Tell Sifr is an

ancient Near East The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran ( Elam, ...

archaeological site in

Dhi Qar Governorate Dhi Qar Governorate ( ar, ذي قار, translit=Thi Qār, ) is a Governorates of Iraq, governorate in southern Iraq. The provincial capital is Nasiriyah. Prior to 1976 the governorate was known as Muntafiq Governorate. Thi Qar was the heartland of ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. It lies about nine miles from the ancient city of

Larsa Larsa ( Sumerian logogram: UD.UNUGKI, read ''Larsamki''), also referred to as Larancha/Laranchon (Gk. Λαραγχων) by Berossos and connected with the biblical Ellasar, was an important city-state of ancient Sumer, the center of the cul ...

. The city lay on a branch of the ancient Iturungal canal.

History

The site was occupied in the

Isin-Larsa The Isin-Larsa period (circa 2025-1763 BCE, Middle Chronology, or 1961-1699 BCE, Short Chronology) is a phase in the history of ancient Mesopotamia, which extends between the end of the Third Dynasty of Ur and the conquest of Mesopotamia by King H ...

and Old Babylonian periods. Larsa king

Silli-Adad Silli-Adad ruled the ancient Near East city-state of Larsa from 1771 BC to 1770 BC. His reign was less than a full year; Chronology of the Larsa Dynasty, E.M. Grice , C.E. Keiser, M. Jastrow, AMS Press, 1979, the annals state that he was "removed ...

referred to himself as the governor of

Kutalla Tell Sifr is an ancient Near East archaeological site in Dhi Qar Governorate Iraq. It lies about nine miles from the ancient city of Larsa. The city lay on a branch of the ancient Iturungal canal. History The site was occupied in the Isin-Larsa ...

. In one of his writings

Hammurabi Hammurabi (Akkadian: ; ) was the sixth Amorite king of the Old Babylonian Empire, reigning from to BC. He was preceded by his father, Sin-Muballit, who abdicated due to failing health. During his reign, he conquered Elam and the city-states ...

refers to an orchard keeper from Kutalla. A god, possibly the city god, known to reside at Kutallu was Lugal-ki-suna. A deified symbol of Marduk, Marru(m)-Ía-Marduk, the "Spade of Marduk" is also attested there. In

Parthian Parthian may be: Historical * A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran * Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD) * Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language * Parthian shot, an archery skill famously employed by ...

times it was used as a cemetery. The Parthian graves are brick vaulted oblongs and painted red inside.

Archaeology

Contract for a loan of silver - Tell Sifr BM 33257

The site is a small conical mound on top of a platform of about 40 feet in height. It was excavated by

William Loftus William Loftus may refer to: * William Loftus (archaeologist), British geologist, naturalist, explorer and archaeological excavator * William Loftus (British Army officer), British Army officer and Member of Parliament * William Loftus (Canadian foo ...

in 1854. A number of unbaked clay cuneiform tablets were found, many "enveloped". The tablets, 100 in total with most complete, were found in a brick structure, protected by reed matting. The envelopes partially surrounding the tablets were also inscribed and sealed using cylinder seals.William Loftus
''Travels and researches in Chaldæa and Susiana; with an account of excavations at Warka, the Erech of Nimrod, and Shúsh, Shushan the Palace of Esther, in 1849-52''
J. Nisbet and Co., 1857 An Old Babylonian period assemblage of copper tools was found. The copper assemblage, which had also been wrapped in reed matting, and the tablets are now held at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

. The tablets were later published. They were dated to the reigns of Larsa king Rim-Sin, and Babylon kings

and

Samsu-iluna Samsu-iluna (Amorite: ''Shamshu''; c. 1750–1712 BC) was the seventh king of the founding Amorite dynasty of Babylon, ruling from 1750 BC to 1712 BC (middle chronology), or from 1686 to 1648 BC ( short chronology). He was the son and successor of ...

. Most come from the family archive of one Sillii-Eshtar. After further analysis it has been suggested that one third of the tablets actually came from Ur (excavated by J. E. Taylor) and were inadvertently mixed in with the Loftus tablets from Tell Sifr during shipping.Charpin, Dominique. "Epigraphy of Ur: Past, Present, and Future". Ur in the Twenty-First Century CE: Proceedings of the 62nd Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Philadelphia, July 11–15, 2016, edited by Grant Frame, Joshua Jeffers and Holly Pittman, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, 2021, pp. 181-194

References

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History

Archaeology

See also

References

Further reading