Table of Contents
Why is Nippur important to Mesopotamia?
Nippur played an important role in the development of the world’s earliest civilization. It was the seat of the worship of the Sumerian god Enlil, the ‘Lord Wind,’ ruler of the cosmos, and the religious centre of Sumer in the 3rd and 2nd millenium BCE.
Who founded Nippur?
Nippur was first excavated, briefly, by Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1851. Full-scale digging was begun by an expedition from the University of Pennsylvania. The work involved four seasons of excavation between 1889 and 1900 and was led by John Punnett Peters, John Henry Haynes, and Hermann Volrath Hilprecht.
Who is the king of Nippur?
Enmebaragesi was one of the early kings of Kish who achieved a level of domination over areas of Sumer, and one of his outstanding achievements was the construction at Nippur of the Temple of Enlil, the leading deity of the Sumerian pantheon, ruler of the cosmos and only subject to the god An.
Who wrote The Descent of Inanna?
Descent of Inanna: Annotated and Illustrated: VanDerJagt, Edward, VanDerJagt, Edward, VanDerJagt, Rebecca: 9781515142393: Amazon.com: Books.
Who was the god of Nippur?
Enlil
In Sumerian mythology Nippur was the home of Enlil, the storm god and representation of force and the god who carried out the decrees of the assembly of gods that met at Nippur. Enlil, according to one account, created man at Nippur.
Who was on the staff of the Nippur Expedition?
On the staff in that first season was Dr. Robert F. Harper, who a few years later founded Assyriological studies at the University of Chicago. The expedition worked at Nippur until 1900, finding more than 30,000 cuneiform tablets and hundreds of other objects.
Who was the field director of the 1972 Nippur Expedition?
The 1972 season saw a new approach to Nippur. The new field director, McGuire Gibson, committed the expedition to a long-term program of excavation in the whole city. Emphasis shifted to the West Mound, a predominantly residential and administrative quarter of the city which had not been investigated since 1900.
What was the significance of the Nippur Expedition?
Nippur thus preserves an unparalleled archaeological record spanning more than 6000 years. Settled around 5000 BC, Nippur played an important role in the development of the world’s earliest civilization.
When did the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago dig at Nippur?
The expedition worked at Nippur until 1900, finding more than 30,000 cuneiform tablets and hundreds of other objects. The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago began digging at Nippur in 1948; this is the longest-running Oriental Institute excavation in the Near East.