The Revival of the Anu Cult and the Nocturnal Fire Ceremony at Late Babylonian Uruk

325 Pages·2018·3.405 MB·English

by  Julia Krul

TheRevivaloftheAnuCultandtheNocturnalFireCeremonyatLate
BabylonianUruk
Culture and History of the
Ancient Near East
FoundingEditor
M.H.E.Weippert
Editor-in-Chief
JonathanStökl
Editors
EckartFrahm
W.RandallGarr
B.Halpern
TheoP.J.vandenHout
LeslieAnneWarden
IreneJ.Winter
volume 95
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/chan
The Revival of the Anu Cult
and the Nocturnal Fire Ceremony
at Late Babylonian Uruk
By
JuliaKrul
LEIDEN | BOSTON
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∵

Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Abbreviations xiv
Introduction 1
1 TheHistoricalBackgroundoftheAnuCult 9
1.1 ABriefReligiousHistoryofUruk 9
1.2 TheDevelopmentoftheLateBabylonianAnuCult 16
1.2.1 UrukundertheAchaemenidEmpire 16
1.2.2 ScholarshipatUruk 19
1.2.3 TheEarliestBuildingPhasesoftheBītRēš 27
1.3 TheAnuCultduringtheSeleucidandParthianPeriod 30
1.3.1 EarlyTextualEvidencefortheAnuCult 30
1.3.2 BuildingInitiativesbyLocalOfficials 34
1.3.3 SeleucidReligiousPatronageinBabylonia 38
1.3.4 LocalRepresentativesoftheKingatUruk 42
1.3.5 TheConstructionandRenovationoftheCity’sTemples 46
1.3.6 ConsolidatingtheCulticSystem 56
1.3.7 TheRegularCultPracticeatSeleucidandEarlyParthian
Uruk 58
1.3.8 TheCityPantheon 60
1.3.9 TheLateSeleucidandEarlyParthianPeriodandtheDecline
ofUruk 76
2 TheologicalandIdeologicalAspectsoftheAnuCult 79
2.1 AntiquarianTheology 79
2.2 HenotheisticTendencies? 82
2.3 AnchoringtheCultintheHistoricalandMythologicalPast 83
2.3.1 ModellingTemplesandTempleNamesonVenerableCultic
Locations 84
2.3.2 ScholarlyExchangewithNippurandDēr 88
2.3.3 TheNameBītRēš 90
2.3.4 TheTextual(Re)constructionoftheCult’sHistory 91
3 TheTablet(AO6460)andtheText(TU41) 107
3.1 PublicationHistory 107
3.2 Transliteration,TranslationandCommentary 112
viii contents
4 TheRitual’sCalendricalSetting 119
4.1 Introduction 119
4.2 TheNightVigil(bayātu)andItsOccurrences 120
4.3 Day16andtheLunarCulticCalendar 125
4.4 CulticAspectsofthe16thofṬebētu 128
4.5 TheWinterSolstice 130
4.6 Conclusion 134
5 AnalysisofTU41 136
5.1 MethodoftheAnalysis 136
5.1.1 MethodologicalConsiderations 136
5.1.2 CategoriesofReligiousRitualintheAkkadianSources 138
5.1.3 TU41intheContextofItsTextualGenre 140
5.1.4 DivisionandApproachoftheMaterial 142
5.2 Obv.1–8 145
5.2.1 TheRoomsandCourtyardsoftheBītRēš 145
5.2.2 TheGuardianDeities 149
5.2.3 TheStaff,theShoe,theDaughtersofAnuandtheDaughters
ofUruk 154
5.3 Obv.8–13 158
5.3.1 SmearingtheDoorsandDoorframes 159
5.3.2 TheEveningMeal 160
5.3.3 The‘Bull-and-Sheep’-Offering 162
5.4 Obv.13–28 173
5.4.1 TheHighShrineoftheZiqqurrat 174
5.4.2 TheCulticUseofZiqqurratSanctuariesintheFirstMillennium
BC 176
5.4.3 RitualsonRooftops 177
5.4.4 OfferingstoGreatAnuandGreatAntuofHeaven,Sîn,Šamaš,
andtheFivePlanets 178
5.4.5 PrayersandOfferingstoStarsandPlanetsinMesopotamian
RitualLiterature 181
5.5 Obv.28—rev.1 190
5.5.1 Thelumaḫḫu 190
5.5.2 TheWrap(nēbeḫu) 193
5.5.3 TheTorch 195
5.5.4 MesopotamianFestivalswithTorchesandBraziers 196
5.5.5 TheMouth-WashingRite(mīspî) 199
5.5.6 Aromatics 200
5.5.7 ThePureGate(ká.sikil.la) 201
contents ix
5.6 Rev.1–14 202
5.6.1 TheTorchTakingUpPositionbeforeAnuandAntu 203
5.6.2 ThePlaceofBrightness(ki.zálag.ga) 203
5.6.3 BreachingaVessel 204
5.6.4 Pisangunug 208
5.6.5 TheUbšukkinnakuandtheDaisofDestinies 211
5.6.6 TheProcession 214
5.6.7 TheSacrificeoftheBullandtheFirstBonfire 218
5.7 Rev.14–27 221
5.7.1 ThešalāmbītiCeremony 222
5.7.2 TheStreets,theCrossroads,andtheCityGates 223
5.7.3 ReedStandards 225
5.7.4 ParticipationofCitizensinBabylonianTempleRituals 226
5.8 Rev.28–32 232
5.8.1 ThedīkbītiandpītbābiCeremony 233
5.8.2 ‘HonoredOne,WildOx’ 233
5.9 Rev.33 234
5.9.1 BetweentheCurtains 234
6 InterpretationofTU41 236
6.1 TheOrganisationoftheRitual 236
6.2 TheFireCeremony 237
6.2.1 FireSymbolism 237
6.2.2 PurificationandExorcism 239
6.2.3 RelationshiptoFuneraryRituals 243
6.2.4 HierarchyandParticipationwithintheReligious
Community 247
6.2.5 Midwinter 249
6.2.6 CosmologicalandSocialRenewal 251
6.2.7 AnthropologicalContext 252
6.3 ComprehensiveAnalysis 255
Summary 259
Bibliography 267
Figures 291
IndexofReferencedSources 293
IndexofLocations 300
IndexofNames 302
IndexofTerms 308