Esagil and the kings of the First Babylonian dynasty

  • Ilya Yu. Lapushanski Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

Abstract

The Esagila temple, which was the main temple of the city of Babylon and its supreme god Marduk, has been an important religious center of Mesopotamia since the establishment of the local royal dynasty in the city and especially after the conquests of king Hammurabi. From an ideological point of view, the support of the temples and the gods living in them was the main duty of any Mesopotamian ruler. In this article the data of cuneiform sources on the relationship of the main temple of the god Marduk with the royal power in the Old Babylonian period (2003–1595 BC) are considered. The data of the yearformulas of the kings of the First Babylonian dynasty regarding the temples of their kingdom and, in particular, the Esagil temple are analysed. Excerpts from the prologue and epilogue of the Laws of Hammurabi concerning Esagil are also studied. The following conclusions are made in the article: the kings of Babylon installed cult objects in the temple, carried out renovation work in it, and also made offerings of various objects to the gods of Esagila; in the Laws of Hammurabi, particular attention is paid to the special relationship of the king with the temple of Marduk; judicial activity was carried out under Hammurabi, although it is not clear who carried it out, the temple staff or the judges of the king.

Author Biography

Ilya Yu. Lapushanski, Belarusian State University, 4 Niezaliezhnasci Avenue, Minsk 220030, Belarus

postgraduate student at the department of ancient and medieval history, faculty of history

 

References

  1. Schrakamp I. Die «Sumerische Tempelstadt» heute: die sozioökonomische Rolle eines Tempels in frühdynastischer Zeit. In: Kaniuth K, Löhnert A, Miller JL, Otto A, Roaf M, Sallaberger W, Herausgebere. Tempel im Alten Orient. 7. Internationales Colloquium der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft; 11.–13. October 2009; München, Deutschland. Wiesbaden: Harassowitz Verlag; 2013. S. 445–465.
  2. Frame G. Rulers of Babylonia: from the Second dynasty of Isin to the end of Assyrian domination (1157–612 BC). Sweet RFG, editor. Toronto: University of Toronto Press; 1995. 350 p. (The royal inscriptions of Mesopotamia. Babylonian periods; volume 2).
  3. Waerzeggers C. The pious kings: royal patronage of temples. In: Radner K, Robson E, editors. Oxford handbook of cuneiform culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2011. p. 725–751.
  4. McCaffrey K. The Sumerian sacred marriage: texts and images. In: Crawford H, editor. The Sumerian world. London: Routledge; 2013. p. 227–245 (The Routledge worlds).
  5. Linssen MJH. The cults of Uruk and Babylon. The temple ritual texts as evidence for hellenistic cult practices. Abusch T, Geller MJ, Maidman MP, Maul SM, Wiggermann FAM, editors. Leiden: Brill; 2004. 343 p. (Cuneiform monographs; volume 25). Co-published by the «Styx».
  6. Westenholz JG. In the service of the gods: the ministering clergy. In: Crawford H, editor. The Sumerian world. London: Routledge; 2013. p. 246–274 (The Routledge worlds).
  7. Sallaberger W. The palace and the temple in Babylonia. In: Leick G, editor. The Babylonian world. New York: Routledge; 2007. p. 265–275 (The Routledge worlds).
  8. Horsnell MJA. The grammar and syntax of the year-names of the first dynasty of Babylon. Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 1977;36(4):277–285. DOI: 10.1086/372588.
  9. Horsnell MJA. The year-names of the first dynasty of Babylon. Hamilton: McMaster University Press; 1999. 443 p.
  10. Frayne DR. Old Babylonian period (2003–1595 BC). Sweet RFG, editor. Toronto: University of Toronto Press; 1990. 851 p. (The royal inscriptions of Mesopotamia. Early periods; volume 4).
  11. George АR. House most high: the temples of Ancient Mesopotamia. Cooper JS, editor. Winona Lake: Eisenbraus; 1993. 209 p. (Mesopotamian civilizations; volume 5).
  12. Lambert WG. Babylonian creation myths. Cooper JS, editor. Winona Lake: Eisenbraus; 2013. 640 p. (Mesopotamian civilizations; volume 16).
  13. Bergmann E. Codex Hammurabi. Textus primigenius. Roma: Pontificium institutum biblicum; 1953. 53 p.
  14. Stol M. Letters from collections in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Berkeley. Kraus FR, editor. Leiden: Brill; 1986. 129 p. (Altbabylonische Briefe in Umschrift und Übersetzung; Band 11).
  15. Harris R. On the process of secularization under Hammurabi. Journal of Cuneiform Studies. 1961;15(4):117–120. DOI: 10.2307/1359521.
Published
2023-08-18
Keywords: Babylon, Babylonian religion, religious architecture, Hammurabi
How to Cite
Lapushanski I. Y. Esagil and the kings of the First Babylonian dynasty // Journal of the Belarusian State University. History. 2023. 3. PP. 33-40.