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Updated: May 9, 2025
A tall thin priest of the old pre-Christian Nippur, about forty years of age, and clad in a simple abba, led me to the treasure-chamber of the temple, on its south-east side. He went with me into a small low-ceiled room without windows, in which there was a large wooden chest, while scraps of agate and lapis lazuli lay scattered on the floor. Here he addressed me as follows:
In a general way, what holds good of Marduk's papakhu applies to every sacred chamber in a temple, and no doubt views were once current of the papakhu of Bel at Nippur and of the 'holy of holies' in E-Babbara and elsewhere that formed in some measure, a parallel to what the Marduk priests told of their favorite sanctuary.
In this way he evidently distinguished the god of Nippur from Bel-Marduk, similarly as Hammurabi in one place adds Dagan to Bel, to make it perfectly clear what god he meant.
The small states of Babylonia were constantly at war with each other, even though they shared in a common civilisation, worshipped the same gods, and presented their offerings to the same sanctuary of Nippur. Southern Babylonia or Kengi, "the land of canals and reeds," as it was often named was already divided against the north. At times it exercised supremacy as far as Nippur.
Kingu the symbol of chaos, like Tiâmat wears them on his breast, but he is obliged to yield them to the conqueror of Tiâmat and of her brood, who replaces 'chaos' by 'order. This conqueror was originally Bel of Nippur, and the Zu myth in representing En-lil as holding the tablets of fate confirms the view above set forth, according to which the original Tiâmat tale has been modified by the substitution of Marduk for the old Bel.
No less than twenty-one different strata, representing separate periods of occupation, have been noted by the American excavators at various levels within the Nippur mounds, the earliest descending to virgin soil some twenty feet below the present level of the surrounding plain.
So at Babylon, at least, according to Herodotus. Bit pirishti. IIR. 50, obverse, 6. Peters' Nippur, ii. chapter vi. Schick, Die Stiftschütte, der Tempel, und der Tempelplatz der Jetztzeit, pp. 8, 9. The present structure, though comparatively modern, is built after ancient models. Schick, ib. pp. 125-131. Die Stiftshütte, der Tempel, und der Tempelplatz der Jeiztzeit, p. 82.
Though Nippur, rather than Babylon, appears to have been the favorite city of the dynasty, the course of civilization flows on uninterruptedly, and it is not until the growing complications between Babylonia and Assyria, due to the steady encroachment on the part of the latter, that decided changes begin to take place.
However this may be, a city so ancient and so well fortified must have played a most important part in old Babylonian history, second only in importance, if not equal, to Nippur. The continued influence of the Ishtar or Nanâ cult of Erech also illustrates the significance of the place. It is natural, therefore, to find traditions surviving of the history of the place.
We may conclude from this, that at the time when Isin extended its supremacy, the greater luster attaching to the old towns of Nippur and Uruk, was emphasized by the precedence given to these centers over Isin, although the Isin kings are only 'shepherds' and 'merciful lords' over Nippur and Uruk, and not kings.
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