Explaining Disaster

The aim of this study is to investigate the philosophy and the reasoning that transformed the plain historical fact of the destruction of the empire of the Third Dynasty of Ur under its king Ibbi-Sîn (ca. 2028–2004 BCE) into a balanced and logical model of crime and divine punishment in the course of Babylonian historiography. The study presents nearly 80 excerpts and new editions of Babylonian texts dealing with the fall of the “great city” under an “ill-starred king” by divine disfavour or wrath, among them full new editions of numerous historical omens, the Esaĝil Chronicle, the Book of Prodigies and the Religious Chronicle. It also contains excerpts from cultic lamentations, the Royal Correspondence of Ur, the Marduk Prophecy, Chronicle P, the Chedorlaomer Texts and various royal inscriptions.

Preface  

1. Introduction

    1.1. The Subject  

    1.2. History of Research  

    1.3. Method  

    1.4. Selecting the Sources

    1.5. Range of Topics

    1.6. Intentional History and Typification  

    1.7. Excursus: “Nebuchadnezzar”, Khosrau and Jerusalem  

2. Ibbi-Sîn King of Ur  

    2.1. General Outlines of Ibbi-Sîn’s Reign  

    2.2. Ibbi-Sîn’s Family Relations  

    2.3. Ibbi-Sîn’s Name and Titles

    2.4. Ibbi-Sîn’s End

3. The Figure of Išbi-Erra and Isin as Heiress of Ur

4. Destructions of Babylon and Abductions of Marduk  

    4.1. Divine Primacy of Agency

    4.2. The Abductions of Marduk  

    4.3. Ancient Explanations

5. The Formation of a Tradition  

    5.1. Isin’s Answer  

    5.2. Larsa’s Answer

6. The Tradition of the Historical Omens  

    6.1. The Ibbi-Sîn Omens  

    6.2. Excursus: The Element “Four” and the “Four Winds of Heaven”

    6.3. Excursus: The “Oracle of the Square Temple” at Jerusalem .

7. The Formation of a Rationale: The Esaĝil Chronicle  

    7.1. Sin and Sanction: Mirror Punishment  

    7.2. Sin and Sanction: Collective Punishment

    7.3. Historical Part

    7.4. The Abuse of the Fish Offering of Marduk

8. More Disaster: The Religious Chronicle & The Book of Prodigies  

    8.1. The Tower of Babel: When Adad smote Etemenanki  

    8.2. The Tower of Babel: Jewish-Babylonian Traditions  

9. Periodicity of Disasters?

10. The Impact of the Compositions on Politics

    10.1. Sargon II and Marduk-apla-iddina II: The New Ibbi-Sîn?  

    10.2. Aššurbanipal and Bēl-ēṭir: The New Utu-ḫeĝal?

    10.3. Nebuchadnezzar II and the Fish Offering of Marduk

    10.4. The Sins of Nabonidus  

    10.5. Dareios and the Fall of Babylon  

    10.6. Xerxes and the Statue of Marduk

11. The Participants  

    11.1. The Gods

    11.2. Kings and Priests

    11.3. The People  

        A. ṣābū kidinni “The Privileged Citizens (of a Babylonian City)”

        B. nammaššû “The People (of Babylonia)”

        C. ṣalmāt qaqqadi “The Black-Headed (People)”

    11.4. The Enemy  

        A. Elam and Šimaški  

        B. Gutium and the Ummān-Manda  

        C. The Subhuman Barbarians from the Eastern Mountains  

12. Summary: Explaining Disaster  

Edition of the Sources

    1. Early and Middle Second Millennium

        Source 1: Excerpts from CKU no. 22B & 24: The Wrath of Enlil

        Source 2: Excerpt from CKU no. 23: Išbi-Erra’s Brazenness

        Source 3: Excerpt from CKU no. 24: Ibbi-Sîn’s Error (ISO 1)

        Source 4: Excerpts from the Lament for Sumer and Ur

        Source 5: Excerpt from a Lamentation: Ibbi-Sîn died at Anšan  

        Source 6: Excerpts from the Lament for Uruk  

        Source 7: Excerpt from the Lament for Ur  

        Source 8: Excerpts from the Lament for Eridu

        Source 9: Excerpts from the Lament for Nippur

        Source 10: Inscriptions & Year Names: Šu-ilīšu & the Return of Nanna

        Source 11: Omen: The Fall of Akkade

        Source 12: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 2)

        Source 13: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 3)

        Source 14: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 4)

        Source 15: Omen of Išbi-Erra of Isin (IEO 1)  

        Source 16: Omen of Išbi-Erra of Isin (IEO 2)  

        Source 17: Omen of Ku-Baʾu (KBO 1)  

        Source 18: Omen of Ku-Baʾu (KBO 2)  

        Source 19: Omen of Ku-Baʾu (KBO 3)  

        Source 20: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 5)

        Source 21: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 6)

        Source 22: Omens of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 7, ISO 8, ISO 9)

        Source 23: Omen: The Fall of Akkade . 304

        Source 24: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 10)

        Source 25: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 11)

        Source 26: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 12)

        Source 27: Omen of Amar-Sîn of Ur (ASO 1)

        Source 28: Omens of Amar-Sîn of Ur (ASO 2, ASO 3, ASO 4)  

    2. Late Second and First Millennium  

        Source 29: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 13)

        Source 30: Omen of Utu-ḫeĝal  

        Source 31: Shalmaneser I and the Soil of Arinnu  

        Source 32: Nebuchadnezzar I and the Wrath of Marduk

        Source 33: The Misdeeds of Šutruk-Naḫḫunte I and Kutir-Naḫḫunte II

        Source 34: Excerpts from the Marduk Prophecy

        Source 35: The Esaĝil Chronicle

        Source 36: The Book of Prodigies: Omens of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 14) & Ku-Baʾu (KBO 4)  

        Source 37: The Religious Chronicle

        Source 38: Excerpts from a Political Letter Quoting Omens of Disaster

        Source 39: Excerpt from the Poem of Erra

        Source 40: Omen of Ku-Baʾu (KBO 5)

        Source 41: Omen of Ku-Baʾu (KBO 6)

        Source 42: Omen of Ku-Baʾu (KBO 7)

        Source 43: Omen of Ku-Baʾu (KBO 8)

        Source 44: Chronicle of Early Kings: Sargon of Akkade & the Soil of Babylon

        Source 45: Omen of Sargon of Akkade: The Soil of Babylon

        Source 46: Sennacherib and the Soil of Babylon

        Source 47: Aššurbanipal and the Soil of Elamite Cities  

        Source 48: Chronicle of Early Kings: The Sins of Šulgi

        Source 49: Chronicle from Uruk: The Sins of Šulgi

        Source 50: Omen of Amar-Sîn of Ur (ASO 5)  

        Source 51: Omen of Amar-Sîn of Ur (ASO 6)  

        Source 52: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 15)

        Source 53: Omen dealing with the Element “Four”

        Source 54: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 16)

        Source 55: Omen: Devastation of Ur and of the Land

        Source 56: Omen: Devastation of Ur and of the Land

        Source 57: Omen: The Wrath of Marduk  

        Source 58: Omen: Devastation of Babylonia  

        Source 59: Omen: Disaster for the King of Babylonia

        Source 60: Omen: Disaster for the King of Babylonia

        Source 61: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 17)

        Source 62: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 18)

        Source 63: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 19)

        Source 64: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 20)

        Source 65: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 21)

        Source 66: Omen of Ibbi-Sîn (ISO 22)

        Source 67: Omen of [Ibbi-Sîn] (ISO 23)  

        Source 68: Omen of Išbi-Erra of Isin (IEO 3)

        Source 69: Omen of Išbi-Erra of Isin (IEO 4)

        Source 70: Letter of Samsu-iluna: The Sins of the Priests of Babylonia

        Source 71: Chronicle P: Crimes & Punishment of Tukultī-Ninurta I  

        Source 72: Chedorlaomer Texts: Crimes & Punishment of Wicked Kings  

        Source 73: Diary: Xerxes I is killed by his Son

        Source 74: Esarhaddon: The Sins of the Babylonians

        Source 75: Excerpts from the Babylonian Chronicle

        Source 76: Assyrian Prophecy: Marduk’s Mercy

        Source 77: Nebuchadnezzar II and the Fishes for Marduk

Glossary

    Akkadian  

        Non-lemmatic  

        Cardinal Numbers

        Complex Cardinal Numbers  

        Ordinal Numbers

        Month Names

    Sumerian  

    Divine Names

    Temple Names

    Temple Gates

    Personal Names.

    Geographical and Ethnographical Names  

    City Gates

    Rivers and Canals  

List of Figures

Abbreviations

Bibliography

Indices