05/10/2020

Thin End of the Wedge

Episode 1: Laith Hussein: Tell Harmal, heart of Eshnunna

Laith Hussein talks about a key centre in the kingdom of Eshnunna. Eshnunna was one of several rival kingdoms fighting for supremacy in Iraq about 4000 years ago. What was found, and what work is being done?
 

3:06 about the site of Tell Harmal. Where is it? How big is it? When was it excavated? What was its ancient name?

7:54 what ancient texts have been found there?

13:01 how the archaeological remains and texts relate to each other. The production of huge numbers of bricks.

15:54 what language are the texts in? And what do they talk about?

17:36 what do they tell us about life in ancient Iraq?

21:00 any plans for new excavations?

Music by Ruba Hillawi

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The article Dr Laith mentioned is: "Bauplanung und Administration in altbabylonischer Zeit: ein Tonbullen-Archiv aus Tell Harmal (Shaduppum)", in Kaskal 9 (2012), pp. 3-29

A brief report on the 1997-1998 excavations is available in English. 

The Iraqi scholars Dr Laith mentions as having worked on tablets from Tell Harmal are:

Basima Jalil Abed, Unpublished Cuneiform Texts from the Old Babylonian Period in the Iraq Museum. Masters dissertation, Baghdad University (in Arabic). 1998

Khalid al-A’dami, Some Old Babylonian Letters in the Iraq Museum. PhD dissertation. 1971

Abdulkarim  Abdullah Ahmed, Old Babylonian Loan Contracts in the Iraq Museum from Tell al-Dhiba’i and Tell Harmal. Masters dissertation, Baghdad University (= OBLC). 1964

Saad Salman Fahad, Cuneiform Texts from the Old Babylonian Period, Diyala Region, Tell Harmal. Masters dissertation, Baghdad University (in Arabic). 1996

Ahmad Hamid Majeed, Studies of Unpublished Old Babylonian Cuneiform Texts from the Diyala Region, Tell Harmal. Masters dissertation, Baghdad University (in Arabic). 1990        

Ridha al-Hashimi, Some Old Babylonian Purchase Contracts in the Iraqi Museum from Harmal and Dhiba’i (OBPC). Masters dissertation, Baghdad University (in Arabic). 1964

Menshed Mutlaq Menshed, Unpublished Cuneiform Texts from the Old Babylonian Period, Diyala Region, Tell Harmal. Masters dissertation, Baghdad University (in Arabic). 1997 

Ahmad Kamil Muhammed, Unpublished Old Babylonian Letters in the Iraq Museum. PhD dissertation, Baghdad University (in Arabic). 1996

Amir Suleiman, A Study of Land Tenure in the Old Babylonian Period with Special Reference to The Diyala Region, Based on Published and Unpublished Texts (= SLTOB). PhD dissertation, University of London. 1966

Amir Suleiman, Harvest Documents and Loan Contracts from the Old Babylonian Period, Sumer 34/I-II (1978), pp. 130-138