Kudurru of Melishihu
Taken from Babylonia to Susa
Kassite period (1202-1188 BC)
Grey Limestone
H 0.65 m; W 0.30 m
Sb 22
Description
"The kings of Babylon from the Kassite dynasty made generous
gifts to their vassals. Record of this was, in principle, kept on
the boundary posts, the kudurru of the lands that had been made
over. In actual fact it was inscribed on great slabs, or standing
stones, kept in the temples. These lists of donations were placed
under the protection of the greatest possible number of gods, most
often represented in their symbolic form and arranged according to
the hierarchy of the pantheon. However, at the top, are symbols of
the three heavenly gods; Sin (moon), Shamash (sun) and Ishtar
(Venus), in order of their position in the heavens, rather than
their importance. They were surpassed by the supreme triad: Anu
(sky), Enlil (air) symbolized by their horned crowns and Ea (fresh
water from the abyss), symbolized by a kind of sceptre carried by a
goat-fish. Below we find the emblems of several other gods; that of
Marduk, patron-god of Babylon, is identifiable as a pointed hoe
placed on a stand and the serpent-dragon which guards the underworld
of the god. The same dragon carries the scribe's stylet, which is
the emblem of Nabu, Marduk's son. These emblems were difficult to
interpret, even for the ancients who sometimes inscribed the name of
the gods symbolized next to the symbols themselves."
- Louvre