Sippar
Tell Abu Habbah · Sippar-Yahrurum · Sippar-Amnanum (Tell ed-Der)
Early Bronze to Neo-Babylonian (c.3000–539 BCE; peak OB 1800–1600, NB 626–539)·Sumerian → Amorite (Babylon) → Kassite → Neo-Babylonian·🇮🇶 Babylon Governorate, Euphrates, Iraq
About
About Sippar
Sippar — twin tell-city on Euphrates (Abu Habbah = Sippar-Yahrurum, Tell ed-Der = Sippar-Amnanum) and cult centre of Shamash sun-god with great Ebabbar temple, ziggurat and 70,000-tablet archive. Rassam 1881–82 yielded Shamash temple library and Sun-God Tablet (Nabu-apla-iddina 870 BCE). Iraqi–German excavations reveal 5-km city wall, Euphrates harbour, Kassite and Neo-Babylonian houses, and astronomical texts.
Why it mattersMajor Shamash juridical cult; 70k-tablet law, hymn and later astronomical archive.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Twin-city relation Sippar-Yahrurum vs Amnanum?
- 02Ebabbar archive continuity OB→NB?
Theories
- 01Shamash juridical theology centre (Harris)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.3000 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze to Neo-Babylonian (c.3000–539 BCE; peak OB 1800–1600, NB 626–539)
- Culture
- Sumerian → Amorite (Babylon) → Kassite → Neo-Babylonian
- Builders
- Sin-muballit, Hammurabi, Nabonidus, Nabu-apla-iddina
- Purpose
- Settlement and ceremonial centre
- Abandoned
- 539 BCE (Cyrus)
- Rediscovered
- 1881 (Hormuzd Rassam)
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1760 BCE
Hammurabi restores Ebabbar
870 BCE
Nabu-apla-iddina Sun-God Tablet
1881
Rassam discovers Ebabbar archive
1980s
Iraqi-German wall/harbour excavations
On the ground
Structures & features
33.0600° N · 44.2500° E · 30 m · 4 mapped features
Ebabbar Temple of Shamash
templeGreat Ebabbar of Shamash — cella, courtyard, Sun-God Tablet shrine
33.0604° N · 44.2502° EZiggurat of Shamash (Ebabbar Stage)
temple50-m ziggurat of Shamash, Rassam 1881 platform platform
33.0597° N · 44.2498° ECity Wall and Euphrates Harbour
fortification5-km city wall with vaulted harbour basin on old Euphrates channel
33.0610° N · 44.2492° ETablet Archive Quarter (Ebabbar Library)
archive70k-tablet library — OB law and NB astronomical texts
33.0605° N · 44.2506° E