An Ur III Period Tablet from the Anatolian Civilizations Museum (Ankara)
One of the nearly 90.0... more An Ur III Period Tablet from the Anatolian Civilizations Museum (Ankara)
One of the nearly 90.000 Neo-Sumerian tablets scattered in hundreds of museums of so many countries is held at the Anatolian Civilization Museum in Ankara. The current article introduces this tablet, numbered 19-1-2019. This small text with 18 lines is a loan contract dated to the 5th month of the 4th year of Amar-Sin, one of the Ur III kings. The document is related to 5 shekels of silver, the debt of Ur-Šul to Ur-sukkal.
KÜLT EŞYALARI İÇEREN YENİ BİR KÜLTEPE TABLETİ, 2022
Cult objects belonging to the gods and the sanctuaries, which include the statues or representati... more Cult objects belonging to the gods and the sanctuaries, which include the statues or representations of the gods, are the subject of a few Kültepe texts. The document from the 1949 archive (Kt b/k 93+167), introduced here for the first time, gives another example of cult objects. Among these items, entrusted to a person named Puzur-Aššur, there are some objects of unclear meaning, goblets or vessels in the shape of a bird and a bull-head, a bow, and a dagger, the knob of which was made of gold and meteoric iron. All of these objects, possibly belonging to an unknown deity, occur for the first time in the Kültepe texts. Although the lack of information in the document does not allow us a satisfactory interpretation of the context of this list, the items may have belonged to a private chapel of a trader. There are about 850 cuneiform documents in the 1949 archive. Although there is no detailed study on these texts yet, the names of Amur-Aššur and Karriya's son Ennam-Aššur are prominent as the candidates for the archive owner. At the end of the ongoing studies on the archive, it will be clear whether these people were members of the same family and held the archive together or there were two different archives of unrelated merchants.
Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Tarih Bölümü Tarih Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2014
In terms of the number of tablets found in the official Kültepe excavations, which
have been con... more In terms of the number of tablets found in the official Kültepe excavations, which
have been continued since 1948, the season of 1992 is one of the richest years. 1058
pieces of archaeological items were found in that year. The documents between Kt
92/k 1027 and Kt 92/k 1034 were discovered in a separate trench away from all
other tablets. Consequently, these documents have to be studied as a small archive
separately from other tablet groups. The personnel names of Enna-Su’en and
Kunīlum are prominent in these tablets. According to the data occurred from the
texts, it is understood that this small archive has to be dated around 1860 BC
(Middle Chronology). The text Kt 92/k 1030 is important because it contains the city name Gazabura for the first time in Kültepe sources. It is obvious that the city name
Gazabura, recorded as Ga-za-bu-ra-i-im in the text, is the Old Assyrian form of a
well known city from the Hittite sources as Gazziura or Gašipura or Ka/izzimara
which is generally identified with modern Turhal.
The main commercial goods of the Anatolian trade in the
Assyrian Trading Colonies Period were tin... more The main commercial goods of the Anatolian trade in the Assyrian Trading Colonies Period were tin and various wool fabrics which the traders obtained in Assur. In addition to those commodities, the merchants tried to increase their income at odd times by trading products such as copper and wool of Anatolian origin. Leather or fleece, another Anatolian product, can be added to these Anatolian goods, which Assyrian merchants traded inside Anatolia. Two basic Akkadian terms, ārum and maškum occur in the Kültepe tablets for the meaning of leather or fleece/hides. Among these terms, which appear in more than 100 documents in total, especially maškum is more reflected in the texts as a commercial product; there are records of hundreds of them being bought and sold or transported from one place to another. The Kültepe texts record a total of 45 ārum and 1674 maškum. In addition, there are records of maškum weighing approximately 42 talents in three separate documents. It is not clear what kind of a distinction there is between the terms ārum and maškum as for the characteristics of the leather/fleece. However, the difference between these words could be in terms of the form of the leather/fleece or whether it had undergone any processing, but not the animals from which it originated. ārum does not describe the skin of any animal except cattle, but the term maškum is also occurring for cattle skin in the documents. It is believed that the leather tanning process is one of the oldest occupations that human beings have mastered in terms of manufacturing techniques. In this respect, it is clear that leather tanning was known and practiced during the Old Assyrian Trade Colonies Period. However, there is no clear evidence in the Kültepe texts that would enable us to distinguish tanned leather from other rawhide or fleece. On the other hand, ārum, associated with the Hebrew word ‘ōr meaning “hide” in CAD A/II, p. 318a, may be related to the words erû “bare, empty” in CAD E, p. 320b, and a/erum “to be naked” in CDA p. 80a, and erium “naked” derived from this word. Accordingly, one may think that the term ārum may correspond to leather that had undergone some manufacturing process for tanning in some way.
MARİ KRALIYET BELGELERİNDE SU TAŞKINLARI İLE BARAJ-BENT YAPIMI VE TAMİRATINA İLİŞKİN KAYITLAR
Mari Krallığı, M.Ö. II. Binde Mezopotamya'nın hem siyasi yapılanmasında hem de Orta Fırat bölgesi... more Mari Krallığı, M.Ö. II. Binde Mezopotamya'nın hem siyasi yapılanmasında hem de Orta Fırat bölgesindeki kara ve nehir yolu ticaretinde kilit rol üstlenmiş bir merkezdir. Eskiçağ araştırmalarında Mari Krallığını önemli kılan bir diğer faktör de Mari sarayında ele geçen 20.000 civarında krallığın çeşitli konulardaki idari belgeleridir. Burada açığa çıkarılan metinlerin çoğu, Mari kralı Zimri-Lim ile onun yüksek dereceli memurları arasında farklı konularda yazılmış mektuplardan oluşmaktadır. Mari kraliyet arşivi belgeleri, Eski Yakındoğu arşivleri arasında ayrı bir öneme sahiptir. Çünkü bu mektuplar, Yakındoğu krallıklarının siyasi ve askerî işleri yanında bölgedeki halkların sosyo-kültürel durumları ve aralarındaki etkileşimler hakkında değerli bilgiler vermektedir. Ayrıca belgeler arasında içeriği bakımından edebî, dinî, mitolojik ve aile içi yazışmalara ilişkin önemli kayıtlar da bulunmaktadır. Mari kraliyet mektupları arasında, Mari ve yakın bölgelerdeki yerleşimlerde meydana gelen sel felaketleri ve taşkınlara karşı idarenin aldığı tedbirler çerçevesinde yürütülen imar faaliyetleri ile su kaynaklarının kullanımı ve yönetimi konusundaki uygulamaları içeren 25 kadar mektup tespit edilmiştir. Makalenin konusu, bu 25 mektup ve içeriği çerçevesinde şekillenmiştir.
The information based on written sources about the period dated 1972-1718 BC, known as the Old
As... more The information based on written sources about the period dated 1972-1718 BC, known as the Old Assyrian Colony Period in Anatolian history comes from more than 23500 Old Assyrian cuneiform texts which belong to the Assyrian traders’ personal archives which were discovered at Kültepe, ancient Kaniš. Accordingly, the main sources of the subject discussed here are Kültepe texts. However, there is a need to mention first the developments in Assur which underlie the international trade between Assur and some Anatolian city-states.
Öz Sumerlilerin Güney Mezopotamya'daki izleri mevcut bilgilere göre MÖ 4. binyılın başlarına kada... more Öz Sumerlilerin Güney Mezopotamya'daki izleri mevcut bilgilere göre MÖ 4. binyılın başlarına kadar takip edilebilmektedir. Onların bölgeye nereden göç ettikleri konusu hala tartışmalıdır. Ancak dillerinin Asya kökenli olduğu açıktır. Hatta Sumerceyi Turanî dillerle ilişkilendiren bazı önemli uzmanlar olmuştur. Bu kavmin medeniyete en büyük katkısı insanlığın kullandığı ilk yazı sistemi olan çivi yazısını geliştirmiş olmalarıdır. Başlarda resim yazısı olarak ortaya çıkan bu yazı zaman içinde içerikte ve biçimde gelişerek bir ideogram-hece yazısı haline gelmiş ve bölgedeki birçok dile de uyarlanmıştır. Sumerlilerin geliştirdikleri yazının, onların sosyal, siyasal, dini ve teknolojik alanda da gelişmesine büyük katkısı olmuştur. Dolayısıyla Sumerlilerin kurdukları medeniyet ve bu medeniyetin kültürel unsurları sadece kendi çevrelerindeki çağdaşı halkları etkilemekle kalmamış, tüm dünyada günümüze kadar kullanım alanı bulan derin kültürel izler bırakmıştır.
An Ur III Period Tablet from the Anatolian Civilizations Museum (Ankara)
One of the nearly 90.0... more An Ur III Period Tablet from the Anatolian Civilizations Museum (Ankara)
One of the nearly 90.000 Neo-Sumerian tablets scattered in hundreds of museums of so many countries is held at the Anatolian Civilization Museum in Ankara. The current article introduces this tablet, numbered 19-1-2019. This small text with 18 lines is a loan contract dated to the 5th month of the 4th year of Amar-Sin, one of the Ur III kings. The document is related to 5 shekels of silver, the debt of Ur-Šul to Ur-sukkal.
KÜLT EŞYALARI İÇEREN YENİ BİR KÜLTEPE TABLETİ, 2022
Cult objects belonging to the gods and the sanctuaries, which include the statues or representati... more Cult objects belonging to the gods and the sanctuaries, which include the statues or representations of the gods, are the subject of a few Kültepe texts. The document from the 1949 archive (Kt b/k 93+167), introduced here for the first time, gives another example of cult objects. Among these items, entrusted to a person named Puzur-Aššur, there are some objects of unclear meaning, goblets or vessels in the shape of a bird and a bull-head, a bow, and a dagger, the knob of which was made of gold and meteoric iron. All of these objects, possibly belonging to an unknown deity, occur for the first time in the Kültepe texts. Although the lack of information in the document does not allow us a satisfactory interpretation of the context of this list, the items may have belonged to a private chapel of a trader. There are about 850 cuneiform documents in the 1949 archive. Although there is no detailed study on these texts yet, the names of Amur-Aššur and Karriya's son Ennam-Aššur are prominent as the candidates for the archive owner. At the end of the ongoing studies on the archive, it will be clear whether these people were members of the same family and held the archive together or there were two different archives of unrelated merchants.
Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Tarih Bölümü Tarih Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2014
In terms of the number of tablets found in the official Kültepe excavations, which
have been con... more In terms of the number of tablets found in the official Kültepe excavations, which
have been continued since 1948, the season of 1992 is one of the richest years. 1058
pieces of archaeological items were found in that year. The documents between Kt
92/k 1027 and Kt 92/k 1034 were discovered in a separate trench away from all
other tablets. Consequently, these documents have to be studied as a small archive
separately from other tablet groups. The personnel names of Enna-Su’en and
Kunīlum are prominent in these tablets. According to the data occurred from the
texts, it is understood that this small archive has to be dated around 1860 BC
(Middle Chronology). The text Kt 92/k 1030 is important because it contains the city name Gazabura for the first time in Kültepe sources. It is obvious that the city name
Gazabura, recorded as Ga-za-bu-ra-i-im in the text, is the Old Assyrian form of a
well known city from the Hittite sources as Gazziura or Gašipura or Ka/izzimara
which is generally identified with modern Turhal.
The main commercial goods of the Anatolian trade in the
Assyrian Trading Colonies Period were tin... more The main commercial goods of the Anatolian trade in the Assyrian Trading Colonies Period were tin and various wool fabrics which the traders obtained in Assur. In addition to those commodities, the merchants tried to increase their income at odd times by trading products such as copper and wool of Anatolian origin. Leather or fleece, another Anatolian product, can be added to these Anatolian goods, which Assyrian merchants traded inside Anatolia. Two basic Akkadian terms, ārum and maškum occur in the Kültepe tablets for the meaning of leather or fleece/hides. Among these terms, which appear in more than 100 documents in total, especially maškum is more reflected in the texts as a commercial product; there are records of hundreds of them being bought and sold or transported from one place to another. The Kültepe texts record a total of 45 ārum and 1674 maškum. In addition, there are records of maškum weighing approximately 42 talents in three separate documents. It is not clear what kind of a distinction there is between the terms ārum and maškum as for the characteristics of the leather/fleece. However, the difference between these words could be in terms of the form of the leather/fleece or whether it had undergone any processing, but not the animals from which it originated. ārum does not describe the skin of any animal except cattle, but the term maškum is also occurring for cattle skin in the documents. It is believed that the leather tanning process is one of the oldest occupations that human beings have mastered in terms of manufacturing techniques. In this respect, it is clear that leather tanning was known and practiced during the Old Assyrian Trade Colonies Period. However, there is no clear evidence in the Kültepe texts that would enable us to distinguish tanned leather from other rawhide or fleece. On the other hand, ārum, associated with the Hebrew word ‘ōr meaning “hide” in CAD A/II, p. 318a, may be related to the words erû “bare, empty” in CAD E, p. 320b, and a/erum “to be naked” in CDA p. 80a, and erium “naked” derived from this word. Accordingly, one may think that the term ārum may correspond to leather that had undergone some manufacturing process for tanning in some way.
MARİ KRALIYET BELGELERİNDE SU TAŞKINLARI İLE BARAJ-BENT YAPIMI VE TAMİRATINA İLİŞKİN KAYITLAR
Mari Krallığı, M.Ö. II. Binde Mezopotamya'nın hem siyasi yapılanmasında hem de Orta Fırat bölgesi... more Mari Krallığı, M.Ö. II. Binde Mezopotamya'nın hem siyasi yapılanmasında hem de Orta Fırat bölgesindeki kara ve nehir yolu ticaretinde kilit rol üstlenmiş bir merkezdir. Eskiçağ araştırmalarında Mari Krallığını önemli kılan bir diğer faktör de Mari sarayında ele geçen 20.000 civarında krallığın çeşitli konulardaki idari belgeleridir. Burada açığa çıkarılan metinlerin çoğu, Mari kralı Zimri-Lim ile onun yüksek dereceli memurları arasında farklı konularda yazılmış mektuplardan oluşmaktadır. Mari kraliyet arşivi belgeleri, Eski Yakındoğu arşivleri arasında ayrı bir öneme sahiptir. Çünkü bu mektuplar, Yakındoğu krallıklarının siyasi ve askerî işleri yanında bölgedeki halkların sosyo-kültürel durumları ve aralarındaki etkileşimler hakkında değerli bilgiler vermektedir. Ayrıca belgeler arasında içeriği bakımından edebî, dinî, mitolojik ve aile içi yazışmalara ilişkin önemli kayıtlar da bulunmaktadır. Mari kraliyet mektupları arasında, Mari ve yakın bölgelerdeki yerleşimlerde meydana gelen sel felaketleri ve taşkınlara karşı idarenin aldığı tedbirler çerçevesinde yürütülen imar faaliyetleri ile su kaynaklarının kullanımı ve yönetimi konusundaki uygulamaları içeren 25 kadar mektup tespit edilmiştir. Makalenin konusu, bu 25 mektup ve içeriği çerçevesinde şekillenmiştir.
The information based on written sources about the period dated 1972-1718 BC, known as the Old
As... more The information based on written sources about the period dated 1972-1718 BC, known as the Old Assyrian Colony Period in Anatolian history comes from more than 23500 Old Assyrian cuneiform texts which belong to the Assyrian traders’ personal archives which were discovered at Kültepe, ancient Kaniš. Accordingly, the main sources of the subject discussed here are Kültepe texts. However, there is a need to mention first the developments in Assur which underlie the international trade between Assur and some Anatolian city-states.
Öz Sumerlilerin Güney Mezopotamya'daki izleri mevcut bilgilere göre MÖ 4. binyılın başlarına kada... more Öz Sumerlilerin Güney Mezopotamya'daki izleri mevcut bilgilere göre MÖ 4. binyılın başlarına kadar takip edilebilmektedir. Onların bölgeye nereden göç ettikleri konusu hala tartışmalıdır. Ancak dillerinin Asya kökenli olduğu açıktır. Hatta Sumerceyi Turanî dillerle ilişkilendiren bazı önemli uzmanlar olmuştur. Bu kavmin medeniyete en büyük katkısı insanlığın kullandığı ilk yazı sistemi olan çivi yazısını geliştirmiş olmalarıdır. Başlarda resim yazısı olarak ortaya çıkan bu yazı zaman içinde içerikte ve biçimde gelişerek bir ideogram-hece yazısı haline gelmiş ve bölgedeki birçok dile de uyarlanmıştır. Sumerlilerin geliştirdikleri yazının, onların sosyal, siyasal, dini ve teknolojik alanda da gelişmesine büyük katkısı olmuştur. Dolayısıyla Sumerlilerin kurdukları medeniyet ve bu medeniyetin kültürel unsurları sadece kendi çevrelerindeki çağdaşı halkları etkilemekle kalmamış, tüm dünyada günümüze kadar kullanım alanı bulan derin kültürel izler bırakmıştır.
Uploads
Papers by Hakan Erol
One of the nearly 90.000 Neo-Sumerian tablets scattered in
hundreds of museums of so many countries is held at the Anatolian
Civilization Museum in Ankara. The current article introduces this
tablet, numbered 19-1-2019. This small text with 18 lines is a loan
contract dated to the 5th month of the 4th year of Amar-Sin, one of the
Ur III kings. The document is related to 5 shekels of silver, the debt of
Ur-Šul to Ur-sukkal.
have been continued since 1948, the season of 1992 is one of the richest years. 1058
pieces of archaeological items were found in that year. The documents between Kt
92/k 1027 and Kt 92/k 1034 were discovered in a separate trench away from all
other tablets. Consequently, these documents have to be studied as a small archive
separately from other tablet groups. The personnel names of Enna-Su’en and
Kunīlum are prominent in these tablets. According to the data occurred from the
texts, it is understood that this small archive has to be dated around 1860 BC
(Middle Chronology). The text Kt 92/k 1030 is important because it contains the city name Gazabura for the first time in Kültepe sources. It is obvious that the city name
Gazabura, recorded as Ga-za-bu-ra-i-im in the text, is the Old Assyrian form of a
well known city from the Hittite sources as Gazziura or Gašipura or Ka/izzimara
which is generally identified with modern Turhal.
Assyrian Trading Colonies Period were tin and various wool fabrics
which the traders obtained in Assur. In addition to those commodities,
the merchants tried to increase their income at odd times by trading
products such as copper and wool of Anatolian origin. Leather or
fleece, another Anatolian product, can be added to these Anatolian
goods, which Assyrian merchants traded inside Anatolia. Two basic
Akkadian terms, ārum and maškum occur in the Kültepe tablets for
the meaning of leather or fleece/hides. Among these terms, which
appear in more than 100 documents in total, especially maškum is
more reflected in the texts as a commercial product; there are records
of hundreds of them being bought and sold or transported from one
place to another. The Kültepe texts record a total of 45 ārum and
1674 maškum. In addition, there are records of maškum weighing
approximately 42 talents in three separate documents. It is not clear
what kind of a distinction there is between the
terms ārum and maškum as for the characteristics of the
leather/fleece. However, the difference between these words could be
in terms of the form of the leather/fleece or whether it had undergone
any processing, but not the animals from which it originated. ārum does not describe the skin of any animal except
cattle, but the term maškum is also occurring for cattle skin in the
documents.
It is believed that the leather tanning process is one of the
oldest occupations that human beings have mastered in terms of
manufacturing techniques. In this respect, it is clear that leather
tanning was known and practiced during the Old Assyrian Trade
Colonies Period. However, there is no clear evidence in the Kültepe
texts that would enable us to distinguish tanned leather from other
rawhide or fleece. On the other hand, ārum, associated with the
Hebrew word ‘ōr meaning “hide” in CAD A/II, p. 318a, may be
related to the words erû “bare, empty” in CAD E, p. 320b, and a/erum
“to be naked” in CDA p. 80a, and erium “naked” derived from this
word. Accordingly, one may think that the term ārum may correspond
to leather that had undergone some manufacturing process for
tanning in some way.
Assyrian Colony Period in Anatolian history comes from more than 23500 Old Assyrian cuneiform
texts which belong to the Assyrian traders’ personal archives which were discovered at Kültepe,
ancient Kaniš. Accordingly, the main sources of the subject discussed here are Kültepe texts. However,
there is a need to mention first the developments in Assur which underlie the international trade
between Assur and some Anatolian city-states.
One of the nearly 90.000 Neo-Sumerian tablets scattered in
hundreds of museums of so many countries is held at the Anatolian
Civilization Museum in Ankara. The current article introduces this
tablet, numbered 19-1-2019. This small text with 18 lines is a loan
contract dated to the 5th month of the 4th year of Amar-Sin, one of the
Ur III kings. The document is related to 5 shekels of silver, the debt of
Ur-Šul to Ur-sukkal.
have been continued since 1948, the season of 1992 is one of the richest years. 1058
pieces of archaeological items were found in that year. The documents between Kt
92/k 1027 and Kt 92/k 1034 were discovered in a separate trench away from all
other tablets. Consequently, these documents have to be studied as a small archive
separately from other tablet groups. The personnel names of Enna-Su’en and
Kunīlum are prominent in these tablets. According to the data occurred from the
texts, it is understood that this small archive has to be dated around 1860 BC
(Middle Chronology). The text Kt 92/k 1030 is important because it contains the city name Gazabura for the first time in Kültepe sources. It is obvious that the city name
Gazabura, recorded as Ga-za-bu-ra-i-im in the text, is the Old Assyrian form of a
well known city from the Hittite sources as Gazziura or Gašipura or Ka/izzimara
which is generally identified with modern Turhal.
Assyrian Trading Colonies Period were tin and various wool fabrics
which the traders obtained in Assur. In addition to those commodities,
the merchants tried to increase their income at odd times by trading
products such as copper and wool of Anatolian origin. Leather or
fleece, another Anatolian product, can be added to these Anatolian
goods, which Assyrian merchants traded inside Anatolia. Two basic
Akkadian terms, ārum and maškum occur in the Kültepe tablets for
the meaning of leather or fleece/hides. Among these terms, which
appear in more than 100 documents in total, especially maškum is
more reflected in the texts as a commercial product; there are records
of hundreds of them being bought and sold or transported from one
place to another. The Kültepe texts record a total of 45 ārum and
1674 maškum. In addition, there are records of maškum weighing
approximately 42 talents in three separate documents. It is not clear
what kind of a distinction there is between the
terms ārum and maškum as for the characteristics of the
leather/fleece. However, the difference between these words could be
in terms of the form of the leather/fleece or whether it had undergone
any processing, but not the animals from which it originated. ārum does not describe the skin of any animal except
cattle, but the term maškum is also occurring for cattle skin in the
documents.
It is believed that the leather tanning process is one of the
oldest occupations that human beings have mastered in terms of
manufacturing techniques. In this respect, it is clear that leather
tanning was known and practiced during the Old Assyrian Trade
Colonies Period. However, there is no clear evidence in the Kültepe
texts that would enable us to distinguish tanned leather from other
rawhide or fleece. On the other hand, ārum, associated with the
Hebrew word ‘ōr meaning “hide” in CAD A/II, p. 318a, may be
related to the words erû “bare, empty” in CAD E, p. 320b, and a/erum
“to be naked” in CDA p. 80a, and erium “naked” derived from this
word. Accordingly, one may think that the term ārum may correspond
to leather that had undergone some manufacturing process for
tanning in some way.
Assyrian Colony Period in Anatolian history comes from more than 23500 Old Assyrian cuneiform
texts which belong to the Assyrian traders’ personal archives which were discovered at Kültepe,
ancient Kaniš. Accordingly, the main sources of the subject discussed here are Kültepe texts. However,
there is a need to mention first the developments in Assur which underlie the international trade
between Assur and some Anatolian city-states.