ziqiqum:

I love how demanding Old Babylonian epistolarians can sound.  Sometimes, their letters read like angry interoffice emails.

Take lines 4-14^[1]:

“Concerning the giving of Iataratim’s ration, verily I wrote to you.  Why have you not given (it)?  When will you give Iataratum’s ration?  Give (it)!  If you do not give (it)…”

——

^[1]The missing cuneiform in this image for lines 12-3 reads i-na ma-ti ta-na-di-in/ i-di-in.

Head

Period: Neo-Babylonian Date: ca. late 8th–early 7th century B.C. Geography: Mesopotamia Culture: Babylonian Medium: Ceramic Dimensions:  4.92 in. (12.5 cm)
[Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, NY, USA]

“

Boundary stone (kudurru)

Babylonian, about 1125-1104 BC
From Sippar, southern Iraq

A legal statement about the freeing of taxes and obligations.

The cuneiform text of this kudurru describes the military services of Ritti-Marduk to King Nebuchadnezzar I (1125-1104 BC) during a campaign in Elam (to the south-east of Mesopotamia) in retaliation for Elamite raids in northern Babylonia. The campaign was carried out in summer and the Babylonian army suffered considerably from the heat and lack of water. Ritti-Marduk, the Captain of the chariots, led the attack against the Elamites.

The text sets out the details of how Nebuchadnezzar rewarded Ritti-Marduk by freeing the towns of Bit-Karziyabku, of which Ritti-Marduk was head-man, from the jurisdiction of the neighbouring city. His reward included giving the inhabitants freedom from all taxation, from forced labour, and from liability to arrest by imperial soldiers. It also prevented the billeting of imperial soldiers on the towns.

The texts list thirteen high officials who were present at the granting of the charter, and invokes nine gods to protect the monument. There are also twenty divine symbols carved in relief.”

[British Museum]

We are very jealous!

yaleuniversity:

This 4,000 year old Babylonian poem is the oldest literary work by a known author.

The Exaltation of Inanna was written in around 2260 B.C. by Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon of Akkad. The poem describes the author’s suffering at the hands of an upstart rebel, her appeals to the Moon God, and ultimately her appeal to the goddess Inanna.

Today, the poem is located in the Yale Babylonian Collection along with approximately 45,000 other pieces.

Learn more about the Yale Babylonian Collection →

fuckyeahgods:

Ishtar - A Babylonian Goddess of procreation and love, she was the daughter of the Air God Anu. She was known as the Cow of Sin for her promiscuous ways. When the love of her life, Tammuz died, she went deep into the underworld to find him but was unable to do so.

ancientxdelirium:

Babylonian boundary stone c.1100 BCe by monopthalmos on Flickr.

(British Museum)

ancientpeoples:

Plaque of a man restraining a large dog

1750 BC

Iraq

Old Babylonian

(Source: The British Museum)

peashooter85:

Ancient Babylonian IOU,

Written in cuneiform script which was common to Mesopotamia (Middle East), this clay tablet is a promissory note entitling the bearer to a payment in silver and is dated to 543 BC.  This artifact is currently in the possession of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.