TELL
ISHCHALI
![](tellishchali.jpg)
Tell
Ishchali shown within Iraq
Location
: Diyala
Province, Iraq
Region
: Mesopotamia
Coordinates
: 33°18'11
N 44°35'03.3 E
Type
: tell
Area
: 23
ha (57 acres)
Site
notes :
Excavation
dates :
1934 - 1936
Archaeologists
: T.
Jacobsen, H. Hill
Tell
Ishchali is an archaeological site in Diyala Province (Iraq). It
is thought to be ancient Nerebtum or Kiti and was part of the city-state
of Eshnunna. It was occupied during the Old Babylonian period.
Ancient
name :
At first, the site of Ishchali was thought to be Khafajah. Upon
discovery there of a date formula that read "year that king
Ishme-Bali built the great wall of Nerebtum", that designation
became popular. Currently, scholarly opinion is split between Nerebtum
and Kiti as the result of many tablets from the temple of Inanna
of Kiti being analyzed. The name of Sadlas has also been proposed.
History
of archaeological research :
Items from illegal excavations at Ishchali began appearing on the
open market in the 1920s, including many clay tablets. To pre-empt
this activity, the Iraq expedition of the Oriental Institute of
Chicago conducted two seasons of excavations there between 1934
and 1936. The expedition was led by Henri Frankfort and the work
at Ishchali was handled by Thorkild Jacobsen and Harold Hill, all
of the Oriental Institute.
Tell
Ishchali and its environment :
![](412px-Four-faced_god,_Ishchali,_Isin-Larsa_to_Old_Babylonia_periods,_2000-1600_BC,_bronze_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_(detail).jpg)
Four-headed
god statuette, Isin-Larsa to Old Babylonia periods, 2000 - 1600
BC, Ishchali. Oriental Institute Museum
The
site lies about 3 miles (4.8 km) south and 7 miles (11 km) east
of the modern city of Baghdad and 15 miles (24 km) southeast of
Eshnunna on the Diyala River, a tributary of the Tigris. The main
tell at Ishchali measures roughly 600 by 300 metres (1,970 ft ×
980 ft). There are also small mounds to the north and south of it.
The entire site covers around 23 hectares (57 acres).
History
of occupation :
Surface finds indicate that Ishchali may have been occupied as far
back as the Akkadian period, but all excavated epigraphic evidence
dates to the Old Babylonian period. While some tablets mention early
local rulers, for most of the known history of Ishchali kings from
Eshnunna held sway there, including Ipiq-Adad and Ibal-pi-El.
The
most notable feature of Ishchali is the main temple. It was that
of Inanna-Kitium, or Inanna of Kiti. It is one of the largest temples
ever found in the ancient Near East. Rebuilt several times, always
following the original plan, the monumental building consisted of
one large upper temple and two smaller areas which are thought to
be shrines. The many tablets found there give an excellent picture
of temple life. A number of cylinder seals dating from the Early
Dynastic to the Larsa period were also found there, assumed to be
relic donations to the temple. There was also a smaller temple to
the local city-god version of the god Sin.
Material
culture :
Of the 280 tablets excavated, 138 went to the Oriental Institute
with the remaining 142 assigned to the Iraq Museum. The tablets
illegally excavated from Ishchali are in many locations including
the Lowie Museum of Anthropology at Berkeley, the Musée d'Art
et d'Histoire in Geneva, Iraq Museum, Oriental Institute, and the
Free Library of Philadelphia.
Artifacts
from Ishchali :
![](447px-Four-faced_goddess,_Ishchali,_Isin-Larsa_to_Old_Babylonia_periods,_2000-1600_BC,_bronze_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07384.jpg)
Four-faced
goddess, Ishchali, Isin-Larsa to Old Babylonia periods, 2000 - 1600
BC, bronze - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago
![](464px-Storm_god,_Ishchali,_Isin-Larsa_to_Old_Babylonian,_2000-1600_BC,_baked_clay_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07416.jpg)
Storm
god, Ishchali, Isin-Larsa to Old Babylonian, 2000 - 1600 BC, baked
clay - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago
![](601px-thumbnail.jpg)
Plaque
with bull-men holding a palm trunk with sun disk, Ishchali, Isin-Larsa
to Old Babylonian, 2000 - 1600 BC, baked clay - Oriental Institute
Museum, University of Chicago
![](622px-Storm_god,_Ishchali,_Isin-Larsa_to_Old_Babylonian,_2000-1600_BC,_baked_clay_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07418.jpg)
Storm
god, Ishchali, Isin-Larsa to Old Babylonian, 2000 - 1600 BC, baked
clay - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago
![](616px-Plaque_with_musician_playing_a_lute,_Ischali,_Isin-Larsa_period,_2000-1600_BC,_baked_clay_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07344.jpg)
Musician
playing a lute, Isin-Larsa period, 2000 - 1600 BC, baked clay -
Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Tell_Ishchali