Bad-tibira

Bad-tibira (Sumerian: , bad3-tibiraki), "Wall of the Copper Worker(s)", or "Fortress of the Smiths", identified as modern Tell al-Madineh (also Tell Madineh), between Ash Shatrah and Tell as-Senkereh (ancient Larsa) and 33 kilometers northeast of ancient Girsu in southern Iraq, was an ancient Sumerian city on the Iturungal canal (built by Ur III ruler Ur-Nammu), which appears among antediluvian cities in the Sumerian King List. Its Akkadian name was Dûr-gurgurri. It was also called (Pantibiblos) by Greek authors such as Berossus, transmitted by Abydenus and Apollodorus. This may reflect another version of the city's name, Patibira, "Canal of the Smiths".
There is known to be a temple of the deity Kittum at Bad-tibira. It has been suggested that Ninsheshegarra, an aspect of the goddess Geshtinanna who is sister of Dumuzid, was worshiped in the temple Esheshegarra at Bad-tibira.
Bad-tibira in Sumerian literature
According to the Sumerian King List, Bad-tibira was the second city to "exercise kingship" in Sumer before the flood, following Eridu. These kings were said to be En-men-lu-ana, En-men-gal-ana and Dumuzid the Shepherd.
The early Sumerian text Inanna's descent to the netherworld mentions the city's temple, E-mush-kalamma(a temple to Lulal ). In this tale, Inanna dissuades demons from the netherworld from taking Lulal, patron of Bad-tibira, who was living in squalor. They eventually take Dumuzid, who lived in palatial opulence at Uruk. This Dumuzid is called "the Shepherd", who on the King List resides at Bad-Tibira in contrast to the post-diluvian Dumuzid, the Fisherman, who reigns in Uruk.
History
A cone found at the site marked the construction by Ur-Nammu (c. 2100 BC), a ruler of the Ur III empire, of the Iturungal canal.
The "brotherhood text" in cuneiform inscriptions on a cone, of which there are many exemplars, from the site records the friendship pact of Entemena, governor of Lagash, and Lugal-kinishedudu, governor of Uruk. It identifies Entemena as the builder of the temple E-mush to Inanna and Dumuzid, under his local epithet Lugal-E-mush.
A foundation tablet of En-metena from the site, with multiple exemplars, also mentioned the building of E-Mush "... At that time, En-metena built for Lugalemush, the E-mush (“House — Radiance [of the Land]”) of Pa-tibira, his beloved temple, restoring it. ...". Pa-tibira appear to be an alternate spelling of Bad-tibira.
In the Isin-Larsa Period possession of the city passed between Larsa and Isin. Larsa ruler Sin-Iddinam (c. 1785- 1778 BC) claimed, on a cone thought to be from the site, to have built the great wall of Bad-tibira "by means of his triumph he built in a grand fashion the great wall of Bad-tibira". Isin ruler Lipit-Ishtar, "the shepherd of Nippur", claimed to have built the "House of Righteousness" there. The city was under the control of Larsa during the long reign of Rim-Sîn I. During the reign of Rim-Anum, a ruler of Uruk during the Old Babylonian period, a šagina-official of Bad₃-tibira is recorded as being received by military scribes at Uruk.
Archaeology
The site was visited in 1927 by Raymond P. Dougherty for a day. He reports that the site covered about a square mile with the western mound being the largest with low extensions bearing off a mile to the north. Numbers baked bricks were seen along with door sockets, flint saw blades, and a bronze needle.
Some badly effaced half-bricks on the surface of the mound bore the inscription of Amar-Sin, of the Third Dynasty of Ur. Pieces of vitrified brick scattered over the surface of the large mound bore witness to the city's destruction by fire.
In 1965 Vaughn E. Crawford of the Metropolitan Museum of Art visited the site, noting that surface pottery indicated occupation until about 1500 BC.
Tell Jidr (Tall Ǧidr)
The site, in the Tigris Rviver in modern Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate in Iraq, lay on the ancient Iturungal canal which also connected Adab, Umma, Zabalam, and Bäd-tibira. In particular it lies between Adab and Zabalam. At it's maximum extent it covered an area of 130 hectares. In 1967 a survey (generally known as the Warka Survey) was conducted the region, marking Tell Jidr as site WS-004. The ancient city of Adab lay just to the northwest. Two inscribed bricks of Gudea, ruler of Lagash were found at the site. The surface of the main two mounds is dominated with the remains from the Parthian and Sassanian periods. The northeast mound is 1300 meters by 1000 meters and the somewhat lower southeast mound is 1400 meters by 700 meters. At various locations around the site remains of the Ubaid, Uruk, Early Dynastic I, Kassite, and into the Sassanian period (without evidence of Neo-Babylonian or Achaemenian on the surface). The ruins of the Early Islamic site of Imam Dhahir lies adjacent. At various times a number of city names have been proposed for the site including Karkar, Irisaĝrig, KI.AN, Kesh, and Dabrumki. The primary evidence for Karkar is an itinerary of the Uruk ruler Utu-hengal in his campaign against the Gutian ruler Tirigan and the fact that during the Ur III empire Karkar was part of the province of Umma (the city of Umma lies 17 kilometers northwest of Tell Jidr). From 2016 to 2018 the QADIS regional survey conducted satellite, drone, surface survey, soundings, and geoarchaeological boring at Tell Jidr (QD013). It found that the extended site covered 430 hectares. Two inscribed bricks of the Ur III ruler Ur-Nammu were found which contained a dedication to Ishkur which would support the identification of the location as Karkar. It is difficult to confirm at this point if the bricks have not been re-used from another location, especially in the case of the Gudea bricks. The site is heavily pitted from robbers looking for coins, glass, and jewelry.
See also
List of cities of the ancient Near East
Notes
Further reading
W.F. Leemans, "Tablets from Bad-tibira and Samsuiluna's Reconquest of the South", JEOL, vol. 15, pp. 214–218, 1957/58
External links
Translation of Inana's descent to the nether world
Foundation Peg of Entemena found at presumed site of Bad-tibira - British Museum
Sumerian cities
Archaeological sites in Iraq
Former populated places in Iraq
Dhi Qar Governorate
Former kingdoms