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Tish-atal (Hurrian ) (
fl. c. 21st century BC) was endan of
Urkesh
Urkesh or Urkish ( Akkadian: 𒌨𒆧𒆠UR.KIÅ KI, 𒌨𒋙ð’€ð’„²ð’† UR.KEÅ 3KI; modern Tell Mozan; ar, تل موزان) is a tell, or settlement mound, located in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in Al-Hasakah Governorate, northeaster ...
during the
Third Dynasty of Ur
The Third Dynasty of Ur, also called the Neo-Sumerian Empire, refers to a 22nd to 21st century Common Era, BC (middle chronology) Sumerian ruling dynasty based in the city of Ur and a short-lived territorial-political state which some historians c ...
. He was one of the earliest known
Hurrian
The Hurrians (; cuneiform: ; transliteration: ''Ḫu-ur-ri''; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri or Hurriter) were a people of the Bronze Age Near East. They spoke a Hurrian language and lived in Anatolia, Syria and Northern ...
rulers, but the archaeological record is fragmentary for this period, and no precise date can be ascribed to his reign.
Name
In older literature the name ''Tishari'' is sometimes used, but it has now been established that the correct rendering is Tish-atal. Two other rulers with a similar name are known from around the same period, Tish-atal of Nineveh and Dishatal, king of Karahar. These are thought to be distinct persons, so the name was probably common in the area where the Hurrians lived.
Inscription
A
cuneiform
Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-sha ...
inscription about a temple of
Nergal
Nergal ( Sumerian: d''KIÅ .UNU'' or ; ; Aramaic: Ü¢Ü¸ÜªÜ“Ü²Ü ; la, Nirgal) was a Mesopotamian god worshiped through all periods of Mesopotamian history, from Early Dynastic to Neo-Babylonian times, with a few attestations under indicating hi ...
is the only source for Tish-atal. The text is found on
two bronze lion statuettes, but there is a better preserved copy on a stone tablet, now in the
Louvre Museum
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
, along with one of the lions. This famous inscription is the earliest known writing in the Hurrian language. The following translation is given by Mirjo Salvini:
''Tish-atal, endan of Urkesh, has built a temple for Nergal. May the god Lubadag protect it. He who destroys this temple, may Lubadag destroy. May the god ..not hear his prayers. May the lady of Nagar, Shimaga[The Hurrian sun-god (Wilhelm, p. 140)] and the storm god
A weather god or goddess, also frequently known as a storm god or goddess, is a deity in mythology associated with weather phenomena such as thunder, snow, lightning, rain, wind, storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Should they only be in charge of ...
curse ten thousand times he who destroys it.''
Notes and references
Bibliography
''Urkesh and the Hurrians: Studies in Honor of Lloyd Cotsen'' ed. G. Bucaletti and M. Kelly-Bucaletti, Undena Publications, Malibu 1998, {{ISBN, 0-89003-501-6:
** Salvini, Mirjo (1998). ''The Earliest Evidences of the Hurrians Before the Formation of the Reign of Mittanni''
** Taracha, Piotr (2009.). ''Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia''
** Wilhelm, Gernot (1998). ''Die inschrift des Tišatal von Urkeš''
Hurrian kings
21st-century BC rulers
Urkesh