the warrior goddess Ishtar in the temple of é.dub.ba (the complex of temples) and in the city’s ziggurat. His worship continued from the Early Dynastic until the Seleucid period.Footnote 14 Many sacred structures were built for him in the city of Kish alone in addition to the main temples that we referred to previously, and are mentioned in the temples list from Assur:Footnote 15 é.abzu.kù.ga, é.du6.kù.ga, é.inim.kù.ga, é.šul!.an.na.
There are three ziggurats in Kish, and this is commensurate with the fact that the city in previous times was divided into two cities, Kish in the west, where the temple of the god Zababa and his ziggurat are located, as we mentioned previously, and Hursagkalama in the east, which is known locally as Tell Ingharra, as it included a large temple for the goddess Ishtar, which was also rebuilt and restored during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II.Footnote 16 The name of the Hursagkalama ziggurat is attested in the form é.me.lám.maḫ “the Great Temple of Radiance” and it is dedicated to the god Enlil, while the second ziggurat is named é.kur.maḫ “House Great Mountain”, which is likely to be dedicated to the goddess Ninlil, wife of Enlil.Footnote 17 The excavations at Tell Ingharra revealed remains of two ziggurats from the Early Dynastic period, both built with plano-convex bricks.Footnote 18
Translation
I 1-5: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom Marduk, Enlil of the Gods, called (him) by his name for the kingship of all the lands, to provide for Esagil (and) Ezida, and to keep the cult centers of the great gods in good order. 6-9: Nabû the overseer of the totality of heaven and earth, made (Nebuchadnezzar) hold in his hand the just scepter. 10-14: The wise, the pious, the provider of Esagil (and) Ezida, the foremost heir of Nabopolassar, the king of Babylon, am I. 15-18: I adorned Esagil and Ezida, and made them beautiful as the starry sky. I kept the shrines of the great gods in good order, (and) I constantly set up proper procedures (inside them).
19-23: At that time, I gave reverent attention to Zababa, the strong(est) one among the gods, the one who kills my enemies, (and) Ishtar, my lady, the one who magnifies my kingship. 24-26 Eunirkitušmaḫ, the ziggurat of Kish, which a king of the past had built, but its walls had buckled, II 27-32: (and) a former king had restored (the damaged walls), and made its structure suitable, with the passage of time, it (again) became weak, (its walls) buckled, and shower(s) of rain carried away its brickwork. 33-41: for the renovation, Zababa and Ishtar had pushed my heart (to do it). (so) I put its brickwork in good order, I built its collapsed section(s) anew, (and) I completed (it) and raised its superstructure. I embellished its outward appearance and made (it shine) like the daylight for Zababa and Ishtar, my lords. 42-52: O Zababa and Ishtar, look on account of this and, by your exalted command, may my days be long, may I attain very old age, may I conquer my enemies, (and) may I kill my opponents, with your fierce weapons, cut down (and) bind my enemies.
The text on the two cylinders is identical, except for some minor differences in the writing of signs and sounds, as follows:
Concordance of variant readings
1 This being a scribal error for ša-a-tim. Therefore, ša(text: MA)-a-tim.
CommentaryFootnote 19
For more material for the comparison of sentences and phrases of the Kish cylinder with other Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian, see Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (RINBE) on the website: https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ribo/babylon7 (accessed 31.07.2025 – ed.). The text starts with the common formula including the name of the king, his title, works, and his filiation. For a comparison of the titles in the text with other royal texts from same period, see the tables of the titles and epithets in Da Riva’s book on royal inscriptions from the Neo-Babylonian period.
Line 1 see Da Riva Reference Da Riva2008: 102 B10; lines 3–5 see Da Riva Reference Da Riva2008: 102 C211; line 6-9 see Da Riva Reference Da Riva2008: 104 C22; line 10 Da Riva Reference Da Riva2008: 100.
16 kīma šiṭerti šamāmi ubannim “I made as beautiful as the starry sky”. This is a phrase describing the temple of Esagila and Ezida after restoration and decoration. This phrase appears in the text of Nebuchadnezzar II about the renovation of the temple of Ninkarak in Borsippa. See Da Riva Reference Da Riva2008: 51-52.
17 ešrēti ilāni rabûti ušteteššer “I keep the shrines of the great gods in good order”. This phrase appears in a Neriglissar inscription, RINBE 2, 39 no.2: 30.
18 aštanakkan simātim “I set up proper procedures”. The verb is the Gtn stem from šakanu. A similar phrase is attested in another Nebuchadnezzar II inscription aštakkan ana simātim. See RINBE 1/1, 188 no. 32: ii 11.
19-20 gašru ina ilāni dā’ika nakrīya “the strong(est) one among the gods, the one who kills my enemies”: this phrase describes the god Zababa, and it expresses his character as a god of war.
22 mušarbât šarrūtīya “who magnifies my kingship”. Here, Nebuchadnezzar describes the goddess Ishtar, who shares the ziggurat of Kish with Zababa. A similar phrase appears in another text of Nebuchadnezzar describing the goddess Ninkarak. See RINBE 1/1, 190 no. 32: ii 65.
23 palḫiš atta’idma “I gave reverent attention”. The same phrase appears in texts of Nebuchadnezzar II, Neriglissar and Nabonidus. See: RINBE 2, 37 no. 1: ii 8; Langdon Reference Langdon1912: 280 no.8: vii 39-40.
25 ša šar pānim īpušuma “which a king of the past had built”. The name of the past king is not mentioned, perhaps because that king is not associated with the same dynasty as Nebuchadnezzar. This phrase appears in the texts of the kings of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty to indicate their interest in preserving ancient customs and rituals. See RINBE 2, 113 no. 22: 18’.
26 iqūpū igārūšu “its walls buckled”. A phrase describing the condition of the walls that the previous king rebuilt, and this phrase also appears in other texts of Nebuchadnezzar II. See RINBE 1/1, 225 no.48: i 6’.
27 šar maḫri ikširuma “(which) a former king had restored”. This phrase is rarely used, and it is only attested in a text by King Neriglissar and in the form šar pānim ikširuma. See RINBE 2, 49 no.7: ii 5.
28 ussimu šikinša “(who) made its structure suitable”. This phrase appears in texts of Nebuchadnezzar II, and Nabonidus. See Da Riva Reference Da Riva2008 C33: iii 17; RINBE 1/1, 183 no.31: iii 17.
29-31 ina labāri ūm īniš iqūpma zunnim u rādu “with the passage of time, it (again) became weak, (its walls) buckled, and shower(s) of rain”. The same phrase appears in a text of King Nabopolassar. See: Al-Rawi Reference Al-Rawi1985: 4, 26-27; RINBE 1/1, 40 no. 3: ii 26-27.
32 unassû libittuša “carried away its brickwork”. This phrase, along with zunnim u rādu, appears in the texts of Nebuchadnezzar II and Neriglissar in several texts. See Langdon Reference Langdon1912: 98 no.11: ii 1-2; RINBE 2, 49 no. 7: ii 4.
33 ana tēdištiša “for its renovation”. This phrase is common in texts of Nebuchadnezzar II. See RINBE 1/1, 136 no.18: i 15.
34 ušadkû’inni libbam “had pushed my heart”. A phrase that appears in the texts of Nebuchadnezzar II. See RINBE 1/1, 182 no. 31: iii 2 “my heart pushed me”.
35 libittaša uštēširma maqittaša ušzīz “I have put its brickwork in good order, (re)built its collapsed sections”. The same phrase is attested in a text of Neriglissar. See RINBE 2, 49 no. 7: ii 6-7.
38 ullâ rēšāša “raised its superstructure”. Common in the texts of Nebuchadnezzar II. See RINBE 1/1, 34 no. 2: iii 17; RINBE 2, 45 no.3: ii 28.
39 šikinša udammiqma “I embellished its outward appearance”. This phrase also appears in another form in a Nebuchadnezzar inscription from Kish, see: CAD D 62a; Langdon Reference Langdon1912: 184 no. 20: iii 47a.
41 kīma ūm ušēpiš “I made (it shine) like the daylight”. It appears in other forms, for example kīma ūmi unammir, making it bright like daylight. See RINBE 1/1, 188 no. 32: ii 3.
44 ina qibītikunu ṣīrtim “by your exalted command”. This phrase is common in the texts of Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar II, Neriglissar and Nabonidus. See: RINBE 1/1, 192 no. 32: iii 29; RINBE 2, 45 no. 3: ii 33.
45 līrikū ūmū’a “may my days be long”. A wish phrase attested in the texts of Nebuchadnezzar II and Nabonidus. See: RINBE 1/1, 193 no. 33: iii 61; RINBE 2, 139 no. 27: iii 59.
46 lušbâ littūtim “may I attain very old age”. A common phrase in the texts of Nebuchadnezzar II, Neriglissar, Nabonidus. See: RINBE 1/1, 95 no. 2: x 8; RINBE 2, 45 no. 3: ii 36.
47 lukšud ayyābī “may I conquer (my) enemies”. The phrase appears for the first time in this form.
48 lunār gērâya “may I kill my opponent”. It is attested in other forms in the texts of Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar, Neriglissar, Nabonidus. See Al-Rawi Reference Al-Rawi1985: 5 iii 26.
49-51 ina kakkīkunu ezzūtim šumqitā “with your fierce weapons cut down”. The phrase is attested in other forms in the texts of Nebuchadnezzar II and Nabonidus. See: RINBE 2, 110 no. 20: ii 36.
52 kumâ zā’irē’a “bind my enemies”. This phrase appears in a different form in other texts. See Walker Reference Walker1981: 92: 21.
Acknowledgements
I am very grateful to Dr. Rocío Da Riva and Dr. Jon Taylor for notes on of the initial draft, and to reviewers Jamie Novotny and an anonymous reviewer. I thank Dr. Mark Weeden for improving the English of the article, and Paul Bayer for advice about 3D-models, and my friend Ahmed A. Al-Luhaibi for his support.
Abbreviations
RINBE 1/1 = Novotny and Weiershäuser Reference Novotny and Weiershäuser2024
RINBE 2 = Weiershäuser and Novotny Reference Weiershäuser and Novotny2020
RINBE 1/2 = Jamie Novotny and Frauke Weiershäuser, The Royal Inscriptions of Nabopolassar (625–605 BC) and Nebuchadnezzar II (604–562 BC), Kings of Babylon, Part 2 (Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Empire 1/2). University Park, forthcoming
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