Kisurra

Kisurra (modern Tell Abu Hatab, Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq) was an ancient Sumerian tell (hill city) situated on the west bank of the Euphrates, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of Shuruppak and due east of Kish.

Kisurra

Shown within Iraq
Alternative name	Tell Abu Hatab
Location	Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq
Coordinates	31°50′17″N 45°28′50″E
Type	settlement
Site notes
Excavation dates	early 1900s
Archaeologists	Robert Koldewey
Condition	Ruined
Ownership	Public
Public access	Yes

History

The site has an area of about 46 hectares which is primarily Ur III and a northern extension of about 17 hectares which is primarily Early Dynastic II-III.

Early Bronze

Kisurra was established ca. 2700 BC, during the Sumerian Early Dynastic II period. The southern end of the Isinnitum Canal was joined back into the Euphrates at Kisurra.^[1] The city lasted as a center for commerce and transport through the Akkadian, Ur III.

Several kings of Kisurra are known: Itur-Szamasz (who built the temples of Annunitum, Enki, and Adad), Manabaltiel (who built the temple of Ninurta and was a contemporary of Ur-Ninurta of Isin), Szarrasyurrum, Ubaya, Zikrum, Bur-Sin, and Ibbi-Szamasz.^[2]

Middle Bronze

The city continued to flourish into the Middle Bronze.

The Larsa ruler Rim-Sin (1822 to 1763 BC) reports capturing Kisurra in his 20th year of reign.

Babylonian Period

Cuneiform texts and excavation show a decline during the time of the Babylonian ruler Hammurabi (c.1792-1750 BC).^[3] The Samsu-iluna (1750 BC to 1712 BC), successor to Hammurabi, reports destroying Kisurra in his 13th year.^[4][5]

Archaeology

German archaeologist Robert Koldewey with the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, who excavated at the site in 1902-1903, found many cuneiform tablets from Tell Abu Hatab.^[6][7][8][9] In 2016 the QADIS survey project, carried out an aerial and surface survey of the site.^[10][11]

List of rulers

The following list should not be considered complete:

Portrait or inscription	Ruler	Approx. date and length of reign (Middle Chronology)	Comments, notes, and references for mentions
Isin-Larsa period (c. 2025 – c. 1763 BC)
	Itur-Szamasz	Uncertain; this ruler may have fl. c. 1923 – c. 1896 BC	Son of Idinilu Held the title of, "King" temp. of Ur-Ninurta
	Bur-Suen 𒀭𒁓𒀭𒂗𒍪	reigned c. 1895 – c. 1874 BC (21 years)	Son of Ur-Ninurta Originally from Isin Said on the Sumerian King List (SKL) to have held the title of, "King" of not just Isin; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer temp. of Sumuel
	Erra-imitti 𒀭𒀴𒊏𒄿𒈪𒋾	r. c. 1868 – c. 1861 BC (7 years)	Originally from Isin Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Isin; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer temp. of Nur-Adad
	Manabaltiel	Uncertain	Held the title of, "King"
	Szarrasyurrum	Uncertain	Held the title of, "King"
	Zikrum	Uncertain	Held the title of, "King"
	Ubaya	Uncertain	Held the title of, "King"
	Ṣallum	Uncertain	Held the title of, "King"
	Ibni-shadum	Uncertain	Held the title of, "King"
	Ibbi-Szamasz	Uncertain	Held the title of, "King"

See also

• Cities of the Ancient Near East
• Tell (archaeology)

Notes

1. Sumerian Waterways Archived 2007-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
2. Kisurra ruler Year Names at CDLI
3. Rients de Boer, "Beginnings of Old Babylonian Babylon: Sumu-Abum and Sumu-La-El", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 70, pp. 53–86, 2018
4. Richardson, Seth, "EARLY MESOPOTAMIA: THE PRESUMPTIVE STATE", Past & Present, no. 215, pp. 3–49, 2012
5. Rogers, Robert William (1915) A History of Babylonia and Assyria. The Abingdon Press p435
6. Walter Andrae, Die Umgebung von Fara und Abu Hatab, Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient Gesellschaft, no. 16, pp. 24-30, 1903
7. Walter Andrae, Ausgrabungen in Fara und Abu Hatab. Bericht über die Zeit vom 15. August 1902 bis 10. Januar 1903, Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient Gesellschaft, no. 17, pp. 4-35, 1903
8. E. Heinrich, Fara: Ergebmisse der Ausgrabungen der Deustchen Orient Gesellschaft in Fara und Abu Hatab 1902/03, J.C. Hinrichs, 1931
9. Jabbar, Sattar A. "Excavations of German archaeological Expeditions In Al-Qadisiyah Governorate/Iraq (Isin, Tell Fara, Tell Abu Hatab)." for humanities sciences al qadisiya 22.1 (2019).
10. Marchetti, Nicolò, Al-Hussainy, Abbas, Benati, Giacomo, Luglio, Giampaolo, Scazzosi, Giulia, Valeri, Marco and Zaina, Federico., "The Rise of Urbanized Landscapes in Mesopotamia: The QADIS Integrated Survey Results and the Interpretation of Multi-Layered Historical Landscapes", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 109, no. 2, pp. 214-237, 2019
11. Marchetti, Nicolò, and Federico Zaina, "Rediscovering the Heartland of Cities", Near Eastern Archaeology 83, pp. 146-157, 2020

Further reading

• Anne Goddeeris, Tablets from Kisurra in the collections of The British Museum, Harrasowitz, 2009, ISBN 978-3-447-06064-6
• Anne Goddeeris, The Economic Basis of the Local Palace of Kisurra, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 97, issue 1, pp. 47–85, 2007
• Blocher, Felix. “Zur Glyptik Aus Kisurra.” Forschungen Und Berichte, vol. 29, pp. 25–35, 1990
• Burkhart Kienast, Die altbabylonischen Briefe und Urkunden aus Kisurra, Steiner, 1978, ISBN 3-515-02592-8
• E. J. Banks, Impressions from the Excavations by the Germans at Fara and Abu Hatab, Biblical World, vol. 24, pp. 138–146, 1904
• Burkhart Kienast, "Die altbabylonischen Briefe und Urkunden aus Kisurra, Volumes 1-2", Steiner, 1978 ISBN 9783515025928
• Witold Tyborowski, New Tablets from Kisurra and the Chronology of Central Babylonia in the Early Old Babylonian Period, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 102, iss. 2, pp. 245–269, 2012, ISSN 0084-5299

External links

• Old Babylonian text Corpus at Freiburger Altorientalische studies - in german
• Kisurra related Year Names at CDLI

31°50′17″N 45°28′50″E