Old Babylonian
The term is used to describe the culture of southern Mesopotamia between approximately 2000 BC-1600 BC.
Description:
The Old Babylonian Period describes southern Mesopotamia where a number of important sates dominated the region, including Isin, Larsa, Eshnuna, and Babylon. The sixth ruler of Babylon, Hamurabi, unified the southern states and expanded his control into north Mesopotamia. After his death, the empire gradually shrank, but remained an important power until it was sacked by the Hittite king Mursili I. During the Old Babylonian period, literary activity flourished with scribes composing and recording religious, poetic, and ‘scientific’ works in Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform. The state retained the Akkadian language for official use, and the Sumerian language for religious use, but Amorite was the spoken language. The earlier Akkadian and Sumerian traditions played a major role in Babylonian culture.
Ultra-Low Chronology: 1798-1499 BCE
Short/Low Chronology: 1830-1531 BCE
Middle Chronology: 1894-1595 BCE
Long/High Chronology: 1950-1651 BCE
Objects: Old Babylonian Export: JSON - XML - CSV
| Object | U Number | Museum Number (UPM Date Reg Number) | Museum Number (BM Registration Number) | Museum Number (UPM B-number) | Description (Catalog Card) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 441 | 52-30-199 | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Accounts on obverse, dated at bottom of 4th col rev (date illegible) Same find as U.339 in TTB9. |
| 7746 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Archaic form of tablet. Kassite writing(?) Mentioning Ur ^dNammu(!) King of Ur. HC.70. |
| 737 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Bottom and sides broken off. Dated 14th year of Sume-ilum, King of Larsa. See U.381. |
| 13008 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Broken with case (in box). |
| 7718 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Business document. Dated to 1st year of Sin-mu-ilum. |
| 7725 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. cf. &.7736 and 7756 (26 whole) |
| 7756 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Content similar to U.7725 and 7736. |
| 7736 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Contents similar to U.7725 and 7756. |
| 13023 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Contract (broken) and one fragment. |
| 13103 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Contract complete. |
| 15096 | 52-30-73, 52-30-73 | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Contract. |
| 15671 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. contract. Of about the Larsa period. |
| 13071 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Contract. (brick) and fragments of case in box. |
| 7728 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Copy of a dedication by Idin Dagan (list of tablets of this class: Ur Nammu 7746; Ibi Sin 7737; Idin Dagan 7728, 7757; Kudur Mabug 7733, 7743; Rim Sin 7734, 7747, 7749, 7751, 7760?; Warad-Sn 7732). |
| 7743 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Dedication of Kudurmabug. cf. 7728 |
| 7732 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Dedication? of Warad?-Sin. cf. 7728. |
| 12998 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Fragment ? Mathematical. |
| 442 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Fragment of. Contains a list of various objects mostly made of wood. Found TTB 9 see U339. Inventory of furniture, or poss. part of an explanatory list. |
| 430 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Fragment of. TTB17 See U.376. | |
| 11693 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Fragment. 2 proper names, beginning Nannar. | |
| 1520 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Fragment. Beginning of an Old Babylonian letter, mostly illegible. |
| 7757 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Fragment. Dedication by Idin-Dagan. cf. U.7728. |
| 8840C | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. In a box, not marked, and not fully examined, the following leftover unbaked, at end of season. (A)[A and H] 2 considerable fragments. (B)[B and I-L] 5 small tablets. (C) seal impression (interesting). (D) Contract with many fragments of its envelope, with seal impressions. also baked. (E) Fragment containing some proper names. (F) Half a business note also. (G) corner of archaic tablet. |
| 7753 | 47-29-62, 47-29-62 | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Large fragment of large tablet (4 cent thick) of accounts. |
| 7741 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Tablet. Large fragment of large tablet. Hymn? |
| Location | Context Title | Context Description | Description (Modern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| House III | Excavation designation for a portion of area AH that was eventually published as No. 1 Church Lane and No. 1 Straight Street. It was also called the Pa-Sag or Hendur-Sag chapel. This space was identified as a neighborhood or wayside chapel at the NW edge of Carfax. | (none) |
| House I | Excavation house designation on the southeast side of Straight Street (originally called Division Street as it divided the first excavation house designations I, II, and III). This unit covered published houses No.2 and No. 4 Straight Street. | (none) |
| House II | Excavation house designation on the northwest side of Straight Street (originally called Division Street because it divided the initial excavation units of House I, II, and III). This unit may have initially contained some rooms in No. 3 Straight Street. | (none) |
| House IV | Excavation designation in area AH mostly covering No. 1 Old Street but likely containing parts of No. 7 Church Lane as well. | (none) |
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Related Terms
Ubaid - Uruk - Jemdat Nasr - Early Dynastic / Sumerian - Akkadian Dynasty - Guti/Post Akkadian - Ur III - Middle Assyrian - Kassite - Neo-Assyrian - Neo-Babylonian - Achaemenid Empire (Persian) - Seleucid - Parthian