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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 17210 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay tablet. Incomplete. Sumerian grammatical text-bilingual verb-paradigms. [CARD MISSING: information from later typed transcript] |
| 17221 | 19311010.54 | 1931,1010.535 | (none) | Clay vessel. Fragment. Inscribed Ur-^d Iskur, under the following symbol. | |
| 17228 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay cone (fragment) Sumu-ilu; building of the E-udda. (Ur inscription 115). |
| 17230 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay cone. (fragment) Sumu-ili; building of the Eginabtum. (Ur Inscription 114) |
| 17233 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay cone (fragment). Sumu-ilu; building of the Eginabtum. (Ur inscription 114). |
| 17235 | (none) | (none) | (none) | White calcite bowl. (fragment) Remains of the inscription of a king: (?-^dEN)ZU. HC. |
| 17236 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Macehead [CARD MISSING Typed Transcription from British Museum Card] |
| 17244 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Weight [CARD MISSING Typed Transcription from British Museum Card] |
| 17249I | 52-30-114 | (none) | (none) | U number not assigned in field | |
| 17622 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Seal impression. Inscription. Clay. Presentation scene; two figures; one line of semi-erased inscription. |
| 17653A | (none) | (none) | (none) | Two clay tablets [A-B]. Circular, 'school' type. | |
| 17818B | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay tablets. Two, circular (both broken) [A-B] |
| 17844 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay cone. Fragment of a large cone (Larsa type) |
| 17845 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay cone. Fragment of a large cone (Larsa type) |
| 18175 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Inscribed cone. Fragment of. From a large cone of the Larsa type: only part of one side of the stem found. |
| 18628 | (none) | 1933,1013.10 | (none) | Copper statuette of a woman standing with hands roun in the attitude of prayer: her hair is done in a heavy shignon and she wears a long flounced dress. In catalog. [drawing] |
| 18744 | (none) | 1935,0112.75, 1935,0112.76 | (none) | Clay tablet. One corner missing. | |
| 18763 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay tablet. Complete except for chip off one corner. |
| 18764 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay tablet. Only one inscribed face preserved. | |
| 18765 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay tablet. Bottom end missing. | |
| 18766 | (none) | 1953,0411.73 | (none) | Clay tablet. One edge broken away. |
| 18767 | 52-30-176 | (none) | (none) | Clay tablet. One corner chipped. |
| 18768 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay cone. Upper part of stem only, with first section of text. |
| 18784A | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay foundation cones, two, similar: (A) All the base preserved with text complete and the stem to the length of 40mm, with about half its text. (B) Base chipped with edge of inscribed area damaged: of the stem c. 60mm remains with half the inscription. |
| 18785 | (none) | (none) | (none) | Clay foundation cone. Base missing: inscription on stem in 10 columns; most of lower part preserved. |
| Location | Context Title | Context Description | Description (Modern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 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 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