Detail of the Sun God Tablet from Sippar

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Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
by
published on 22 February 2018
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Detail of the Sun God Tablet from Sippar Download Full Size Image

This is the upper part of the obverse side of the tablet, which was excavated by Hormuzd Rassam in the late 19th century CE. Nabu-nadin-shum (a priest) and the goddess Aa lead Nabu-aplu-iddina (a king of Babylon, reigned 888 – 855 BCE) to a shrine. Within the shrine (Ebabbara), the Sun God, wearing a horned headdress, sits on a stool and holds a ringed rod in his right hand. Before him, a solar disc rests on an altar, which is supported by ropes held by attendant deities (which can be seen on the roof of the shrine). The whole shrine sits on what appears to be a heavenly ocean. Above the Sun god, symbols of Sin, Shamash, and Ishtar appear.

The text (on the obverse and reverse sides of the tablet), which is not shown here,
records Nabu-apla-iddina's re-endowment of the Sun-Temple at Sippar. Another additional text was added to the tablet later during the reign of the Neo-Babylonian king Nabopolassar (626-605 BCE). Middle Babylonian Period, 860-850 BCE. From Sippar, Southern Mesopotamia modern-day Iraq. (The British Museum, London).

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About the Author

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2018, February 22). Detail of the Sun God Tablet from Sippar. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/8094/detail-of-the-sun-god-tablet-from-sippar/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Detail of the Sun God Tablet from Sippar." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified February 22, 2018. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/8094/detail-of-the-sun-god-tablet-from-sippar/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Detail of the Sun God Tablet from Sippar." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 22 Feb 2018. Web. 21 Dec 2024.

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