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The site remained vacant for sixty years, till Tiglath-Pileser, having lately ascended the throne, determined to erect on the spot a new temple to the old gods, who were Anu and Vul, probably the tutelary deities of the city. His own account of the circumstances of the building and dedication is as follows:
'May the great gods remove the spell from my body, or 'O flaming Fire-god, mighty son of Anu! judge thou my case and grant me a decision! Burn up the sorcerers and sorceress! It is the gods that are prayed to that the word of the sorceress 'shall turn back to her own mouth; may the gods of might smite her in her magic; may the magic which she has worked be crumbled like salt.
Elsewhere the city Uruk is called "the dwelling of Anu and Ishtar, the city of the Kizréti, Ukháti, and Kharimâti" and in a subsequent tablet of the Gilgamesh epic these three classes of harlots are introduced as the attendants of Ishtar, obedient to her call.
In other words, the conception of the triad Anu, Bel, and Ea is again an evidence of the existence of schoolmen and of schools of religious thought in the days of the ancient empire. So far, however, as Hammurabi is concerned, he only refers to a duality Anu and Bel which, for him, comprises all the other gods.
'Let them call to thee but answer them not, Let them address thee, but hearken not to them. Let me call to thee, and do thou answer me, Let me address thee, and do thou hearken unto me. By the command of Anu, Anatum, and Belit, recite the incantation. I choose one which illustrates in greater detail the symbolical burning of the image of the witch:
Anu is represented as the father of both groups. But they are also at the service of other gods, notably of Bel, who is spoken of as their 'lord, of Ninib, of Marduk, of Ishtar, and of Nergal. They prostrate themselves before these superior masters, and the latter at times manifest their anger against the Igigi. They are sent out by the gods to do service.
Again, in the incantation texts she appears only as the daughter of Anu, coördinate with Sin and Shamash. Keils Bibl. 3, 1, 72, note. Old Babylonian Inscriptions, I. pls. 30, 31. Questioned by Peiser, ib. Among many nations the moon is pictured as a horned animal. See Robert Brown's interesting monograph on The Unicorn, pp. 27 seq. et passim; also above, p. 76. See above, p. 59.
In the religious productions, this relationship is expressed by making Ramman the son of Anu. From a passage descriptive of this temple it would appear that the old temple founded by King Samsi-Ramman, who lived several centuries before Tiglathpileser, was dedicated to Ramman. It looks, therefore, as though the association of Anu with Ramman was the work of the later king.
The interpretation of his name is doubtful. He probably is one of the numerous local gods who was absorbed by some more powerful one and who thus came to have a position of inferior rank in the pantheon. Anu, upon hearing the news, is enraged, and cries for 'help' against an interference in his domain.
She appears in the inscription in question by the side of a goddess who following Hommel is none other than Bau. Dêr is called the city of the god Anu, and we can only suppose that it must at one time have risen to sufficient importance to harbor in its midst a number of deities.
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